卷四 ( 17章)PSALMS 90-106

圣经-旧约(天主教思高圣经)

不认识圣经,就是不认识基督,不认识基督,就是不认识基督所建立的天主教会。

 

旧约·圣咏集

共150章:(卷四17章)

卷一(1-41)   卷二(42-72)   卷三(73-89)   卷四(90-106)   卷五(107-150)

 

卷四(90-106)

九十:[人生似朝露](17)
90:1 天主的人梅瑟的祈祷。吾主,从永远到永远,你作了我们的靠山。
90:2 群山尚未形成,大地寰球尚未生出,从永远直到永远,你就已经是天主。
90:3 你命世人们仍归灰尘,说:归来,亚当的子孙们!
90:4 因为千年在你的眼前,好象是刚过去的昨天,好象夜里的一更时间。
90:5 你消除他们,使他们有如清晨一觉,又使他们有如刚出生的嫩苗青草,
90:6 早晨虽然旺盛繁茂,傍晚割去即形枯槁。
90:7 这样,我们因了你的怒火,而消耗殆尽;我们因了你的怒忿,而昏厥不振。
90:8 你把我们的罪过全在你的面前摆出,在你仪容的光辉前,我们的隐恶全露。
90:9 我们的日月,都在你义怒中消逝,我们的年岁,也不过象一声叹息。
90:10 我们的寿数,不外七十春秋,若是强壮,也不过八十寒暑;但多半还是充满劳苦与空虚,因转眼即逝,我们也如飞而去。
90:11 谁能体会你怒愤的威力,谁能觉察你怒火的可畏?
90:12 求你教导我们详数年岁,使我们达到内心的智慧。
90:13 上主,求你归来,尚待何时?求你快来怜恤你的仆役!
90:14 使我们清晨即饱享你的慈爱,让我们能欢欣鼓舞天天愉快!
90:15 你磨难我们,使我们受苦多少日子,求你也使我们多少年月时日欢喜。
90:16 求使你的仆人得见你的化工,给他们的子孙彰显你的尊荣。
90:17 愿上主我们的天主给我们广施仁风,求你促使我们所行的工作顺利成功,求你促使我们所行的工作顺利成功。

 

 

九一:[天主是义人的护佑](16)
91:1 你这在至高者护佑下居住的人,你这在全能者荫庇下居主的人,
91:2 请向上主说:「我的避难所,我的碉堡,我的天主,我向你投靠。」
91:3 他必救你脱离猎户的缧泻,他必救你脱免害人的瘟疫。
91:4 他以自己的羽毛掩护你,又叫你往他的翼下逃避:他的忠信是盾牌和铠衣。
91:5 你不必怕黑夜惊人的颤栗,也不必怕白天乱飞的箭矢,
91:6 黑暗中流行的瘟疫,正午毒害人的疠疾。
91:7 在你身旁虽倒毙一千,在你右边虽跌仆一万,疫疾却到不了你身边。
91:8 然而你亲眼要观临,要见到恶人的报应。
91:9 你既知道上主是你的避难所,你就该以至高者为你的碉堡;
91:10 灾殃不会走近你的身边,祸患也不临近你的帐幔,
91:11 因为他必为你委派自己的天使,在你行走的每条路上保护你。
91:12 他们把你托在自己的手掌,不使你的脚在石头上碰伤。
91:13 你可经过在狮子和毒蛇身上,你可践踏在猛狮和毒龙身上。
91:14 上主说:「因为他依恋我,我必拯救他,他承认我的名,我必保护他。
91:15 他若呼求我,我必应允他,他若有困苦,我必偕同他,我必拯救他,也必光荣他。
91:16 我必要使他得享长寿,必让他看到我的救赎。」

 

 

九二:[至公仁慈的天主](16)
92:1 安息日的诗歌
92:2 至高者!最幸福的事情,是赞美上主,歌颂你名,
92:3 是清晨传扬你的仁慈,是夜间宣讲你的忠义,
92:4 弹奏十弦和七弦的琴瑟,随琵琶的旋律而咏诗。
92:5 上主,你既以你的化工使我喜悦,我就因你双手的一切工程欢乐。
92:6 上主,你的工程是多么伟大微妙,你的计划是多么神秘玄奥!
92:7 无理性的人,不会明白这事,愚昧的人,也不能领略这事。
92:8 歹徒虽然一时茂盛有如青草,作奸犯科的人虽然一时显耀,然而他们终必灭亡,永远沉消,
92:9 上主,惟有你永远是至尊至高。
92:10 上主,请看你的仇人,你的仇人必要沉沦;作恶的人无处栖身。
92:11 你高举我的角似野牛的角,用极新鲜的油膏傅抹了我,
92:12 因而我的眼目轻视我的仇人,我耳欢乐听见制服我的恶人。
92:13 正义人象棕榈茂盛,似黎巴嫩的香柏高耸。
92:14 他们被栽植在上主的殿中,在我们天主的庭院里繁荣。
92:15 虽已年老,仍然结果,枝叶繁盛,依旧绿茂;
92:16 为宣扬上主是多么正直:我的磐石,他丝毫没有不义。

 

 

九三:[天主是威严的君王](5)
93:1 上主为王,以尊威作衣冠,上主身着德能,腰束大权。他奠定了大地尘寰,大地尘寰不再摇撼;
93:2 你的宝座由太初即已建立,你的存在,从亘古即已开始。
93:3 上主,江河已经扬波,江河已经澎湃怒号,江河已经似雷狂啸。
93:4 高天的上主,具有大能,压倒滔滔洪水的巨声,冲散汪洋大海的波峰。
93:5 上主,你的约言,万分忠实可信,你的殿宇永远应享神圣。

 

 

九四:[天主秉公处罚](23)
94:1 上主,你是伸冤的天主,伸冤的天主,求你显出!
94:2 审判大地的天主,请你起来!给骄傲人施以应得的祸灾!
94:3 上主,恶人洋洋得意,要到何时?歹徒沾沾自喜,要到何时?
94:4 他们大言不惭,要到何时?作恶的人自夸,要到何时?
94:5 上主,他们蹂躏你的百姓,他们磨难你的子民,
94:6 屠杀寡妇与旅客,将孤儿置于死地,
94:7 他们还说:上主看不见,雅各伯的天主决不管。
94:8 民间的愚昧者!你们应该知悉,糊涂的人!你们何时才能明白?
94:9 装置耳朵的,难道自己听不着?制造眼睛的,难道自己看不到?
94:10 训戒万民者,难道自己不惩治,教导人类者,难道自己无知识?
94:11 上主认透人的思念,原来都是虚幻。
94:12 上主,那接受你教训的人,你教他法律,是有福的人,
94:13 他必在患难时获享安稳,直到给恶人们掘下了陷阱。
94:14 因为上主不拒绝自己的百姓,上主不遗弃自己的人民。
94:15 原来公理必归正义的人士,心地公正的人,必追求公理。
94:16 谁肯奋起替我攻打行凶的人,谁肯站起替我抵抗作恶的人?
94:17 若不是上主扶助我,我的灵魂已归冥所。
94:18 我正在想说:我的脚步快要滑倒。上主,你就以你的仁慈来扶助我。
94:19 忧愁焦思虽然齐集我的心神,你的安慰却舒畅了我的灵魂。
94:20 若有人冒充法律,制造苦恼,不义的法庭,岂能与你相好?
94:21 他们残害义人的性命,判决无辜人的流血刑。
94:22 然而上主必定作堡垒,我的天主作我避难的磐石。
94:23 他必以他们的罪过来报复他们;必要用他们的凶恶来消灭他们,上主我们的天主必要消灭他们。

