Psalms 89:1--110:7

Psalm 89

A well-written song by Ethan the Ezrachite.

89:1 I will sing continually about the Lord’s faithful deeds;

to future generations I will proclaim your faithfulness.

89:2 For I say, “Loyal love is permanently established;

in the skies you set up your faithfulness.”

89:3 The Lord said,

“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;

I have made a promise on oath to David, my servant:

89:4 ‘I will give you an eternal dynasty

and establish your throne throughout future generations.’” (Selah)

89:5 O Lord, the heavens praise your amazing deeds,

as well as your faithfulness in the angelic assembly.

89:6 For who in the skies can compare to the Lord?

Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings,

89:7 a God who is honored in the great angelic assembly,

and more awesome than all who surround him?

89:8 O Lord, sovereign God!

Who is strong like you, O Lord?

Your faithfulness surrounds you.

89:9 You rule over the proud sea.

When its waves surge, you calm them.

89:10 You crushed the Proud One and killed it;

with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.

89:11 The heavens belong to you, as does the earth.

You made the world and all it contains.

89:12 You created the north and the south.

Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.

89:13 Your arm is powerful,

your hand strong,

your right hand victorious.

89:14 Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne.

Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule.

89:15 How blessed are the people who worship you!

O Lord, they experience your favor.

89:16 They rejoice in your name all day long,

and are vindicated by your justice.

89:17 For you give them splendor and strength.

By your favor we are victorious.

89:18 For our shield belongs to the Lord,

our king to the Holy One of Israel.

89:19 Then you spoke through a vision to your faithful followers and said:

“I have energized a warrior;

I have raised up a young man from the people.

89:20 I have discovered David, my servant.

With my holy oil I have anointed him as king.

89:21 My hand will support him,

and my arm will strengthen him.

89:22 No enemy will be able to exact tribute from him;

a violent oppressor will not be able to humiliate him.

89:23 I will crush his enemies before him;

I will strike down those who hate him.

89:24 He will experience my faithfulness and loyal love,

and by my name he will win victories.

89:25 I will place his hand over the sea,

his right hand over the rivers.

89:26 He will call out to me,

‘You are my father, my God, and the protector who delivers me.’

89:27 I will appoint him to be my firstborn son,

the most exalted of the earth’s kings.

89:28 I will always extend my loyal love to him,

and my covenant with him is secure.

89:29 I will give him an eternal dynasty,

and make his throne as enduring as the skies above.

89:30 If his sons reject my law

and disobey my regulations,

89:31 if they break my rules

and do not keep my commandments,

89:32 I will punish their rebellion by beating them with a club,

their sin by inflicting them with bruises.

89:33 But I will not remove my loyal love from him,

nor be unfaithful to my promise.

89:34 I will not break my covenant

or go back on what I promised.

89:35 Once and for all I have vowed by my own holiness,

I will never deceive David.

89:36 His dynasty will last forever.

His throne will endure before me, like the sun,

89:37 it will remain stable, like the moon,

his throne will endure like the skies.” (Selah)

89:38 But you have spurned and rejected him;

you are angry with your chosen king.

89:39 You have repudiated your covenant with your servant;

you have thrown his crown to the ground.

89:40 You have broken down all his walls;

you have made his strongholds a heap of ruins.

89:41 All who pass by have robbed him;

he has become an object of disdain to his neighbors.

89:42 You have allowed his adversaries to be victorious,

and all his enemies to rejoice.

89:43 You turn back his sword from the adversary,

and have not sustained him in battle.

89:44 You have brought to an end his splendor,

and have knocked his throne to the ground.

89:45 You have cut short his youth,

and have covered him with shame. (Selah)

89:46 How long, O Lord, will this last?

Will you remain hidden forever?

Will your anger continue to burn like fire?

89:47 Take note of my brief lifespan!

Why do you make all people so mortal?

89:48 No man can live on without experiencing death,

or deliver his life from the power of Sheol. (Selah)

89:49 Where are your earlier faithful deeds, O Lord,

the ones performed in accordance with your reliable oath to David?

89:50 Take note, O Lord, of the way your servants are taunted,

and of how I must bear so many insults from people!

89:51 Your enemies, O Lord, hurl insults;

they insult your chosen king as they dog his footsteps.

89:52 The Lord deserves praise forevermore!

We agree! We agree!

Book 4
(Psalms 90-106)

Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

90:1 O Lord, you have been our protector through all generations!

90:2 Even before the mountains came into existence,

or you brought the world into being,

you were the eternal God.

90:3 You make mankind return to the dust,

and say, “Return, O people!”

90:4 Yes, in your eyes a thousand years

are like yesterday that quickly passes,

or like one of the divisions of the nighttime.

