Bible in 90 Days

¹⁵ Happy are the people who know how to praise you.
    Lord, let them live in the light of your presence.
¹⁶ In your name they rejoice all the time.
    They praise your goodness.
¹⁷ You are their glorious strength.
    In your kindness you honor our king.
¹⁸ Our king, our shield, belongs to the Lord.
    Our king belongs to the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁹ Once, in a vision, you spoke
    to those who worship you.
You said, “I have given strength to a warrior.
    I have selected a young man from my people.
²⁰ I have found my servant David.
    I appointed him by pouring holy oil on him.
²¹ I will steady him with my hand.
    I will strengthen him with my arm.
²² No enemy will make him give forced payments.
    Wicked people will not defeat him.
²³ I will crush his enemies in front of him.
    I will defeat those who hate him.
²⁴ My loyalty and love will be with him.
    Through me he will be strong.
²⁵ I will give him power over the sea
    and control over the rivers.
²⁶ He will say to me, ‘You are my father,
    my God, the Rock, the one who saves me.’
²⁷ I will make him my firstborn son.
    He will be the greatest king on earth.
²⁸ My love will watch over him forever.
    My agreement with him will never end.
²⁹ I will make his family continue.
    His kingdom will last as long as the skies.

³⁰ “But his descendants might reject my teachings
    and not follow my rules.
³¹ They might break my laws
    and disobey my commands.
³² Then I will punish their sins with a rod
    and their wrongs with a whip.
³³ But I will not hold back my love from David.
    I will not stop being loyal.
³⁴ I will not break my agreement.
    I will not change what I have said.
³⁵ It is certain that I am a holy God.
    So it is certain I will not lie to David.
³⁶ His family will continue forever.
    His kingdom will continue before me like the sun.
³⁷ It will last forever, like the moon,
    like a lasting witness in the sky.” Selah
³⁸ But now, you have rejected your appointed king.
    You have been angry with him.
³⁹ You have broken the agreement with your servant.
    You threw his crown to the ground.
⁴⁰ You have torn down all the city walls.
    You have turned his strong, walled cities into ruins.
⁴¹ Everyone who passes by steals from him.
    His neighbors insult him.
⁴² You have given strength to his enemies.
    You have made them all happy.
⁴³ You have made his sword useless.
    You did not help him stand in battle.
⁴⁴ You have kept him from winning.
    You threw his throne to the ground.
⁴⁵ You have cut his life short.
    You have covered him with shame. Selah

⁴⁶ Lord, how long will this go on?
    Will you ignore us forever?
    How long will your anger burn like a fire?
⁴⁷ Remember how short my life is.
    Why did you create us anyway?
⁴⁸ What man alive will not die?
    Can he escape the grave? Selah

⁴⁹ Lord, where is your love from times past?
    With loyalty you promised it to David.
⁵⁰ Lord, remember how they insulted your servant.
    Remember how I have suffered the insults of the nations.
⁵¹ Lord, remember how your enemies insulted you.
    Remember how they insulted your appointed king wherever he went.

⁵² Praise the Lord forever!

³ You turn people back into dust.
    You say, “Go back into dust, human beings.”
⁴ To you, a thousand years
    is like the passing of a day.
    It passes like an hour in the night.
⁵ While people sleep, you take their lives.
    They are like weeds that grow in the morning.
⁶ In the morning they are fresh and new.
    But by evening they dry up and die.

⁷ We are destroyed by your anger.
    We are terrified by your hot anger.
⁸ You have put the evil we have done right in front of you.
    You clearly see our secret sins.
⁹ All our days pass while you are angry.
    Our years end with a moan.
¹⁰ Our lifetime is 70 years.
    If we are strong, we may live to be 80.
But the years are full of hard work and pain.
    They pass quickly, and then we are gone.

¹¹ Who knows the full power of your anger?
    Your anger is as great as our fear of you should be.
¹² Teach us how short our lives really are
    so that we may be wise.

¹³ Lord, how long before you return
    and show kindness to your servants?
¹⁴ Fill us with your love every morning.
    Then we will sing and rejoice all our lives.
¹⁵ We have seen years of trouble.
    Now give us joy as you gave us sorrow.
¹⁶ Show your servants the wonderful things you do.
    Show your greatness to their children.
¹⁷ Lord our God, be pleased with us.
    Give us success in what we do.
    Yes, give us success in what we do.

