Psalm 82-90

New American Standard Bible

Unjust Judgments Rebuked.

A Psalm of Asaph.

82 God takes His ^(A)position in ^[a]His assembly;
He ^(B)judges in the midst of the ^(C)gods.
²How long will you ^(D)judge unjustly
And ^(E)show partiality to the wicked? Selah
³^(F)Vindicate the weak and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.
⁴^(G)Rescue the weak and needy;
Save them from the hand of the wicked.

⁵They ^(H)do not know nor do they understand;
They ^(I)walk around in darkness;
All the ^(J)foundations of the earth are shaken.
⁶^[b]I ^(K)said, “You are gods,
And all of you are ^(L)sons of the Most High.
⁷Nevertheless ^(M)you will die like men,
And fall like ^(N)one of the princes.”
⁸^(O)Arise, God, ^(P)judge the earth!
For You ^(Q)possess all the nations.

God Implored to Confound His Enemies.

A Song, a Psalm of Asaph.

83 God, ^(R)do not remain quiet;
^(S)Do not be silent and, God, do not be still.
²For behold, Your enemies ^(T)make an uproar,
And ^(U)those who hate You have ^[c]^(V)exalted themselves.
³They ^(W)make shrewd plans against Your people,
And ^[d]conspire together against ^(X)Your ^[e]treasured ones.
⁴They have said, “Come, and ^(Y)let’s wipe them out ^[f]as a nation,
So that the ^(Z)name of Israel will no longer be remembered.”
⁵For they have ^[g]^(AA)conspired together with one mind;
They make a covenant against You:
⁶The tents of ^(AB)Edom and the ^(AC)Ishmaelites,
^(AD)Moab and the ^(AE)Hagrites;
⁷^(AF)Gebal, ^(AG)Ammon, and ^(AH)Amalek,
^(AI)Philistia with the inhabitants of ^(AJ)Tyre;
⁸^(AK)Assyria also has joined them;
They have become ^[h]a help to the ^(AL)children of Lot. Selah

⁹Deal with them ^(AM)as with Midian,
As ^(AN)with Sisera and Jabin at the river of Kishon,
¹⁰Who were destroyed at En-dor,
Who ^(AO)became like dung for the ground.
¹¹Make their nobles like ^(AP)Oreb and Zeeb,
And all their leaders like ^(AQ)Zebah and Zalmunna,
¹²Who said, “^(AR)Let’s possess for ourselves
The ^(AS)pastures of God.”

¹³My God, make them like the ^[i]^(AT)whirling dust,
Like ^(AU)chaff before the wind.
¹⁴Like ^(AV)fire that burns the forest,
And like a flame that ^(AW)sets the mountains on fire,
¹⁵So pursue them ^(AX)with Your heavy gale,
And terrify them with Your storm.
¹⁶^(AY)Fill their faces with dishonor,
So that they will seek Your name, Lord.
¹⁷May they be ^(AZ)ashamed and dismayed forever,
And may they be humiliated and perish,
¹⁸So that they will ^(BA)know that ^(BB)You alone, whose name is the Lord,
Are the ^(BC)Most High over all the earth.

Longing for the Temple Worship.

For the music director; ^[j]on the Gittith. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

84 How lovely are Your ^(BD)dwelling places,
Lord of armies!
²My ^(BE)soul longed and even yearned for the courtyards of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the ^(BF)living God.
³The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may put her young:
Your ^(BG)altars, Lord of armies,
^(BH)My King and my God.
⁴^(BI)Blessed are those who dwell in Your house!
They are ^(BJ)ever praising You. Selah

⁵Blessed is the person whose ^(BK)strength is in You,
In ^[k]whose heart are the ^(BL)roads to Zion!
⁶Passing through the Valley of ^[l]Baca they make it a ^[m]spring;
The ^(BM)early rain also covers it with blessings.
⁷They ^(BN)go from strength to strength,
^[n]Every one of them ^(BO)appears before God in Zion.

