BOOK V
The Lord Is Good to His People
1 Shout praises to the Lord!
He is good to us,
and his love never fails.
2 Everyone the Lord has rescued
from trouble
should praise him,
3 everyone he has brought
from the east and the west,
the north and the south.
4 Some of you were lost
in the scorching desert,
far from a town.
5 You were hungry and thirsty
and about to give up.
6 You were in serious trouble,
but you prayed to the Lord,
and he rescued you.
7 At once he brought you
to a town.
8 You should praise the Lord
for his love
and for the wonderful things
he does for all of us.
9 To everyone who is thirsty,
he gives something to drink;
to everyone who is hungry,
he gives good things to eat.
10 Some of you were prisoners
suffering in deepest darkness
and bound by chains,
11 because you had rebelled
against God Most High
and refused his advice.
12 You were worn out
from working like slaves,
and no one came to help.
13 You were in serious trouble,
but you prayed to the Lord,
and he rescued you.
14 He brought you out
of the deepest darkness
and broke your chains.
15 You should praise the Lord
for his love
and for the wonderful things
he does for all of us.
16 He breaks down bronze gates
and shatters iron locks.
17 Some of you had foolishly
committed a lot of sins
and were in terrible pain.
18 The very thought of food
was disgusting to you,
and you were almost dead.
19 You were in serious trouble,
but you prayed to the Lord,
and he rescued you.
20 By the power of his own word,
he healed you and saved you
from destruction.
21 You should praise the Lord
for his love
and for the wonderful things
he does for all of us.
22 You should celebrate
by offering sacrifices
and singing joyful songs
to tell what he has done.
23 Some of you made a living
by sailing the mighty sea,
24 and you saw the miracles
the Lord performed there.
25 At his command a storm arose,
and waves covered the sea.
26 You were tossed to the sky
and to the ocean depths,
until things looked so bad
that you lost your courage.
27 You staggered like drunkards
and gave up all hope.
28 You were in serious trouble,
but you prayed to the Lord,
and he rescued you.
29 He made the storm stop
and the sea be quiet.
30 You were happy because of this,
and he brought you to the port
where you wanted to go.
31 You should praise the Lord
for his love
and for the wonderful things
he does for all of us.
32 Honor the Lord
when you and your leaders
meet to worship.
33 If you start doing wrong,
the Lord will turn rivers
into deserts,
34 flowing streams
into scorched land,
and fruitful fields
into beds of salt.
35 But the Lord can also turn
deserts into lakes
and scorched land
into flowing streams.
36 If you are hungry,
you can settle there
and build a town.
37 You can plant fields
and vineyards that produce
a good harvest.
38 The Lord will bless you
with many children
and with herds of cattle.
39 Sometimes you may be crushed
by troubles and sorrows,
until only a few of you
are left to survive.
40 But the Lord will take revenge
on those who conquer you,
and he will make them wander
across desert sands.
41 When you are suffering
and in need,
he will come to your rescue,
and your families will grow
as fast as a herd of sheep.
42 You will see this because
you obey the Lord,
but everyone who is wicked
will be silenced.
43 Be wise! Remember this
and think about the kindness
of the Lord.
الكتاب الخامس (107—150)
الرب يخلّصنا من الضيق
1 إحمدوا الرّبَّ لأنَّهُ صالحٌ،
لأِنَّ إلى الأبدِ رحمتَهُ.
2 لِـيقُلْ ذلِكَ الّذينَ افْتَداهُم،
افْتَداهُمُ الرّبُّ مِنْ يَدِ الضِّيقِ
3 وجَمَعَهُم مِنْ كلِّ البُلدانِ،
مِنَ المشرِقِ والمغرِبِ، والشِّمالِ والجَنوبِ.
4 بعضُهُم تاهَ في برِّيَّةٍ مُقفِرَةٍ
ولم يجدوا طريقا لهُم
إلى مدينةٍ يُقيمونَ بها.
5 كانوا جياعا عِطاشا
تخورُ نُفوسُهُم فيهِم،
6 فصرَخوا إلى الرّبِّ في ضيقِهِم،
فأنقَذَهُم مِنْ سُوءِ حالِهِم
7 وهَداهُم طريقا مُستقيما
توصِلُهم إلى مدينةٍ لِلإقامةِ.
8 فَليَحمَدوا الرّبَّ على رَحمتِهِ
وعلى عَجائِبِه لِبَني البشَرِ،
9 لأنَّه أشبَعَ النَّفْسَ المُشتَهيةَ
وملأَ النَّفْسَ الرَّاغِبةَ خَيرا.
