1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord because he is good, for his mercie endureth for euer. 2 Who can expresse the noble actes of the Lord, or shewe forth all his prayse? 3 Blessed are they that keepe iudgement, and doe righteousnesse at all times. 4 Remember me, O Lord, with the fauour of thy people: visite me with thy saluation, 5 That I may see the felicitie of thy chosen, and reioyce in the ioy of thy people, and glorie with thine inheritance. 6 We haue sinned with our fathers: we haue committed iniquitie, and done wickedly. 7 Our fathers vnderstoode not thy wonders in Egypt, neither remembred they the multitude of thy mercies, but rebelled at the Sea, euen at the red sea. 8 Neuerthelesse he saued them for his Names sake, that he might make his power to be knowen. 9 And he rebuked the red Sea, and it was dryed vp, and he led them in the deepe, as in the wildernesse. 10 And he saued them from ye aduersaries hand, and deliuered them from ye hand of the enemie. 11 And the waters couered their oppressours: not one of them was left. 12 Then beleeued they his wordes, and sang prayse vnto him. 13 But incontinently they forgate his workes: they wayted not for his counsell, 14 But lusted with concupiscence in the wildernes, and tempted God in the desert. 15 Then he gaue them their desire: but he sent leannesse into their soule. 16 They enuied Moses also in the tentes, and Aaron the holy one of the Lord. 17 Therefore the earth opened and swallowed vp Dathan, and couered the companie of Abiram. 18 And the fire was kindled in their assembly: the flame burnt vp the wicked. 19 They made a calfe in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image. 20 Thus they turned their glory into the similitude of a bullocke, that eateth grasse. 21 They forgate God their Sauiour, which had done great things in Egypt, 22 Wonderous woorkes in the lande of Ham, and fearefull things by the red Sea. 23 Therefore he minded to destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stand in the breach before him to turne away his wrath, least he shoulde destroy them. 24 Also they contemned that pleasant land, and beleeued not his worde, 25 But murmured in their tentes, and hearkened not vnto the voice of the Lord. 26 Therefore hee lifted vp his hande against them, to destroy them in the wildernesse, 27 And to destroy their seede among the nations, and to scatter them throughout the countries. 28 They ioyned themselues also vnto Baalpeor, and did eate the offrings of the dead. 29 Thus they prouoked him vnto anger with their owne inuentions, and the plague brake in vpon them. 30 But Phinehas stoode vp, and executed iudgement, and the plague was staied. 31 And it was imputed vnto him for righteousnes from generation to generation for euer. 32 They angred him also at the waters of Meribah, so that Moses was punished for their sakes, 33 Because they vexed his spirite, so that hee spake vnaduisedly with his lippes. 34 Neither destroied they the people, as the Lord had commanded them, 35 But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their workes, 36 And serued their idoles, which were their ruine. 37 Yea, they offered their sonnes, and their daughters vnto deuils, 38 And shed innocent blood, euen the blood of their sonnes, and of their daughters, whome they offred vnto the idoles of Canaan, and the lande was defiled with blood. 39 Thus were they steined with their owne woorkes, and went a whoring with their owne inuentions. 40 Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against his people, and he abhorred his owne inheritance. 41 And hee gaue them into the hande of the heathen: and they that hated them, were lordes ouer them. 42 Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were humbled vnder their hand. 43 Many a time did hee deliuer them, but they prouoked him by their counsels: therefore they were brought downe by their iniquitie. 44 Yet hee sawe when they were in affliction, and he heard their crie. 45 And he remembred his couenant towarde them and repented according to the multitude of his mercies, 46 And gaue them fauour in the sight of all them that lead them captiues. 47 Saue vs, O Lord our God, and gather vs from among the heathen, that we may praise thine holy Name, and glorie in thy praise. 48 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for euer and euer, and let all the people say, So be it. Praise yee the Lord.
The Lord's Goodness to His People
1 Praise the Lord!
Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good;
his love is eternal.
2 Who can tell all the great things he has done?
Who can praise him enough?
3 Happy are those who obey his commands,
who always do what is right.
4 Remember me, Lord, when you help your people;
include me when you save them.
5 Let me see the prosperity of your people
and share in the happiness of your nation,
in the glad pride of those who belong to you.
6 We have sinned as our ancestors did;
we have been wicked and evil.
7 Our ancestors in Egypt did not understand God's wonderful acts;
they forgot the many times he showed them his love,
and they rebelled against the Almighty at the Red Sea.
8 But he saved them, as he had promised,
in order to show his great power.
9 He gave a command to the Red Sea,
and it dried up;
he led his people across on dry land.
10 He saved them from those who hated them;
he rescued them from their enemies.
11 But the water drowned their enemies;
not one of them was left.
12 Then his people believed his promises
and sang praises to him.
13 But they quickly forgot what he had done
and acted without waiting for his advice.
14 They were filled with craving in the desert
and put God to the test;
15 so he gave them what they asked for,
but also sent a terrible disease among them.
16 There in the desert they were jealous of Moses
and of Aaron, the Lord's holy servant.
17 Then the earth opened up and swallowed Dathan
and buried Abiram and his family;
18 fire came down on their followers
and burned up those wicked people.
19 They made a gold bull-calf at Sinai
and worshiped that idol;
20 they exchanged the glory of God
for the image of an animal that eats grass.
21 They forgot the God who had saved them
by his mighty acts in Egypt.
22 What wonderful things he did there!
What amazing things at the Red Sea!
23 When God said that he would destroy his people,
his chosen servant, Moses, stood up against God
and kept his anger from destroying them.
24 Then they rejected the pleasant land,
because they did not believe God's promise.
25 They stayed in their tents and grumbled
and would not listen to the Lord.
26 So he gave them a solemn warning
that he would make them die in the desert
27 and scatter their descendants among the heathen,
letting them die in foreign countries.
28 Then at Peor, God's people joined in the worship of Baal
and ate sacrifices offered to dead gods.
29 They stirred up the Lord's anger by their actions,
and a terrible disease broke out among them.
30 But Phinehas stood up and punished the guilty,
and the plague was stopped.
31 This has been remembered in his favor ever since
and will be for all time to come.
32 At the springs of Meribah the people made the Lord angry,
and Moses was in trouble on their account.
33 They made him so bitter
that he spoke without stopping to think.
34 They did not kill the heathen,
as the Lord had commanded them to do,
35 but they intermarried with them
and adopted their pagan ways.
36 God's people worshiped idols,
and this caused their destruction.
37 They offered their own sons and daughters
as sacrifices to the idols of Canaan.
38 They killed those innocent children,
and the land was defiled by those murders.
39 They made themselves impure by their actions
and were unfaithful to God.
40 So the Lord was angry with his people;
he was disgusted with them.
41 He abandoned them to the power of the heathen,
and their enemies ruled over them.
42 They were oppressed by their enemies
and were in complete subjection to them.
43 Many times the Lord rescued his people,
but they chose to rebel against him
and sank deeper into sin.
44 Yet the Lord heard them when they cried out,
and he took notice of their distress.
45 For their sake he remembered his covenant,
and because of his great love he relented.
46 He made all their oppressors
feel sorry for them.
47 Save us, O Lord our God,
and bring us back from among the nations,
so that we may be thankful
and praise your holy name.
48 Praise the Lord, the God of Israel;
praise him now and forever!
Let everyone say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord!