Psalm 106

1Praise the Lord!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

2Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?

Who can ever praise him enough?

3There is joy for those who deal justly with others

and always do what is right.

4Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people;

come near and rescue me.

5Let me share in the prosperity of your chosen ones.

Let me rejoice in the joy of your people;

let me praise you with those who are your heritage.

6Like our ancestors, we have sinned.

We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!

7Our ancestors in Egypt

were not impressed by the Lord’s miraculous deeds.

They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them.

Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea.*

8Even so, he saved them—

to defend the honor of his name

and to demonstrate his mighty power.

9He commanded the Red Sea* to dry up.

He led Israel across the sea as if it were a desert.

10So he rescued them from their enemies

and redeemed them from their foes.

11Then the water returned and covered their enemies;

not one of them survived.

12Then his people believed his promises.

Then they sang his praise.

13Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done!

They wouldn’t wait for his counsel!

14In the wilderness their desires ran wild,

testing God’s patience in that dry wasteland.

15So he gave them what they asked for,

but he sent a plague along with it.

16The people in the camp were jealous of Moses

and envious of Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest.

17Because of this, the earth opened up;

it swallowed Dathan

and buried Abiram and the other rebels.

18Fire fell upon their followers;

a flame consumed the wicked.

19The people made a calf at Mount Sinai*;

they bowed before an image made of gold.

20They traded their glorious God

for a statue of a grass-eating bull.

21They forgot God, their savior,

who had done such great things in Egypt—

22such wonderful things in the land of Ham,

such awesome deeds at the Red Sea.

23So he declared he would destroy them.

But Moses, his chosen one, stepped between the Lord and the people.

He begged him to turn from his anger and not destroy them.