Psalm 80

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 80

A Prayer for Restoration

For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.”^[a] A testimony of Asaph.^(A) A psalm.

¹Listen, Shepherd of Israel,
who leads Joseph like a flock;^(B)
You who sit enthroned on the cherubim,^(C)
rise up^(D)
²before Ephraim,
Benjamin, and Manasseh.^[b]^(E)
Rally Your power and come to save us.^(F)
³Restore us, God;
look on us with favor,
and we will be saved.^(G)

⁴Lord God of Hosts,
how long will You be angry
with Your people’s prayers?^(H)
⁵You fed them the bread of tears
and gave them a full measure^[c]
of tears to drink.^(I)
⁶You make us quarrel with our neighbors;
our enemies make fun of us.^(J)
⁷Restore us, God of Hosts;
look on us with favor, and we will be saved.^(K)

⁸You uprooted a vine from Egypt;
You drove out the nations and planted it.^(L)
⁹You cleared a place for it;
it took root and filled the land.^(M)
¹⁰The mountains were covered by its shade,
and the mighty cedars^[d] with its branches.^(N)
¹¹It sent out sprouts toward the Sea^[e]
and shoots toward the River.^[f]^(O)

¹²Why have You broken down its walls
so that all who pass by pick its fruit?^(P)
¹³The boar from the forest tears it
and creatures of the field feed on it.^(Q)
¹⁴Return, God of Hosts.^(R)
Look down from heaven and see;
take care of this vine,
¹⁵the root^[g] Your right hand has planted,
the shoot^[h] that You made strong for Yourself.^(S)
¹⁶It was cut down and burned up;^[i]
they^[j] perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.^(T)
¹⁷Let Your hand be with the man at Your right hand,
with the son of man
You have made strong for Yourself.^(U)
¹⁸Then we will not turn away from You;
revive us, and we will call on Your name.^(V)
¹⁹Restore us, Yahweh, the God of Hosts;^(W)
look on us with favor, and we will be saved.^(X)

Footnotes

Psalm 80:1 Possibly a tune; Pss 45; 60; 69
Psalm 80:2 This is the marching order for the camp of Israel.
Psalm 80:5 Lit a one-third measure
Psalm 80:10 Lit the cedars of God
Psalm 80:11 = the Mediterranean
Psalm 80:11 = the Euphrates
Psalm 80:15 Hb obscure
Psalm 80:15 Or son
Psalm 80:16 Lit burned with fire
Psalm 80:16 Or may they

Ezekiel 19-20

Holman Christian Standard Bible

A Lament for Israel’s Princes

19 “Now, lament for the princes of Israel^(A) ²and say:

What was your mother? A lioness!
She lay down among the lions;
she reared her cubs among the young lions.
³She brought up one of her cubs,
and he became a young lion.^(B)
After he learned to tear prey,
he devoured people.
⁴When the nations heard about him,
he was caught in their pit.
Then they led him away with hooks
to the land of Egypt.^(C)

⁵When she saw that she waited in vain,
that her hope was lost,
she took another of her cubs
and made him a young lion.
⁶He prowled among the lions,^(D)
and he became a young lion.
After he learned to tear prey,
he devoured people.
⁷He devastated their strongholds^[a]
and destroyed their cities.
The land and everything in it shuddered
at the sound of his roaring.
⁸Then the nations from the surrounding provinces
set out against him.^(E)
They spread their net over him;
he was caught in their pit.
⁹They put a wooden yoke on him^[b] with hooks^(F)
and led him away to the king of Babylon.
They brought him into the fortresses
so his roar could no longer be heard
on the mountains of Israel.^(G)

¹⁰Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard,^[c]^(H)
planted by the water;
it was fruitful and full of branches^(I)
because of plentiful waters.
¹¹It had strong branches, fit for the scepters of rulers;
its height towered among the clouds.^[d]
So it was conspicuous for its height
as well as its many branches.
¹²But it was uprooted in fury,^(J)
thrown to the ground,
and the east wind dried up its fruit.
Its strong branches were torn off and dried up;^(K)
fire consumed them.
¹³Now it is planted in the wilderness,^(L)
in a dry and thirsty land.
¹⁴Fire has gone out from its main branch^[e]
and has devoured its fruit,
so that it no longer has a strong branch,
a scepter for ruling.^(M)

This is a lament and should be used as a lament.”

Israel’s Rebellion

20 In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, some of Israel’s elders came to consult the Lord,^(N) and they sat down in front of me. ²Then the word of the Lord came to me: ³“Son of man, speak with the elders of Israel and tell them: This is what the Lord God says: Are you coming to consult Me? As I live, I will not be consulted by you.”^(O) This is the declaration of the Lord God.

⁴“Will you pass judgment against them, will you pass judgment, son of man? Explain the detestable practices of their fathers to them.^(P) ⁵Say to them: This is what the Lord God says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore an oath^[f]^(Q) to the descendants of Jacob’s house and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore to them, saying: I am Yahweh your God.^(R) ⁶On that day I swore^[g] to them that I would bring them out^(S) of the land of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey,^(T) the most beautiful of all lands.^(U) ⁷I also said to them: Each of you must throw away the detestable things that are before your eyes and not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt.^(V) I am Yahweh your God.^(W)

⁸“But they rebelled against Me and were unwilling to listen to Me. None of them threw away the detestable things that were before their eyes, and they did not forsake the idols of Egypt. So I considered pouring out My wrath on them,^(X) exhausting My anger against them within the land of Egypt. ⁹But I acted because of My name,^(Y) so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations they were living among, in whose sight I had made Myself known to Israel by bringing them out of Egypt.