⁸^(BP)Lord God of armies, hear my prayer;
Listen, ^(BQ)God of Jacob! Selah
⁹See our ^(BR)shield, God,
And look at the face of ^(BS)Your anointed.
¹⁰For ^(BT)a day in Your courtyards is better than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than live in the tents of wickedness.
¹¹For the Lord God is ^(BU)a sun and ^(BV)shield;
The Lord gives grace and ^(BW)glory;
^(BX)He withholds no good thing ^[o]from those who walk with integrity.
¹²Lord of armies,
^(BY)Blessed is the person who trusts in You!

Prayer for God’s Mercy upon the Nation.

For the music director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

85 Lord, You showed ^(BZ)favor to Your land;
You ^(CA)restored the fortunes of Jacob.
²You ^(CB)forgave the guilt of Your people;
You ^(CC)covered all their sin. Selah
³You ^(CD)withdrew all Your fury;
You ^(CE)turned away from Your burning anger.

⁴^(CF)Restore us, God of our salvation,
And ^(CG)cause Your indignation toward us to cease.
⁵Will ^(CH)You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger to ^[p]all generations?
⁶Will You not ^[q]^(CI)revive us again,
So that Your people may ^(CJ)rejoice in You?
⁷Show us Your mercy, Lord,
And ^(CK)grant us Your salvation.

⁸^[r]I will hear what God the Lord will say;
For He will ^(CL)speak peace to His people, to His godly ones;
And may they not ^(CM)turn back to ^[s]foolishness.
⁹Certainly ^(CN)His salvation is near to those who ^[t]fear Him,
That ^(CO)glory may dwell in our land.
¹⁰^(CP)Graciousness and ^[u]truth have met together;
^(CQ)Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
¹¹^[v]Truth ^(CR)sprouts from the earth,
And righteousness looks down from heaven.
¹²Indeed, ^(CS)the Lord will give what is good,
And our ^(CT)land will yield its produce.
¹³^(CU)Righteousness will go before Him
And will make His footsteps into a way.

Pleading and Trust.

A Prayer of David.

86 ^(CV)Incline Your ear, Lord, and answer me;
For I am ^(CW)afflicted and needy.
²^(CX)Protect my ^[w]soul, for I am ^(CY)godly;
You my God, save Your servant who ^(CZ)trusts in You.
³Be ^(DA)gracious to me, Lord,
For ^(DB)I call upon You all day long.
⁴Make the soul of Your servant joyful,
For to You, Lord, ^(DC)I lift up my soul.
⁵For You, Lord, are ^(DD)good, and ^(DE)ready to forgive,
And ^(DF)abundant in mercy to all who call upon You.
⁶^(DG)Listen, Lord, to my prayer;
And give Your attention to the sound of my pleading!
⁷On ^(DH)the day of my trouble I will call upon You,
For ^(DI)You will answer me.
⁸There is ^(DJ)no one like You among the gods, Lord,
Nor are there any works ^(DK)like Yours.
⁹^(DL)All nations whom You have made will come and worship before You, Lord,
And they will glorify Your name.
¹⁰For You are ^(DM)great, and you ^(DN)do ^[x]wondrous deeds;
You alone ^(DO)are God.

¹¹^(DP)Teach me Your way, Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
^(DQ)Unite my heart to fear Your name.
¹²I will ^(DR)give thanks to You, Lord my God, with all my heart,
And I will glorify Your name forever.
¹³For Your graciousness toward me is great,
And You have ^(DS)saved my soul from the ^[y]depths of ^[z]Sheol.

¹⁴God, arrogant men have ^(DT)risen up against me,
And a gang of violent men have sought my ^[aa]life,
And they have not set You before them.
¹⁵But You, Lord, are a ^(DU)compassionate and gracious God,
Slow to anger and abundant in mercy and ^[ab]truth.
¹⁶^(DV)Turn to me, and be gracious to me;
^(DW)Grant Your strength to Your servant,
And save the ^(DX)son of Your maidservant.
¹⁷^(DY)Show me a sign of good,
That those who hate me may ^(DZ)see it and be ashamed,
Because You, Lord, ^(EA)have helped me and comforted me.

