‏ Psalms 107

Book V

Psalms 107–150

1Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good.
His faithful love continues forever.
2Let those who have been set free by the Lord tell their story.
He set them free from the power of the enemy.
3He brought them back from other lands.
He brought them back from east and west, from north and south.

4Some of them wandered in deserts that were dry and empty.
They couldn’t find a city where they could make their homes.
5They were hungry and thirsty.
Their lives were slipping away.
6Then they cried out to the Lord because of their problems.
And he saved them from their troubles.
7He led them straight
to a city where they could make their homes.
8Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love.
Let them give thanks for the wonderful things he does for people.
9He gives those who are thirsty all the water they want.
He gives those who are hungry all the good food they can eat.

10Others lived in the deepest darkness.
They suffered as prisoners in iron chains.
11That’s because they hadn’t obeyed the commands of God.
They had refused to follow the plans of the Most High God.
12So he made them do work that was hard and bitter.
They tripped and fell, and there was no one to help them.
13Then they cried out to the Lord because of their problems.
And he saved them from their troubles.
14He brought them out of the deepest darkness.
He broke their chains off.
15Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love.
Let them give thanks for the wonderful things he does for people.
16He breaks down gates that are made of bronze.
He cuts through bars that are made of iron.

17Others were foolish. They suffered because of their sins.
They suffered because they wouldn’t obey the Lord.
18They refused to eat anything.
They came close to passing through the gates of death.
19Then they cried out to the Lord because of their problems.
And he saved them from their troubles.
20He gave his command and healed them.
He saved them from the grave.
21Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love.
Let them give thanks for the wonderful things he does for people.
22Let them sacrifice thank offerings.
Let them talk about what he has done as they sing with joy.

23Some people sailed out on the ocean in ships.
They traded goods on the mighty waters.
24They saw the works of the Lord.
They saw the wonderful deeds he did on the ocean.
25He spoke and stirred up a storm.
It lifted the waves high.
26They rose up to the heavens. Then they went down deep into the ocean.
In that kind of danger the people’s boldness melted away.
27They were unsteady like people who have become drunk.
They didn’t know what to do.
28Then they cried out to the Lord because of their problems.
And he brought them out of their troubles.
29He made the storm as quiet as a whisper.
The waves of the ocean calmed down.
30The people were glad when the ocean became calm.
Then he guided them to the harbor they were looking for.
31Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love.
Let them give thanks for the wonderful things he does for people.
32Let them honor him among his people who gather for worship.
Let them praise him in the meeting of the elders.

33He turned rivers into a desert.
He turned flowing springs into thirsty ground.
34He turned land that produced crops into a salty land where nothing could grow.
He did it because the people who lived there were evil.
35He turned the desert into pools of water.
He turned the dry and cracked ground into flowing springs.
36He brought hungry people there to live.
They built a city where they could make their homes.
37They planted fields and vineyards
that produced large crops.
38He blessed the people, and they greatly increased their numbers.
He kept their herds from getting smaller.

39Then the number of God’s people got smaller.
They were made humble by trouble, suffering and sorrow.
40The God who looks down on proud nobles
made them wander in a desert where no one lives.
41But he lifted needy people out of their suffering.
He made their families increase like flocks of sheep.
42Honest people see it and are filled with joy.
But no one who is evil has anything to say.

43Let those who are wise pay attention to these things.
Let them think about the loving deeds of the Lord.