 

 

九五:[请众齐来伏地朝拜](11)
95:1 请大家前来,我们要向上主歌舞,齐向救助我们的磐石高歌欢呼。
95:2 一齐到他面前,感恩赞颂,向他歌吟圣诗,欢呼吟咏。
95:3 上主原是尊高的天主,原是超越诸神的大主;
95:4 大地的深渊,全在他手,高山的顶峰,为他所有。
95:5 海洋属他,因为是他创造的,陆地也是他亲手所形成的。
95:6 请大家前来,一齐伏地朝拜,向造我们的上主,屈膝示爱。
95:7 因为他是我们的真神,我们是他牧养的人民,是他手所引导的羊群。今天该听从他的声音:
95:8 「不要再象在默黎巴那样心顽,也不要象在旷野中玛撒那天!
95:9 你们的祖先虽然见过我的工作,在那里他们还是试探我,考验我。
95:10 四十年之久,我厌恶了那一世代,曾说:这百姓心中迷惑,不肯承认我的真道,
95:11 因此我怀着愤怒而起誓说:他们决不得进入我的的安所。」

 

 

九六:[天主是万物之主](13)
96:1 请众齐向上主歌唱新歌,普世大地,请向上主讴歌!
96:2 请向上主歌唱,赞美他的圣名,一日复一日地,宣扬他的救恩。
96:3 请在列邦中,传述他的光荣,请在万民中,宣扬他的奇功。
96:4 因为上主伟大,应受赞美,惟他超越众神,可敬可畏。
96:5 万邦的众神尽属虚幻,但上主却造成了苍天;
96:6 威严与尊荣,常在他的面前,权能与光耀,围绕他的圣坛。
96:7 各民各族,请将光荣归于上主,各家各户,请将威能归于上主。
96:8 请将主名光荣归于上主!请进入他的庭院奉献祭物。
96:9 请穿圣洁的礼服,叩拜上主,普世大地,要在他面前颤抖!
96:10 请在万民中高呼:上主为王!他稳定寰宇,使它不再动荡,他以正义公道来治理万邦。
96:11 愿诸天欢乐,愿大地踊跃,愿海洋及其中的一切怒号!
96:12 原野及其中的一切都要舞蹈,森林中的一切树木各显欢乐,
96:13 在上主面前欢乐,因为他己驾临,因为他己驾临,要统治大地干坤;他要以正义审判普世人群,以他的忠信治理天下万民。

 

 

九七:[天主显现时的威严](12)
97:1 上主为王!愿大地踊跃,无数岛屿,也都要欢乐!
97:2 云彩和黑暗将他团团包围,正义与公道支持他的座位。
97:3 烈火在他前面先行,焚烧他四周的敌人。
97:4 他的闪电照亮尘寰,大地一见,战栗摇撼。
97:5 面对上主,即普世的主宰,大山要象蜡烛一般溶解。
97:6 苍天宣扬他的公道,万民目睹他的光耀。
97:7 愿所有拜偶象,以邪神自夸的人受辱,愿所有的神祗,都俯伏在他面前叩首。
97:8 上主,因你的宣判,熙雍听见了便喜笑,犹大各城高兴欢跃。
97:9 上主,你在普天下是最尊贵的,你在众神中,是最崇高的。
97:10 上主喜爱那恼恨罪恶的人,保护虔诚人们的生命,从恶人手中拯救他们。
97:11 光明已升起照耀着义人,赐喜乐于心地正直的人。
97:12 义人们,请因上主而欢欣,并请你们赞美他的圣名。

 

 

九八:[天主是万民的救主](9)
98:1 圣咏。请众向上主歌唱新歌,因为他行了奇事。他的右手和他的圣臂,为他获得了胜利。
98:2 上主已经宣布了自己的救恩,将自己的正义已启示给万民。
98:3 他记起了自己的良善和忠诚,即向以色列家族广施的宽仁。全球看见了我们天主的救恩。
98:4 因此,普世大地,请向上主歌舞,请踊跃,请欢乐,弹琴演奏:
98:5 弹着竖琴,向上主赞颂,弹着竖琴,伴和着弦韵。
98:6 吹起喇叭,伴奏着号角,在上主君王面前讴歌。
98:7 海洋及其中的一切澎湃,寰宇及其内的居民惊骇!
98:8 江河拍手鼓掌,山岳舞蹈欢唱。
98:9 都在上主面前欢乐,因为他已驾临,因为他已驾临,是要统治大地干坤;他要以正义审判普世人群,他要以公平治理天下万民。

 

 

九九:[天主至尊神圣](9)
99:1 上主为王,万民因而战栗惊恐,他坐于革鲁宾之上,大地震动;
99:2 熙雍的上主,伟大堂皇,崇高尊贵,而超越万邦。
99:3 愿他们赞美你的大名,它可敬可畏,至尊神圣。
99:4 你是爱正义的大能君王,是你制定了法律的正纲,对雅各伯行的合理合章。
99:5 请你们尊崇上主,我们的天主,还要向着他的脚凳伏地叩首。因为他的脚凳也是神圣无偶。
99:6 梅瑟和亚郎列于上主的司祭中,撒慕尔属于呼号他圣名的人中,他们呼号上主,上主即俯听他们。
99:7 他从前曾在云柱中训示了他们,他们就守了他吩咐的诫命章程。
99:8 上主,你原是我们的天主,你曾俯听了他们,天主,你宽宥他们,但也报复了他们的恶行。
99:9 请你们尊崇上主,我们的天主,还要向着他的圣山伏地叩首,因我们的天主,上主神圣无偶。

 

 

一零零:[感恩歌](5)
100:1 感恩圣咏。普世大地,请向上主欢呼,
100:2 要兴高彩烈地事奉上主;走到上主面前,应该欢呼!
100:3 你们应该明认雅威就是天主,他造成了我们,我们非他莫属,是他的人民,是他牧场的羊队。
100:4 高唱感恩歌,迈向他的大门,吟咏赞美诗,进入他的宫庭,向他致谢,并赞美他的圣名。
100:5 因为上主良善宽仁,他的慈爱直到永恒,他的忠信世世常存。

 

 

一零一:[君王的模范](8)
101:1 达味的圣咏。我要歌颂仁爱与公正,上主,我还要向你吟咏。
101:2 我要走齐全的路,你何时来我这里?我要在我的家中,以纯洁的心度日。
101:3 我决不把邪僻的事情,放置在我的眼前;我痛恨为非作歹的人,不让他与我相联。
101:4 败坏的心,我要达离;邪恶的事,我不认识。
101:5 暗中设计毁谤同僚的人,我要消灭他;高视阔步,心高气傲的人,我不容忍他。
101:6 我眼注视国内忠诚的人,让他们与我同住,在齐全道路行走的人,才可作我的忠仆。
101:7 诡诈欺骗的人,不得住在我的宫内,说谎不实的人,不得在我眼前存在。
101:8 我每日清早要灭绝国内所有罪人,我要由上主的城内铲除所有作恶的人。

 

 

