The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV
Page 267
12Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
They fell down, and there was lnone to help.
13Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
14mHe brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces.
15Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
16For He has nbroken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.
17Fools, obecause of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
18pTheir soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they qdrew near to the gates of death.
19Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
20rHe sent His word and shealed them,
And tdelivered them from their destructions.
21Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
22uLet them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And vdeclare His works with 4rejoicing.
23Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
24They see the works of the LORD,
And His wonders in the deep.
25For He commands and wraises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
26They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
xTheir soul melts because of trouble.
27They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And 5are at their wits’ end.
28Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
29yHe calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
30Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.
31zOh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
32Let them exalt Him also ain the assembly of the people,
And praise Him in the company of the elders.
33He bturns rivers into a wilderness,
And the watersprings into dry ground;
34A cfruitful land into 6barrenness,
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
35dHe turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry land into watersprings.
36There He makes the hungry dwell,
That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,
37And sow fields and plant vineyards,
That they may yield a fruitful harvest.
38eHe also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
And He does not let their cattle fdecrease.
39When they are gdiminished and brought low
Through oppression, affliction and sorrow,
40hHe pours contempt on princes,
And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;
41iYet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,
And jmakes their families like a flock.
42kThe righteous see it and rejoice,
And all liniquity stops its mouth.
43mWhoever is wise will observe these things,
And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.
Psalm 108
Assurance of God’s Victory over Enemies
(Ps. 57:7–11; 60:5–12)
A Song. A Psalm of David.
1O aGOD, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
2bAwake, lute and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.
3I will praise You, O LORD, among the peoples,
And I will sing praises to You among the nations.
4For Your mercy is great above the 1heavens,
And Your truth reaches to the clouds.
5cBe exalted, O God, above the heavens,
And Your glory above all the earth;
6dThat Your beloved may be delivered,
Save with Your right hand, and 2hear me.
7God has spoken in His holiness:
“I will rejoice;
I will divide Shechem
And measure out the Valley of Succoth.
8Gilead is Mine; Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim also is the 3helmet for My head;
eJudah is My lawgiver.
9Moab is My washpot;
Over Edom I will cast My shoe;
Over Philistia I will triumph.”
10fWho will bring me into the strong city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11Is it not You, O God, who cast us off?
And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies?
12Give us help from trouble,
For the help of man is useless.
13gThrough God we will do valiantly,
For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.
Psalm 109
Plea for Judgment of False Accusers
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1Doa not keep silent,
O God of my praise!
2For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful
Have opened against me;
They have spoken against me with a blying tongue.
3They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me cwithout a cause.
4In return for my love they are my accusers,
But I give myself to prayer.
5Thus dthey have rewarded me evil for good,
And hatred for my love.
6Set a wicked man over him,
And let ean 1accuser stand at his right hand.
7When he is judged, let him be found guilty,
And flet his prayer become sin.
8Let his days be gfew,
And hlet another take his office.
9iLet his children be fatherless,
And his wife a widow.
10Let his children 2continually be vagabonds, and beg;
Let them 3seek their bread also from their desolate places.
11jLet the creditor seize all that he has,
And let strangers plunder his labor.
12Let there be none to extend mercy to him,
Nor let there be any to favor his fatherless children.
13kLet his 4posterity be cut off,
And in the generation following let their lname be blotted out.
14mLet the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD,
And let not the sin of his mother nbe blotted out.
15Let them be continually before the LORD,
That He may ocut off the memory of them from the earth;
16Because he did not remember to show mercy,
But persecuted the poor and needy man,
That he might even slay the pbroken in heart.
17qAs he loved cursing, so let it come to him;
As he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him.
18As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
So let it renter his body like water,
And like oil into his bones.
19Let it be to him like the garment which covers him,
And for a belt with which he girds himself continually.
20Let this be the LORD’s reward to my accusers,
And to those who speak evil against my person.
21But You, O GOD the Lord,
Deal with me for Your name’s sake;
Because Your mercy is good, deliver me.
22For I am poor and needy,
And my heart is wounded within me.
23I am gone slike a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24My tknees are weak through fasting,
And my flesh is feeble from lack of fatness.
25I also have become ua reproach to them;
When they look at me, vthey shake their heads.
26Help me, O LORD my God!
Oh, save me according to Your mercy,
27wThat they may know that this is Your hand—
That You, LORD, have done it!
28xLet them curse, but You bless;
When they arise, let them be ashamed,
But let yYour servant rejoice.
29zLet my accusers be clothed with shame,
And let them cover themselves with their own disgrace as with a mantle.
30I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth;
Yes, aI will praise Him among the multitude.
31For bHe shall stand at the right hand of the poor,
To save him from those 5who condemn him.
Psalm 110
Announcement of the Messiah’s Reign
(Matt. 22:44; Acts 2:34, 35)
A Psalm of David.
1The aLORD said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your bfootstool.”
2The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength cout of Zion.
dRule in the midst of Your enemies!
3eYour people shall be volunteers
In the day of Your power;
fIn the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning,
You have the dew of Your youth.
