Psalms 105:29-45

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; ¹ 

gnats invaded their whole territory.

105:32 He sent hail along with the rain; ² 

there was lightning in their land. ³ 

105:33 He destroyed their vines and fig trees,

and broke the trees throughout their territory.

105:34 He ordered locusts to come, ⁴ 

innumerable grasshoppers.

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

and devoured the crops of their fields. ⁵ 

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

the firstfruits of their reproductive power. ⁶ 

105:37 He brought his people ⁷  out enriched ⁸  with silver and gold;

none of his tribes stumbled.

105:38 Egypt was happy when they left,

for they were afraid of them. ⁹ 

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!

[105:31]  ¹ tn Heb “he spoke and flies came.”

[105:32]  ² tn Heb “he gave their rains hail.”

[105:32]  ³ tn Heb “fire of flames [was] in their land.”

[105:34]  ⁴ tn Heb “he spoke and locusts came.”

[105:35]  ⁵ tn Heb “the fruit of their ground.”

[105:36]  ⁶ tn Heb “the beginning of all their strength,” that is, reproductive power (see Ps 78:51).

[105:37]  ⁷ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Lord’s people) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[105:37]  ⁸ tn The word “enriched” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[105:38]  ⁹ tn Heb “for fear of them had fallen upon them.”

[105:39]  ¹⁰ tn Or “curtain.”

[105:40]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he [i.e., his people] asked.” The singular form should probably be emended to a plural שָׁאֲלוּ (sha’alu, “they asked”), the vav (ו) having fallen off by haplography (note the vav at the beginning of the following form).

[105:40]  ¹² tn Or “bread of heaven.” The reference is to manna (see Exod 16:4, 13-15).

[105:42]  ¹³ tn Or “for.”

[105:42]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “his holy word.”

[105:43]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and he led his people out with joy, with a ringing cry, his chosen ones.”

[105:44]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and the [product of the] work of peoples they possessed.”

[105:45]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “guard.”