90:5 You bring their lives to an end and they “fall asleep.”

In the morning they are like the grass that sprouts up;

90:6 in the morning it glistens and sprouts up;

at evening time it withers and dries up.

90:7 Yes, we are consumed by your anger;

we are terrified by your wrath.

90:8 You are aware of our sins;

you even know about our hidden sins.

90:9 Yes, throughout all our days we experience your raging fury;

the years of our lives pass quickly, like a sigh.

90:10 The days of our lives add up to seventy years,

or eighty, if one is especially strong.

But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and oppression.

Yes, they pass quickly and we fly away.

90:11 Who can really fathom the intensity of your anger?

Your raging fury causes people to fear you.

90:12 So teach us to consider our mortality,

so that we might live wisely.

90:13 Turn back toward us, O Lord!

How long must this suffering last?

Have pity on your servants!

90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with your loyal love!

Then we will shout for joy and be happy all our days!

90:15 Make us happy in proportion to the days you have afflicted us,

in proportion to the years we have experienced trouble!

90:16 May your servants see your work!

May their sons see your majesty!

90:17 May our sovereign God extend his favor to us!

Make our endeavors successful!

Yes, make them successful!

Psalm 91

91:1 As for you, the one who lives in the shelter of the sovereign One,

and resides in the protective shadow of the mighty king

91:2 I say this about the Lord, my shelter and my stronghold,

my God in whom I trust –

91:3 he will certainly rescue you from the snare of the hunter

and from the destructive plague.

91:4 He will shelter you with his wings;

you will find safety under his wings.

His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall.

91:5 You need not fear the terrors of the night,

the arrow that flies by day,

91:6 the plague that comes in the darkness,

or the disease that comes at noon.

91:7 Though a thousand may fall beside you,

and a multitude on your right side,

it will not reach you.

91:8 Certainly you will see it with your very own eyes –

you will see the wicked paid back.

91:9 For you have taken refuge in the Lord,

my shelter, the sovereign One.

91:10 No harm will overtake you;

no illness will come near your home.

91:11 For he will order his angels

to protect you in all you do.

91:12 They will lift you up in their hands,

so you will not slip and fall on a stone.

91:13 You will subdue a lion and a snake;

you will trample underfoot a young lion and a serpent.

91:14 The Lord says,

“Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him;

I will protect him because he is loyal to me.

91:15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him.

I will be with him when he is in trouble;

I will rescue him and bring him honor.

91:16 I will satisfy him with long life,

and will let him see my salvation.

Psalm 92

A psalm; a song for the Sabbath day.

92:1 It is fitting to thank the Lord,

and to sing praises to your name, O sovereign One!

92:2 It is fitting to proclaim your loyal love in the morning,

and your faithfulness during the night,

92:3 to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument and a lyre,

to the accompaniment of the meditative tone of the harp.

92:4 For you, O Lord, have made me happy by your work.

I will sing for joy because of what you have done.

92:5 How great are your works, O Lord!

Your plans are very intricate!

92:6 The spiritually insensitive do not recognize this;

the fool does not understand this.

92:7 When the wicked sprout up like grass,

and all the evildoers glisten,

it is so that they may be annihilated.

92:8 But you, O Lord, reign forever!

92:9 Indeed, look at your enemies, O Lord!

Indeed, look at how your enemies perish!

All the evildoers are scattered!

92:10 You exalt my horn like that of a wild ox.

I am covered with fresh oil.

92:11 I gloat in triumph over those who tried to ambush me;

I hear the defeated cries of the evil foes who attacked me.

92:12 The godly grow like a palm tree;

they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon.

92:13 Planted in the Lord’s house,

they grow in the courts of our God.

92:14 They bear fruit even when they are old;

they are filled with vitality and have many leaves.

92:15 So they proclaim that the Lord, my protector,

is just and never unfair.

Psalm 93

93:1 The Lord reigns!

He is robed in majesty,

the Lord is robed,

he wears strength around his waist.

Indeed, the world is established, it cannot be moved.

93:2 Your throne has been secure from ancient times;

you have always been king.

93:3 The waves roar, O Lord,

the waves roar,

the waves roar and crash.

93:4 Above the sound of the surging water,

and the mighty waves of the sea,

the Lord sits enthroned in majesty.

93:5 The rules you set down are completely reliable.

Holiness aptly adorns your house, O Lord, forever.

Psalm 94

94:1 O Lord, the God who avenges!

O God who avenges, reveal your splendor!

94:2 Rise up, O judge of the earth!

Pay back the proud!

94:3 O Lord, how long will the wicked,

how long will the wicked celebrate?

94:4 They spew out threats and speak defiantly;

all the evildoers boast.