³ God will save you from hidden traps
    and from deadly diseases.
⁴ He will protect you like a bird
    spreading its wings over its young.
    His truth will be like your armor and shield.
⁵ You will not fear any danger by night
    or an arrow during the day.
⁶ You will not be afraid of diseases that come in the dark
    or sickness that strikes at noon.
⁷ At your side 1,000 people may die,
    or even 10,000 right beside you.
    But you will not be hurt.
⁸ You will only watch what happens.
    You will see the wicked punished.

⁹ The Lord is your protection.
    You have made God Most High your place of safety.
¹⁰ Nothing bad will happen to you.
    No disaster will come to your home.
¹¹ He has put his angels in charge of you.
    They will watch over you wherever you go.
¹² They will catch you with their hands.
    And you will not hit your foot on a rock.
¹³ You will walk on lions and cobras.
    You will step on strong lions and snakes.

¹⁴ The Lord says, “If someone loves me, I will save him.
    I will protect those who know me.
¹⁵ They will call to me, and I will answer them.
    I will be with them in trouble.
    I will rescue them and honor them.
¹⁶ I will give them a long, full life.
    They will see how I can save.”

⁴ Lord, you have made me happy by what you have done.
    I will sing for joy about what your hands have done.
⁵ Lord, you have done such great things!
    How deep are your thoughts!
⁶ Stupid people don’t know these things.
    Fools don’t understand.
⁷ Wicked people grow like the grass.
    Evil people seem to do well.
    But they will be destroyed forever.
⁸ But, Lord, you will be honored forever.

⁹ Lord, surely your enemies,
    surely your enemies will be destroyed.
    All who do evil will be scattered.
¹⁰ But you have made me as strong as a wild ox.
    You have poured fine oils on me.
¹¹ When I looked, I saw my enemies.
    I heard the cries of those who are against me.

¹² But good people will grow like palm trees.
    They will be tall like the cedar trees of Lebanon.
¹³ They will be like trees planted in the courtyards of the Lord.
    They will grow strong in the courtyards of our God.
¹⁴ When they are old, they will still produce fruit.
    They will be healthy and fresh.
¹⁵ They will say that the Lord is good.
    He is my Rock, and there is no wrong in him.

³ Lord, the seas rise up.
    The seas raise their voice.
    The seas lift up their pounding waves.
⁴ The sound of the water is loud.
    The ocean waves are powerful.
    But the Lord above is much greater.

⁵ Lord, your laws will stand forever.
    Your Temple will be holy forevermore.

⁴ They are full of proud words.
    Those who do evil brag about what they have done.
⁵ Lord, they crush your people.
    They make your children suffer.
⁶ They kill widows and foreigners.
    They murder orphans.
⁷ They say, “The Lord doesn’t see.
    The God of Jacob doesn’t notice.”

⁸ You stupid ones among the people, pay attention.
    You fools, when will you understand?
⁹ Can’t the creator of ears hear?
    Can’t the maker of eyes see?
¹⁰ Won’t the one who corrects nations punish you?
    Doesn’t the teacher of men know everything?
¹¹ The Lord knows what people think.
    He knows they are just a puff of wind.

¹² Lord, those you correct are happy.
    You give them your teachings.
¹³ You give them rest from times of trouble
    until a grave is dug for the wicked.
¹⁴ The Lord won’t leave his people.
    He will not give up his children.
¹⁵ Judgment will again be fair.
    And all who are honest will follow it.

¹⁶ Who will help me fight against the wicked?
    Who will stand with me against those who do evil?
¹⁷ If the Lord had not helped me,
    I would have died soon.
¹⁸ I said, “I am about to be overwhelmed.”
    But, Lord, your love kept me safe.
¹⁹ I was very worried.
    But you comforted me and made me happy.

²⁰ Crooked leaders cannot be your friends.
    They use the law to cause suffering.
²¹ They join forces against people who do right.
    They sentence to death the innocent.
²² But the Lord protects me like a strong, walled city.
    My God is the rock of my protection.
²³ God will pay them back for their sins.
    He will destroy them for their evil.
    The Lord our God will destroy them.