The Privileges of Citizenship in Zion.

A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song.

87 His ^(EB)foundation is in the holy mountains.
²The Lord ^(EC)loves the gates of Zion
More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.
³^(ED)Glorious things are spoken of you,
^(EE)City of God. Selah
⁴“I shall mention ^[ac]^(EF)Rahab and Babylon ^[ad]among those who know Me;
Behold, Philistia and ^(EG)Tyre with ^[ae]^(EH)Cush:
‘This one was born there.’”
⁵But of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her”;
And the Most High Himself will ^(EI)establish her.
⁶The Lord will count when He ^(EJ)registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah
⁷Then those who ^(EK)sing as well as those who ^[af]^(EL)play the flutes will say,
“All my ^(EM)springs of joy are in you.”

A Petition to Be Saved from Death.

A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. For the music director; according to Mahalath Leannoth. A ^[ag]Maskil of Heman ^[ah]the Ezrahite.

88 Lord, the ^(EN)God of my salvation,
I have ^(EO)cried out by day and in the night before You.
²Let my prayer ^(EP)come before You;
^(EQ)Incline Your ear to my cry!
³For my ^(ER)soul has ^[ai]had enough troubles,
And ^(ES)my life has approached ^[aj]Sheol.
⁴I am counted among those who ^(ET)go down to the pit;
I have become like a man ^(EU)without strength,
⁵^[ak]Abandoned ^(EV)among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You no longer remember,
And they are ^(EW)cut off from Your hand.
⁶You have put me in ^(EX)the lowest pit,
In ^(EY)dark places, in the ^(EZ)depths.
⁷Your wrath ^(FA)has rested upon me,
And You have afflicted me with ^(FB)all Your waves. Selah
⁸You have removed ^(FC)my acquaintances far from me;
You have made me an ^[al]^(FD)object of loathing to them;
I am ^(FE)shut up and cannot go out.
⁹My ^(FF)eye grows dim from misery;
I have ^(FG)called upon You every day, Lord;
I have ^(FH)spread out my ^[am]hands to You.

¹⁰Will You perform wonders for the dead?
Or will ^(FI)the departed spirits rise and praise You? Selah
¹¹Will Your graciousness be declared in the grave,
Your faithfulness in ^[an]Abaddon?
¹²Will Your wonders be made known in the ^(FJ)darkness?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

¹³But I, Lord, have cried out ^(FK)to You for help,
And ^(FL)in the morning my prayer comes before You.
¹⁴Lord, why ^(FM)do You reject my soul?
Why do You ^(FN)hide Your face from me?
¹⁵I was miserable and ^(FO)about to die from my youth on;
I suffer ^(FP)Your terrors; I grow weary.
¹⁶Your ^(FQ)burning anger has passed over me;
Your terrors have ^[ao]^(FR)destroyed me.
¹⁷They have ^(FS)surrounded me ^(FT)like water all day long;
They have ^(FU)encircled me altogether.
¹⁸You have removed ^(FV)lover and friend far from me;
My acquaintances are in a hiding place.

The Lord’s Covenant with David and Israel’s Afflictions.

A ^[ap]Maskil of ^[aq]Ethan ^[ar]the Ezrahite.

89 I will ^(FW)sing of the graciousness of the Lord forever;
To all generations I will ^(FX)make Your ^(FY)faithfulness known with my mouth.
²For I have said, “^(FZ)Graciousness will be built up forever;
In the heavens You will establish Your ^(GA)faithfulness.”
³“I have made a covenant with ^(GB)My chosen;
I have ^(GC)sworn to My servant David,
⁴I will establish your ^[as]^(GD)descendants forever
And build up your ^(GE)throne to all generations.” Selah

⁵The ^(GF)heavens will praise Your wonders, Lord;
Your faithfulness also ^(GG)in the assembly of the ^(GH)holy ones.
⁶For ^(GI)who in the skies is comparable to the Lord?
Who among the ^[at]^(GJ)sons of the mighty is like the Lord,
⁷A God ^(GK)greatly feared in the council of the ^(GL)holy ones,
And ^(GM)awesome above all those who are around Him?
⁸Lord God of armies, ^(GN)who is like You, mighty ^[au]Lord?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
⁹You rule the surging of the sea;
When its waves rise, You ^(GO)calm them.
¹⁰You Yourself crushed ^[av]^(GP)Rahab like one who is slain;
You ^(GQ)scattered Your enemies with ^[aw]Your mighty arm.