94:5 O Lord, they crush your people;

they oppress the nation that belongs to you.

94:6 They kill the widow and the one residing outside his native land,

and they murder the fatherless.

94:7 Then they say, “The Lord does not see this;

the God of Jacob does not take notice of it.”

94:8 Take notice of this, you ignorant people!

You fools, when will you ever understand?

94:9 Does the one who makes the human ear not hear?

Does the one who forms the human eye not see?

94:10 Does the one who disciplines the nations not punish?

He is the one who imparts knowledge to human beings!

94:11 The Lord knows that

peoples’ thoughts are morally bankrupt.

94:12 How blessed is the one whom you instruct, O Lord,

the one whom you teach from your law,

94:13 in order to protect him from times of trouble,

until the wicked are destroyed.

94:14 Certainly the Lord does not forsake his people;

he does not abandon the nation that belongs to him.

94:15 For justice will prevail,

and all the morally upright will be vindicated.

94:16 Who will rise up to defend me against the wicked?

Who will stand up for me against the evildoers?

94:17 If the Lord had not helped me,

I would have laid down in the silence of death.

94:18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,”

your loyal love, O Lord, supports me.

94:19 When worries threaten to overwhelm me,

your soothing touch makes me happy.

94:20 Cruel rulers are not your allies,

those who make oppressive laws.

94:21 They conspire against the blameless,

and condemn to death the innocent.

94:22 But the Lord will protect me,

and my God will shelter me.

94:23 He will pay them back for their sin.

He will destroy them because of their evil;

the Lord our God will destroy them.

Psalm 95

95:1 Come! Let’s sing for joy to the Lord!

Let’s shout out praises to our protector who delivers us!

95:2 Let’s enter his presence with thanksgiving!

Let’s shout out to him in celebration!

95:3 For the Lord is a great God,

a great king who is superior to all gods.

95:4 The depths of the earth are in his hand,

and the mountain peaks belong to him.

95:5 The sea is his, for he made it.

His hands formed the dry land.

95:6 Come! Let’s bow down and worship!

Let’s kneel before the Lord, our creator!

95:7 For he is our God;

we are the people of his pasture,

the sheep he owns.

Today, if only you would obey him!

95:8 He says, “Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah,

like they were that day at Massah in the wilderness,

95:9 where your ancestors challenged my authority,

and tried my patience, even though they had seen my work.

95:10 For forty years I was continually disgusted with that generation,

and I said, ‘These people desire to go astray;

they do not obey my commands.’

95:11 So I made a vow in my anger,

‘They will never enter into the resting place I had set aside for them.’”

Psalm 96

96:1 Sing to the Lord a new song!

Sing to the Lord, all the earth!

96:2 Sing to the Lord! Praise his name!

Announce every day how he delivers!

96:3 Tell the nations about his splendor!

Tell all the nations about his amazing deeds!

96:4 For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise;

he is more awesome than all gods.

96:5 For all the gods of the nations are worthless,

but the Lord made the sky.

96:6 Majestic splendor emanates from him;

his sanctuary is firmly established and beautiful.

96:7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the nations,

ascribe to the Lord splendor and strength!

96:8 Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves!

Bring an offering and enter his courts!

96:9 Worship the Lord in holy attire!

Tremble before him, all the earth!

96:10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!

The world is established, it cannot be moved.

He judges the nations fairly.”

96:11 Let the sky rejoice, and the earth be happy!

Let the sea and everything in it shout!

96:12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate!

Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy

96:13 before the Lord, for he comes!

For he comes to judge the earth!

He judges the world fairly,

and the nations in accordance with his justice.

Psalm 97

97:1 The Lord reigns!

Let the earth be happy!

Let the many coastlands rejoice!

97:2 Dark clouds surround him;

equity and justice are the foundation of his throne.

97:3 Fire goes before him;

on every side it burns up his enemies.

97:4 His lightning bolts light up the world;

the earth sees and trembles.

97:5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,

before the Lord of the whole earth.

97:6 The sky declares his justice,

and all the nations see his splendor.

97:7 All who worship idols are ashamed,

those who boast about worthless idols.

All the gods bow down before him.

97:8 Zion hears and rejoices,

the towns of Judah are happy,

because of your judgments, O Lord.

97:9 For you, O Lord, are the sovereign king over the whole earth;

you are elevated high above all gods.

97:10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!

He protects the lives of his faithful followers;

he delivers them from the power of the wicked.

97:11 The godly bask in the light;

the morally upright experience joy.

97:12 You godly ones, rejoice in the Lord!

Give thanks to his holy name.

Psalm 98

A psalm.

98:1 Sing to the Lord a new song,

for he performs amazing deeds!

