Psalms

O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.

1Give thanks to the LORD. Call on his name. Tell the nations what he has done.

2Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.

2Sing to him. Sing songs of praise to him. Talk about all his wonderful works.

3Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.

3Be proud of his holy name. Let everyone who looks for the LORD be glad.

4Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.

4Look for the LORD and for his strength. Keep looking for his face always.

5Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

5Remember the amazing things he has done, his wonders, and the decisions he has spoken.

6O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.

6You are the family of Abraham, his servant. You are the children of Jacob, the ones he chose.

7He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth.

7He is the LORD our God. His decisions reach across the whole earth.

8He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.

8He remembers his agreement forever, the promise he made for a thousand generations.

9Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac;

9This is the agreement he made with Abraham, and the promise he swore to Isaac.

10And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:

10He made it firm for Jacob as a rule, and for Israel as an agreement that never ends.

11Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance:

11He said, "I will give you the land of Canaan. It will be the share that belongs to you."

12When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.

12Back then they were only a few people. There were very few of them, and they were strangers in that land.

13When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people;

13They moved from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another group of people.

14He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes;

14He let no one hurt them. He warned kings to leave them alone.

Note"He suffered no man" means he allowed no one. In 1611 English, "suffer" often meant "allow."

15Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

15He said, "Do not touch the ones I have chosen. Do not harm my prophets."

16Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread.

16Then he called for a famine on the land. He cut off every supply of food.

Note"He brake the whole staff of bread" is an old way of saying he cut off the food supply. Bread was called a "staff" because people leaned on it to live.

17He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:

17He sent a man ahead of them. It was Joseph, who was sold as a slave.

18Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:

18They hurt his feet with chains. His neck was put in iron.

19Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.

19This lasted until what he had said came true. The word of the LORD tested him and proved him right.

20The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free.

20The king sent word and set him free. The ruler of the people let him go.

21He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:

21He made Joseph the master of his house and put him in charge of everything he owned.

22To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom.

22Joseph could give orders to the king's officials, and he taught the older leaders wisdom.

23Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.

23Then Israel came into Egypt. Jacob lived as a stranger in the land of Ham.

24And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies.

24God made his people grow to a great number. He made them stronger than their enemies.

25He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants.

25He turned the hearts of the Egyptians to hate his people and to make sly plans against his servants.

26He sent Moses his servant; and Aaron whom he had chosen.

26He sent Moses, his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

27They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.

27They did his signs among the Egyptians and his wonders in the land of Ham.

28He sent darkness, and made it dark; and they rebelled not against his word.

28He sent darkness, and the land went dark. And they did not go against his words.

NoteThe KJV says "they rebelled not against his word." The Hebrew is read two ways here: either the Egyptians did not resist, or, as most modern versions have it, they defied what God said.

29He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish.

29He turned their water into blood and killed their fish.

30Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings.

30Their land swarmed with frogs, even in the rooms of their kings.

31He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, and lice in all their coasts.

31He spoke, and swarms of flies came, and gnats filled the whole country.

Note"Coasts" here does not mean the seashore. It means the borders of the country, so "all their coasts" means everywhere in Egypt.

32He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land.

32He gave them hail instead of rain, and flashes of fire across their land.

33He smote their vines also and their fig trees; and brake the trees of their coasts.

33He struck down their grapevines and fig trees and broke the trees of their country.

34He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number,

34He spoke, and locusts came, young locusts too many to count.

35And did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.

35They ate up every plant in the land and finished off the crops of their soil.

36He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength.

36Then he struck down every firstborn son in their land, the first and best of their strength.

37He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.

37He brought his people out with silver and gold, and not one of their tribes stumbled.

38Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear of them fell upon them.

38Egypt was glad when they left, because fear of Israel had fallen on them.

39He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.

39He spread out a cloud to cover them, and a fire to give light at night.

40The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

40The people asked, and he brought quail. He filled them up with bread from heaven.

41He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.

41He opened a rock, and water poured out. It ran through the dry land like a river.

42For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.

42He did this because he remembered his holy promise to Abraham, his servant.

43And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:

43He brought his people out with joy. The ones he chose came out shouting for gladness.

44And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people;

44He gave them the lands of other nations. They took over what other people had worked for.

45That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the LORD.

45He did this so they would follow his rules and obey his laws. Praise the LORD.