"Whoever is wise..."

Oh give thanks to the Lord,
                    for he is good,
                    for his steadfast love endures for ever!
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
                whom he has redeemed from trouble
        and                         gathered in from the lands,
                                                          from the east and from the west,
                                                          from the north and from the south.

He turns rivers into a desert,
              springs of water into thirsty ground,
           a fruitful land into a salty waste,
                    because of the evil of its inhabitants.
He turns a desert into pools of water,
               a parched land into springs of water.
And there he lets the hungry dwell,
and           they establish a city to live in;
                 they sow fields and plant vineyards
           and        get a fruitful yield.
        By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and                            he does not let their livestock diminish.

When they are diminished and brought low
        through oppression,
                      evil,
and                sorrow,
        he pours contempt on princes
and       makes them wander in trackless wastes;
but   he raises up the needy out of affliction
and       makes their families like flocks.
The upright see it
             and are glad,
             and all wickedness shuts its mouth.

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
                             let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

Psalm 107:1-3, 33-43