1  ^gOh give thanks to the Lord, ^hfor he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever!

2  Let ⁱthe redeemed of the Lord say so,

whom he has ^jredeemed from trouble¹

3  and ^kgathered in from the lands,

from the east and from the west,

from the north and from the south.

4  Some ^lwandered in desert wastes,

finding no way ^mto a city to dwell in;

5  hungry and thirsty,

their soul ⁿfainted within them.

6  Then they ^ocried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

7  He led them by ^pa straight way

till they reached ^ma city to dwell in.

8  ^qLet them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of man!

9  For he ^rsatisfies the longing soul,

^sand the hungry soul he fills with good things.

10  ^tSome sat in darkness and in ^uthe shadow of death,

prisoners in ^vaffliction and in irons,

11  for they ^whad rebelled against the words of God,

and ^xspurned the counsel of the Most High.

12  So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;

they fell down, ^ywith none to help.

13  ^zThen they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

14  He brought them out of ^adarkness and the shadow of death,

and ^bburst their bonds apart.

15  ^cLet them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of man!

16  For he ^dshatters the doors of bronze

and cuts in two the bars of iron.

17  Some were ^efools through their sinful ways,

and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;

18  ^fthey loathed any kind of food,

and they ^gdrew near to ^hthe gates of death.

19  ⁱThen they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

20  He ^jsent out his word and ^khealed them,

and ^ldelivered them from their destruction.

21  ^mLet them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of man!

22  And let them ⁿoffer sacrifices of thanksgiving,

and ^otell of his deeds in ^psongs of joy!

23  Some ^qwent down to the sea in ships,

doing business on the great waters;

24  they saw the deeds of the Lord,

his wondrous works in the deep.

25  For he ^rcommanded and ^sraised the stormy wind,

which lifted up the waves of the sea.

26  They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;

their courage ^tmelted away in their evil plight;

27  they reeled and ^ustaggered like drunken men

and ^vwere at their wits’ end.²

28  ^wThen they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

29  He ^xmade the storm be still,

and the waves of the sea were hushed.

30  Then they were glad that the waters³ were quiet,

and he brought them to their desired haven.

31  ^yLet them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of man!

32  Let them ^zextol him in ^athe congregation of the people,

and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

2  “Who is this that ^rdarkens counsel by words ^swithout knowledge?

3  ^tDress for action¹ like a man;

I will question you, and you make it known to me.

4  “Where were you when I ^ulaid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me, if you have understanding.

5  Who determined its measurements—surely you know!

Or who stretched the line upon it?

6  On what were its bases sunk,

or who laid its cornerstone,

7  when the morning stars ^vsang together

and all ^wthe sons of God ^xshouted for joy?

8  “Or who ^yshut in the sea with doors

when it burst out from the womb,

9  when I made clouds its garment

and ^zthick darkness its swaddling band,

10  and prescribed ^alimits for it

and set bars and doors,

11  and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,

and here shall your ^bproud waves be stayed’?

12  “Have you ^ccommanded the morning since your days began,

and caused the dawn to know its place,

13  that it might take hold of ^dthe skirts of the earth,

and the wicked be ^eshaken out of it?

14  It is changed like clay under the seal,

and its features stand out like a garment.

15  From the wicked their ^flight is withheld,

and ^gtheir uplifted arm is broken.

16  “Have you ^hentered into the springs of the sea,

or walked in the recesses of the deep?

17  Have ⁱthe gates of death been revealed to you,

or have you seen the gates of ^jdeep darkness?

18  Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?

Declare, if you know all this.

19  “Where is the way to the dwelling of light,

and where is the place of darkness,

20  that you may take it to its territory

and that you may discern ^kthe paths to its home?

21  You know, for ^lyou were born then,

and the number of your days is great!

22  “Have you entered ^mthe storehouses of the snow,

or have you seen ^mthe storehouses of the hail,

23  which I have reserved ⁿfor the time of trouble,

ⁿfor the day of battle and war?

24  What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,

or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?

25  “Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain

and ^oa way for the thunderbolt,

26  to bring rain on ^pa land where no man is,

on ^qthe desert in which there is no man,

27  to satisfy the waste and desolate land,

and to make the ground sprout with ^rgrass?

28  “Has ^sthe rain a father,

or who has begotten the drops of dew?

29  From whose womb did ^tthe ice come forth,

and who has given birth to ^tthe frost of heaven?

30  The waters become hard like stone,

and the face of the deep is ^ufrozen.

31  “Can you bind the chains of ^vthe Pleiades

or loose the cords of ^vOrion?

32  Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth² in their season,

or can you guide ^vthe Bear with its children?

33  Do you know ^wthe ordinances of the heavens?

Can you establish their rule on the earth?

34  “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,

that ^xa flood of waters may cover you?

35  Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go

and say to you, ‘Here we are’?

36  Who has ^yput wisdom in ^zthe inward parts³

or given understanding to the mind?⁴

37  Who can number the clouds by wisdom?

Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,

38  when the dust runs into a mass

and ^athe clods stick fast together?

39  “Can you hunt the prey for the lion,

or ^bsatisfy the appetite of the young lions,

40  when they crouch in their ^cdens

or lie in wait ^din their thicket?

41  Who provides for ^ethe raven its prey,

when its young ones cry to God for help,

and wander about for lack of food?

2  “I know that you can ^hdo all things,

and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

3  ⁱ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’

Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,

things ^jtoo wonderful for me, which I did not know.

4  ‘Hear, and I will speak;

^kI will question you, and you make it known to me.’

5  I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,

but now my eye sees you;

6  therefore I despise myself,

and repent¹ in ^ldust and ashes.”