1 | Praise the LORD! O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever! |
2 | Who can utter the mighty doings of the LORD, or show forth all his praise? |
3 | Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times! |
4 | Remember me, O LORD, when thou showest favor to thy people; help me when thou deliverest them; |
5 | that I may see the prosperity of thy chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thy heritage. |
6 | Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly. |
7 | Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider thy wonderful works; they did not remember the abundance of thy steadfast love, but rebelled against the Most High at the Red Sea. |
8 | Yet he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make known his mighty power. |
9 | He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry; and he led them through the deep as through a desert. |
10 | So he saved them from the hand of the foe, and delivered them from the power of the enemy. |
11 | And the waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left. |
12 | Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. |
13 | But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel. |
14 | But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert; |
15 | he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them. |
16 | When men in the camp were jealous of Moses and Aaron, the holy one of the LORD, |
17 | the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abi'ram. |
18 | Fire also broke out in their company; the flame burned up the wicked. |
19 | They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a molten image. |
20 | They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. |
21 | They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, |
22 | wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red Sea. |
23 | Therefore he said he would destroy them -- had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them. |
24 | Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise. |
25 | They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the LORD. |
26 | Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them that he would make them fall in the wilderness, |
27 | and would disperse their descendants among the nations, scattering them over the lands. |
28 | Then they attached themselves to the Ba'al of Pe'or, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead; |
29 | they provoked the LORD to anger with their doings, and a plague broke out among them. |
30 | Then Phin'ehas stood up and interposed, and the plague was stayed. |
31 | And that has been reckoned to him as righteousness from generation to generation for ever. |
32 | They angered him at the waters of Mer'ibah, and it went ill with Moses on their account; |
33 | for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke words that were rash. |
34 | They did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them, |
35 | but they mingled with the nations and learned to do as they did. |
36 | They served their idols, which became a snare to them. |
37 | They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; |
38 | they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood. |
39 | Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the harlot in their doings. |
40 | Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage; |
41 | he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them. |
42 | Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power. |
43 | Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes, and were brought low through their iniquity. |
44 | Nevertheless he regarded their distress, when he heard their cry. |
45 | He remembered for their sake his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. |
46 | He caused them to be pitied by all those who held them captive. |
47 | Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to thy holy name and glory in thy praise. |
48 | Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, "Amen!" Praise the LORD! |