一零二:[充军者的哀祷](29)
102:1 受压迫者在忧心悲愁时,向上主诉苦诉怨的祈祷。
102:2 上主,求你允我的祈求,愿我的呼声上达于你!
102:3 在我蒙难的时日,求你不要掩面回避我,我呼号你时,求你侧耳听我,迅速俯允我。
102:4 因为我的日月消散如云烟,我的骨骸枯焦如火煎。
102:5 我的心憔悴得象枯草一般,因此我也忘记了吃我的饭。
102:6 因为我哀伤得过度,我已仅是皮包骨头。
102:7 我好象成了旷野中的淘河,我又象成了废墟中的鸱鹗;
102:8 整夜不眠,独自哀号,象屋顶的孤零小鸟。
102:9 我的仇敌常不停地辱骂我,对我猖狂的人,指名诅咒我;
102:10 我吃灰尘当食粮,我喝涕泪当水汤;
102:11 为了你的义愤与震怒,你把我举起,将我抛去。
102:12 我的日月象倾斜的阴影,我的本身好象禾草枯零。
102:13 然而上主,你却永远常在,你的名号万代也不衰。
102:14 求你起来,愿你宽赦熙雍,因怜悯她的时日已来临。
102:15 因你的众仆爱惜她的石头,他们也念念不忘她的废墟。
102:16 上主,万民必敬畏你的圣名,普世列王必敬畏你的光荣。
102:17 因为上主必定要重建熙雍,且要显现于自己的光荣中。
102:18 他必垂顾穷苦人的祈祷,也决不拒绝他们的哀号。
102:19 应将此写出流传给后世,叫新生的人民赞美上主。
102:20 因上主由至高圣所俯视,由高天之上垂顾人间世,
102:21 为倾听俘虏的哀叹,为释放待毙的囚犯,
102:22 为在熙雍传述上主的圣名,在耶路撒冷宣扬他的光荣。
102:23 那时万民都要聚集在一处,诸邦列国也要来朝拜上主。
102:24 他在中途将我的力量消灭,将我的岁月缩短;
102:25 我说:我天主,莫让我中年夭折,但愿你的岁月永留万世万代。
102:26 在起初你奠定了下地,上天也是你手的功绩。
102:27 天地必要毁灭,而你永远存在,万物必要如同衣裳一样衰败,有如衣服更换,都要新陈代谢;
102:28 但是你却永存不变,你的寿命无尽无限。
102:29 愿你仆人的子女居家安康,愿他们的子孙在你前永昌。

 

 

一零三:[赞颂天主的慈爱](22)
103:1 达味作。我的灵魂,请向上主赞颂,我的五内,请向主名赞颂。
103:2 我的灵魂,请向上主赞颂,请你不要忘记他的恩宠。
103:3 是他赦免了你的各种愆尤,是他治愈了你的一切病苦,
103:4 是他叫你的性命在死亡中得到保全,是他用仁慈以及爱情给你作了冠冕,
103:5 是他赏赐你一生幸福满盈,是他使你的青春更新如鹰。
103:6 上主常行正义的工作,为受压迫者主持公道。
103:7 上主曾将自己的道路告知梅瑟,给以色列子民彰显自己的功绩。
103:8 上主富于仁爱宽恕,极其慈悲,迟于发怒。
103:9 他决不会常常责问,也决不会世世愤恨。
103:10 他没有按我们的罪对待我们,也没有照我们的过犯报复我们。
103:11 就如上天距离下地有多么高,他待敬畏他者的慈爱也多高;
103:12 就如东方距离西方有多么远,他使我们的罪离我们也多远;
103:13 就如父亲怎样怜爱自己儿女们,上主也怎样怜爱敬畏自己的人们。
103:14 他原知道我们怎样形成,也记得我们不过是灰尘。
103:15 世人的岁月与青草无异,又象田野的花,茂盛一时,
103:16 只要轻风吹过,它就不复存在,没有人认得出它原有的所在。
103:17 但上主的慈爱永远临于敬畏他的人,他的正义永远临于他们的子子孙孙;
103:18 临于那些遵守他盟约的人,那些怀念;履行他诫命的人。
103:19 上主在天上立定了自己的宝位,天下的万物都属他的王权统治。
103:20 上主的众天使,请你们赞美上主,你们是执行他命令的大能臣仆,又是服从上主圣言的听命公侯;
103:21 上主的众天使,请赞美上主,你们是奉行他旨意的忠仆。
103:22 上主所有的一切受造物,在他的权限所达的各处,请你们大家都赞美上主。我的灵魂请你赞美上主!

 

 

一零四:[赞美造物的大主](35)
104:1 我的灵魂,请你向上主赞颂!上主我的天主,你伟大无限,你以尊贵威严作你的衣冠:
104:2 身披光明,好象外氅,展开苍天,相似棚帐,
104:3 在水上建筑你的宫殿,造了云彩,作你的车辇,驾御着风翼,驰骋直前;
104:4 发出暴风,作你的使团,你以火焰,作你的随员。
104:5 你奠定大地于基础之上,你使大地永远不再动荡;
104:6 以汪洋作氅衣把大地遮盖,又以大水把群山峻岭掩埋。
104:7 你一呵叱,大水即逃避,你一鸣雷,大水即惊退。
104:8 峻岭向上突出,山谷向下沉落,各个都停在你指定的处所。
104:9 你划定了界限,都不越过,免得大水再把大地淹没。
104:10 你使水泉成为溪川,蜿蜒长流于群山间,
104:11 供给各种走兽水喝,使野驴也得以解渴。
104:12 天上飞鸟,在水边宿卧,在枝叶丛中不断唱和。
104:13 你从高楼宫殿上,灌溉山地,以出产的果实,饱饫普世;
104:14 你使青草和植物生出,喂养牲畜,为给人服务。又使土地产生出五谷,
104:15 美酒,人饮了舒畅心神,膏油,人用来涂面润身,面饼,人吃了增强心神。
104:16 上主的乔木饱餐水泽,黎巴嫩香柏,主手所植;
104:17 鸟类在那里垒窝筑巢,鹤群以树梢为家安卧。
104:18 高山峻岭作羚羊的洞府,绝壁岩石作野兔的居处。
104:19 你造有月亮以定节季,太阳自知向西边沉坠。
104:20 你造了黑暗,便有了夜晚,林中的野兽遂四出狂窜。
104:21 少壮的狮子恕吼觅食,向天主要求食物充饥;
104:22 太阳升起的时候,它们各自逃避,回到自己的洞穴,安然卧下休息;
104:23 于是人们外出谋生,操作劳动,直到黄昏。
104:24 上主,你的化工,是何其浩繁,全是你以智慧所创办,你的受造物遍地充满。
104:25 看,汪洋大海,一望无际,其中水族,不可数计,大小生物,浮游不息。
104:26 在那里有舟有船,往来航行,还有你造的鳄鱼,戏游其中。
104:27 这一切生物都瞻仰着你,希望你按时给它们饮食。
104:28 你一赐给它们,它们便会收集,你一伸你的手,它们便得饱食。
104:29 你若隐藏你的面容,它们便要恐惧,你若停止它们呼吸,它们就要死去,就再回到它们所由出的灰土里去。
104:30 你一嘘气,万物创成,你使地面,更新复兴。
104:31 愿上主的光荣永世无穷,愿上主喜乐自己的化工!
104:32 他一垂视大地,大地抖颤,他一触摸群山,群山冒烟。
104:33 只要我活着,我要歌颂上主,只要我存在 我要咏赞上主。
104:34 愿我的颂词使他乐意,我要常在上主内欢喜。
104:35 愿罪人由地上灭迹,恶人不再存留人世!我的灵魂,颂赞上主!阿肋路亚。

 

 

