Psalms 106

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

1Praise the LORD! Thank the LORD, because he is good. His love never ends.

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

2No one can tell all the great things the LORD has done. No one can praise him enough.

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

3God is pleased with people who are fair. He is pleased with those who always do what is right.

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

4LORD, remember me when you are kind to your people. Come and save 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. I will be proud along with your own people.

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

6We have sinned, just like our fathers did. We did wrong. We acted in bad 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 fathers did not understand the wonders you did. They forgot your many kind acts. 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.

8But he saved them anyway, so his own name would be honored. He wanted everyone to see his great power.

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

9He spoke sharply 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 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 covered their enemies. Not one of them was left.

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

12Then the people believed what he said. They sang songs to praise 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.

14Out in the empty desert they wanted more and more. There they tested God to see what he would do.

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

15He gave them what they asked for. But he sent a sickness that made them waste away.

Note"Sent leanness into their soul" in the old wording means he sent a sickness that made them thin and weak.

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

16In the camp they were jealous of Moses. They were jealous of Aaron, the holy man 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 people with him.

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

18A fire blazed through 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. They bowed down to a statue made of melted metal.

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

20They traded the glory of God for the image 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. He had done great things for them in Egypt.

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

22He did wonders in the land of Ham. He did awesome, powerful things at the Red Sea.

Note"The land of Ham" is another name for Egypt. Ham was one of Noah's sons.

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 had chosen, stood in the gap for them. He asked God to hold back his anger, and they were not destroyed.

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

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

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

25They grumbled 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 made a promise. They would fall in the desert.

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

27Their children after them would be spread among other nations. They would be scattered in far lands.

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

28They joined themselves to Baal at Peor. They ate food offered to gods that are not alive.

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

29The things they did made the LORD angry. 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 stop it. The sickness was held back.

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

31God counted that as the right thing to do. He will count it 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 Meribah they made God angry. Because of them, trouble came to Moses.

Note"The waters of strife" is the place called Meribah. "Strife" means fighting and arguing.

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

33They turned against God's Spirit. Then Moses spoke words he should not have said.

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

34The LORD told them to destroy those nations. They did not do it.

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

35Instead they mixed in with those peoples. They learned to do the things those peoples did.

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

36They served their idols, which are statues that people worship. Those idols became a trap for them.

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

37They even killed their own sons and daughters as gifts 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. They gave their own sons and daughters to the idols of Canaan. The land was made dirty with blood.

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

39What they did made them unclean. They turned away from God and were not faithful to him.

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

40So the LORD grew angry with his people. He turned away from the 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. People who hated them ruled over them.

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

42Their enemies were hard on them. They were held down under their power.

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

43Many times God rescued them. But they kept planning to turn away, and their sin brought them low.

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

44Even so, he saw their trouble. He heard them cry out to him.

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 the punishment.

NoteThe old wording says God "repented." Here it means he changed what he was going to do. It does not mean God did anything wrong.

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

46He made the people who took them away 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. Bring us back from among the other nations. Then we will thank your holy name. We will 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. Let all the people say, "Amen!" Praise the LORD!