Psalms

Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

1Praise the LORD! Give thanks to the LORD, because he is good. His faithful love lasts forever.

2Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? who can shew forth all his praise?

2Who can tell all the mighty things the LORD has done? Who can give him all the praise he deserves?

3Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.

3Happy are the people who do what is fair. Happy are those who do what is right all the time.

4Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;

4Remember me, LORD, when you show kindness to your people. Come and rescue me too.

5That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance.

5Then I will see good things come to the people you chose. I will be glad with your nation and proud along with them.

6We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.

6We have sinned, just as our ancestors did. We have done wrong. We have acted in wicked ways.

7Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea.

7In Egypt our ancestors did not understand your wonders. They forgot your many kindnesses. They turned against you at the sea, the Red Sea.

8Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.

8Even so, he saved them, to keep his own name honored and to show everyone how great his power is.

9He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.

9He gave a command to the Red Sea, and it dried up. He led them through the deep water as if it were dry ground.

10And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

10He saved them from the power of the one who hated them. He bought them back from the hand of the enemy.

11And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left.

11The water rolled back over their enemies. Not one of them was left alive.

12Then believed they his words; they sang his praise.

12Then the people believed what God had said. They sang songs of praise to him.

13They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:

13But they soon forgot the things he had done. They would not wait for him to tell them what to do.

14But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.

14In the empty desert they craved more and more. They kept testing God out in that dry land.

15And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.

15He gave them what they asked for. But he also sent a wasting sickness among them.

Note"Sent leanness into their soul" is old English for a wasting sickness that left them weak.

16They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD.

16In the camp they grew jealous of Moses, and of Aaron, the holy servant of the LORD.

17The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.

17The ground opened up and swallowed Dathan. It closed over Abiram and the men with him.

18And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.

18Then a fire broke out among their group. The flames burned up those who had done wrong.

19They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image.

19At Mount Horeb they made a calf out of melted metal, and they bowed down to that statue.

20Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.

20They traded the glory of God for the shape of an ox that eats grass.

21They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;

21They forgot God, the one who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt.

22Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red sea.

22He did wonders in the land of Ham, which is Egypt, and awesome deeds at the Red Sea.

23Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.

23So God said he would destroy them. But Moses, the man he chose, stood in the gap and turned his anger away.

24Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word:

24They looked down on the good land God had promised. They did not believe what he said.

25But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD.

25They complained inside their tents. They would not listen to the voice of the LORD.

26Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness:

26So he raised his hand and swore that they would fall in the desert.

27To overthrow their seed also among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands.

27He swore their children would be scattered among the nations and spread out across many lands.

28They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead.

28They joined themselves to Baal at Peor. They ate food that had been offered to lifeless gods.

29Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them.

29The things they did made God angry, and a deadly sickness broke out among them.

30Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed.

30Then Phinehas stood up and stepped in to deal with the wrong. The sickness stopped.

31And that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore.

31Because of what he did, God counted him as right, and will keep doing so for all time to come.

32They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes:

32At the waters of strife they made God angry, and trouble came to Moses because of them.

Note"The waters of strife" is the place called Meribah, where the people argued with Moses about water.

33Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.

33They upset him so much that he spoke words he had not thought through.

34They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them:

34They did not destroy the peoples in the land, even though the LORD had told them to.

35But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.

35Instead they mixed in with those nations and copied the things they did.

36And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.

36They served their idols, and those idols became a trap for them.

37Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,

37They even offered their sons and daughters as sacrifices to demons.

38And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.

38They killed people who had done nothing wrong, their own sons and daughters. They offered them to the idols of Canaan, and blood stained the land.

39Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.

39Their own actions made them unclean. They were unfaithful to God in everything they did.

40Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.

40So the LORD became angry with his people. He turned away from the very people who belonged to him.

41And he gave them into the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them.

41He handed them over to other nations, and the people who hated them ruled over them.

42Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand.

42Their enemies treated them harshly and kept them under their control.

43Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity.

43Again and again he rescued them. But they kept making their own plans against him, and their sin dragged them down.

44Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry:

44Even so, he paid attention to their suffering when he heard them cry out.

45And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies.

45He remembered the promise he had made with them. Because his love is so great, he held back.

Note"Repented" in 1611 English does not mean God did something wrong. It means he changed what he had planned to do.

46He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives.

46He made the people who had carried them off as prisoners feel sorry for them.

47Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise.

47Save us, LORD our God. Gather us back from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and be glad to praise you.

48Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD.

48Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, forever and ever. And let all the people say, "Amen." Praise the LORD!