一零五:[主向先民显的奇迹](45)
105:1 请众感谢上主,呼号他的圣名,请众在万民中,传扬他的功行。
105:2 请众歌颂他,咏赞他,传述他的奇工妙化。
105:3 请你们以他的圣名为光荣,愿寻求上主的人,乐满心中!
105:4 请众寻求上主和他的德能,要时常不断追求他的仪容。
105:5 请你们记念他所行的奇迹,他的异事和他口中的判词。
105:6 天主的仆人亚巴郎的后裔,上主拣选的雅各伯的儿子!
105:7 他是上主,是我们的天主,他的统治遍及普世各处。
105:8 他永远怀念着自己的盟约,直到万代不忘自己的许诺;
105:9 向亚巴郎所立的盟约,向依撒格所起的誓诺,
105:10 为雅各伯立为不移的规律,为以色列立为永远的盟约,
105:11 说:我必将客纳罕地赐给你,作为你们产业的一分子。
105:12 当他们在那地侨居时,人数稀少而寥寥无几。
105:13 从这一族系迁徙到另一族系,从这一国家飘流到另一地域。
105:14 他不但不让人把他们压迫,且为了他们还把众王责斥,
105:15 说:「你们决不可触犯我的受傅者,你们切不可把我的先知伤害!」
105:16 以后他使饥荒笼罩那地,断绝了食粮的任何供给。
105:17 在他们以前他已将一人遣去,就是那被出卖为奴隶的若瑟。
105:18 人以铐镣紧扣他的双脚,他的颈项也带上了铁锁,
105:19 直到他所讲的那预言实现,上主的话才在他身上应验。
105:20 君王遂派人释放了他,众民的首长解救了他。
105:21 君王立他为自家的宰相,掌管一切皇产的侯王,
105:22 让他随意指导通国的王侯,以其智谋教训通国的长老。
105:23 从此以色列进入了埃及,雅各伯也就在含邦作客。
105:24 上主使他的百姓昌旺,比他们的仇敌便强壮。
105:25 他转变他们的心,仇恨他的百姓,让他们阴险残酷对待他的仆人。
105:26 他打发他的仆人梅瑟和所拣选的亚郎,
105:27 叫二人对他们将奇迹和异事行于含邦。
105:28 上主命降黑暗,立时天昏地暗然而埃及人却反抗他的圣言。
105:29 他使他们的水都变成血,将他们的鱼类全部杀灭。
105:30 虾蟆在他们的土内蕃生,跳进了他们众王的内宫。
105:31 他一发令,苍蝇便成群飞来,蚊蚋也在他们的各地徘徊,
105:32 代替时雨,为他们降下冰雹,在他们全国各地雷电闪烁,
105:33 打坏了他们的葡萄和无花果树,又击倒了他们国内的一切树木。
105:34 他颁发命令,蝗虫飞遍,蚱蜢的数目,无法计算,
105:35 吃光他们地里所有的青草,吞尽他们田间所有的百果。
105:36 他打击境内所有的头胎,将强壮的长子全部杀害。
105:37 他领出满携金银的以色列,全支派中没有一个人残缺。
105:38 以色列出走,埃及人无不欢愉,因为那实在叫他们战兢恐惧。
105:39 他展布云彩,用以掩护遮阴,他竖立火柱,为在夜间照明。
105:40 他们一恳求,他就送来鹌鹑,用天降的食粮,饱饫了他们。
105:41 他辟开了岩石,使水涌出,在沙漠中好象江河流注。
105:42 因为他没有把他神圣的许诺遗忘,并且也常怀念着他的仆人亚巴郎。
105:43 他引百姓欢乐地离去,他率领选民欣然出走。
105:44 给划分了异民的领土,使他们占领了外人的财富,
105:45 为叫他们遵行他的诫命,恪守他的命令。阿肋路亚。

 

 

一零六:[以色列民的忏悔歌](48)
106:1 阿肋路亚。请你们向上主赞颂,因为他是美善宽仁,他的仁慈永远常存。
106:2 谁能说完上主的大能化工。谁能述尽上主的一切光荣?
106:3 遵守诫命的人真是有福!时时行义的人,真是有福!
106:4 上主,求你为了你对百姓的仁慈,记念我,又求你按照你施救的扶助,看顾我,
106:5 使我享见你选民的福乐,因你百姓的欢笑而欢笑;使我因你的产业而自豪。
106:6 我们和我们的祖先都犯过罪;都曾为非作歹而无恶不为;
106:7 我们祖先在埃及的时期,对你奇迹的意义曾不领会,也曾不怀念你众多的恩惠,且在红海畔将至高者违背。
106:8 但他为了自己的名,仍然救了他们。这是为了彰显他自己的神威大能。
106:9 他一呵斥红海,红海立即干涸,领他们走过海底,象走过沙漠。
106:10 救他们摆脱仇恨者的压迫,从敌人的手中将他们救回。
106:11 海水却淹没了他们的敌人,敌人连一个人也没有留存。
106:12 他们才相信了他的诺言,高声歌颂了对他的颂赞。
106:13 他们很快就忘了上主的作为,他们不再坚持顺从他的旨意,
106:14 遂在旷野中放纵贪欲,在荒芜之地试探天主。
106:15 上主虽满足了他们的贪求,却使他们的肚腹发生毒瘤。
106:16 他们在营中竟对梅瑟起了嫉妒,对天主的圣者亚郎也起了嫉妒。
106:17 地裂开口吞下了达堂,掩盖了阿彼兰的同党。
106:18 有烈火在他们集会中燃起,火焰就把切所有的恶徒焚毁。
106:19 他们在曷勒布制造了牛犊,竟崇拜了金铸的一个神偶;
106:20 将自己的光荣天主,变成了吃草的牛犊;
106:21 竟将拯救自己的天主忘记:他曾在埃及地显示了奇事,
106:22 他也曾在含邦施行过灵迹,他也曾在红海发显过奇异。
106:23 若非他拣选的梅瑟出场,站立在当地裂口的前方,挽回他存心灭绝的怒浪,他早下令全部将他们灭亡。
106:24 他们还轻视了福地乐土,对上主的诺言不肯信取;
106:25 在自己帐幕内抱怨怀恨,不愿意听从上主的声音。
106:26 上主于是向他们举手起誓,要在旷野使他们丧身倒毙,
106:27 要将他们的子孙分散异邦,要使他们在大地各处流亡。
106:28 此后他们归依巴耳培敖耳,还分食祭祀过死神的祭品。
106:29 又作恶犯罪触怒了上主,他忽降灾祸将他们惩处;
106:30 丕乃哈斯奋起调停,这灾祸才止息平定。
106:31 这确算是他的功勋,世世代代感念不尽。
106:32 此后,他们在默黎巴激怒上主,为了他们的原故,梅瑟也连累受苦;
106:33 因他们使他精神苦闷,他□舌说话未加谨慎。
106:34 上主命他们消灭异民,他们却没有听命履行,
106:35 反而同异民混杂来往,学会他们的不良习尚,
106:36 竟崇拜了他们的偶象,偶象成了他们的罗网。
106:37 他们竟杀了自己的儿女,把他们奉献给邪魔恶鬼,
106:38 倾流了无罪者的血,就是自己儿女的血奉献给客纳罕的木偶,那地就被流血所玷污。
106:39 他们因自己的作为,全无廉耻,他们因自己的恶行,行同娼妓。
106:40,为此,上主向百姓大发愤怒,面对自己的产业甚表厌恶,
106:41 遂把他们交在异民的手内,让恼恨他们的人来主宰,
106:42 为他们的仇人所虐待,在他们的手下受迫害。
106:43 上主曾多次拯救他们,但他们仍是抗不从命,陷于自己罪恶的深坑。
106:44 上主听到了他们的哀鸣,又垂顾了他们受的灾情,
106:45 忆起了他自己恩待他们的盟约,怜悯了他们,只因他的慈爱太多。
106:46 使他们在俘掳他们的人前,成为自己慈爱怜悯的因缘。
106:47 上主,我们的天主,求你拯救我们,由异民召回我们重逢,为赞美你的圣名,以赞美你当作光荣。
106:48 愿上主以色列的天主,从永远到永远受赞美!愿全体百姓齐声唱说:阿们,亚肋路亚。

 

 

Psalms Volumes 4 (Ps.90-106) ENDS. Seraphim, April 2009.

 

JB PSALMS Chapter 90

 

PSALM 90  (v89)

 

The human condition

 

Prayer

 

Of Moses, man of God

90:1 Lord, you have been our refuge age after age.

90:2 Before the mountains were born, before the earth or the world came to birth, you were God from all eternity and for ever.

90:3 You can turn man back into dust by saying, ‘Back to what you were, you sons of men!’

90:4 To you, a thousand years are a single day, a yesterday now over, an hour of the night.

90:5 You brush men away like waking dreams, they are like grass

90:6 sprouting and flowering in the morning, withered and dry before dusk.

90:7 We too are burnt up by your anger and terrified by your fury;

90:8 having summoned up our sins you inspect our secrets by your own light.

90:9 Our days dwindle under your wrath, our lives are over in a breath

90:10 our life lasts for seventy years, eighty with good health, but they all add up to anxiety and trouble-over in a trice, and then we are gone.

90:11 Who yet has felt the full force of your fury, or learnt to fear the violence of your rage?

90:12 Teach us to count how few days we have and so gain wisdom of heart.

90:13 Relent, Yahweh! How much longer do we have? Take pity on your servants!

90:14 Let us wake in the morning filled with your love and sing and be happy all our days;

90:15 make our future as happy as our past was sad, those years when you were punishing us.

90:16 Let your servants see what you can do for them, let their children see your glory.

90:17 May the sweetness of the Lord be on us! Make all we do succeed.

 

JB PSALMS Chapter 91

 

PSALM 91  (v90)

 

God’s protection

91:1 If you live in the shelter of Elyon[*a] and make your home in the shadow of Shaddai,

91:2 you can say to Yahweh, ‘My refuge, my fortress, my God to whom I trust!’

91:3 He rescues you from the snares of fowlers hoping to destroy you;

91:4a he covers you with his feathers,

91:4b and you find shelter underneath his wings.

91:5 You need not fear the terrors of night, the arrow that flies in the daytime,

91:6 the plague that stalks in the dark, the scourge that wreaks havoc in broad daylight.

91:7 Though a thousand fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, you yourself will remain unscathed,

91:4c with his faithfulness for shield and buckler.

91:8 You have only to look around see how the wicked are repaid,

91:9 you who can say, ‘Yahweh my refuge’, and make Elyon your fortress.

91:10 No disaster can overtake you, no plague come near your tent:

91:11 he will put you in his angels’ charge to guard you wherever you go.

91:12 They will support you on their hands in case you hurt your foot against a stone;

91:13 you will tread on lion and adder, trample on savage lions and dragons.

91:14 ‘I rescue all who cling to me, I protect whoever knows my name,

91:15 I answer everyone who invokes me, I am with them when they are in trouble; I bring them safety and honour.

91:16 I give them life, long and full, and show them how I can save.’

 

JB PSALMS Chapter 92

 

PSALM 92  (v91)

 

The virtuous man rejoices

 

Psalm

 

Song

 

For the sabbath

92:1 It is good to give thanks to Yahweh, to play in honour of your name, Most High,

92:2 to proclaim your love at daybreak and your faithfulness all through the night

92:3 to the music of the zither and lyre, to the rippling of the harp.

92:4 I am happy, Yahweh, at what you have done; at your achievements I joyfully exclaim,

92:5 ‘Great are your achievements, Yahweh, immensely deep your thoughts!’

92:6 Stupid men are not aware of this, fools can never appreciate it.

92:7 The wicked may sprout as thick as weeds and every evil-doer flourish, but only to be everlastingly destroyed,

92:8 whereas you are supreme for ever.

92:9 See how your enemies perish, how all evil men are routed.

92:10 You raise my horn as if I were a wild ox, you pour fresh oil on my head;

92:11 I was able to see those who were spying on me, to overhear what the wicked were whispering,

92:12 so the virtuous flourish like palm trees and grow as tall as the cedars of Lebanon.

92:13 Planted in the house of Yahweh, they will flourish in the courts of our God,

92:14 still bearing fruit in old age, still remaining fresh and green,

92:15 to proclaim that Yahweh is righteous, my rock in whom no fault is to be found!

 

JB PSALMS Chapter 93

 

PSALM 93  (v92)

 

The majesty of God

93:1 Yahweh is king, robed in majesty, Yahweh is robed in power, he wears it like a belt.

93:2 You have made the world firm, unshakeable; your throne has stood since then, you existed from the first, Yahweh.

93:3 Yahweh, the rivers raise, the rivers raise their voices, the rivers raise their thunders;

93:4 greater than the voice of ocean, transcending the waves of the sea, Yahweh reigns transcendent in the heights.

93:5 Your decrees will never alter; holiness will distinguish your house, Yahweh, for ever and ever.

 

JB PSALMS Chapter 94

 

PSALM 94  (v93)

94:1 The justice of God Yahweh, God of revenge, God of revenge, appear!

94:2 Rise, judge of the world, give the proud their deserts!

94:3 Yahweh, how much longer are the wicked, how much longer are the wicked to triumph?

94:4 Are these evil men to remain unsilenced, boasting and asserting themselves?

94:5 Yahweh, they crush your people, they oppress your hereditary people,

94:6 murdering and massacring widows, orphans and guests.

94:7 ‘Yahweh sees nothing,’ they say ‘the God of Jacob takes no notice.’

94:8 You most stupid of men, you fools, think this over and learn some sense.

94:9 Is the inventor of the ear unable to hear? The creator of the eye unable to see?

94:10 The punisher of the pagans unable to punish? Yahweh the teacher of mankind

94:11 knows exactly how men think, how their thoughts are a puff of wind.

94:12 Yahweh, happy the man whom you instruct, the man whom you teach through your law;

94:13 his mind is at peace though times are bad, while a pit is being dug for the wicked.

94:14 For Yahweh has not abandoned or deserted his hereditary people;

94:15 for verdict will return to righteousness again, and, in its wake, all upright hearts.

94:16 No one ever stood up for me against the wicked, not a soul took a stand to save me from evil men;

94:17 without Yahweh’s help, I should, long ago, have gone to the Home of Silence.

94:18 I need only say, ‘I am slipping’, and your love, Yahweh, immediately supports me;

94:19 and in the middle of all my troubles you console me and make me happy.

94:20 You never consent to that corrupt tribunal that imposes disorder as law,

94:21 that takes the life of the virtuous and condemns the innocent to death.

94:22 No! Yahweh is still my citadel, my God is a rock where I take shelter;

94:23 he will pay them back for all their sins, he will silence their wickedness, Yahweh our God will silence them.

 

JB PSALMS Chapter 95

 

PSALM 95  (v94)

 

Psalm for daily use

95:1 Come, let us praise Yahweh joyfully, acclaiming the Rock of our safety;

95:2 let us come into his presence with thanksgiving, acclaiming him with music.

95:3 For Yahweh is a great God, a greater King than all other gods;

95:4 from depths of earth to mountain top everything comes under his rule;

95:5 the sea belongs to him, he made it, so does the land, he shaped this too.

95:6 Come in, let us bow, prostrate ourselves, and kneel in front of Yahweh our maker,

95:7 for this is our God, and we are the people he pastures, the flock that he guides. If only you would listen to him today,

95:8 ‘Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,[*a]

95:9 when your ancestors challenged me, tested me, although they had seen what I could do.

95:10 ‘For forty years that generation repelled me, until I said: How unreliable these people who refuse to grasp my ways!

