1 Let the Lord be praised. O give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
2 Who is able to give an account of the great acts of the Lord, or to make clear all his praise?
3 Happy are they whose decisions are upright, and he who does righteousness at all times.
4 Keep me in mind, O Lord, when you are good to your people; O let your salvation come to me;
5 So that I may see the well-being of the people of your selection, and have a part in the joy of your nation, and take pride in your heritage.
6 We are sinners like our fathers, we have done wrong, our acts are evil.
7 Our fathers did not give thought to your wonders in Egypt; they did not keep in memory the great number of your mercies, but gave you cause for wrath at the sea, even at the Red Sea.
8 But he was their saviour because of his name, so that men might see his great power.
9 By his word the Red Sea was made dry: and he took them through the deep waters as through the waste land.
10 And he took them safely out of the hands of their haters, and kept them from the attacks of those who were against them.
11 And the waters went over their haters; all of them came to an end.
12 Then they had faith in his words; they gave him songs of praise.
13 But their memory of his works was short; not waiting to be guided by him,
14 They gave way to their evil desires in the waste land, and put God to the test in the dry places.
15 And he gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease into their souls.
16 They were full of envy against Moses among the tents, and against Aaron, the holy one of the Lord.
17 The earth opening put an end to Dathan, covering up Abiram and his band.
18 And a fire was lighted among their tents; the sinners were burned up by the flames.
19 They made a young ox in Horeb, and gave worship to an image of gold.
20 And their glory was changed into the image of an ox, whose food is grass.
21 They had no memory of God their saviour, who had done great things in Egypt;
22 Works of wonder in the land of Ham, and things of fear by the Red Sea.
23 And he was purposing to put an end to them if Moses, his special servant, had not gone up before him, between him and his people, turning back his wrath, to keep them from destruction.
24 They were disgusted with the good land; they had no belief in his word;
25 Talking against him secretly in their tents, they did not give ear to the voice of the Lord.
26 So he made an oath against them, to put an end to them in the waste land:
27 That their children might be mixed among the nations, and sent away into other lands.
28 And they were joined to Baal-peor, and took part in the offerings to the dead.
29 So they made him angry by their behaviour; and he sent disease on them.
30 Then Phinehas got up, and made prayer for them; and the disease went no farther.
31 And all the generations coming after him kept the memory of his righteousness for ever.
32 They made God angry again at the waters of Meribah, so that Moses was troubled because of them;
33 For they made his spirit bitter, and he said unwise things.
34 They did not put an end to the peoples, as the Lord had said;
35 But they were joined to the nations, learning their works.
36 And they gave worship to images; which were a danger to them:
37 They even made offerings of their sons and their daughters to evil spirits,
38 And gave the blood of their sons and their daughters who had done no wrong, offering them to the images of Canaan; and the land was made unclean with blood.
39 So they became unclean through their works, going after their evil desires.
40 Then the wrath of the Lord was burning against his people, and he was angry with his heritage.
41 And he gave them into the hands of the nations; and they were ruled by their haters.
42 By them they were crushed, and made low under their hands.
43 Again and again he made them free; but their hearts were turned against his purpose, and they were overcome by their sins.
44 But when their cry came to his ears, he had pity on their trouble:
45 And kept in mind his agreement with them, and in his great mercy gave them forgiveness.
46 He put pity into the hearts of those who made them prisoners.
47 Be our saviour, O Lord our God, and let us come back together from among the nations, so that we may give honour to your holy name, and have glory in your praise.
48 Praise be to the Lord God of Israel for ever and for ever; and let all the people say, So be it. Give praise to the Lord.
1 Louez l'Éternel! Célébrez l'Éternel, car il est bon, car sa miséricorde demeure à toujours!
2 Qui pourrait raconter les hauts faits de l'Éternel et faire entendre toutes ses louanges?
3 Heureux ceux qui observent ce qui est droit, qui font en tout temps ce qui est juste!
4 Éternel, souviens-toi de moi, dans ta bienveillance envers ton peuple; fais venir à moi ton salut;
5 Afin que je voie le bonheur de tes élus, que je me réjouisse de la joie de ton peuple, et que je me glorifie avec ton héritage.