His right hand and his mighty arm

accomplish deliverance.

98:2 The Lord demonstrates his power to deliver;

in the sight of the nations he reveals his justice.

98:3 He remains loyal and faithful to the family of Israel.

All the ends of the earth see our God deliver us.

98:4 Shout out praises to the Lord, all the earth!

Break out in a joyful shout and sing!

98:5 Sing to the Lord accompanied by a harp,

accompanied by a harp and the sound of music!

98:6 With trumpets and the blaring of the ram’s horn,

shout out praises before the king, the Lord!

98:7 Let the sea and everything in it shout,

along with the world and those who live in it!

98:8 Let the rivers clap their hands!

Let the mountains sing in unison

98:9 before the Lord!

For he comes to judge the earth!

He judges the world fairly,

and the nations in a just manner.

Psalm 99

99:1 The Lord reigns!

The nations tremble.

He sits enthroned above the winged angels;

the earth shakes.

99:2 The Lord is elevated in Zion;

he is exalted over all the nations.

99:3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!

He is holy!

99:4 The king is strong;

he loves justice.

You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly;

you promote justice and equity in Jacob.

99:5 Praise the Lord our God!

Worship before his footstool!

He is holy!

99:6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests;

Samuel was one of those who prayed to him.

They prayed to the Lord and he answered them.

99:7 He spoke to them from a pillar of cloud;

they obeyed his regulations and the ordinance he gave them.

99:8 O Lord our God, you answered them.

They found you to be a forgiving God,

but also one who punished their sinful deeds.

99:9 Praise the Lord our God!

Worship on his holy hill,

for the Lord our God is holy!

Psalm 100

A thanksgiving psalm.

100:1 Shout out praises to the Lord, all the earth!

100:2 Worship the Lord with joy!

Enter his presence with joyful singing!

100:3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!

He made us and we belong to him;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give him thanks!

Praise his name!

100:5 For the Lord is good.

His loyal love endures,

and he is faithful through all generations.

Psalm 101

A psalm of David.

101:1 I will sing about loyalty and justice!

To you, O Lord, I will sing praises!

101:2 I will walk in the way of integrity.

When will you come to me?

I will conduct my business with integrity in the midst of my palace.

101:3 I will not even consider doing what is dishonest.

I hate doing evil;

I will have no part of it.

101:4 I will have nothing to do with a perverse person;

I will not permit evil.

101:5 I will destroy anyone who slanders his neighbor in secret.

I will not tolerate anyone who has a cocky demeanor and an arrogant attitude.

101:6 I will favor the honest people of the land,

and allow them to live with me.

Those who walk in the way of integrity will attend me.

101:7 Deceitful people will not live in my palace.

Liars will not be welcome in my presence.

101:8 Each morning I will destroy all the wicked people in the land,

and remove all evildoers from the city of the Lord.

Psalm 102

The prayer of an oppressed man, as he grows faint and pours out his lament before the Lord.

102:1 O Lord, hear my prayer!

Pay attention to my cry for help!

102:2 Do not ignore me in my time of trouble!

Listen to me!

When I call out to you, quickly answer me!

102:3 For my days go up in smoke,

and my bones are charred like a fireplace.

102:4 My heart is parched and withered like grass,

for I am unable to eat food.

102:5 Because of the anxiety that makes me groan,

my bones protrude from my skin.

102:6 I am like an owl in the wilderness;

I am like a screech owl among the ruins.

102:7 I stay awake;

I am like a solitary bird on a roof.

102:8 All day long my enemies taunt me;

those who mock me use my name in their curses.

102:9 For I eat ashes as if they were bread,

and mix my drink with my tears,

102:10 because of your anger and raging fury.

Indeed, you pick me up and throw me away.

102:11 My days are coming to an end,

and I am withered like grass.

102:12 But you, O Lord, rule forever,

and your reputation endures.

102:13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion.

For it is time to have mercy on her,

for the appointed time has come.

102:14 Indeed, your servants take delight in her stones,

and feel compassion for the dust of her ruins.

102:15 The nations will respect the reputation of the Lord,

and all the kings of the earth will respect his splendor,

102:16 when the Lord rebuilds Zion,

and reveals his splendor,

102:17 when he responds to the prayer of the destitute,

and does not reject their request.

102:18 The account of his intervention will be recorded for future generations;

people yet to be born will praise the Lord.

102:19 For he will look down from his sanctuary above;

from heaven the Lord will look toward earth,

102:20 in order to hear the painful cries of the prisoners,

and to set free those condemned to die,

102:21 so they may proclaim the name of the Lord in Zion,

and praise him in Jerusalem,

102:22 when the nations gather together,

and the kingdoms pay tribute to the Lord.

102:23 He has taken away my strength in the middle of life;

he has cut short my days.

102:24 I say, “O my God, please do not take me away in the middle of my life!

You endure through all generations.

102:25 In earlier times you established the earth;

the skies are your handiwork.

102:26 They will perish,

but you will endure.

They will wear out like a garment;

like clothes you will remove them and they will disappear.

102:27 But you remain;

your years do not come to an end.

102:28 The children of your servants will settle down here,

and their descendants will live securely in your presence.”

Psalm 103

By David.

103:1 Praise the Lord, O my soul!

With all that is within me, praise his holy name!

103:2 Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Do not forget all his kind deeds!

103:3 He is the one who forgives all your sins,

who heals all your diseases,

103:4 who delivers your life from the Pit,

who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion,

103:5 who satisfies your life with good things,

so your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.

103:6 The Lord does what is fair,

and executes justice for all the oppressed.

103:7 The Lord revealed his faithful acts to Moses,

his deeds to the Israelites.

103:8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful;

he is patient and demonstrates great loyal love.

103:9 He does not always accuse,

and does not stay angry.

103:10 He does not deal with us as our sins deserve;

he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve.

103:11 For as the skies are high above the earth,

so his loyal love towers over his faithful followers.

103:12 As far as the eastern horizon is from the west,

so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions from us.

103:13 As a father has compassion on his children,

so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers.

103:14 For he knows what we are made of;

he realizes we are made of clay.

103:15 A person’s life is like grass.

Like a flower in the field it flourishes,

103:16 but when the hot wind blows by, it disappears,

and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew.

103:17 But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers,

and is faithful to their descendants,

103:18 to those who keep his covenant,

who are careful to obey his commands.

103:19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven;

his kingdom extends over everything.

103:20 Praise the Lord, you angels of his,

you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees

and obey his orders!

103:21 Praise the Lord, all you warriors of his,

you servants of his who carry out his desires!

103:22 Praise the Lord, all that he has made,

in all the regions of his kingdom!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Psalm 104

104:1 Praise the Lord, O my soul!

O Lord my God, you are magnificent.

You are robed in splendor and majesty.

104:2 He covers himself with light as if it were a garment.

He stretches out the skies like a tent curtain,

104:3 and lays the beams of the upper rooms of his palace on the rain clouds.

He makes the clouds his chariot,

and travels along on the wings of the wind.

104:4 He makes the winds his messengers,

and the flaming fire his attendant.

104:5 He established the earth on its foundations;

it will never be upended.

104:6 The watery deep covered it like a garment;

the waters reached above the mountains.

104:7 Your shout made the waters retreat;

at the sound of your thunderous voice they hurried off –

104:8 as the mountains rose up,

and the valleys went down –

to the place you appointed for them.

104:9 You set up a boundary for them that they could not cross,

so that they would not cover the earth again.

104:10 He turns springs into streams;

they flow between the mountains.

104:11 They provide water for all the animals in the field;

the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

104:12 The birds of the sky live beside them;

they chirp among the bushes.

104:13 He waters the mountains from the upper rooms of his palace;

the earth is full of the fruit you cause to grow.

104:14 He provides grass for the cattle,

and crops for people to cultivate,

so they can produce food from the ground,

104:15 as well as wine that makes people feel so good,

and so they can have oil to make their faces shine,

as well as food that sustains people’s lives.

104:16 The trees of the Lord receive all the rain they need,

the cedars of Lebanon which he planted,

104:17 where the birds make nests,

near the evergreens in which the herons live.

104:18 The wild goats live in the high mountains;

the rock badgers find safety in the cliffs.

104:19 He made the moon to mark the months,

and the sun sets according to a regular schedule.

104:20 You make it dark and night comes,

during which all the beasts of the forest prowl around.

104:21 The lions roar for prey,

seeking their food from God.

104:22 When the sun rises, they withdraw

and sleep in their dens.

104:23 Men then go out to do their work,

and labor away until evening.

104:24 How many living things you have made, O Lord!

You have exhibited great skill in making all of them;

the earth is full of the living things you have made.

104:25 Over here is the deep, wide sea,

which teems with innumerable swimming creatures,

living things both small and large.

104:26 The ships travel there,

and over here swims the whale you made to play in it.

104:27 All of your creatures wait for you

to provide them with food on a regular basis.

104:28 You give food to them and they receive it;

you open your hand and they are filled with food.

104:29 When you ignore them, they panic.

When you take away their life’s breath, they die

and return to dust.

104:30 When you send your life-giving breath, they are created,

and you replenish the surface of the ground.

104:31 May the splendor of the Lord endure!

May the Lord find pleasure in the living things he has made!

