Hebrew
הוֹדוּ לַיְיָ<sup>1</sup> כִּי טוֹב, כִּי לְעוֹלָם
חַסְדּוֹ: יֹאמְרוּ גְּאוּלֵי יְיָ,
אֲשֶׁר גְּאָלָם מִיַּד צָר: וּמֵאֲרָצוֹת
קִבְּצָם, מִמִּזְרָח וּמִמַּעֲרָב
מִצָּפוֹן וּמִיָּם: תָּעוּ בַמִּדְבָּר<sup>2</sup>
בִּישִׁימוֹן דָּרֶךְ, עִיר מוֹשָׁב לֹא
מָצָאוּ: רְעֵבִים גַּם צְמֵאִים,
נַפְשָׁם בָּהֶם תִּתְעַטָּף:<sup>3</sup> וַיִּצְעֲקוּ
אֶל יְיָ בַּצַּר לָהֶם, מִמְּצוּקוֹתֵיהֶם
יַצִּילֵם: וַיַּדְרִיכֵם בְּדֶרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה,
לָלֶכֶת אֶל עִיר מוֹשָׁב: יוֹדוּ לַיְיָ
חַסְדּוֹ, וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו לִבְנֵי אָדָם:
כִּי הִשְׂבִּיעַ נֶפֶשׁ שֹׁקֵקָה, וְנֶפֶשׁ
רְעֵבָה מִלֵּא טוֹב: יֹשְׁבֵי חֹשֶׁךְ
וְצַלְמָוֶת, אֲסִירֵי עֳנִי וּבַרְזֶל: כִּי
הִמְרוּ אִמְרֵי אֵל, וַעֲצַת עֶלְיוֹן
נָאָצוּ: וַיַּכְנַע בֶּעָמָל לִבָּם, כָּשְׁלוּ
וְאֵין עֹזֵר: וַיִּזְעֲקוּ אֶל יְיָ בַּצַּר
לָהֶם, מִמְּצֻקוֹתֵיהֶם יוֹשִׁיעֵם:
יוֹצִיאֵם מֵחֹשֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָוֶת,
וּמוֹסְרוֹתֵיהֶם יְנַתֵּק: יוֹדוּ לַיְיָ
חַסְדּוֹ, וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו לִבְנֵי אָדָם:
Sephardi
Hodu la-Adonai<sup>1</sup> ki tov, ki le'olam
chasdo: Yomru ge'ulei Adonai,
asher ge'alam miyad tzar: u-me'aratzot
kibbetzam, mi-mizrah u-mi-ma'arav
mi-tzafon u-miyyam: Ta'u bamidbar<sup>2</sup>
bishimon darekh, ir moshav lo
matza'u: Re'evim gam tzeme'im,
nafsham bahem tit'attaf:<sup>3</sup> Vayyitz'aku
el Adonai batzar lahem, mi-metzukoteihem
yatzileim: Vayyadrikhem bederech yesharah,
lalechet el ir moshav: Yodu la-Adonai
chasdo, venifla'otav livnei adam:
ki hisbi'a nefesh shokekah, venefesh
re'evah mille tov: yoshvei choshech
vetzalmavet, asirei oni uvarzel: ki
himru imrei El, va'atzat Elyon
na'atzu: Vayyakhna be'amal libam, kashlu
ve-ein ozer: Vayyiz'aku el Adonai batzar
lahem, mi-metzukoteihem yoshi'em:
yotzi'em mehoshekh vetzalmavet,
umosroteihem yenattek: Yodu la-Adonai
chasdo, venifla'otav livnei adam:
English
Give praise<sup>1</sup> to the Lord because He is good; because His kindness lasts forever. There are four kinds of people who have been saved by the Lord. They should each say praises to Him, because He saved them from the hand of the oppressor. He gathered them from all the lands, from the lands in the east and the west, from the north and the islands in the sea. The first are those who lost their way in the desert<sup>2</sup>—in the wilderness—and they couldn’t find an inhabited city. Because they were hungry and thirsty, their soul within them weakened.<sup>3</sup> They cried out to the Lord because of their distress and He saved them from their troubles. He guided them on the right path enabling them to reach an inhabited city. These people should give praise to the Lord for His kindness and tell people about the wonders He performed. They should publicize the fact that He satisfied the souls of the people who were thirsty and He filled the souls of the people who were hungry with lots of good food. The second kind are those who sit in a dark prison, which is like the shadow of death, those who are tied up in misery and in iron chains. They sit in prison because they went against the words of God; they rejected God’s advice. God humbled their hearts through the suffering of prison. They stumbled in pain, but there was no one to help them. They cried out to the Lord because of their distress and He saved them from their troubles. He took them out from the dark prison and the shadow of death and He broke apart their chains. These people should give praise to the Lord for His kindness and tell people about the wonders He performed. They should publicize