16. For He has broken the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron apart.
17. Some are fools [made ill] because of the way of their transgressions and are afflicted because of their iniquities.
18. They loathe every kind of food, and they draw near to the gates of death.
19. Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivers them out of their distresses.
20. He sends forth His word and heals them and rescues them from the pit and destruction. [II Kings 20:4, 5; Matt. 8:8.]
21. Oh, that men would praise [and confess to] the Lord for His goodness and loving-kindness and His wonderful works to the children of men! [Heb. 13:15.]
22. And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving and rehearse His deeds with shouts of joy and singing!
23. Some go down to the sea and travel over it in ships to do business in great waters;
24. These see the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep.
25. For He commands and raises up the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea.
26. [Those aboard] mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the deeps; their courage melts away because of their plight.
27. They reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and are at their wits' end [all their wisdom has come to nothing].
28. Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses.
29. He hushes the storm to a calm and to a gentle whisper, so that the waves of the sea are still. [Ps. 89:9; Matt. 8:26.]
30. Then the men are glad because of the calm, and He brings them to their desired haven.
31. Oh, that men would praise [and confess to] the Lord for His goodness and loving-kindness and His wonderful works to the children of men!
32. Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people and praise Him in the company of the elders.
33. He turns rivers into a wilderness, water springs into a thirsty ground, [I Kings 17:1, 7.]
34. A fruitful land into a barren, salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it. [Gen. 13:10; 14:3; 19:25.]
35. He turns a wilderness into a pool of water and a dry ground into water springs; [Isa. 41:18.]
36. And there He makes the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation,