Psalms 105:31-45

105:31 He ordered flies to come;

gnats invaded their whole territory.

105:32 He sent hail along with the rain;

there was lightning in their land.

105:33 He destroyed their vines and fig trees,

and broke the trees throughout their territory.

105:34 He ordered locusts to come,

innumerable grasshoppers.

105:35 They ate all the vegetation in their land,

and devoured the crops of their fields.

105:36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land,

the firstfruits of their reproductive power.

105:37 He brought his people out enriched with silver and gold;

none of his tribes stumbled.

105:38 Egypt was happy when they left,

for they were afraid of them.

105:39 He spread out a cloud for a cover, 10 

and provided a fire to light up the night.

105:40 They asked for food, 11  and he sent quails;

he satisfied them with food from the sky. 12 

105:41 He opened up a rock and water flowed out;

a river ran through dry regions.

105:42 Yes, 13  he remembered the sacred promise 14 

he made to Abraham his servant.

105:43 When he led his people out, they rejoiced;

his chosen ones shouted with joy. 15 

105:44 He handed the territory of nations over to them,

and they took possession of what other peoples had produced, 16 

105:45 so that they might keep his commands

and obey 17  his laws.

Praise the Lord!


tn Heb “he spoke and flies came.”

tn Heb “he gave their rains hail.”

tn Heb “fire of flames [was] in their land.”

tn Heb “he spoke and locusts came.”

tn Heb “the fruit of their ground.”

tn Heb “the beginning of all their strength,” that is, reproductive power (see Ps 78:51).

tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Lord’s people) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

tn The word “enriched” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

tn Heb “for fear of them had fallen upon them.”

10 tn Or “curtain.”

11 tn Heb “he [i.e., his people] asked.” The singular form should probably be emended to a plural שָׁאֲלוּ (shaalu, “they asked”), the vav (ו) having fallen off by haplography (note the vav at the beginning of the following form).

12 tn Or “bread of heaven.” The reference is to manna (see Exod 16:4, 13-15).

13 tn Or “for.”

14 tn Heb “his holy word.”

15 tn Heb “and he led his people out with joy, with a ringing cry, his chosen ones.”

16 tn Heb “and the [product of the] work of peoples they possessed.”

17 tn Heb “guard.”