¹¹The ^(GR)heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The ^(GS)world and ^[ax]all it contains, You have established them.
¹²The ^(GT)north and the south, You have created them;
^(GU)Tabor and ^(GV)Hermon ^(GW)shout for joy at Your name.
¹³You have ^[ay]a strong arm;
Your hand is mighty, Your ^(GX)right hand is exalted.
¹⁴^(GY)Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
^(GZ)Mercy and ^[az]truth go before You.
¹⁵Blessed are the people who know the ^[ba]^(HA)joyful sound!
Lord, they walk in the ^(HB)light of Your face.
¹⁶In ^(HC)Your name they rejoice all the day,
And by Your righteousness they are exalted.
¹⁷For You are the glory of ^(HD)their strength,
And by Your favor ^[bb]our ^(HE)horn is exalted.
¹⁸For our ^(HF)shield belongs to the Lord,
^[bc]And our king to the ^(HG)Holy One of Israel.

¹⁹^[bd]Once You spoke in vision to Your godly ^[be]ones,
And said, “I have ^[bf]given help to one who is ^(HH)mighty;
I have exalted one ^(HI)chosen from the people.
²⁰I have ^(HJ)found My servant David;
With My holy ^(HK)oil I have anointed him,
²¹With whom ^(HL)My hand will be established;
My arm also will ^(HM)strengthen him.
²²The enemy will not ^[bg]deceive him,
Nor will the ^[bh]^(HN)son of wickedness afflict him.
²³But I will ^(HO)crush his adversaries before him,
And strike those who hate him.
²⁴My ^(HP)faithfulness and My favor will be with him,
And in My name his ^(HQ)horn will be exalted.
²⁵I will also place his hand ^(HR)on the sea,
And his right hand on the rivers.
²⁶He will call to Me, ‘You are ^(HS)my Father,
My God, and the ^(HT)rock of my salvation.’
²⁷I will also make him My ^(HU)firstborn,
The ^(HV)highest of the kings of the earth.
²⁸I will maintain My ^(HW)favor for him forever,
And My ^(HX)covenant shall be confirmed to him.
²⁹So I will establish his ^[bi]^(HY)descendants forever,
And his ^(HZ)throne ^(IA)as the days of heaven.

³⁰“If his sons ^(IB)abandon My Law
And do not walk in My judgments,
³¹If they ^[bj]violate My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
³²Then I will punish their wrongdoing with the ^(IC)rod,
And their guilt with ^[bk]afflictions.
³³But I will not ^[bl]withhold ^(ID)My favor from him,
Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness.
³⁴I will not ^[bm]violate My ^(IE)covenant,
Nor will I ^(IF)alter ^[bn]the utterance of My lips.
³⁵^[bo]Once I have ^(IG)sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David.
³⁶His ^[bp]^(IH)descendants shall endure forever,
And his ^(II)throne ^(IJ)as the sun before Me.
³⁷It shall be established forever ^(IK)like the moon,
And a ^(IL)witness in the sky is faithful.” Selah

³⁸But You have ^(IM)rejected and ^(IN)refused,
You have been full of wrath ^[bq]against Your ^(IO)anointed.
³⁹You have ^[br]^(IP)repudiated the covenant of Your servant;
You have ^(IQ)profaned ^(IR)his crown ^[bs]in the dust.
⁴⁰You have ^(IS)broken down all his walls;
You have ^(IT)brought his strongholds to ruin.
⁴¹^(IU)All who pass along the way plunder him;
He has become a ^(IV)disgrace to his neighbors.
⁴²You have ^(IW)exalted the right hand of his adversaries;
You have ^(IX)made all his enemies rejoice.
⁴³You also turn back the edge of his sword,
And have ^(IY)not made him stand in battle.
⁴⁴You have put an end to his ^[bt]^(IZ)splendor
And cast his throne to the ground.
⁴⁵You have ^(JA)shortened the days of his youth;
You have ^(JB)covered him with shame. Selah

