1 Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good. His faithful love continues forever.
2 That's what those who have been set free by the Lord should say. He set them free from the power of the enemy.
3 He brought them back from other lands. He brought them back from east and west, from north and south.
4 Some of them wandered in deserts that were dry and empty. They couldn't find their way to a city where they could settle down.
5 They were hungry and thirsty. Their lives were slipping away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord because of their problems. And he saved them from their troubles.
7 He led them straight to a city where they could settle down.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love. Let them give thanks for the miracles he does for his people.
9 He gives those who are thirsty all of the water they want. He gives those who are hungry all of the good food they can eat.
10 Others lived in the deepest darkness. They suffered as prisoners in iron chains.
11 That's because they hadn't obeyed the words of God. They had refused to follow the advice of the Most High God.
12 So he made them do work that was hard and bitter. They tripped and fell, and there was no one to help them.
13 Then they cried out to the Lord because of their problems. And he saved them from their troubles.
14 He brought them out of the deepest darkness. He broke their chains off.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love. Let them give thanks for the miracles he does for his people.
16 He breaks down gates that are made of bronze. He cuts through bars that are made of iron.
17 Others were foolish. They suffered because of their sins. They suffered because they wouldn't obey the Lord.
18 They refused to eat anything. They came close to passing through the gates of death.
19 Then they cried out to the Lord because of their problems. And he saved them from their troubles.
20 He gave his command and healed them. He saved them from the grave.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love. Let them give thanks for the miracles he does for his people.
22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings. Let them talk about what he has done as they sing with joy.
23 Others sailed out on the ocean in ships. They traded goods on the mighty waters.
24 They saw the works of the Lord. They saw the miracles he did on the ocean.
25 He spoke and stirred up a storm. It lifted the waves high.
26 They rose up to the heavens. Then they went down deep into the ocean. In that kind of danger the people's boldness melted away.
27 They were unsteady like those who get drunk. They didn't know what to do.
28 Then they cried out to the Lord because of their problems. And he brought them out of their troubles.
29 He made the storm as quiet as a whisper. The waves of the ocean calmed down.
30 The people were glad when the ocean became calm. Then he guided them to the harbor they were looking for.
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love. Let them give thanks for the miracles he does for his people.
32 Let them honor him among his people who gather for worship. Let them praise him in the meeting of the elders.
33 He turned rivers into a desert. He turned flowing springs into thirsty ground.
34 He turned land that produced crops into a salty land where nothing could grow. He did it because the people who lived there were evil.
35 He turned the desert into pools of water. He turned the dry and cracked ground into flowing springs.
36 He brought hungry people there to live. They built a city where they could settle down.
37 They planted fields and vineyards that produced large crops.
38 He blessed the people, and they greatly increased their numbers. He kept their herds from getting smaller.
39 Then the number of God's people got smaller. They were brought low by trouble, suffering and sorrow.
40 The One who looks down on proud nobles made them wander in a desert where no one lives.
41 But he lifted needy people out of their suffering. He made their families increase like flocks of sheep.
42 Honest people see it and are filled with joy. But no one who is evil has anything to say.