⁶ Come, let’s bow down and worship him.
    Let’s kneel before the Lord who made us.
⁷ He is our God.
    And we are the people he takes care of
    and the sheep that he tends.

Today listen to what he says:
⁸     “Do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were at Meribah,
    as they were that day at Massah in the desert.
⁹ There your ancestors tested me.
    They put me to the test even though they saw what I did.
¹⁰ I was angry with those people for 40 years.
    I said, ‘They are not loyal to me.
    They have not understood my ways.’
¹¹ I was angry and made a promise,
    ‘They will never enter my land of rest.’”

⁴ The Lord is great; he should be praised.
    He should be honored more than all the gods.
⁵ All the gods of the nations are only idols.
    But the Lord made the skies.
⁶ The Lord has glory and majesty.
    He has power and beauty in his Temple.

⁷ Praise the Lord, all nations on earth.
    Praise the Lord’s glory and power.
⁸ Praise the glory of the Lord’s name.
    Bring an offering and come into his Temple courtyards.
⁹ Worship the Lord because he is holy.
    The whole earth should tremble before the Lord.
¹⁰ Tell the nations, “The Lord is king.”
    The earth is set, and it cannot be moved.
    He will judge the people fairly.
¹¹ Let the skies rejoice and the earth be glad.
    Let the sea and everything in it shout.
¹² Let the fields and everything in them show their joy.
    Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy.
¹³     They will sing before the Lord because he is coming.
    He is coming to judge the world.
He will judge the world with fairness
    and the nations with truth.

⁷ Those who worship idols should be ashamed.
    They brag about their false gods.
    All the gods should worship the Lord.
⁸ When Jerusalem hears this, she is glad.
    The towns of Judah rejoice.
    They are happy because of your judgments, Lord.
⁹ You are the Lord Most High over all the earth.
    You are supreme over all gods.

¹⁰ People who love the Lord should hate evil.
    The Lord watches over those who follow him.
    He frees them from the power of the wicked.
¹¹ Light shines on those who do right.
    Joy belongs to those who are honest.
¹² Rejoice in the Lord, you who do right.
    Praise his holy name.

⁴ Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
    Burst into songs and praise.
⁵ Make music to the Lord with harps,
    with harps and the sound of singing.
⁶ Blow the trumpets and the sheep’s horns.
    Shout for joy to the Lord the King.

⁷ Let the sea and everything in it shout.
    Let the world and everyone on it sing.
⁸ Let the rivers clap their hands.
    Let the mountains sing together for joy.
⁹ Let them sing before the Lord
    because he is coming to judge the world.
He will judge the world fairly.
    He will judge the nations with fairness.

⁴ The King is powerful and loves justice.
    Lord, you made things fair.
You have done what is fair and right
    for the people of Jacob.
⁵ Praise the Lord our God.
    Worship at the Temple, his footstool.
    He is holy.

⁶ Moses and Aaron were among his priests.
    And Samuel was among his worshipers.
They called to the Lord,
    and he answered them.
⁷ He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud.
    They kept the rules and laws he gave them.

⁸ Lord our God, you answered them.
    You showed them that you are a forgiving God.
    But you punished them for their wrongs.
⁹ Praise the Lord our God.
    Worship at his holy mountain.
    The Lord our God is holy.

⁴ Come into his city with songs of thanksgiving.
    Come into his courtyards with songs of praise.
    Thank him, and praise his name.
⁵ The Lord is good. His love continues forever.
    His loyalty continues from now on.

I will live an innocent life in my house.
³     I will not look at anything wicked.
I hate those who turn against you.
    They will not be found near me.
⁴ Let those who want to do wrong stay away from me.
    I will have nothing to do with evil.
⁵ If anyone secretly says things against his neighbor,
    I will stop him.
I will not allow people
    to be proud and look down on others.

⁶ I will look for trustworthy people
    so I can live with them in the land.
Only those who live innocent lives
    will be my servants.
⁷ No one who is dishonest will live in my house.
    No liars will stay around me.
⁸ Every morning I will destroy
    the wicked in the land.
I will rid the Lord’s city
    of people who do evil.

³ My life is passing away like smoke.
    My bones are burned up with fire.
⁴ My heart is like grass
    that has been cut and dried.
    I forget to eat.
⁵ Because of my grief,
    my skin hangs on my bones.
⁶ I am like a desert owl.
    I am like an owl living among the ruins.
⁷ I lie awake.
    I am like a lonely bird on a housetop.
⁸ All day long enemies insult me.
    Those who make fun of me use my name as a curse.
⁹ I eat ashes as my food.
    My tears fall into my drinks.
¹⁰ Because of your great anger,
    you have picked me up and thrown me away.
¹¹ My days are like a passing shadow.
    I am like dried grass.

¹² But, Lord, you rule forever.
    Your fame continues from now on.
¹³ You will come and have mercy on Jerusalem.
    The time has now come to be kind to her.
¹⁴ Your servants love even her stones.
    They even care about her dust.
¹⁵ Nations will fear the name of the Lord.
    All the kings on earth will honor him.
¹⁶ The Lord will rebuild Jerusalem.
    There his glory will be seen.
¹⁷ He will answer the prayers of the needy.
    He will not reject their prayers.

¹⁸ Write these things for the future.
    Then people who are not yet born will praise the Lord.
¹⁹ The Lord looked down from his holy place above.
    From heaven he looked down at the earth.
²⁰ He heard the moans of the prisoners.
    And he freed those sentenced to die.
²¹ The name of the Lord will be heard in Jerusalem.
    His praise will be heard in Jerusalem.
²² People will come together.
    Kingdoms will serve the Lord.

²³ God has made me tired of living.
    He has cut short my life.
²⁴ So I said, “My God, do not take me in the middle of my life.
    Your years go on and on.
²⁵ In the beginning you made the earth.
    And your hands made the skies.
²⁶ They will be destroyed, but you will remain.
    They will all wear out like clothes.
And, like clothes, you will change them.
    And they will be thrown away.
²⁷ But you never change.
    And your life will never end.
²⁸ Our children will live in your presence.
    And their children will remain with you.”

⁶ The Lord does what is right and fair
    for all who are wronged by others.
⁷ He showed his ways to Moses
    and his miracles to the people of Israel.
⁸ The Lord shows mercy and is kind.
    He does not become angry quickly, and he has great love.
⁹ He will not always scold us.
    He will not be angry forever.
¹⁰ He has not punished us as our sins should be punished.
    He has not repaid us for the evil we have done.
¹¹ As high as the sky is above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who respect him.
¹² He has taken our sins away from us
    as far as the east is from west.
¹³ The Lord has mercy on those who fear him,
    as a father has mercy on his children.
¹⁴ He knows how we were made.
    He remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵ Human life is like grass.
    We grow like a flower in the field.
¹⁶ After the wind blows, the flower is gone.
    There is no sign of where it was.
¹⁷ But the Lord’s love for those who fear him
    continues forever and ever.
    And his goodness continues to their grandchildren
¹⁸ and to those who keep his agreement
    and who remember to obey his orders.

¹⁹ The Lord has set his throne in heaven.
    And his kingdom rules over everything.
²⁰ You who are his angels, praise the Lord.
    You are the mighty warriors who do what he says.
    Listen to what he says.
²¹ You, his armies, praise the Lord.
    You are his servants who do what he wants.
²² Everything the Lord has made
    should praise him in all the places he rules.
My whole being, praise the Lord.

⁵ You built the earth on its foundations.
    So it can never be moved.
⁶ You covered the earth with oceans.
    The water was above the mountains.
⁷ But at your command, the water rushed away.
    When you gave your orders like thunder, it hurried away.
⁸ The mountains rose.
    The valleys sank.
    The water went to the places you made for it.
⁹ You set borders for the seas that they cannot cross.
    The water will never cover the earth again.

¹⁰ You make springs pour into the ravines.
    They flow between the mountains.
¹¹ They water all the wild animals.
    The wild donkeys come there to drink.
¹² Wild birds make nests by the water.
    They sing among the tree branches.
¹³ You water the mountains from above.
    The earth is full of the things you made.
¹⁴ You make the grass for cattle
    and vegetables for the use of man.
    You make food grow from the earth.
¹⁵ You give us wine that makes happy hearts.
    And you give us olive oil that makes our faces shine.
    You give us bread that gives us strength.
¹⁶ The Lord’s trees have plenty of water.
    They are the cedar trees of Lebanon, which he planted.
¹⁷ The birds make their nests there.
    The stork’s home is in the fir trees.
¹⁸ The high mountains belong to the wild goats.
    The rocks are hiding places for the badgers.