4The LORD has sworn
And gwill not relent,
“You are a hpriest forever
According to the order of iMelchizedek.”
5The Lord is jat Your right hand;
He shall 1execute kings kin the day of His wrath.
6He shall judge among the nations,
He shall fill the places with dead bodies,
lHe shall 2execute the heads of many countries.
7He shall drink of the brook by the wayside;
mTherefore He shall lift up the head.
Psalm 111
Praise to God for His Faithfulness and Justice
1Praise1 the LORD!
aI will praise the LORD with my whole heart,
In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.
2bThe works of the LORD are great,
cStudied by all who have pleasure in them.
3His work is dhonorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.
4He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;
eThe LORD is gracious and full of compassion.
5He has given food to those who fear Him;
He will ever be mindful of His covenant.
6He has declared to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the 2heritage of the nations.
7The works of His hands are fverity3 and justice;
All His precepts are sure.
8gThey stand fast forever and ever,
And are hdone in truth and uprightness.
9iHe has sent redemption to His people;
He has commanded His covenant forever:
jHoly and awesome is His name.
10kThe fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.
Psalm 112
The Blessed State of the Righteous
1Praise1 the LORD!
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
Who adelights greatly in His commandments.
2bHis descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
3cWealth and riches will be in his house,
And his righteousness 2endures forever.
4dUnto the upright there arises light in the darkness;
He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
5eA good man deals graciously and lends;
He will guide his affairs fwith discretion.
6Surely he will never be shaken;
gThe righteous will be in everlasting remembrance.
7hHe will not be afraid of evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8His iheart is established;
jHe will not be afraid,
Until he ksees his desire upon his enemies.
9He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever;
His 3horn will be exalted with honor.
10The wicked will see it and be grieved;
He will gnash his teeth and melt away;
The desire of the wicked shall perish.
Psalm 113
The Majesty and Condescension of God
1Praise1 the LORD!
aPraise, O servants of the LORD,
Praise the name of the LORD!
2bBlessed be the name of the LORD
From this time forth and forevermore!
3cFrom the rising of the sun to its going down
The LORD’s name is to be praised.
4The LORD is dhigh above all nations,
eHis glory above the heavens.
5fWho is like the LORD our God,
Who dwells on high,
6gWho humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?
7hHe raises the poor out of the dust,
And lifts the ineedy out of the ash heap,
8That He may jseat him with princes—
With the princes of His people.
9kHe grants the 2barren woman a home,
Like a joyful mother of children.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 114
The Power of God in His Deliverance of Israel
(cf. Ex. 14:1–31)
1When aIsrael went out of Egypt,
The house of Jacob bfrom a people 1of strange language,
2cJudah became His sanctuary,
And Israel His dominion.
3dThe sea saw it and fled;
eJordan turned back.
4fThe mountains skipped like rams,
The little hills like lambs.
5gWhat ails you, O sea, that you fled?
O Jordan, that you turned back?
6O mountains, that you skipped like rams?
O little hills, like lambs?
7Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the God of Jacob,
8hWho turned the rock into a pool of water,
The flint into a fountain of waters.
Psalm 115
The Futility of Idols and the Trustworthiness of God
1Not aunto us, O LORD, not unto us,
But to Your name give glory,
Because of Your mercy,
Because of Your truth.
2Why should the 1Gentiles say,
b“So where is their God?”
3cBut our God is in heaven;
He does whatever He pleases.
4dTheir idols are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands.
5They have mouths, but they do not speak;
Eyes they have, but they do not see;
6They have ears, but they do not hear;
Noses they have, but they do not smell;
7They have hands, but they do not handle;
Feet they have, but they do not walk;
Nor do they mutter through their throat.
8eThose who make them are like them;
So is everyone who trusts in them.
9fO Israel, trust in the LORD;
gHe is their help and their shield.
10O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD;
He is their help and their shield.
11You who fear the LORD, trust in the
LORD;
He is their help and their shield.
12The LORD 2has been mindful of us;
He will bless us;
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron.
13hHe will bless those who fear the LORD,
Both small and great.
14May the LORD give you increase more and more,
You and your children.
15May you be iblessed by the LORD,
jWho made heaven and earth.
16The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s;
But the earth He has given to the children of men.
17kThe dead do not praise the LORD,
Nor any who go down into silence.
18lBut we will bless the LORD
From this time forth and forevermore.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 116
Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death
1I aLOVE the LORD, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
2Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
3bThe 1pains of death surrounded me,
And the 2pangs of Sheol 3laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
4Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!”
5cGracious is the LORD, and drighteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.
6The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
7Return to your erest, O my soul,
For fthe LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
8gFor You have delivered my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.
9I will walk before the LORD
hIn the land of the living.
10iI believed, therefore I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
11jI said in my haste,
k“All men are liars.”
12What shall I render to the LORD
For all His benefits toward me?
13I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the LORD.
14lI will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people.
15mPrecious in the sight of the LORD
Is the death of His saints.
16O LORD, truly nI am Your servant;
I am Your servant, othe son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.
17I will offer to You pthe sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the LORD.
18I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people,