O Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good: for his steadfast love endures for ever.

"Give thanks to the L rd, for He is good; His lovingkindness endures forever."

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy;

[Thus] shall say the redeemed of the L rd, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the oppressor

and gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.

and whom He has gathered from east and west, from the north and from [the isles of] the sea.

They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way; they found no city to dwell in.

[(And thus shall say)] those who wandered in a desolate wilderness, not finding the way to a settled city,

Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.

Hungry and thirsty, their souls enwrapped in them.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble; he delivered them out of their distresses.

And they cried out to the L rd in their affliction; He rescued them from their toils.

And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.

And He led them in a straight path, going to a settled city.

Let them praise the Lord for his steadfast love, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

They shall thank the L rd for His lovingkindness and [relate] His wonders to the sons of men.

For he has satisfied the longing soul, and filled the hungry soul with goodness.

For He sated the lusting soul, and the famished soul He filled with good.

Such as sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, bound in affliction and iron;

[(And thus shall say upon release from imprisonment)] the dwellers in darkness and in the shadow of death, bound in fetters of affliction and in iron,

because they had rebelled against the words of God, and rejected the counsel of the most High:

for having flouted the words of the Almighty and spurned the counsel of the Most High [(afflictions coming upon one only for having sinned)],

so that he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.

So that He humbled their hearts in toil [until] they stumbled and were without help —

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

and they cried out to the L rd in their affliction, and He rescued them from their toils.

He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their bands asunder.

He releases them from darkness and the shadow of death, and He sunders their bonds.

Let them praise the Lord for his steadfast love, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

They shall thank the L rd for His lovingkindness and [relate] His wonders to the sons of men.

For he has broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron asunder.

For He has broken the doors of brass and cleft the bolts of iron.

The foolish were afflicted on account of their sinful way, and their iniquities.

[(And thus shall say)] wrongdoers, afflicted by their offenses and by their sins,

Their soul abhorred all manner of food; for they came near the gates of death.

whose souls [(in their sickness)] despised all food, who reached the gates of death —

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

And they cried out to the L rd in their affliction, and He rescued them from their toils.

He sends his word, and heals them, and delivers them from their destructions.

He sends His word and He heals them, and He rescues them from their abysses.

Let them praise the Lord for his steadfast love, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

They shall thank the L rd for His lovingkindness and [relate] His wonders to the sons of men.

And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

And they shall slaughter offerings of thanksgiving and tell of His deeds in song.

They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;

[(And thus shall say)] those who go down to the sea in ships, who do labor on many waters.

these saw the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.

They have seen the work of the L rd and His wonders in the deep.

For he commanded, and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves thereof.

He speaks and raises up a tempest, and it lifts its waves.

They mount up to the sky, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted away because of trouble.

They [the mariners] ascend to the skies; they descend to the depths. Their souls melt with ill.

They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.

They break and sway as a drunkard, all of their wisdom swallowed up.

Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distresses.

They cry out to the L rd in their affliction, and He rescues them from their toils.

He makes the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.

He sets back the tempest to silence, and their waves are stilled.

Then are they glad because they are quiet; and he brings them to their desired haven.

And they [the mariners] rejoice when they [the waves] are silenced, and He leads them to the bound of their desires.

Let them praise the Lord for his steadfast love, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

They shall thank the L rd for His lovingkindness and [relate] His wonders to the sons of men.

Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

And they shall exalt Him in a congregation of people [(a quorum of ten)] and praise Him in the seat of the elders [i.e., two of the ten must be Torah scholars.]

He turns rivers into a wilderness, and watersprings into dry ground;

He renders rivers [i.e., the settlements of the idolators] wasteland, and water sources, parchedness.

a fruitful land into barrenness, because of wickedness of those who dwell therein.

A fruitful land, salt-land — from the evil of the inhabitants therein.

He turned the wilderness into a pool of water, and dry ground into watersprings.

He renders the wasteland a pool of water [i.e., He restores it]; dry land, water sources.

And there he makes the hungry to dwell, and they establish a city for habitation;

And He settles famished ones there, and they establish [it as] a settled city.

and sow fields, and plant vineyards, which yield fruits of increase.

And they sow fields and they plant vineyards, and they [the vineyards and fields, respectively,] give forth fruit and produce.

He blesses them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and does not let their cattle decrease.

And He blesses them, and they multiply greatly, and their kine do not dwindle.

When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow:

(And they [in the beginning] were reduced and bowed down in the constriction of trouble and sorrow.)

he pours contempt upon nobles, and causes them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way:

He spills shame upon the stately and leads them in a void which is not a way.

yet he sets the poor on high from affliction, and makes his families like a flock.

And He lifts the pauper from poverty and he [the pauper] makes [his] families like flocks [in abundance].

The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.

The just will see [this] and rejoice, and all [men of] wrong will close their mouths.

Whoever is wise, let them consider these things, and let them observe the loving acts of the Lord.

To him who is wise and takes heed of this, the lovingkindnesses of the L rd will be manifest [(to their understanding)].