¹⁹ You made the moon to mark the seasons.
    And the sun always knows when to set.
²⁰ You make it dark, and it becomes night.
    Then all the wild animals creep around.
²¹ The lions roar as they attack.
    They look to God for food.
²² When the sun rises, they leave.
    They go back to their dens to lie down.
²³ Then people go to work.
    And they work until evening.

²⁴ Lord, you have made many things.
    With your wisdom you made them all.
    The earth is full of your riches.
²⁵ Look at the sea, so big and wide.
    Its creatures large and small cannot be counted.
²⁶ Ships travel over the ocean.
    And there is the sea monster Leviathan,
    which you made to play there.

²⁷ All these things depend on you
    to give them their food at the right time.
²⁸ When you give it to them,
    they gather it up.
When you open your hand, they are filled with good food.
²⁹ When you turn away from them,
    they become frightened.
When you take away their breath,
    they die and turn into dust.
³⁰ When you breathe on them,
    they are created.
    You make the land new again.

³¹ May the glory of the Lord be forever.
    May the Lord enjoy what he has made.
³² He just looks at the earth, and it shakes.
    He touches the mountains, and they smoke.

³³ I will sing to the Lord all my life.
    I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.
³⁴ May my thoughts please him.
    I am happy in the Lord.
³⁵ Let sinners be destroyed from the earth.
    Let the wicked people live no longer.

My whole being, praise the Lord.
    Praise the Lord.

⁸ He will keep his agreement forever.
    He will keep his promises always.
⁹ He will keep his agreement he made with Abraham.
    He will keep the promise he made to Isaac.
¹⁰ He made it a law for the people of Jacob.
    He made it an agreement with Israel to last forever.
¹¹ The Lord said, “I will give you the land of Canaan.
    The promised land will belong to you.”

¹² Then God’s people were few in number.
    They were strangers in the land.
¹³ They went from one nation to another.
    They went from one kingdom to another.
¹⁴ But the Lord did not let anyone hurt them.
    He warned kings not to harm them.
¹⁵ He said, “Don’t hurt my chosen people.
    Don’t harm my prophets.”

¹⁶ God ordered a time of hunger in the land.
    And he destroyed all the food.
¹⁷ Then he sent a man ahead of them.
    It was Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
¹⁸ They put chains around his feet
    and an iron ring around his neck.
¹⁹ Then the time he had spoken of came.
    The Lord’s words proved that Joseph was right.
²⁰ The king of Egypt sent for Joseph and freed him.
    The ruler of the people set him free.
²¹ He made him the master of his house.
    Joseph was in charge of his riches.
²² He could order the princes as he wished.
    He taught the older men to be wise.
²³ Then his father Israel came to Egypt.
    Jacob, also called Israel, lived in Egypt.^[a]
24 The Lord made his people grow in number.
    He made them stronger than their enemies.
²⁵ And he caused the Egyptians to hate his people.
    They made plans against the Lord’s servants.
²⁶ Then he sent his servant Moses,
    and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
²⁷ They did many signs among the Egyptians.
    They worked miracles in Egypt.
²⁸ The Lord sent darkness and made the land dark.
    But the Egyptians turned against what he said.
²⁹ So he changed their water into blood
    and made their fish die.
³⁰ Then their country was filled with frogs.
    They were even in the bedrooms of their rulers.
³¹ The Lord spoke, and flies came.
    Gnats were everywhere in the country.
³² He made hail fall like rain.
    And he sent lightning through their land.
³³ He struck down their grapevines and fig trees.
    He destroyed every tree in the country.
³⁴ He spoke, and grasshoppers came.
    The locusts were too many to count.
³⁵ They ate all the plants in the land.
    They ate what the earth produced.
³⁶ The Lord also killed all the firstborn sons in the land,
    the oldest son of each family.