6 Nous et nos pères, nous avons péché; nous avons agi avec perversité; nous avons mal fait.
7 Nos pères en Égypte ne furent pas attentifs à tes merveilles; ils ne se souvinrent point de la multitude de tes bontés; mais ils furent rebelles auprès de la mer, vers la mer Rouge.
8 Et il les sauva pour l'amour de son nom, afin de faire connaître sa puissance.
9 Il tança la mer Rouge, et elle fut à sec; et il les conduisit par les abîmes comme par le désert.
10 Il les sauva des mains de l'adversaire, et les racheta des mains de l'ennemi.
11 Les eaux couvrirent leurs oppresseurs; il n'en resta pas un seul.
12 Alors ils crurent à ses paroles, et ils chantèrent sa louange.
13 Bientôt ils oublièrent ses oeuvres; ils ne s'attendirent point à ses desseins.
14 Ils s'éprirent de convoitise dans le désert, et tentèrent Dieu dans la solitude.
15 Alors il leur accorda leur demande; mais il envoya sur eux la consomption.
16 Ils furent jaloux de Moïse dans le camp, et d'Aaron, le saint de l'Éternel.
17 La terre s'ouvrit, et engloutit Dathan, et couvrit la troupe d'Abiram.
18 Le feu s'alluma dans leur assemblée; la flamme consuma les méchants.
19 Ils firent un veau en Horeb, et se prosternèrent devant une image de fonte.
20 Ils échangèrent leur gloire contre la figure du bœuf qui mange l'herbe.
21 Ils oublièrent Dieu, leur libérateur, qui avait fait de grandes choses en Égypte,
22 Des choses merveilleuses au pays de Cham, et des choses terribles sur la mer Rouge.
23 Et il parlait de les détruire, si Moïse, son élu, ne se fût mis à la brèche devant lui, pour détourner sa colère, afin qu'il ne les détruisît pas.
24 Ils méprisèrent la terre désirable; ils ne crurent point à sa Parole.
25 Ils murmurèrent dans leurs tentes; ils n'écoutèrent point la voix de l'Éternel.
26 Alors il leur fit serment de les faire tomber dans le désert,
27 De faire tomber leur postérité entre les nations, de les disperser dans tous les pays.
28 Ils s'attachèrent à Baal-Péor, et mangèrent les sacrifices des morts.
29 Ils irritèrent Dieu par leurs actions, tellement qu'une plaie fit irruption parmi eux.
30 Mais Phinées se présenta et fit justice, et la plaie fut arrêtée.
31 Et cela lui fut imputé à justice, dans tous les âges, à perpétuité.
32 Ils l'irritèrent aussi près des eaux de Mériba; et il en arriva du mal à Moïse à cause d'eux.
33 Car ils résistèrent à son esprit, et il parla légèrement de ses lèvres.
34 Ils ne détruisirent pas les peuples, que l'Éternel leur avait dit de détruire.
35 Mais ils se mêlèrent avec les nations, et ils apprirent leurs oeuvres.
36 Ils servirent leurs idoles, qui furent pour eux un piège;
37 Et ils sacrifièrent aux démons leurs fils et leurs filles.
38 Ils répandirent le sang innocent, le sang de leurs fils et de leurs filles, qu'ils sacrifièrent aux idoles de Canaan; et le pays fut profané par ces meurtres.
39 Ils se souillèrent par leurs oeuvres, et se prostituèrent par leurs actions.
40 Et la colère de l'Éternel s'alluma contre son peuple; il eut en abomination son héritage.
41 Il les livra entre les mains des nations; ceux qui les haïssaient, dominèrent sur eux.
42 Leurs ennemis les opprimèrent, et ils furent humiliés sous leur main.
43 Maintes fois il les délivra; mais ils se montraient rebelles dans leurs desseins, et se perdaient par leur iniquité.
44 Toutefois, il les a regardés dans leur détresse, quand il entendait leur cri.
45 Il s'est souvenu en leur faveur de son alliance, et s'est repenti selon la grandeur de sa miséricorde.
46 Il leur a fait trouver compassion auprès de tous ceux qui les tenaient captifs.
47 Sauve-nous, Éternel, notre Dieu, et rassemble-nous d'entre les nations, afin que nous célébrions ton saint nom, et que nous nous glorifiions dans tes louanges.
48 Béni soit l'Éternel, le Dieu d'Israël, de siècle en siècle, et que tout le peuple dise: Amen! Louez l'Éternel!