⁴⁶^(JC)How long, Lord?
Will You hide Yourself forever?
Will Your ^(JD)wrath burn like fire?
⁴⁷^(JE)Remember ^[bu]what my lifespan is;
For what ^(JF)futility ^[bv]You have created all the sons of mankind!
⁴⁸What man can live and not ^(JG)see death?
Can he ^(JH)save his soul from the ^[bw]power of ^[bx]Sheol? Selah

⁴⁹Where are Your former acts of favor, Lord,
Which You ^(JI)swore to David in Your faithfulness?
⁵⁰Remember, Lord, the ^(JJ)taunt against Your servants;
^[by]How I carry in my heart the taunts of all the many peoples,
⁵¹With which ^(JK)Your enemies have taunted, Lord,
With which they have taunted the footsteps of ^(JL)Your anointed.

⁵²^(JM)Blessed be the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.

BOOK 4

God’s Eternity and the Brevity of Human Life.

A Prayer of ^[bz]Moses, the man of God.

90 Lord, You have been our ^[ca]^(JN)dwelling place in all generations.
²Before ^(JO)the mountains were born
^[cb]Or You ^(JP)gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even ^(JQ)from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

³You ^(JR)turn mortals back into dust
And say, “Return, you sons of mankind.”
⁴For ^(JS)a thousand years in Your sight
Are like ^(JT)yesterday when it passes by,
^[cc]Or like a ^(JU)watch in the night.
⁵You ^(JV)have ^[cd]swept them away like a flood, they ^[ce]^(JW)fall asleep;
In the morning they are like ^(JX)grass that ^[cf]sprouts anew.
⁶In the morning it ^(JY)flourishes and ^[cg]sprouts anew;
Toward evening it ^(JZ)wilts and ^(KA)withers away.

⁷For we have been ^(KB)consumed by Your anger,
And we have been terrified by Your wrath.
⁸You have ^(KC)placed our guilty deeds before You,
Our ^(KD)hidden sins in the light of Your presence.
⁹For ^(KE)all our days have dwindled away in Your fury;
We have finished our years like a ^[ch]sigh.
¹⁰As for the days of our ^[ci]life, ^[cj]they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, ^(KF)eighty years,
Yet their pride is only ^(KG)trouble and tragedy;
For it quickly passes, and we ^(KH)disappear.
¹¹Who ^[ck]understands the ^(KI)power of Your anger
And Your fury, according to the ^(KJ)fear ^[cl]that is due You?
¹²So ^(KK)teach us to number our days,
That we may ^[cm]^(KL)present to You a heart of wisdom.

¹³Do ^(KM)return, Lord; ^(KN)how long will it be?
And ^[cn]be ^(KO)sorry for Your servants.
¹⁴^(KP)Satisfy us in the morning with Your graciousness,
That we may ^(KQ)sing for joy and rejoice all our days.
¹⁵^(KR)Make us glad ^[co]according to the days You have afflicted us,
And the ^(KS)years we have seen ^[cp]evil.
¹⁶Let Your ^(KT)work appear to Your servants
And Your ^(KU)majesty ^[cq]to their children.
¹⁷May the ^(KV)kindness of the Lord our God be upon us;
And ^[cr]^(KW)confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, ^[cs]confirm the work of our hands.

