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A Prayer for the Nation

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

85 Lord, you have been kind to your land.
    You gave the people of Jacob back their riches.
You forgave the guilt of the people.
    You covered all their sins. Selah
You stopped all your anger.
    You stopped your strong anger.

God our Savior, bring us back again.
    Stop being angry with us.
Will you be angry with us forever?
    Will you stay angry from now on?
Won’t you give us life again?
    Your people would rejoice in you.
Lord, show us your love.
    Save us.

I will listen to God the Lord.
    He has ordered peace for his people who worship him.
    Don’t let them go back to foolishness.
God will soon save those who respect him.
    And his greatness will be seen in our land.
10 Love and truth will belong to God’s people.
    Goodness and peace will be theirs.
11 On earth people will be loyal to God.
    And God’s goodness will shine down from heaven.
12 The Lord will give his goodness.
    And the land will give its crops.
13 Goodness will go before God
    and prepare the way for him.

Turn Us Back, O God

For the choir director. Of the sons of Korah. A Psalm.

85 O Yahweh, You showed (A)favor to Your land;
You [a](B)returned the fortunes of Jacob.
You (C)forgave the iniquity of Your people;
You (D)covered all their sin. [b]Selah.
You (E)withdrew all Your fury;
You (F)turned back from Your burning anger.

(G)Turn us back, O God of our salvation,
And (H)cause Your vexation toward us to cease.
Will (I)You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger from generation to generation?
Will You not Yourself (J)return to [c]revive us,
That Your people may (K)be glad in You?
Show us, O Yahweh, Your lovingkindness,
And (L)give us Your salvation.

Let me hear what the God, Yahweh, will speak;
For He will (M)speak peace to His people, [d]to His holy ones;
But let them not (N)turn back to [e]folly.
Surely (O)His salvation is near to those who [f]fear Him,
That (P)glory may dwell in our land.
10 (Q)Lovingkindness and [g]truth have met together;
(R)Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 [h]Truth (S)springs up from the earth,
And righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 Indeed, (T)Yahweh will give what is good,
And our (U)land will yield its produce.
13 (V)Righteousness will go before Him
And will establish the way of His steps.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 85:1 Or restore the captivity
  2. Psalm 85:2 Selah may mean Pause, Crescendo, Musical Interlude
  3. Psalm 85:6 Or bring us to life
  4. Psalm 85:8 Lit even to
  5. Psalm 85:8 Or stupidity
  6. Psalm 85:9 Or reverence
  7. Psalm 85:10 Or faithfulness
  8. Psalm 85:11 Or Faithfulness

Psalm 85[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

You, Lord, showed favor to your land;
    you restored the fortunes(A) of Jacob.
You forgave(B) the iniquity(C) of your people
    and covered all their sins.[b]
You set aside all your wrath(D)
    and turned from your fierce anger.(E)

Restore(F) us again, God our Savior,(G)
    and put away your displeasure toward us.
Will you be angry with us forever?(H)
    Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
Will you not revive(I) us again,
    that your people may rejoice(J) in you?
Show us your unfailing love,(K) Lord,
    and grant us your salvation.(L)

I will listen to what God the Lord says;
    he promises peace(M) to his people, his faithful servants—
    but let them not turn to folly.(N)
Surely his salvation(O) is near those who fear him,
    that his glory(P) may dwell in our land.

10 Love and faithfulness(Q) meet together;
    righteousness(R) and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
    and righteousness(S) looks down from heaven.
12 The Lord will indeed give what is good,(T)
    and our land will yield(U) its harvest.
13 Righteousness goes before him
    and prepares the way for his steps.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 85:1 In Hebrew texts 85:1-13 is numbered 85:2-14.
  2. Psalm 85:2 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.