³⁷ Then he brought his people out,
    and they carried with them silver and gold.
    Not one of his people stumbled.
³⁸ The Egyptians were glad when they left
    because the Egyptians were afraid of them.
³⁹ The Lord covered them with a cloud
    and lit up the night with fire.
⁴⁰ When they asked, he brought them quail.
    He filled them with bread from heaven.
⁴¹ God split the rock, and water flowed out.
    It ran like a river through the desert.
⁴² He remembered his holy promise
    to his servant Abraham.

⁴³ So God brought his people out with joy.
    He brought out his chosen ones with singing.
⁴⁴ He gave them lands that belonged to other nations.
    They received what others had worked for.
⁴⁵ This was so they would keep his orders
    and obey his teachings.

Praise the Lord!

⁴ Lord, remember me when you are kind to your people.
    Help me when you save them.
⁵ Let me see the good things you do for your chosen people.
    Let me be happy along with your happy nation.
    Let me join your own people in praising you.

⁶ We have sinned just as our ancestors did.
    We have done wrong. We have done evil.
⁷ Our ancestors in Egypt
    did not learn from your miracles.
They did not remember all your kindnesses.
    So they turned against you at the Red Sea.
⁸ But the Lord saved them for his own sake,
    to show his great power.
⁹ He commanded the Red Sea, and it dried up.
    He led them through the deep sea as if it were a desert.
¹⁰ He saved them from those who hated them.
    He saved them from their enemies.
¹¹ And the water covered their enemies.
    Not one of them escaped.
¹² Then the people believed what the Lord said.
    They sang praises to him.

¹³ But they quickly forgot what he had done.
    They did not wait for his advice.
¹⁴ They became greedy for food in the desert.
    And they tested God there.
¹⁵ So he gave them what they wanted.
    But he also sent a terrible disease among them.

¹⁶ The people in the camp became jealous of Moses
    and of Aaron, the holy priest of the Lord.
¹⁷ Then the ground opened up and swallowed Dathan.
    It closed over Abiram’s group.
¹⁸ Then a fire burned among their followers.
    Flames burned up the wicked people.

¹⁹ The people made a gold calf at Mount Sinai.
    They worshiped a metal statue.
²⁰ They exchanged their glorious God
    for a statue of a bull, which eats grass.
²¹ They forgot the God who saved them,
    who had done great things in Egypt.
²² He did miracles in Egypt.^[b]
    He did amazing things by the Red Sea.
²³ So God said he would destroy them.
    But Moses, his chosen one, stood before him.
    He stopped God’s anger from destroying them.

²⁴ Then they refused to go into the beautiful land of Canaan.
    They did not believe what God promised.
²⁵ They grumbled in their tents
    and did not obey the Lord.
²⁶ So he swore to them
    that they would die in the desert.
²⁷ He said their children would be killed by other nations
    and that they would be scattered among other countries.

²⁸ They joined in worshiping Baal at Peor.
    They ate meat that had been sacrificed to lifeless statues.
²⁹ They made the Lord angry by what they did.
    So many people became sick with a terrible disease.
³⁰ But Phinehas prayed to the Lord,
    and the disease stopped.
³¹ The Lord will remember that Phinehas did what was right.
    And God will remember this from now on.

³² The people also made the Lord angry at Meribah.
    And Moses was in trouble because of them.
³³ The people turned against the Spirit of God.
    So Moses spoke without stopping to think.

³⁴ The people did not destroy the other nations
    as the Lord had told them to do.
³⁵ Instead, they mixed with the other nations.
    And they learned their customs.
³⁶ They worshiped other nations’ idols.
    And they were trapped by them.
³⁷ They even killed their sons and daughters
    as sacrifices to demons.
³⁸ They killed innocent people.
    They killed their own sons and daughters
as sacrifices to the idols of Canaan.
    So the land was made unholy by their blood.
³⁹ The people became unholy by their sins.
    They were unfaithful to God in what they did.

⁴⁰ So the Lord became angry with his people.
    He hated his own children.
⁴¹ He let other nations defeat them.
    He let their enemies rule over them.
⁴² Their enemies were cruel to them.
    Their enemies kept them under their power.
⁴³ The Lord saved his people many times.
    But they continued to turn against him.
    So they became even more wicked.

