Psalm 106
1Praise the Lord.
Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good.
His faithful love continues forever.
2Who can speak enough about the mighty acts of the Lord?
Who can praise him as much as he should be praised?
3Blessed are those who always do what is fair.
Blessed are those who keep doing what is right.
4Lord, remember me when you bless your people.
Help me when you save them.
5Then I will enjoy the good things you give your chosen ones.
I will be joyful together with your people.
I will join them when they praise you.
6We have sinned, just as our people of long ago did.
We too have done what is evil and wrong.
7When our people were in Egypt,
they forgot about the Lord’s miracles.
They didn’t remember his many kind acts.
At the Red Sea they refused to obey him.
8But he saved them for the honor of his name.
He did it to make his mighty power known.
9He ordered the Red Sea to dry up, and it did.
He led his people through it as if it were a desert.
10He saved them from the power of their enemies.
He set them free from their control.
11The waters covered their enemies.
Not one of them escaped alive.
12Then his people believed his promises
and sang praise to him.
13But they soon forgot what he had done.
They didn’t wait for what he had planned to happen.
14In the desert they longed for food.
In that dry and empty land they tested God.
15So he gave them what they asked for.
But he also sent a sickness that killed many of them.
16In their camp some of them became jealous of Moses and Aaron.
Aaron had been set apart to serve the Lord.
17The ground opened up and swallowed Dathan.
It buried Abiram and his followers.
18Fire blazed among all of them.
Flames destroyed those evil people.
19At Mount Horeb they made a metal statue of a bull calf.
They worshiped that statue of a god.
20They traded their glorious God
for a statue of a bull that eats grass.
21They forgot the God who saved them.
They forgot the God who had done great things in Egypt.
22They forgot the miracles he did in the land of Ham.
They forgot the wonderful things he did by the Red Sea.
23So he said he would destroy them.
But Moses, his chosen one,
stood up for them.
He kept God’s anger from destroying them.
24Later on, they refused to enter the pleasant land of Canaan.
They didn’t believe God’s promise.
25In their tents they told the Lord how unhappy they were.
They didn’t obey him.
26So he lifted up his hand and promised
that he would make them die in the desert.
27He promised he would scatter their children’s children among the nations.
He would make them die in other lands.
28They joined in worshiping the Baal that was worshiped at Peor.
They ate food that had been offered to gods that aren’t even alive.
29Their evil ways made the Lord angry.
So a plague broke out among them.
30But Phinehas stood up and took action.
Then the plague stopped.
31What Phinehas did made him right with the Lord.
It will be remembered for all time to come.
32By the waters of Meribah the Lord’s people made him angry.
Moses got in trouble because of them.
33They refused to obey the Spirit of God.
So Moses spoke without thinking.
34They didn’t destroy the nations in Canaan
as the Lord had commanded them.
35Instead, they mixed with those nations
and adopted their ways.
36They worshiped statues of their gods.
That became a trap for them.
37They sacrificed their sons and daughters
as offerings to false gods.
38They killed those who weren’t guilty of doing anything wrong.
They killed their own sons and daughters.
They sacrificed them as offerings to statues of the gods of Canaan.
The land became “unclean” because of the blood of their children.
39The people made themselves impure by what they had done.
They weren’t faithful to the Lord.
40So the Lord became angry with his people.
He turned away from his own children.
41He handed them over to the nations.
Their enemies ruled over them.
42Their enemies treated them badly
and kept them under their power.
43Many times the Lord saved them.
But they refused to obey him.
So he destroyed them because of their sins.
44Yet he heard them when they cried out.
He paid special attention to their suffering.
45Because they were his people, he remembered his covenant.
Because of his great love, he felt sorry for them.
46He made all those who held them as prisoners
have mercy on them.
47Lord our God, save us.
Bring us back from among the nations.
Then we will give thanks to you, because your name is holy.
We will celebrate by praising you.
48Give praise to the Lord, the God of Israel,
for ever and ever.
Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord.
Psalm 106
1Praise the Lord.106:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 48
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
2Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord
or fully declare his praise?
3Blessed are those who act justly,
who always do what is right.
4Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people,
come to my aid when you save them,
5that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones,
that I may share in the joy of your nation
and join your inheritance in giving praise.
6We have sinned, even as our ancestors did;
we have done wrong and acted wickedly.
7When our ancestors were in Egypt,
they gave no thought to your miracles;
they did not remember your many kindnesses,
and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.106:7 Or the Sea of Reeds; also in verses 9 and 22
8Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
to make his mighty power known.
9He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
he led them through the depths as through a desert.
10He saved them from the hand of the foe;
from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.
11The waters covered their adversaries;
not one of them survived.
12Then they believed his promises
and sang his praise.
13But they soon forgot what he had done
and did not wait for his plan to unfold.
14In the desert they gave in to their craving;
in the wilderness they put God to the test.
15So he gave them what they asked for,
but sent a wasting disease among them.
16In the camp they grew envious of Moses
and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the Lord.
17The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
it buried the company of Abiram.
18Fire blazed among their followers;
a flame consumed the wicked.
19At Horeb they made a calf
and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
20They exchanged their glorious God
for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
21They forgot the God who saved them,
who had done great things in Egypt,
22miracles in the land of Ham
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
23So he said he would destroy them—
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him
to keep his wrath from destroying them.
24Then they despised the pleasant land;
they did not believe his promise.
25They grumbled in their tents
and did not obey the Lord.
26So he swore to them with uplifted hand
that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
27make their descendants fall among the nations
and scatter them throughout the lands.
28They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor
and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;
29they aroused the Lord’s anger by their wicked deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
30But Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was checked.
31This was credited to him as righteousness
for endless generations to come.
32By the waters of Meribah they angered the Lord,
and trouble came to Moses because of them;
33for they rebelled against the Spirit of God,
and rash words came from Moses’ lips.106:33 Or against his spirit, / and rash words came from his lips
34They did not destroy the peoples
as the Lord had commanded them,
35but they mingled with the nations
and adopted their customs.
36They worshiped their idols,
which became a snare to them.
37They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to false gods.
38They shed innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was desecrated by their blood.
39They defiled themselves by what they did;
by their deeds they prostituted themselves.
40Therefore the Lord was angry with his people
and abhorred his inheritance.
41He gave them into the hands of the nations,
and their foes ruled over them.
42Their enemies oppressed them
and subjected them to their power.
43Many times he delivered them,
but they were bent on rebellion
and they wasted away in their sin.
44Yet he took note of their distress
when he heard their cry;
45for their sake he remembered his covenant
and out of his great love he relented.
46He caused all who held them captive
to show them mercy.
47Save us, Lord our God,
and gather us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
48Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord.