Footnotes

Psalm 82:1 Lit the assembly of God
Psalm 82:6 Lit I, on my part
Psalm 83:2 Lit lifted up the head
Psalm 83:3 Or consult
Psalm 83:3 Or hidden ones
Psalm 83:4 Lit from
Psalm 83:5 Or consulted
Psalm 83:8 Lit an arm
Psalm 83:13 Or tumbleweed
Psalm 84 Title Or according to
Psalm 84:5 Lit their
Psalm 84:6 Prob. Weeping; or Balsam-shrubs
Psalm 84:6 Or place of springs
Psalm 84:7 Some ancient versions The God of gods will be seen in Zion
Psalm 84:11 Lit with regard to
Psalm 85:5 Lit generation and generation
Psalm 85:6 Or bring to life
Psalm 85:8 Or Let me hear
Psalm 85:8 I.e., foolish self-confidence
Psalm 85:9 Or revere
Psalm 85:10 Or faithfulness
Psalm 85:11 Or Faithfulness
Psalm 86:2 Or life
Psalm 86:10 Or miracles
Psalm 86:13 Lit lowest Sheol
Psalm 86:13 I.e., the netherworld
Psalm 86:14 Lit soul
Psalm 86:15 Or faithfulness
Psalm 87:4 I.e., Egypt, as a sea monster; not to be confused with Rahab in Joshua 2
Psalm 87:4 Or as
Psalm 87:4 Or Ethiopia
Psalm 87:7 Or dance
Psalm 88 Title Possibly, Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
Psalm 88 Title 1 Kin 4:31; 1 Chr 2:6; Ps 89: title
Psalm 88:3 Or been satisfied with
Psalm 88:3 I.e., the netherworld
Psalm 88:5 Lit A freed one among the dead
Psalm 88:8 Lit abomination to them
Psalm 88:9 Lit palms
Psalm 88:11 I.e., place of destruction
Psalm 88:16 Or silenced
Psalm 89 Title Possibly, Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
Psalm 89 Title 1 Kin 4:31
Psalm 89 Title Ps 88: title
Psalm 89:4 Lit seed
Psalm 89:6 Or sons of gods
Psalm 89:8 Heb Yah
Psalm 89:10 I.e., Egypt, as a sea monster; not to be confused with Rahab in Joshua 2
Psalm 89:10 Lit the arm of Your might
Psalm 89:11 Lit its fullness
Psalm 89:13 Lit an arm with strength
Psalm 89:14 Or faithfulness
Psalm 89:15 Or blast of the trumpet, shout of joy
Psalm 89:17 Another reading is You exalt our horn
Psalm 89:18 Or Even to the Holy One of Israel our King
Psalm 89:19 Or At that time
Psalm 89:19 Some mss one
Psalm 89:19 Lit placed help upon
Psalm 89:22 Or exact usury from him
Psalm 89:22 Or wicked man
Psalm 89:29 Lit seed
Psalm 89:31 Lit profane
Psalm 89:32 Or plagues
Psalm 89:33 Lit break
Psalm 89:34 Lit profane
Psalm 89:34 Lit that which goes forth
Psalm 89:35 Or One thing
Psalm 89:36 Lit seed
Psalm 89:38 Lit with
Psalm 89:39 I.e., scornfully rejected
Psalm 89:39 Lit to the ground
Psalm 89:44 Lit clearness, luster
Psalm 89:47 Lit of what duration I am
Psalm 89:47 Or have You...mankind?
Psalm 89:48 Lit hand
Psalm 89:48 I.e., the netherworld
Psalm 89:50 Lit My bearing in my chest
Psalm 90 Title Deut 33:1
Psalm 90:1 Or hiding place; some ancient mss place of refuge
Psalm 90:2 Or And
Psalm 90:4 Or And
Psalm 90:5 Or flooded
Psalm 90:5 Lit become asleep
Psalm 90:5 Or passes away
Psalm 90:6 Or passes away
Psalm 90:9 Or whisper
Psalm 90:10 Lit years
Psalm 90:10 Lit in them are
Psalm 90:11 Or knows
Psalm 90:11 Lit of You
Psalm 90:12 Lit bring in
Psalm 90:13 Or repent in regard to
Psalm 90:15 Or as many days as
Psalm 90:15 Or trouble
Psalm 90:16 Or upon
Psalm 90:17 Or give permanence to
Psalm 90:17 Or give permanence to