July 9

Psalms 107:1 — 109:31

BOOK FIVE

(Psalms 107 – 150)

107 O give thanks to Jehovah, YOU people, for he is good;

      For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite.

 2 Let the reclaimed ones of Jehovah say so,

      Whom he has reclaimed from the hand of the adversary,

 3 And whom he has collected together even from the lands,

      From the sunrise and from the sunset,

      From the north and from the south.

 4 They wandered about in the wilderness, in the desert;

      They did not find any way to a city of habitation.

 5 They were hungry, also thirsty;

      Their very soul within them began to faint away.

 6 And they kept crying out to Jehovah in their distress;

      Out of the stresses upon them he proceeded to deliver them,

 7 And to have them walk in the right way,

      So as to come to a city of habitation.

 8 O let people give thanks to Jehovah for his loving-kindness

      And for his wonderful works to the sons of men.

 9 For he has satisfied the dried-out soul;

      And the hungry soul he has filled with good things.

10 There were those dwelling in darkness and deep shadow,

       Prisoners in affliction and irons.

11 For they had behaved rebelliously against the sayings of God;

       And the counsel of the Most High they had disrespected.

12 So with trouble he proceeded to subdue their heart;

       They stumbled, and there was no one helping.

13 And they began calling to Jehovah for help in their distress;

       Out of the stresses upon them he as usual saved them.

14 He went bringing them out from darkness and deep shadow,

       And tearing even their bands apart.

15 O let people give thanks to Jehovah for his loving-kindness

       And for his wonderful works to the sons of men.

16 For he has broken the doors of copper,

       And he has cut down even the bars of iron.

17 Those who were foolish, due to the way of their transgression

       And due to their errors, finally caused themselves affliction.

18 Their soul got to detest even every sort of food,

       And they were arriving at the gates of death.

19 And they began calling to Jehovah for help in their distress;

       Out of the stresses upon them he as usual saved them.

20 He proceeded to send his word and heal them

       And to provide [them] escape out of their pits.

21 O let people give thanks to Jehovah for his loving-kindness

       And for his wonderful works to the sons of men.

22 And let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving

       And declare his works with a joyful cry.

23 Those going down to the sea in the ships,

       Doing business on vast waters,

24 They are the ones that have seen the works of Jehovah

       And his wonderful works in the depths;

25 How he says [the word] and causes a tempestuous wind to arise,

       So that it lifts up its waves.

26 They go up to the heavens,

       They go down to the bottoms.

       Because of the calamity their very soul finds itself melting.

27 They reel and move unsteadily like a drunken man,

       And even all their wisdom proves confused.

28 And they begin crying out to Jehovah in their distress,

       And out of the stresses upon them he brings them forth.

29 He causes the windstorm to stand at a calm,

       So that the waves of the sea keep quiet.

30 And they rejoice because these become still,

       And he leads them to the haven of their delight.

31 O let people give thanks to Jehovah for his loving-kindness

       And for his wonderful works to the sons of men.

32 And let them extol him in the congregation of the people;

       And in the seat of the elderly men let them praise him.

33 He converts rivers into a wilderness,

       And the outflows of water into thirsty ground,

34 Fruitful land into salt country,

       Owing to the badness of those dwelling in it.

35 He converts a wilderness into a reedy pool of water,

       And the land of a waterless region into outflows of water.

36 And there he causes the hungry ones to dwell,

       So that they firmly establish a city of habitation.

37 And they sow fields and plant vineyards,

       That they may yield fruitful crops.

38 And he blesses them so that they become very many;

       And he does not let their cattle become few.

39 Again they become few and crouch down

       Owing to restraint, calamity and grief.

40 He is pouring out contempt upon nobles,

       So that he makes them wander about in a featureless place, where there is no way.

41 But he protects the poor one from affliction

       And converts him into families just like a flock.

42 The upright ones see and rejoice;

       But as for all unrighteousness, it has to shut its mouth.

43 Who is wise? He will both observe these things

       And show himself attentive toward Jehovah’s acts of loving-kindness.

A song. A melody of David.

108 My heart is steadfast, O God.

      I will sing and make melody,

      Even my glory.