10 بعضُهُم في الظَّلامِ وظِلِّ الموتِ
جلَسوا أسرى يُعانونَ القُيودَ،
11 لأنَّهُم عَصَوا كلامَ اللهِ
واسْتَهانُوا بِمَشورَةِ العليِّ.
12 أذَلَّ قُلوبَهُم بالتَّعَبِ،
وتساقَطوا ولا نصيرَ لهُم.
13 صرَخوا إلى الرّبِّ في ضيقِهِم،
فخَلَّصَهُم مِنْ سُوءِ حالِهِم.
14 أخرَجَهُم مِنَ الظَّلامِ وظِلِّ الموتِ
وقَطَعَ لهُم قُيودَهُم.
15 فلْيَحمَدوا الرّبَّ على رَحمتِهِ
وعلى عَجائِبِهِ لِبَني البشَرِ،
16 لأنَّهُ حطَّمَ أبوابَ النُّحاسِ
وكسَرَ مَغاليقَ الحديدِ.
17 وبعضُهُم حَمْقى لِسُلوكِ المَعاصي،
ومِنْ آثامِهِم كانوا يُعانونَ.
18 عافَت نُفوسُهُم كُلَّ طعَامٍ
وبَلَغوا إلى أبوابِ الموتِ.
19 صرَخوا إلى الرّبِّ في ضيقِهِم،
فخَلَّصَهُم مِنْ سُوءِ حالِهِم.
20 أرسلَ كلِمَتهُ فشَفاهُم
ونَجَّاهُم مِنْ مَهالِكِهم.
21 فَليَحمَدوا الرّبَّ على رَحمتِهِ
وعلى عَجائِبِه لِبَني البشَرِ.
22 وليَذبَحوا ذَبائِـحَ الحَمدِ،
وليُخْبِروا عَنْ أعمالِهِ بالتَّرنيمِ.
23 وآخرونَ أبحروا في السُّفُنِ.
ليُتاجروا في المياهِ الغزيرةِ،
24 فرأوا أعمالَ الرّبِّ
وعَجائِبَهُ في اللُّجَجِ.
25 أمرَ فثارَت ريحٌ عاصِفةٌ
وهَيَّجَت أمواجَ البحرِ،
26 فكانت تعلو إلى السَّماءِ
وتهبُطُ بِهِم إلى الأعماقِ،
فَتَرَجَّحَت حياتُهُم في الخَطَرِ.
27 تَرَنَّحوا ومالوا كالسُّكارى،
وكُلُّ حِكمَتِهِم ذهَبَت عَبَثا.
28 فصرَخوا إلى الرّبِّ في ضيقِهِم،
فأنقَذَهُم مِنْ سُوءِ حالِهم.
29 هدَّأَ الزَّوبعَةَ فَسكَنَت
وسكَتَت أمواجُ البحرِ.
30 ففَرِحوا حينَ سكَنَت
وهداهُم إلى ميناءٍ أرادوها.
31 فَليَحمَدوا الرّبَّ على رَحمتِهِ
وعلى عَجائبه لِبَني البشَرِ،
32 وليَرفَعوهُ في جماعةِ الشَّعبِ،
وليُهَلِّلوا لَه في مَجلِسِ شيوخِهِم.
33 يجعَلُ الأنهارَ قَفرا
ومجاريَ المياهِ جَفافا.
34 والتُّربَةَ المُخصِبةَ مِلْحا
لِشَرِّ المُقيمينَ بها.
35 يجعَلُ القَفْرَ مَرْجا
والأرضَ القاحلةَ مجاريَ مياهٍ،
36 فيسكُنُ هُناكَ الجياعُ
ويُقيمونَ لهُم مدينةَ سُكْنى.
37 يزرَعونَ حُقولا ويغرِسون كُروما
فتـثمِرُ لهُم غِلالا.
38 يُبارِكُهُم فَيكثُرونَ جِدًّا
ولا يُقلِّلُ بَهائِمَهُم.
39 حينَ يَقِلُّونَ ويَنحَنُون ذُلا
تحت ثِقْلِ الأذى والحَسْرَةِ.
40 يصُبُّ الذُّلَّ على أسيادِهِم
ويقودُهم في تيهٍ بِلا طريقٍ.
41 يرفعُ البؤساءَ مِنْ عَنائِهِم،
ويُكثِرُ عَشائِرَهُم كقُطْعانِ الغنَمِ.
42 فيَنظُرُ المُستَقِـيمونَ ويفرَحونَ،
ويَسُدُّ كُلُّ جائرٍ فَمَهُ.
43 مَنْ كانَ حكيما يُراعي هذا،
ويَتَبَيَّنُ مَراحمَ الرّبِّ.
