The LORD Rescues People from Many Troubles.

1O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;

For His compassion and lovingkindness endure forever!

2Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,

Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary,

3And gathered them from the lands,

From the east and from the west,

From the north and from the [a]south.

4They wandered in the wilderness in a [solitary] desert region;

And did not find a way to an inhabited city.

5Hungry and thirsty,

They fainted.

6Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

And He rescued them from their distresses.

7He led them by the straight way,

To an inhabited city [where they could establish their homes].

8Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,

And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!

9For He satisfies the parched throat,

And fills the hungry appetite with what is good.

10Some dwelt in darkness and in the deep (deathly) darkness,

Prisoners [bound] in misery and chains,

11Because they had rebelled against the precepts of God

And spurned the counsel of the Most High.

12Therefore He humbled their heart with hard labor;

They stumbled and there was no one to help.

13Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

And He saved them from their distresses.

14He brought them out of darkness and the deep (deathly) darkness

And broke their bonds apart.

15Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,

And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!

16For He has shattered the gates of bronze

And cut the bars of iron apart.

17Fools, because of their rebellious way,

And because of their sins, were afflicted.

18They detested all kinds of food,

And they drew near to the gates of death.

19Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

And He saved them from their distresses.

20He sent His word and healed them,

And rescued them from their destruction.

21Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,

And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!

22And let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving,

And speak of His deeds with shouts of joy!

23Those who go down to the sea in ships,

Who do business on great waters;

24They have seen the works of the LORD,

And His wonders in the deep.

25For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind,

Which lifted up the waves of the sea.

26They went up toward the heavens [on the crest of the wave], they went down again to the depths [of the watery trough];

Their courage melted away in their misery.

27They staggered and trembled like a drunken man,

And were at their wits’ end [all their wisdom was useless].

28Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

And He brought them out of their distresses.

29He hushed the storm to a gentle whisper,

So that the waves of the sea were still.

30Then they were glad because of the calm,

And He guided them to their desired haven (harbor).

31Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,

And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!

32Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people,

And praise Him at the seat of the elders.

33He turns rivers into a wilderness,

And springs of water into a thirsty ground;

34A productive land into a [barren] salt waste,

Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.

35He turns a wilderness into a pool of water

And a dry land into springs of water;

36And there He has the hungry dwell,

So that they may establish an inhabited city,

37And sow fields and plant vineyards,

And produce an abundant harvest.

38Also He blesses them so that they multiply greatly,

And He does not let [the number of] their cattle decrease.

39When they are diminished and bowed down (humbled)

Through oppression, misery, and sorrow,

40He pours contempt on princes

And makes them wander in a pathless wasteland.

41Yet He sets the needy securely on high, away from affliction,

And makes their families like a flock.

42The upright see it and rejoice;

But all unrighteousness shuts its mouth.

43Who is wise? Let him observe and heed these things;

And [thoughtfully] consider the lovingkindness of the LORD.