 2 Do awake, O stringed instrument; you too, O harp.

      I will awaken the dawn.

 3 I shall laud you among the peoples, O Jehovah;

      And I shall make melody to you among the national groups.

 4 For your loving-kindness is great up to the heavens,

      And your trueness up to the skies.

 5 O be exalted above the heavens, O God;

      And let your glory be above all the earth.

 6 In order that your beloved ones may be rescued,

      O do save with your right hand and answer me.

 7 God himself has spoken in his holiness:

       “I will exult, I will give out Shechem as a portion;

      And the low plain of Succoth I shall measure off.

 8 Gilead belongs to me; Manasseh belongs to me;

      And Ephraim is the fortress of my head one;

      Judah is my commander’s staff.

 9 Moab is my washing pot.

      Over Edom I shall throw my sandal.

      Over Philistia I shall shout in triumph.”

10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?

       Who will actually lead me as far as Edom?

11 Is it not [you], O God, who have cast us off

       And who do not go forth with our armies as God?

12 Do give us assistance from distress,

       As salvation by earthling man is worthless.

13 By God we shall gain vital energy,

       And he himself will tread down our adversaries.

To the director. Of David. A melody.

109 O God of my praise, do not keep silent.

 2 For the mouth of the wicked one and the mouth of deception have opened against me.

      They have spoken about me with the tongue of falsehood;

 3 And with words of hatred they have surrounded me,

      And they keep fighting against me without cause.

 4 For my love they keep resisting me;

      But on my part there is prayer.

 5 And they render to me bad for good

      And hatred for my love.

 6 Appoint over him someone wicked,

      And may a resister himself keep standing at his right hand.

 7 When he is judged, let him go forth as someone wicked;

      And let his very prayer become a sin.

 8 Let his days prove to be few;

      His office of oversight let someone else take.

 9 Let his sons become fatherless boys

      And his wife be a widow.

10 And without fail let his sons go wandering about;

       And they must do begging,

       And they must look for [food] from their desolate places.

11 Let the usurer lay out traps for all that he has,

       And let strangers make plunder of his product of toil.

12 May he come to have no one extending loving-kindness,

       And may there prove to be no one showing favor to his fatherless boys.

13 Let his posterity be for cutting off.

       In the following generation let their name be wiped out.

14 Let the error of his forefathers be remembered to Jehovah,

       And the sin of his mother—may it not be wiped out.

15 Let them prove to be in front of Jehovah constantly;

       And may he cut off the remembrance of them from the very earth;

16 For the reason that he did not remember to exercise loving-kindness,

       But he kept pursuing the afflicted and poor man

       And the one dejected at heart, to put [him] to death.

17 And he kept loving the malediction, so that it came upon him;

       And he did not take delight in the blessing,

       So that it became far away from him;

18 And he came to be clothed with malediction as his garment.

       So it came like waters into the midst of him

       And like oil into his bones.

19 May it prove to be for him like a garment with which he enwraps himself

       And as a girdle that he keeps girded about himself constantly.

20 This is the wages from Jehovah of the one resisting me

       And of those speaking evil against my soul.

21 But you are Jehovah the Sovereign Lord.

       Deal with me for the sake of your name.

       Because your loving-kindness is good, deliver me.

22 For I am afflicted and poor,

       And my heart itself has been pierced within me.

23 Like a shadow when it declines, I am obliged to go away;

       I have been shaken off like a locust.

24 My knees themselves have swayed from fasting,

       And my very flesh has grown lean, without any oil.

25 And to them I myself have become something reproachable.

       They see me—they begin wagging their head.

26 Help me, O Jehovah my God;

       Save me according to your loving-kindness.

27 And may they know that this is your hand;

       That you yourself, O Jehovah, have done it.

28 Let them, for their part, pronounce a malediction,

       But may you, for your part, pronounce a blessing.

       They have risen up, but let them be ashamed,

       And let your own servant rejoice.

29 Let those resisting me be clothed with humiliation,

       And let them enwrap themselves with their shame just as with a sleeveless coat.

30 I shall laud Jehovah very much with my mouth,

       And in among many people I shall praise him.

31 For he will stand at the right hand of the poor,

       To save [him] from those judging his soul.