1Give thanks to Yahweh, because he always does good things for us
2Those whom Yahweh has saved should tell others
3He has gathered those of you who were ◄exiled/taken forcefully► to many lands;
4Some of those who returned from those countries wandered in the desert;
5They were hungry and thirsty,
6When they were in trouble, they called out to Yahweh,
7He led them along a straight road where they walked safely
8They should praise/thank Yahweh for loving them faithfully
9He gives thirsty people plenty of water to drink,
10Some of them were in very dark [HEN] ◄places in Babylonia/other countries►;
11They were in prison because they had ◄rebelled against/not obeyed► the message of God;
12That is why their bodies were worn out from hard labor;
13In their troubles, they called out to Yahweh,
14He broke the chains that were on their hands and feet;
15Some of them foolishly rebelled against God,
16They did not want to eat any food,
17In their troubles, they also called out to Yahweh,
18When he commanded that they be healed, they were healed;
19They also should praise/thank Yahweh for faithfully loving them,
20They should give offerings to him to show that they are thankful,
21Some of them sailed in ships;
22As they were sailing, they also saw the miracles that Yahweh performed,
23He commanded the winds, and they became strong
24The ships in which they were sailing were tossed high in the air,
25They stumbled about and staggered like drunken men,
26In their troubles, they also called out to Yahweh,
27He ◄calmed the storm/caused the wind to stop blowing►,
28They were very glad when it became calm;
29They also should praise/thank Yahweh for faithfully loving them,
30They should praise him among the Israeli people when they have gathered together,
31Sometimes Yahweh causes rivers to become dry,
32Sometimes he causes land that has produced lots of crops to become salty wastelands,
33But sometimes he causes pools of water to appear in deserts,
34He brings hungry people into that land, to live there and build cities there.
35They plant seeds in their fields,
36He blesses the people, and the women give birth to many children,
37When the number of people becomes smaller and they have been humiliated by their enemies
38Yahweh shows contempt for the leaders who oppress them,
39But he rescues poor people from ◄being in misery/suffering►,
40Godly/Righteous people will ◄see/hear about► these things, and they will rejoice,
41Those who are wise should think carefully about those things;