Psalm 77[a]

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.

I cried out to God(A) for help;
    I cried out to God to hear me.
When I was in distress,(B) I sought the Lord;
    at night(C) I stretched out untiring hands,(D)
    and I would not be comforted.(E)

I remembered(F) you, God, and I groaned;(G)
    I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.[b](H)
You kept my eyes from closing;
    I was too troubled to speak.(I)
I thought about the former days,(J)
    the years of long ago;
I remembered my songs in the night.
    My heart meditated and my spirit asked:

“Will the Lord reject forever?(K)
    Will he never show his favor(L) again?
Has his unfailing love(M) vanished forever?
    Has his promise(N) failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful?(O)
    Has he in anger withheld his compassion?(P)

10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
    the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.(Q)
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your miracles(R) of long ago.
12 I will consider(S) all your works
    and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”(T)

13 Your ways, God, are holy.
    What god is as great as our God?(U)
14 You are the God who performs miracles;(V)
    you display your power among the peoples.
15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,(W)
    the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

16 The waters(X) saw you, God,
    the waters saw you and writhed;(Y)
    the very depths were convulsed.
17 The clouds poured down water,(Z)
    the heavens resounded with thunder;(AA)
    your arrows(AB) flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,(AC)
    your lightning(AD) lit up the world;
    the earth trembled and quaked.(AE)
19 Your path(AF) led through the sea,(AG)
    your way through the mighty waters,
    though your footprints were not seen.

20 You led your people(AH) like a flock(AI)
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.(AJ)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 77:1 In Hebrew texts 77:1-20 is numbered 77:2-21.
  2. Psalm 77:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 9 and 15.

77 I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.

In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.

I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.

Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.

I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.

Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more?

Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore?

Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.

10 And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.

11 I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.

12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.

13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?

14 Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.

15 Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

16 The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.

17 The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad.

18 The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.

19 Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.

20 Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

“You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt;(A) you heard their cry at the Red Sea.[a](B) 10 You sent signs(C) and wonders(D) against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name(E) for yourself,(F) which remains to this day. 11 You divided the sea before them,(G) so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths,(H) like a stone into mighty waters.(I) 12 By day(J) you led(K) them with a pillar of cloud,(L) and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.

13 “You came down on Mount Sinai;(M) you spoke(N) to them from heaven.(O) You gave them regulations and laws that are just(P) and right, and decrees and commands that are good.(Q) 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath(R) and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven(S) and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock;(T) you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand(U) to give them.(V)

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Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 9:9 Or the Sea of Reeds

And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;

10 And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day.

11 And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.

12 Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.

13 Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:

14 And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:

15 And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.

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13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment(A) on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.(B) 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself.(C) But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.(D) 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love.(E) Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.(F) 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil.(G) 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,(H) but of righteousness, peace(I) and joy in the Holy Spirit,(J) 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.(K)

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace(L) and to mutual edification.(M) 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.(N) All food is clean,(O) but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.(P) 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.(Q)

22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn(R) himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts(S) is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.[a]

15 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak(T) and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good,(U) to build them up.(V)

Footnotes

  1. Romans 14:23 Some manuscripts place 16:25-27 here; others after 15:33.

13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.

16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:

17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.

21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.

23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

15 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.