104:32 He looks down on the earth and it shakes;

he touches the mountains and they start to smolder.

104:33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I exist!

104:34 May my thoughts be pleasing to him!

I will rejoice in the Lord.

104:35 May sinners disappear from the earth,

and the wicked vanish!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 105

105:1 Give thanks to the Lord!

Call on his name!

Make known his accomplishments among the nations!

105:2 Sing to him!

Make music to him!

Tell about all his miraculous deeds!

105:3 Boast about his holy name!

Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

105:4 Seek the Lord and the strength he gives!

Seek his presence continually!

105:5 Recall the miraculous deeds he performed,

his mighty acts and the judgments he decreed,

105:6 O children of Abraham, God’s servant,

you descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen ones!

105:7 He is the Lord our God;

he carries out judgment throughout the earth.

105:8 He always remembers his covenantal decree,

the promise he made to a thousand generations –

105:9 the promise he made to Abraham,

the promise he made by oath to Isaac!

105:10 He gave it to Jacob as a decree,

to Israel as a lasting promise,

105:11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan

as the portion of your inheritance.”

105:12 When they were few in number,

just a very few, and resident aliens within it,

105:13 they wandered from nation to nation,

and from one kingdom to another.

105:14 He let no one oppress them;

he disciplined kings for their sake,

105:15 saying, “Don’t touch my chosen ones!

Don’t harm my prophets!”

105:16 He called down a famine upon the earth;

he cut off all the food supply.

105:17 He sent a man ahead of them

Joseph was sold as a servant.

105:18 The shackles hurt his feet;

his neck was placed in an iron collar,

105:19 until the time when his prediction came true.

The Lord’s word proved him right.

105:20 The king authorized his release;

the ruler of nations set him free.

105:21 He put him in charge of his palace,

and made him manager of all his property,

105:22 giving him authority to imprison his officials

and to teach his advisers.

105:23 Israel moved to Egypt;

Jacob lived for a time in the land of Ham.

105:24 The Lord made his people very fruitful,

and made them more numerous than their enemies.

105:25 He caused them to hate his people,

and to mistreat his servants.

105:26 He sent his servant Moses,

and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

105:27 They executed his miraculous signs among them,

and his amazing deeds in the land of Ham.

105:28 He made it dark;

they did not disobey his orders.

105:29 He turned their water into blood,

and killed their fish.

105:30 Their land was overrun by frogs,

which even got into the rooms of their kings.

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,

and provided a fire to light up the night.

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

he satisfied them with food from the sky.

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

a river ran through dry regions.

105:42 Yes, he remembered the sacred promise

he made to Abraham his servant.

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

his chosen ones shouted with joy.

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

and they took possession of what other peoples had produced,

105:45 so that they might keep his commands

and obey his laws.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 106

106:1 Praise the Lord!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

and his loyal love endures!

106:2 Who can adequately recount the Lord’s mighty acts,

or relate all his praiseworthy deeds?

106:3 How blessed are those who promote justice,

and do what is right all the time!

106:4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people!

Pay attention to me, when you deliver,

106:5 so I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,

rejoice along with your nation,

and boast along with the people who belong to you.

106:6 We have sinned like our ancestors;

we have done wrong, we have done evil.

106:7 Our ancestors in Egypt failed to appreciate your miraculous deeds,

they failed to remember your many acts of loyal love,

and they rebelled at the sea, by the Red Sea.

106:8 Yet he delivered them for the sake of his reputation,

that he might reveal his power.

106:9 He shouted at the Red Sea and it dried up;

he led them through the deep water as if it were a desert.

106:10 He delivered them from the power of the one who hated them,

and rescued them from the power of the enemy.

106:11 The water covered their enemies;

not even one of them survived.

106:12 They believed his promises;

they sang praises to him.

106:13 They quickly forgot what he had done;

they did not wait for his instructions.

106:14 In the wilderness they had an insatiable craving for meat;

they challenged God in the desert.

106:15 He granted their request,

then struck them with a disease.

106:16 In the camp they resented Moses,

and Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest.

106:17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;

it engulfed the group led by Abiram.

106:18 Fire burned their group;

the flames scorched the wicked.

106:19 They made an image of a calf at Horeb,

and worshiped a metal idol.

106:20 They traded their majestic God

for the image of an ox that eats grass.

106:21 They rejected the God who delivered them,

the one who performed great deeds in Egypt,

106:22 amazing feats in the land of Ham,

mighty acts by the Red Sea.

106:23 He threatened to destroy them,

but Moses, his chosen one, interceded with him

and turned back his destructive anger.

106:24 They rejected the fruitful land;

they did not believe his promise.

106:25 They grumbled in their tents;

they did not obey the Lord.

