Song (Psalm) 106

106 Praise Yah. Give thanks to Yahweh because he’s good,

because his loyal commitment ^never ends.

2 Who can recount everything that ≈Yahweh’s done?

Can anyone list all his praises?

3 Those who promote justice will be blessed,

as will those who always do what is right.

4 When you help your people, Yahweh, remember me.

Help me when you rescue them.

5 I want to see your chosen people ≈prosper—

be happy that your nation is happy

and ≈share the splendour of your inheritance.

6 We have ≈disobeyed God like our ancestors did.

≈We have done things that were wrong, and have acted wickedly.

7 Our ancestors didn’t appreciate the miracles you did in Egypt (Heb. Mitsrayim).[ref]

They just forgot about your ≈display of loyal commitment,

and instead they rebelled down there at the Red Sea.

8 ≈However, he saved them for ≈the sake of his reputation—

to make his incredible power known to the world.

9 He ≈commanded the Red Sea and it dried up,

then he led them through &its depths as if it was ≈ordinary land[ref]

10 and saved them from the ≈forces of those who hated them—

≈yes, he rescued them from &their enemy’s ≈power.

11 The #water ≈came back over their enemies—

there wasn’t a single one of them left.

12 Then they finally believed his words,[ref]

and they sang ≈praises to him.

13 But they soon forgot what he’d done.

They didn’t bother ≈waiting for his advice.

14 They had intense cravings for meat in the wilderness,[ref]

≈and they challenged God right there in the desert.

15 ≈So he gave them what they asked for

≈but he sent them a horrible disease with it.

16 Then in the camp, they became jealous of Mosheh (Moses),[ref]

≈and Aharon (Aaron), Yahweh’s ≈chosen priest.

17 The earth opened up and swallowed Datan,

≈and covered over Aviram’s followers.

18 Then fire blazed among them,

≈and the flames burnt up the wicked >people.

19 They made a gold calf at Horev,[ref]

≈and worshipped the metal ≈statue there.

20 They traded the splendour of their God,

with a ≈statue image of a bull that eats ≈grass. ☺

21 They forgot about their saviour God

who’d done incredible >miracles in Egypt (Heb. Mitsrayim),

22 ≈≡had done ≈amazing feats in the land of Ham (i.e., Egypt),

≈and ≈had demonstrated powerful forces at the ≈Red Sea.

23 So he said that he’d destroy them,

≈except that his chosen servant Mosheh stood ≈as intermediary,

to turn him away from his severe anger and plan ≈to destroy.

24 Then they despised that desirable ≈region—[ref]

≈they didn’t believe his ≈promise.

25 ≈Instead they grumbled in their tents

and didn’t listen to ≈what Yahweh said.

26 ≈So he made his decision against them:

that they’d drop dead there in the wilderness,

27 and he’d disperse their descendants across many countries[ref]

≈and scatter them in distant lands.

28 They ≈submitted to the Baal of Peor,[ref]

and ate sacrifices that had been offered to the dead.

29 They provoked him to anger with their actions,

and a plague broke out among them.

30 Then Pinehas ≈took a stand and intervened

and stopped the plague.

31 That ≈godly action was credited to him,

≈for all the generations to come.

32 They also made Yahweh angry at the Merivah springs,[ref]

and ≈that led to trouble for Mosheh (Moses),

33 because they’d rebelled against his spirit,

and then he ended up speaking rashly.

34 They didn’t destroy those people groups[ref]

as Yahweh had ≈told them to do.

35 ≈Instead they mingled with those other groups,

and imitated their ungodly activities

36 and worshipped their idols

≈which then became the reason for their destruction.

37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to the demons.[ref]

38 Yes, they shed innocent blood[ref]—

the blood of their sons and daughters

that they sacrificed to the idols and polluted the land with blood.

39 Their actions ≈made them unacceptable to worship God,

having prostituted themselves to other Gods.

40 So Yahweh got angry with his own people,[ref]

≈and he despised his own inheritance.

41 He ≈allowed other countries to control them,

≈and those who hated them ruled over them.

42 Their enemies oppressed them,

≈and subdued them under their ≈control.

43 He rescued them many times,

but they kept rebelling in their ≈minds,

and were brought down by their own sin.

44 ≈Nevertheless, he ≈paid attention to their distress

when he heard their cry for help.

45 He ≈thought about his agreement with them,

and he relented because of the strength of his loyal commitment to them.

46 He ≈caused their conquerors to ≈have pity on them.

47 Save us Yahweh our God,[ref]

and gather us back from among ≈other nations

so that we can give thanks for your sacred reputation,

and ≈praise you with real gladness.

48 May Yisrael’s God Yahweh be praised ≈throughout the ages,

and all the people said, “≈Yes, let it be so.”

Praise Yah.

Fifth collection

(Songs 107–150)