¹⁰“So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them into the wilderness.^(Z) ¹¹Then I gave them My statutes and explained My ordinances to them—the person who does them will live by them.^(AA) ¹²I also gave them My Sabbaths to serve as a sign between Me and them,^(AB) so they will know that I am Yahweh who sets them apart as holy.

¹³“But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness.^(AC) They did not follow My statutes and they rejected My ordinances—the person who does them will live by them.^(AD) They also completely profaned My Sabbaths.^(AE) So I considered pouring out My wrath on them in the wilderness to put an end to them.^(AF) ¹⁴But I acted because of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. ¹⁵However, I swore^[h] to them^(AG) in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them—the most beautiful of all lands, flowing with milk and honey— ¹⁶because they rejected My ordinances, profaned My Sabbaths, and did not follow My statutes. For their hearts went after their idols.^(AH) ¹⁷But I spared them from destruction and did not bring them to an end in the wilderness.^(AI)

¹⁸“Then I said to their children in the wilderness: Don’t follow the statutes of your fathers, defile yourselves with their idols, or keep their ordinances.^(AJ) ¹⁹I am Yahweh your God. Follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them.^(AK) ²⁰Keep My Sabbaths holy,^(AL) and they will be a sign between Me and you, so you may know that I am Yahweh your God.

²¹“But the children rebelled against Me.^(AM) They did not follow My statutes or carefully keep My ordinances—the person who does them will live by them. They also profaned My Sabbaths. So I considered pouring out My wrath on them and exhausting My anger against them in the wilderness. ²²But I withheld My hand and acted because of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I brought them out. ²³However, I swore^[i] to them in the wilderness that I would disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries.^(AN) ²⁴For they did not practice My ordinances but rejected My statutes and profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed^(AO) on their fathers’ idols. ²⁵I also gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances^(AP) they could not live by. ²⁶When they made every firstborn pass through the fire,^(AQ) I defiled them through their gifts in order to devastate them so they would know that I am Yahweh.^(AR)

²⁷“Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and tell them: This is what the Lord God says: In this way also your fathers blasphemed Me by^(AS) committing treachery against Me: ²⁸When I brought them into the land that I swore^[j] to give them and they saw any high hill or leafy tree,^(AT) they offered their sacrifices and presented their offensive offerings there. They also sent up their pleasing aromas and poured out their drink offerings there. ²⁹So I asked them: What is this high place you are going to? And it is called High Place to this day.

³⁰“Therefore say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: Are you defiling yourselves the way your fathers did,^(AU) and prostituting yourselves with their detestable things? ³¹When you offer your gifts, making your children pass through the fire,^(AV) you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. So should I be consulted by you, house of Israel? As I live”—this is the declaration of the Lord God—“I will not be consulted by you!

Israel’s Restoration

³²“When you say, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the peoples of other countries, worshiping wood and stone,’^(AW) what you have in mind will never happen.^(AX) ³³As I live”—the declaration of the Lord God—“I will rule over you with a strong hand, an outstretched arm,^(AY) and outpoured wrath. ³⁴I will bring you from the peoples and gather you from the countries where you were scattered,^(AZ) with a strong hand, an outstretched arm,^(BA) and outpoured wrath. ³⁵I will lead you into the wilderness of the peoples^(BB) and enter into judgment with you there face to face. ³⁶Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt,^(BC) so I will enter into judgment with you.” This is the declaration of the Lord God. ³⁷“I will make you pass under the rod^(BD) and will bring you into the bond of the covenant. ³⁸And I will also purge you of those who rebel and transgress against Me.^(BE) I will bring them out of the land where they live as foreign residents, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.

³⁹“As for you, house of Israel, this is what the Lord God says: Go and serve your idols, each of you. But afterward you will surely listen to Me, and you will no longer defile My holy name with your gifts and idols.^(BF) ⁴⁰For on My holy mountain, Israel’s high mountain”—the declaration of the Lord God—“there the entire house of Israel, all of them,^(BG) will serve Me in the land. There I will accept them and will require your contributions and choicest gifts,^(BH) all your holy offerings. ⁴¹When I bring you from the peoples and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, I will accept you as a pleasing aroma. And I will demonstrate My holiness through you in the sight of the nations.^(BI) ⁴²When I lead you into the land of Israel, the land I swore^[k] to give your fathers, you will know that I am Yahweh.^(BJ) ⁴³There you will remember your ways and all your deeds that you have defiled yourselves with,^(BK) and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil things you have done.^(BL) ⁴⁴You will know that I am Yahweh,^(BM) house of Israel, when I have dealt with you because of My name^(BN) rather than according to your evil ways and corrupt acts.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

Fire in the South

⁴⁵^[l]The word of the Lord came to me: ⁴⁶“Son of man, face the south and preach against it. Prophesy against the forest land in the Negev,^(BO) ⁴⁷and say to the forest there: Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says: I am about to ignite a fire in you, and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The blazing flame will not be extinguished, and every face from the south to the north will be scorched by it. ⁴⁸Then all people will see that I, Yahweh, have kindled it.^(BP) It will not be extinguished.”