BOOK 5
(Psalms 107-150)
<1> Praise the Lord, because he is good!
His faithful love is forever!
<2> Everyone the Lord has saved
and rescued from their enemy should repeat that word of thanks.
<3> He gathered his people together
from many different countries.
He brought them from east and west,
north and south.[560]
<4> Some of them wandered in the dry desert.
They were looking for a place to live, but they could not find a city.
<5> They were hungry and thirsty
and growing weak.
<6> Then they called to the Lord for help,
and he saved them from their troubles.
<7> He led them straight to the city
where they would live.
<8> Thank the Lord for his faithful love
and for the amazing things he does for people.
<9> He satisfies the thirsty soul.
He fills the hungry soul with good things.
<10> Some of God's people were prisoners,
locked behind bars in dark prisons.
<11> That was because they had fought against what God said.
They refused to listen to the advice of God Most High.
<12> God made life hard for those people
because of what they did.
They stumbled and fell,
and there was no one to help them.
<13> They were in trouble,
so they called to the Lord for help,
and he saved them from their troubles.
<14> He took them out of their dark prisons.
He broke the ropes that held them.
<15> Thank the Lord for his faithful love
and for the amazing things he does for people.
<16> He can break down their bronze gates.
He can shatter the iron bars on their gates.
<17> Some people let their sins
turn them into fools,
and they suffered for what they did.
<18> They were so sick that they refused to eat
and almost died.
<19> They were in trouble,
so they called to the Lord for help,
and he saved them from their troubles.
<20> He gave the command and healed them,
so they were saved from the grave.
<21> Thank the Lord for his faithful love
and for the amazing things he does for people.
<22> Offer sacrifices[561]
to thank him for all he has done.
Gladly tell what he has done.
<23> Some people sailed in boats across the sea.
Their work carried them across the great sea.
<24> They saw what the Lord can do.
They saw the amazing things he did at sea.
<25> God gave the command,
and a strong wind began to blow.
The waves became higher and higher.
<26> The waves lifted them high into the sky
and dropped them into the deep sea.
The storm was so dangerous
the men lost their courage.
<27> They were stumbling and falling like they were drunk.
Their skill as sailors was useless.
<28> They were in trouble,
so they called to the Lord for help,
and he saved them from their troubles.
<29> He stopped the storm and calmed the waves.
<30> The sailors were happy that the sea was calm,
and God led them safely to the place they wanted to go.
<31> Thank the Lord for his faithful love
and for the amazing things he does for people.
<32> Praise God in the great assembly.
Praise him when the older leaders meet together.
<33> He changed rivers into a desert.
He stopped springs from flowing.
<34> He changed the fertile land,
and it became worthless salty land.
He did it because of the bad people
who were living there.
<35> God changed the desert,
and it became a land with pools of water.
He caused springs of water to flow
from dry ground.
<36> He led the hungry to that good land,
and they built a city to live in.
<37> They planted seeds in their fields
and grapes in their vineyards,[562]
and they had a good harvest.
<38> God blessed them.
Their families grew.
They had many animals.
<39> But because of disaster and troubles,
their families became small and weak.
<40> God shamed and embarrassed their leaders.
He let them wander through the desert where there are no roads.
<41> But then he rescued those poor people from their misery,
and now their families are large, like flocks of sheep.
<42> Good people see this, and they are happy.
But the wicked see this, and they don't know what to say.
<43> Whoever is wise enough to remember this will begin to understand the Lord's faithful love.
© Copyright 2004 World Bible Translation Center.