⁴⁴ But God saw their misery.
    He heard their cry.
⁴⁵ He remembered his agreement with them.
    And he felt sorry for them because of his great love.
⁴⁶ He caused them to be pitied
    by those who held them captive.

⁴⁷ Lord our God, save us.
    Bring us back from other nations.
Then we will thank you.
    Then we will gladly praise you.

⁴⁸ Praise the Lord, the God of Israel.
    He always was and always will be.
    Let all the people say, “Amen!”

Praise the Lord!

⁴ Some people had wandered in the desert lands.
    They found no city to live in.
⁵ They were hungry and thirsty.
    They were discouraged.
⁶ In their misery they cried out to the Lord.
    And he saved them from their troubles.
⁷ He led them on a straight road
    to a city where they could live.
⁸ Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love
    and for the miracles he does for people.
⁹ He satisfies the thirsty.
    He fills up the hungry.

¹⁰ Some sat in gloom and darkness.
    They were prisoners suffering in chains.
¹¹ They had turned against the words of God.
    They had refused the advice of God Most High.
¹² So he broke their pride by hard work.
    They stumbled, and no one helped.
¹³ In their misery they cried out to the Lord.
    And he saved them from their troubles.
¹⁴ He brought them out of their gloom and darkness.
    He broke their chains.
¹⁵ Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love
    and for the miracles he does for people.
¹⁶ He breaks down bronze gates.
    And he cuts apart iron bars.

¹⁷ Some became fools who turned against God.
    They suffered for the evil they did.
¹⁸ They refused to eat anything.
    So they almost died.
¹⁹ In their misery they cried out to the Lord.
    And he saved them from their troubles.
²⁰ God gave the command and healed them.
    So they were saved from dying.
²¹ Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love
    and for the miracles he does for people.
²² Let them offer sacrifices to thank him.
    With joy they should tell what he has done.

²³ Others went out to sea in ships.
    They did business on the great oceans.
²⁴ They saw what the Lord could do.
    They saw the miracles he did.
²⁵ He spoke, and a storm came up.
    It blew up high waves.
²⁶ The ships tossed as high as the sky and fell low in the waves.
    The storm was so bad the men lost their courage.
²⁷ They stumbled and fell like men who were drunk.
    They did not know what to do.
²⁸ In their misery they cried out to the Lord.
    And he saved them from their troubles.
²⁹ He made the storm be still.
    He calmed the waves.
³⁰ They were happy that it was quiet.
    And God guided them to the port they wanted.
³¹ Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love
    and for the miracles he does for people.
³² Let them praise his greatness in the meeting of the people.
    They should praise him in the meeting of the elders.

³³ He changed rivers into a desert,
    and springs of water into dry ground.
³⁴ He made fertile land salty
    because the people there did evil.
³⁵ He changed the desert into pools of water
    and dry ground into springs of water.
³⁶ He had the hungry settle there.
    They built a city to live in.
³⁷ They planted seeds in the fields and vineyards.
    And they had a good harvest.
³⁸ God blessed them, and they grew in number.
    Their cattle did not become fewer.

³⁹ Because of disaster, troubles and sadness,
    their families grew smaller and weaker.
⁴⁰ He showed he was displeased with their important men.
    He made them wander in a pathless desert.
⁴¹ But he lifted the poor out of their suffering.
    And he made their families grow like flocks of sheep.
⁴² Good people see this and are happy.
    But the wicked say nothing.

⁴³ Whoever is wise will remember these things.
    He will think about the love of the Lord.

⁶ Answer us and save us by your power.
    Then the people you love will be rescued.
⁷ God has said from his Temple,
    “When I win, I will divide Shechem
    and cut up the Valley of Succoth.
⁸ Gilead and Manasseh are mine.
    Ephraim is like my helmet.
    Judah holds my royal scepter.
⁹ Moab is like my washbowl.
    I throw my sandals at Edom.
    I shout at Philistia.”

¹⁰ Who will bring me to the strong, walled city?
    Who will lead me to Edom?
¹¹ God, surely you have rejected us.
    You do not go out with our armies.
¹² Help us fight the enemy.
    Human help is useless.
¹³ But we can win with God’s help.
    He will defeat our enemies.