106:26 So he made a solemn vow

that he would make them die in the desert,

106:27 make their descendants die among the nations,

and scatter them among foreign lands.

106:28 They worshiped Baal of Peor,

and ate sacrifices offered to the dead.

106:29 They made the Lord angry by their actions,

and a plague broke out among them.

106:30 Phinehas took a stand and intervened,

and the plague subsided.

106:31 This brought him a reward,

an eternal gift.

106:32 They made him angry by the waters of Meribah,

and Moses suffered because of them,

106:33 for they aroused his temper,

and he spoke rashly.

106:34 They did not destroy the nations,

as the Lord had commanded them to do.

106:35 They mixed in with the nations

and learned their ways.

106:36 They worshiped their idols,

which became a snare to them.

106:37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.

106:38 They shed innocent blood –

the blood of their sons and daughters,

whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan.

The land was polluted by bloodshed.

106:39 They were defiled by their deeds,

and unfaithful in their actions.

106:40 So the Lord was angry with his people

and despised the people who belong to him.

106:41 He handed them over to the nations,

and those who hated them ruled over them.

106:42 Their enemies oppressed them;

they were subject to their authority.

106:43 Many times he delivered them,

but they had a rebellious attitude,

and degraded themselves by their sin.

106:44 Yet he took notice of their distress,

when he heard their cry for help.

106:45 He remembered his covenant with them,

and relented because of his great loyal love.

106:46 He caused all their conquerors

to have pity on them.

106:47 Deliver us, O Lord, our God!

Gather us from among the nations!

Then we will give thanks to your holy name,

and boast about your praiseworthy deeds.

106:48 The Lord God of Israel deserves praise,

in the future and forevermore.

Let all the people say, “We agree! Praise the Lord!”

Book 5
(Psalms 107-150)

Psalm 107

107:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

and his loyal love endures!

107:2 Let those delivered by the Lord speak out,

those whom he delivered from the power of the enemy,

107:3 and gathered from foreign lands,

from east and west,

from north and south.

107:4 They wandered through the wilderness on a desert road;

they found no city in which to live.

107:5 They were hungry and thirsty;

they fainted from exhaustion.

107:6 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;

he delivered them from their troubles.

107:7 He led them on a level road,

that they might find a city in which to live.

107:8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,

and for the amazing things he has done for people!

107:9 For he has satisfied those who thirst,

and those who hunger he has filled with food.

107:10 They sat in utter darkness,

bound in painful iron chains,

107:11 because they had rebelled against God’s commands,

and rejected the instructions of the sovereign king.

107:12 So he used suffering to humble them;

they stumbled and no one helped them up.

107:13 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;

he delivered them from their troubles.

107:14 He brought them out of the utter darkness,

and tore off their shackles.

107:15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,

and for the amazing things he has done for people!

107:16 For he shattered the bronze gates,

and hacked through the iron bars.

107:17 They acted like fools in their rebellious ways,

and suffered because of their sins.

107:18 They lost their appetite for all food,

and they drew near the gates of death.

107:19 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;

he delivered them from their troubles.

107:20 He sent them an assuring word and healed them;

he rescued them from the pits where they were trapped.

107:21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,

and for the amazing things he has done for people!

107:22 Let them present thank offerings,

and loudly proclaim what he has done!

107:23 Some traveled on the sea in ships,

and carried cargo over the vast waters.

107:24 They witnessed the acts of the Lord,

his amazing feats on the deep water.

107:25 He gave the order for a windstorm,

and it stirred up the waves of the sea.

107:26 They reached up to the sky,

then dropped into the depths.

The sailors’ strength left them because the danger was so great.

107:27 They swayed and staggered like a drunk,

and all their skill proved ineffective.

107:28 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;

he delivered them from their troubles.

107:29 He calmed the storm,

and the waves grew silent.

107:30 The sailors rejoiced because the waves grew quiet,

and he led them to the harbor they desired.

107:31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,

and for the amazing things he has done for people!

107:32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people!

Let them praise him in the place where the leaders preside!

107:33 He turned streams into a desert,

springs of water into arid land,

107:34 and a fruitful land into a barren place,

because of the sin of its inhabitants.

107:35 As for his people, he turned a desert into a pool of water,

and a dry land into springs of water.

107:36 He allowed the hungry to settle there,

and they established a city in which to live.

107:37 They cultivated fields,

and planted vineyards,

which yielded a harvest of fruit.

107:38 He blessed them so that they became very numerous.

He would not allow their cattle to decrease in number.

107:39 As for their enemies, they decreased in number and were beaten down,

because of painful distress and suffering.

107:40 He would pour contempt upon princes,

and he made them wander in a wasteland with no road.