95:11 And so, in anger, I swore that not one would reach the place of rest I had for them.’

 

JB PSALMS Chapter 96

 

PSALM 96  (v95)

 

Yahweh, king and judge

96:1 Sing Yahweh a new song! Sing to Yahweh, all the earth!

96:2 Sing to Yahweh, bless his name. Proclaim his salvation day after day,

96:3 tell of his glory among the nations, tell his marvels to every people.

96:4 Yahweh is great, loud must be his praise, he is to be feared beyond all gods.

96:5 Nothingness, all the gods of the nations. Yahweh himself made the heavens,

96:6 in his presence are splendour and majesty, in his sanctuary power and beauty.

96:7 Pay tribute to Yahweh, families of the peoples, tribute to Yahweh of glory and power,

96:8 tribute to Yahweh of his name’s due glory. Bring out the offering, bear it before him,

96:9 worship Yahweh in his sacred court, tremble before him, all the earth!

96:10 Say among the nations, ‘Yahweh is king!’ Firm has he made the world, and unshakeable; he will judge each nation with strict justice.

96:11 Let the heavens be glad, let earth rejoice, let the sea thunder and all that it holds,

96:12 let the fields exult and all that is in them, let all the woodland trees cry out for joy,

96:13 at the presence of Yahweh, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth, to judge the world with justice and the nations with his truth.

 

JB PSALMS Chapter 97

 

PSALM 97  (v96)

 

The triumph of Yahweh

97:1 Yahweh is king! Let earth rejoice, the many isles be glad!

97:2 Cloud and Darkness surround him, Righteousness and Justice support his throne.

97:3 A fire precedes him as he goes, devouring all enemies around him;

97:4 his lightning lights up the world, earth observes and quakes.

97:5 The mountains melt like wax at the coming of the Master of the world;

97:6 the heavens proclaim his righteousness, all nations see his glory.

97:7 Shame on those who worship images, who take pride in their idols: bow down as he passes, all you gods!

97:8 Zion hears and rejoices, the daughters of Judah exult at the rulings you utter, Yahweh.

97:9 For you are Yahweh Most High over the world, far transcending all other gods.

97:10 Yahweh loves those who repudiate evil, he guards the souls of the devout, rescuing them from the clutches of the wicked.

97:11 Light dawns for the virtuous, and joy, for upright hearts.

97:12 Rejoice in Yahweh, you virtuous, remember his holiness, and praise him!

 

JB PSALMS Chapter 98

 

PSALM 98  (v97)

 

The judge of the world[*a]

 

Psalm

98:1 Sing Yahweh a new song for he has performed marvels, his own right hand, his holy arm, gives him the power to save.

98:2 Yahweh has displayed his power; has revealed his righteousness to the nations,

98:3 mindful of his love and faithfulness to the House of Israel. The most distant parts of the earth have seen the saving power of our God.

98:4 Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth, burst into shouts of joy!

98:5 Sing to Yahweh, sing to the music of harps, and to the sound of many instruments;

98:6 to the sound of trumpet and horn acclaim Yahweh the King!

98:7 Let the sea thunder and all that it holds, and the world, with all who live in it;

98:8 let all the rivers clap their hands and the mountains shout for joy,

98:9 at the presence of Yahweh, for he comes to judge the earth, to judge the world with righteousness and the nations with strict justice.

 

JB PSALMS Chapter 99

 

PSALM 99  (v98)

 

God, righteous and holy king

99:1 Yahweh is king, the nations tremble; he is enthroned on the cherubs, earth quakes;

99:2 Yahweh is great in Zion. He is high over all nations;

99:3 may they praise your great and terrible name, ‘Holy is he,

99:4 and mighty!’ You are a king who loves justice, insisting on honesty, justice, virtue, as you have done for Jacob.

99:5 Let us extol Yahweh our God, and worship at his footstool, ‘Holy is he!’

99:6 Moses, Aaron one of his priests, and Samuel his votary, all invoked Yahweh: and he answered them.

99:7 He talked with them in the pillar of cloud; they obeyed his decrees, the Law he gave them.

99:8 Yahweh our God, you responded to them, a God of forgiveness for them, in spite of punishing their sins.

99:9 Extol Yahweh our God, worship at his holy mountain, ‘Holy is Yahweh our God!’

 

JB PSALMS Chapter 100

 

PSALM 100  (v99)

 

Invitation to praise God

 

Psalm

 

For thanksgiving

100:1 Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth,

100:2 serve Yahweh gladly, come into his presence with songs of joy!

100:3 Know that he, Yahweh, is God, he made us and we belong to him, we are his people, the flock that he pastures.

100:4 Walk through his porticos giving thanks, enter his courts praising him, give thanks to him, bless his name!

100:5 Yes, Yahweh is good, his love is everlasting, his faithfulness endures from age to age.

 

JB PSALMS Chapter 101

 

PSALM 101  (v100)

 

The ideal ruler

 

Of David

 

Psalm

101:1 My song is about kindness and justice; Yahweh, I sing it to you.

101:2 I mean to make good progress, as the blameless do: when will you come to me? In my household, I will advance in purity of heart;

101:3 I will not let my eyes rest on any misconduct. I hate the practices of the apostate, they have no appeal for me;

101:4 perverted hearts must keep their distance, the wicked I disregard.

101:5 The man who secretly slanders his neighbour I reduce to silence; haughty looks, proud heart, I cannot tolerate these.

101:6 I look to my religious countrymen to compose my household; only the man who makes progress, as the blameless do, can be my servant.

101:7 There is no room in my house for any hypocrite; no liar keeps his post where I can see him.

101:8 Morning after morning[*a] I reduce to silence all who are wicked in this country, banishing from the city of Yahweh all evil men.

 

JB PSALMS Chapter 102

 

PSALM 102  (v101)

 

Prayer in misfortune

 

Prayer of the downtrodden telling Yahweh their troubles at a moment of distress

102:1 Yahweh, hear my prayer, let my cry for help reach you;

102:2 do not hide your face from me when I am in trouble; bend down to listen to me, when I call, be quick to answer me!

102:3 For my days are vanishing like smoke, my bones smouldering like logs,

102:4 my heart shrivelling like scorched grass and my appetite has gone;

102:5 whenever I heave a sigh, my bones stick through my skin.

102:6 I live in a desert like the pelican, in a ruin like the screech owl,

102:7 I stay awake, lamenting like a lone bird on the roof;

102:8 my enemies insult me all day long, those who used to praise me now use me as a curse.

102:9 Ashes are the bread I eat, what I drink I lace with tears,

102:10 under your furious anger, since you only picked me up to throw me down;

102:11 my days dwindle away like a shadow, I am as dry as hay.

102:12 Whereas, Yahweh, you remain for ever; each generation in turn remembers you!

102:13 Rise, take pity on Zion! – the time has come to have mercy on her, the hour has come;

102:14 for your servants prize her stones and are moved to pity by her dust.

102:15 Then will the nations fear the name of Yahweh and all kings on earth respect your glory;

102:16 when Yahweh builds Zion anew, he will be seen in his glory;

102:17 he will answer the prayer of the abandoned, he will not scorn their petitions.

102:18 Put this on record for the next generation, so that a race still to be born can praise God:

102:19 Yahweh has leaned down from the heights of his sanctuary, has looked down at earth from heaven,

102:20 to hear the sighing of the captive, and to set free those doomed to die.

102:28 Your servants’ sons will have a permanent home, and their descendants be in your presence always,

102:21 to proclaim the name of Yahweh in Zion, his praise in Jerusalem;

102:22 nations and kingdoms will be united and offer worship to Yahweh together.

