1 | O give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. |
2 | Let those whose cause the Lord has taken up say so, his people whom he has taken out of the hands of their haters; |
3 | Making them come together out of all the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. |
4 | They were wandering in the waste places; they saw no way to a resting-place. |
5 | Their souls became feeble for need of food and drink. |
6 | Then they sent up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gave them salvation out of all their troubles; |
7 | Guiding them in the right way, so that they might come into the town of their resting-place. |
8 | Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men! |
9 | He gives its desire to the unresting soul, so that it is full of good things. |
10 | Those who were in the dark, in the black night, in chains of sorrow and iron; |
11 | Because they went against the words of God, and gave no thought to the laws of the Most High: |
12 | So that he made their hearts weighted down with grief; they were falling, and had no helper. |
13 | Then they sent up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gave them salvation out of all their troubles. |
14 | He took them out of the dark and the black night, and all their chains were broken. |
15 | Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men! |
16 | The doors of brass are broken by his arm, and the bands of iron are cut in two. |
17 | Foolish men, because of their sins, and because of their wrongdoing, are troubled; |
18 | They are disgusted by all food, and they come near to the doors of death. |
19 | Then they send up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gives them salvation out of all their troubles. |
20 | He sent his word and made them well, and kept them safe from the underworld. |
21 | Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men! |
22 | Let them make offerings of praise, giving news of his works with cries of joy. |
23 | Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business in the great waters; |
24 | They see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. |
25 | For at his word comes up the storm-wind, lifting high the waves. |
26 | The sailors go up to heaven, and down into the deep; their souls are wasted because of their trouble. |
27 | They are turned here and there, rolling like a man who is full of wine; and all their wisdom comes to nothing. |
28 | Then they send up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gives them salvation out of all their troubles. |
29 | He makes the storm into a calm, so that the waves are at peace. |
30 | Then they are glad, because the sea is quiet, and he takes them to the harbour of their desire. |
31 | Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men! |
32 | Let them give glory to him in the meeting of the people, and praise among the chiefs. |
33 | He makes rivers into waste places, and springs of water into a dry land; |
34 | He makes a fertile country into a salt waste, because of the sins of those who are living there. |
35 | He makes a waste land into a place of water, and a dry land into water-springs. |
36 | And there he gives the poor a resting-place, so that they may make themselves a town; |
37 | And put seed in the fields and make vine-gardens, to give them fruit. |
38 | He gives them his blessing so that they are increased greatly, and their cattle do not become less. |
39 | And when they are made low, and crushed by trouble and sorrow, |
40 | He puts an end to the pride of kings, and sends them wandering in the waste lands where there is no way. |
41 | But he puts the poor man on high from his troubles, and gives him families like a flock. |
42 | The upright see it and are glad: the mouth of the sinner is stopped. |
43 | Let the wise give thought to these things, and see the mercies of the Lord. |