107:41 Yet he protected the needy from oppression,

and cared for his families like a flock of sheep.

107:42 When the godly see this, they rejoice,

and every sinner shuts his mouth.

107:43 Whoever is wise, let him take note of these things!

Let them consider the Lord’s acts of loyal love!

Psalm 108

A song, a psalm of David.

108:1 I am determined, O God!

I will sing and praise you with my whole heart.

108:2 Awake, O stringed instrument and harp!

I will wake up at dawn!

108:3 I will give you thanks before the nations, O Lord!

I will sing praises to you before foreigners!

108:4 For your loyal love extends beyond the sky,

and your faithfulness reaches the clouds.

108:5 Rise up above the sky, O God!

May your splendor cover the whole earth!

108:6 Deliver by your power and answer me,

so that the ones you love may be safe.

108:7 God has spoken in his sanctuary:

“I will triumph! I will parcel out Shechem,

the valley of Succoth I will measure off.

108:8 Gilead belongs to me,

as does Manasseh!

Ephraim is my helmet,

Judah my royal scepter.

108:9 Moab is my wash basin.

I will make Edom serve me.

I will shout in triumph over Philistia.”

108:10 Who will lead me into the fortified city?

Who will bring me to Edom?

108:11 Have you not rejected us, O God?

O God, you do not go into battle with our armies.

108:12 Give us help against the enemy,

for any help men might offer is futile.

108:13 By God’s power we will conquer;

he will trample down our enemies.

Psalm 109

For the music director, a psalm of David.

109:1 O God whom I praise, do not ignore me!

109:2 For they say cruel and deceptive things to me;

they lie to me.

109:3 They surround me and say hateful things;

they attack me for no reason.

109:4 They repay my love with accusations,

but I continue to pray.

109:5 They repay me evil for good,

and hate for love.

109:6 Appoint an evil man to testify against him!

May an accuser stand at his right side!

109:7 When he is judged, he will be found guilty!

Then his prayer will be regarded as sinful.

109:8 May his days be few!

May another take his job!

109:9 May his children be fatherless,

and his wife a widow!

109:10 May his children roam around begging,

asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home!

109:11 May the creditor seize all he owns!

May strangers loot his property!

109:12 May no one show him kindness!

May no one have compassion on his fatherless children!

109:13 May his descendants be cut off!

May the memory of them be wiped out by the time the next generation arrives!

109:14 May his ancestors’ sins be remembered by the Lord!

May his mother’s sin not be forgotten!

109:15 May the Lord be constantly aware of them,

and cut off the memory of his children from the earth!

109:16 For he never bothered to show kindness;

he harassed the oppressed and needy,

and killed the disheartened.

109:17 He loved to curse others, so those curses have come upon him.

He had no desire to bless anyone, so he has experienced no blessings.

109:18 He made cursing a way of life,

so curses poured into his stomach like water

and seeped into his bones like oil.

109:19 May a curse attach itself to him, like a garment one puts on,

or a belt one wears continually!

109:20 May the Lord repay my accusers in this way,

those who say evil things about me!

109:21 O sovereign Lord,

intervene on my behalf for the sake of your reputation!

Because your loyal love is good, deliver me!

109:22 For I am oppressed and needy,

and my heart beats violently within me.

109:23 I am fading away like a shadow at the end of the day;

I am shaken off like a locust.

109:24 I am so starved my knees shake;

I have turned into skin and bones.

109:25 I am disdained by them.

When they see me, they shake their heads.

109:26 Help me, O Lord my God!

Because you are faithful to me, deliver me!

109:27 Then they will realize this is your work,

and that you, Lord, have accomplished it.

109:28 They curse, but you will bless.

When they attack, they will be humiliated,

but your servant will rejoice.

109:29 My accusers will be covered with shame,

and draped in humiliation as if it were a robe.

109:30 I will thank the Lord profusely,

in the middle of a crowd I will praise him,

109:31 because he stands at the right hand of the needy,

to deliver him from those who threaten his life.

Psalm 110

A psalm of David.

110:1 Here is the Lord’s proclamation to my lord:

“Sit down at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool!”

110:2 The Lord extends your dominion from Zion.

Rule in the midst of your enemies!

110:3 Your people willingly follow you when you go into battle.

On the holy hills at sunrise the dew of your youth belongs to you.

110:4 The Lord makes this promise on oath and will not revoke it:

“You are an eternal priest after the pattern of Melchizedek.”

110:5 O sovereign Lord, at your right hand

he strikes down kings in the day he unleashes his anger.

110:6 He executes judgment against the nations;

he fills the valleys with corpses;

he shatters their heads over the vast battlefield.

110:7 From the stream along the road he drinks;

then he lifts up his head.