102:23a My strength has already run out;

102:24a tell me

102:23b how much longer I have left.

102:24b Do not take me prematurely, when your own life lasts for ever.

102:25 Aeons ago, you laid earth’s foundations, the heavens are the work of your hands;

102:26 all will vanish, though you remain, all wear out like a garment, like clothes that need changing you will change them;

102:27 but yourself, you never change, and your years are unending.

 

JB PSALMS Chapter 103

 

PSALM 103  (v102)

 

God is love

 

Of David

103:1 Bless Yahweh, my soul, bless his holy name, all that is in me!

103:2 Bless Yahweh, my soul, and remember all his kindnesses:

103:3 in forgiving all your offences, in curing all your diseases,

103:4 in redeeming your life from the Pit, in crowning you with love and tenderness,

103:5 in filling your years with prosperity, in renewing your youth like an eagle’s[*a]

103:6 Yahweh, who does what is right, is always on the side of the oppressed;

103:7 he revealed his intentions to Moses, his prowess to the sons of Israel.

103:8 Yahweh is tender and compassionate, slow to anger, most loving;

103:9 his indignation does not last for ever, his resentment exists a short time only;

103:10 he never treats us, never punishes us, as our guilt and our sins deserve.

103:11 No less than the height of heaven over earth is the greatness of his love for those who fear him;

103:12 he takes our sins farther away than the east is from the west.

103:13 As tenderly as a father treats his children, so Yahweh treats those who fear him;

103:14 he knows what we are made of, he remembers we are dust.

103:15 Man lasts no longer than grass, no longer than a wild flower he lives,

103:16 one gust of wind, and he is gone, never to be seen there again;

103:17 yet Yahweh’s love for those who fear him lasts from all eternity and for ever, like his goodness to their children’s children,

103:18 as long as they keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

103:19 Yahweh has fixed his throne in the heavens, his empire is over all.

103:20 Bless Yahweh, all his angels, heroes mighty to enforce his word, attentive to his word of command.

103:21 Bless Yahweh, all his armies, servants to enforce his will.

103:22 Bless Yahweh, all his creatures in every part of his empire! Bless Yahweh, my soul.

 

JB PSALMS Chapter 104

 

PSALM 104  (v103)

 

The glories of creation

104:1 Bless Yahweh, my soul. Yahweh my God, how great you are! Clothed in majesty and glory,

104:2 wrapped in a robe of light! You stretch the heavens out like a tent,

104:3 you build your palace on the waters above; using the clouds as your chariot, you advance on the wings of the wind;

104:4 you use the winds as messengers and fiery flames as servants.

104:5 You fixed the earth on its foundations, unshakeable for ever and ever;

104:6 you wrapped it with the deep as with a robe, the waters overtopping the mountains.

104:7 At your reproof the waters took to flight, they fled at the sound of your thunder,

104:8 cascading over the mountains, into the valleys, down to the reservoir you made for them;

104:9 you imposed the limits they must never cross again, or they would once more flood the land.

104:10 You set springs gushing in ravines, running down between the mountains,

104:11 supplying water for wild animals, attracting the thirsty wild donkeys;

104:12 near there the birds of the air make their nests and sing among the branches.

104:13 From your palace you water the uplands until the ground has had all that your heavens have to offer;

104:14 you make fresh grass grow for cattle and those plants made use of by man, for them to get food from the soil:

104:15 wine to make them cheerful, oil to make them happy and bread to make them strong.

104:16 The trees of Yahweh get rain enough, those cedars of Lebanon he planted;

104:17 here the little birds build their nest and, on the highest branches, the stork has its home.

104:18 For the wild goats there are the mountains, in the crags rock-badgers hide.

104:19 You made the moon to tell the seasons, the sun knows when to set:

104:20 you bring darkness on, night falls, all the forest animals come out:

104:21 savage lions roaring for their prey, claiming their food from God.

104:22 The sun rises, they retire, going back to lie down in their lairs,

104:23 and man goes out to work, and to labour until dusk.

104:24 Yahweh, what variety you have created, arranging everything so wisely! Earth is completely full of things you have made:

104:25 among them vast expanse of ocean, teeming with countless creatures, creatures large and small,

104:26 with the ships going to and fro and Leviathan whom you made to amuse you.

104:27 All creatures depend on you to feed them throughout the year;

104:28 you provide the food they eat, with generous hand you satisfy their hunger.

104:29 You turn your face away, they suffer, you stop their breath, they die and revert to dust.

104:30 You give breath, fresh life begins, you keep renewing the world.

104:31 Glory for ever to Yahweh! May Yahweh find joy in what he creates,

104:32 at whose glance the earth trembles, at whose touch the mountains smoke!

104:33 I mean to sing to Yahweh all my life, I mean to play for my God as long as I live.

104:34 May these reflections of mine give him pleasure, as much as Yahweh gives me!

104:35 May sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked exist no more! Bless Yahweh, my soul.

 

JB PSALMS Chapter 105

 

PSALM 105  (v104)

 

The wonderful history of Israel

105:1 Alleluia! Give thanks to Yahweh, call his name aloud, proclaim his deeds to the peoples!

105:2 Sing to him, play to him, tell over all his marvels!

105:3 Glory in his holy name, let the hearts that seek Yahweh rejoice!

105:4 Seek Yahweh and his strength, seek his face untiringly;

105:5 remember the marvels he has done, his wonders, the judgements from his mouth.

105:6 Stock of Abraham his servant, sons of Jacob his chosen one!

105:7 He is Yahweh our God, his authority is over all the earth.

105:8 Remember his covenant for ever, his word of command for a thousand generations,

105:9 the pact he made with Abraham, his oath to Isaac.

105:10 He established it as a statute for Jacob, an everlasting covenant for Israel.

105:11 ‘I give you a land,’ he said ‘Canaan, your allotted heritage.

105:12 There where you were easily counted, few in number, strangers to the country.’

105:13 They went from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people;

105:14 he let no man oppress them, he punished kings on their behalf.

105:15 ‘Do not touch my anointed ones,’ he said ‘do not harm my prophets!’

105:16 Next, he called down famine on the country, he broke their staff, that is, their bread;

105:17 he sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, sold as a slave.

105:18 They tortured his feet with fetters, they put his neck in irons;

105:19 time passed, Joseph’s oracle came true, Yahweh’s word proved him right.

105:20 The king gave orders to release him, that master of nations set him free,

105:21 putting him in charge of his household, in control of all he possessed,

105:22 to train his officials as he thought fit and convert his elders into sages.

105:23 Israel then migrated to Egypt, Jacob settled in the land of Ham.

105:24 He made his people fertile and more vigorous than their oppressors,

105:25 whose hearts he then disposed to hatred of his people and double-dealing with his servants.

105:26 He sent his servant Moses, and Aaron, the man of his choice;

105:27 there they displayed his signs, his wonders in the land of Ham.

105:28 He sent darkness, darkness fell, but still they defied his word.

105:29 He turned their rivers into blood, thus killing all their fish.

105:30 Their country was overrun with frogs even in the royal apartments;

105:31 he spoke: flies and mosquitoes swarmed throughout the country.

105:32 He sent them hail instead of rain, fire swept across their land;

105:33 he blasted their vines and fig trees, he shattered the trees throughout the country.

105:34 He spoke: there came locusts, grasshoppers, more than you could count,

105:35 eating every scrap of greenstuff, every blade their soil produced.

105:36 Next, he struck down all the first-born in their land, the entire first-fruits of their fertility;

105:37 then he led Israel out with gold and silver, and not one man of their tribes was left behind.

105:38 Egypt was glad to see them go, they had filled her with alarm;

105:39 he spread a cloud to cover them, and a fire to glow at night.

105:40 They demanded food, he sent them quails, he satisfied them with the bread of heaven;

105:41 he opened the rock, the waters gushed to flow through the desert like a river.

105:42 Yes, faithful to the sacred promise given to his servant Abraham,

105:43 he led his happy people forward, to joyful shouts from his chosen,

105:44 and gave them the pagans’ territories. Where others had toiled, they took possession,

105:45 on condition that they kept his statutes and remained obedient to his laws.

 

JB PSALMS Chapter 106

 

PSALM 106  (v105)

 

National confession

106:1 Alleluia! Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, his love is everlasting!

106:2 Who can count all Yahweh’s triumphs? Who can praise him enough?

106:3 Happy are we if we exercise justice and constantly practise virtue!

106:4 Yahweh, remember me, for the love you bear your people, come to me as a saviour,

106:5 let me share the happiness of your chosen, the joys of your nation and take pride in being one of your heirs.

106:6 We have sinned quite as much as our fathers, we have been wicked, we are guilty;

106:7 our ancestors in Egypt never grasped the meaning of your marvels. They failed to appreciate your great love, they defied the Most High at the Sea of Reeds.

106:8 For the sake of his name, he saved them to demonstrate his power.

106:9 One word from him dried up the Sea of Reeds, he led them across the sea bed like dry land,

106:10 he saved them from the grasp of those who hated them and rescued them from the clutches of the enemy.

106:11 And the waters swallowed their oppressors, not one of them was left.

106:12 Then, having faith in his promises, they immediately sang his praises.

106:13 They forgot his achievements as quickly, going on before asking his advice;

106:14 their desires overcame them in the desert, they challenged god in the wilds

106:15 He granted them what they asked for, then struck them with a wasting fever;

106:16 in camp, they grew jealous of Moses and Aaron, Yahweh’s holy one.

106:17 The earth opened, swallowing Dathan, closing on Abiram’s faction,

106:18 fire flamed out against their faction, the renegades went up in flames.

106:19 They made a calf at Horeb, performed prostrations to a smelted thing,

106:20 exchanging the one who was their glory for the image of a grass-eating ox.

106:21 They forgot the God who had saved them by performing such feats in Egypt,

106:22 such wonders in the land of Ham, such fearful things at the Sea of Reeds.

106:23 He talked of putting an end to them and would have done, if Moses his chosen had not stood in the breach, confronting him, and deflecting his destructive anger.

106:24 They refused a land of delight, having no faith in his promise;

106:25 they stayed in their camp and grumbled, they would not listen to Yahweh’s voice.

106:26 So, raising his hand, he swore to make them fall dead in the desert

106:27 and their descendants to fall to the heathen, and to disperse them throughout those countries.

106:28 They accepted the yoke of Baal-peor and ate sacrifices to the dead.

106:29 They provoked him by their behaviour; plague broke out among them.

106:30 Then up stood Phinehas to intervene, and the plague was checked;

106:31 hence his reputation for virtue through successive generations for ever.

106:32 They enraged him at the waters of Meribah; as a result, things went wrong for Moses,

106:33 since they had embittered his spirit and he spoke without stopping to think.

106:34 They did not destroy the pagans as Yahweh had told them to do,

106:35 but, intermarrying with them, adopted their practices instead.

106:36 Serving the pagans’ idols, they found themselves trapped

106:37 into sacrificing their own sons and daughters to demons.

106:38 They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, offering them to the idols of Canaan, they polluted the country with blood.

106:39 They defiled themselves by such actions, their behaviour was that of a whore.

106:40 Yahweh’s anger blazed out at his people, he came to loathe his heirs.

106:41 He handed them over to the pagans, those who hated them became their masters;

106:42 their enemies tyrannised over them, crushing them under their rule.

106:43 Time and again he rescued them, but they went on defying him deliberately and plunging deeper into wickedness;

106:44 even so, he took pity on their distress each time he heard them calling.

106:45 For their sake, he remembered his covenant, he relented in his great love,

106:46 making their captors mitigate the harshness of their treatment.

106:47 Yahweh our God and saviour, gather us from among the pagans, to give thanks to your holy name and to find our happiness in praising you.

106:48 Blessed be Yahweh the God of Israel, from all eternity and for ever! Here, all the people are to say, ‘Amen'[*a]

 

JB PSALMS Chapter 107

 

PSALM 107  (v106)

 

God, a refuge in all dangers

107:1 Alleluia! Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, his love is everlasting:

107:2 let these be the words of Yahweh’s redeemed, those he has redeemed from the oppressor’s clutches,

107:3 by bringing them home from foreign countries, from east and west, from north and south.

107:4 Some had lost their way in the wilds and the desert, not knowing how to reach an inhabited town;

107:5 they were hungry and desperately thirsty, their courage was running low.

107:6 Then they called to Yahweh in their trouble and he rescued them from their sufferings,

107:7 guiding them by a route leading direct to an inhabited town.

107:8 Let these thank Yahweh for his love, for his marvels on behalf of men;

107:9 satisfying the hungry, he fills the starving with good things.

107:10 Some were living in gloom and darkness, fettered in misery and irons

107:11 for defying the orders of God, for scorning the advice of the Most High;

107:12 who bent them double with hardship, to breaking point, with no one to help them.

107:13 Then they called to Yahweh in their trouble

107:14 releasing them from gloom and darkness, shattering their chains.

107:15 Let these thank Yahweh for his love, for his marvels on behalf of men;

107:16 breaking bronze gates open, he smashes iron bars.

107:17 Some, driven frantic by their sins, made miserable by their own guilt

107:18 and finding all food repugnant, were nearly at death’s door.

107:19 Then they called to Yahweh in their trouble and he rescued them from their sufferings;

107:20 sending his word and curing them, he snatched them from the Pit.

107:21 Let these thank Yahweh for his love, for his marvels on behalf of men.

107:22 Let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices and proclaim with shouts of joy what he has done.

107:23 Others, taking ship and going to sea, were plying their business across the ocean;

107:24 they too saw what Yahweh could do, what marvels on the deep!

107:25 He spoke and raised a gale, lashing up towering waves.

107:26 Flung to the sky, then plunged to the depths, they lost their nerve in the ordeal,

107:27 staggering and reeling like drunkards with all their seamanship adrift.

107:28 Then they called to Yahweh in their trouble and he rescued them from their sufferings,

107:29 reducing the storm to a whisper until the waves grew quiet,

107:30 bringing them, glad at the calm, safe to the port they were bound for.

107:31 Let these thank Yahweh for his love, for his marvels on behalf of men.

107:32 Let them extol him at the Great Assembly and praise him in the Council of Elders.

107:33 Sometimes he turned rivers into desert, springs of water into arid ground,

107:34 or a fertile country into salt-flats, because the people living there were wicked.

107:35 Or again, he turned a desert into sheets of water, and an arid country into flowing springs,

107:36 where he gave the hungry a home in which to found a habitable town.

107:37 There, they sow the fields and plant their vines, there, they show a profitable harvest.

107:38 He blesses them, they grow in number, he sees that their livestock does not decrease.

107:39 Their numbers had fallen, they had grown weak under pressure of disaster and hardship.

107:40 Pouring his contempt upon the nobly born, he left them to wander in a trackless waste.

107:41 But now, he lifts the needy out of their misery, and gives them a flock of new families;

107:42 at the sight of which, upright hearts rejoice and wickedness must hold its tongue.

107:43 If you are wise, study these things and realise how Yahweh shows his love.

 

 

 

END OF JB PSALMS Volumes 4, 5 (90-150) [Total 150 Chapters].