Psalms 106

1Praise the LORD! Give thanks to the LORD — because the LORD is good! The LORD's faithful loyal love lasts forever!

2Who is able to put into words all the powerful acts of the LORD? Who can fully show all that the LORD deserves to be praised for?

3Oh how happy and honored are the people who hold on to what is right and fair — who keep doing what is right every single day — all the time.

4LORD — remember me! Show me the same kindness that you show to your people. Come to me, LORD — bring me your salvation!

5Let me see the goodness and blessing of the people God has chosen. Let me share in the joy of God's nation. Let me celebrate and boast with pride — together with God's own people.

6We — Israel — confess: We have sinned. Just like our ancestors sinned before us — we have done wrong. We have twisted what is right. We have acted wickedly.

7Israel's ancestors did not truly understand God's miracles in Egypt. They did not remember how many times God showed faithful loyal love to them. Instead they stubbornly rebelled against God — right at the Red Sea — even after all God had done for them!

8But even so — God saved Israel anyway — not because Israel deserved it — but for God's own name's sake — so that God's mighty power would be known and shown to everyone.

9God gave the Red Sea a direct command — and it dried up. God led Israel through the deep waters as if they were walking through a dry flat desert.

10God rescued Israel from the power of Egypt — those who hated Israel. God bought Israel's freedom from the grip of their enemy.

11The waters of the Red Sea completely covered Pharaoh's army. Not one Egyptian soldier survived. Every single one was gone.

12After seeing all that — then Israel finally believed God's words. And Israel sang God's praise.

13But Israel forgot fast. Israel did not wait for God's plan to unfold. Israel rushed ahead without God.

14Israel craved and craved in the wilderness — overwhelming, out-of-control craving. And Israel dared to challenge God in the desert — testing whether God could provide.

15God gave Israel exactly what Israel demanded. But at the same time God sent a wasting sickness into their inner being — their souls became dry, thin, and empty.

16Israel also burned with jealousy against Moses in the camp — and against Aaron — the one set apart as holy to the LORD.

17The ground opened up and swallowed Dathan alive. The earth closed over Abiram and his whole group — buried them alive.

18A fire broke out and burned through the rebel group. The flame destroyed the wicked people who had led the rebellion.

19While Moses was on the mountain at Horeb — Mount Sinai — Israel made a golden calf idol. They bowed down and worshipped a melted and poured metal statue.

20Israel traded away their most glorious thing — the living God — and replaced God with the image of a bull that eats grass. They gave up the greatest thing for the most worthless thing.

21Israel forgot the LORD God — their Rescuer — the one who had done great and mighty things in Egypt on Israel's behalf.

22God had done breathtaking miracles in the land of Ham — that is Egypt — and awe-striking, overwhelming acts at the Red Sea. And Israel forgot all of it.

23Because of this God said God would completely destroy Israel. But Moses — whom God had chosen — stepped in. Moses stood in the gap — like a soldier defending a broken-down wall — and turned God's burning anger away from destroying Israel.

24Then Israel looked down on and rejected the beautiful land God had promised them — the Promised Land. Israel refused to believe God's word.

25Instead of trusting God — Israel grumbled bitterly and secretly inside their tents. And Israel refused to listen to the voice of the LORD.

26Because of this — God raised God's hand and swore an oath against Israel — promising that Israel would fall and die in the wilderness.

27And God vowed to throw and scatter Israel's children — their future generations — among the nations of the world — spreading them far across every land.

28Israel locked themselves together with Baal-Peor — a pagan false god — yoked to it like an animal yoked at the neck. Israel ate food sacrificed to dead, lifeless idols.

29By doing these things Israel made God burn with anger. And a deadly plague burst out and spread through Israel's camp.

30Then Phinehas stepped forward and took action — he carried out justice in the camp. And the plague stopped.

31And God credited that act to Phinehas as righteousness — as right standing before God — and it was remembered that way for every generation after him — forever.

32Israel also made God angry at the waters of Meribah — and because of Israel's rebellion — things went badly for Moses. Moses suffered because of Israel's behavior.

33Because Israel crushed Moses' spirit and made him bitter inside — Moses lost control and said things with his lips that he should not have said. Israel's rebellion pushed Moses into sin.

34Israel did not wipe out the pagan nations living in Canaan — even though the LORD had commanded Israel to do exactly that.

35Instead Israel mixed themselves in with the pagan nations around them and started learning and copying the evil practices of those nations.

36Israel ended up serving and worshipping the idols of those nations. And those idols became a trap — catching Israel like an animal in a hidden net.

37Israel even sacrificed their own sons and daughters as offerings to demons — evil spirits behind the false gods.

38Israel poured out innocent blood — the blood of their own sons and daughters — sacrificing them to the idols of Canaan. And the land itself became deeply defiled and contaminated with that bloodshed.

39By doing all these things Israel made themselves filthy and defiled. Israel was spiritually unfaithful to God — like a wife who commits adultery — by following after their own man-made ideas and evil practices.

40Because of all this — the LORD's anger blazed up and burned against God's own people. God felt deep revulsion toward the very people God had claimed as God's own inheritance.

41God handed Israel over into the power and control of enemy nations. The nations that hated Israel took control and ruled over Israel.

42Israel's enemies pressed Israel down hard and crushed Israel. Israel was forced to submit — controlled under the enemies' power.

43Many times God rescued Israel. But Israel kept stubbornly following their own plans and refusing God's way. And because of Israel's twisted sinfulness — Israel came crashing down.

44But even after all of that — God looked carefully at Israel's pain and suffering. God listened when Israel cried out.

45God remembered the sacred covenant — the solemn vowed agreement God had made with Israel. And because of God's overwhelming faithful loyal love — God changed course and chose mercy instead of judgment.

46God also flipped the hearts of Israel's captors — the very people who had taken Israel as prisoners — and caused those enemies to feel compassion and pity toward Israel.

47Rescue Israel — LORD our God! Bring Israel back together — collect and gather Israel from all the nations where Israel has been scattered — so that Israel can give thanks to God's holy name and shout with joy in God's praise!

48Honored and praised be the LORD — the God of Israel — who has always existed and always will exist — from before the beginning to after the end — no start — no finish — forever! And let all the people together shout: AMEN! Praise the LORD! HALLELUJAH!