1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. |
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, |
3 And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south. |
4 They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in. |
5 Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them. |
6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He delivered them out of their distresses. |
7 And He led them forth by the right way, That they might go to a city for a dwelling place. |
8 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! |
9 For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness. |
10 Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons-- |
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High, |
12 Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; They fell down, and there was none to help. |
13 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. |
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces. |
15 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! |
16 For He has broken the gates of bronze, And cut the bars of iron in two. |
17 Fools, because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted. |
18 Their soul abhorred all manner of food, And they drew near to the gates of death. |
19 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. |
20 He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. |
21 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! |
22 Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing. |
23 Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters, |
24 They see the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. |
25 For He commands and raises the stormy wind, Which lifts up the waves of the sea. |
26 They mount up to the heavens, They go down again to the depths; Their soul melts because of trouble. |
27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits' end. |
28 Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses. |
29 He calms the storm, So that its waves are still. |
30 Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven. |
31 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! |
32 Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the company of the elders. |
33 He turns rivers into a wilderness, And the watersprings into dry ground; |
34 A fruitful land into barrenness, For the wickedness of those who dwell in it. |
35 He turns a wilderness into pools of water, And dry land into watersprings. |
36 There He makes the hungry dwell, That they may establish a city for a dwelling place, |
37 And sow fields and plant vineyards, That they may yield a fruitful harvest. |
38 He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly; And He does not let their cattle decrease. |
39 When they are diminished and brought low Through oppression, affliction and sorrow, |
40 He pours contempt on princes, And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way; |
41 Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, And makes their families like a flock. |
42 The righteous see it and rejoice, And all iniquity stops its mouth. |
43 Whoever is wise will observe these things, And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD. |