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A Prayer to Bring Israel Back

For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies of the Agreement.” A song of Asaph.

80 Shepherd of Israel, listen to us.
    You lead the people of Joseph like a flock.
You sit on your throne between the gold creatures with wings.
Show your greatness     to the people of Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Use your strength.
    Come and save us.

God, take us back.
    Show us your kindness so we can be saved.

Lord God of heaven’s armies,
    how long will you be angry
    at the prayers of your people?
You have fed your people tears.
    You have made them drink many tears.
You made those around us fight over us.
    Our enemies make fun of us.

God of heaven’s armies, take us back.
    Show us your kindness so we can be saved.

You brought us out of Egypt as if we were a vine.
    You forced out other nations and planted us in the land.
You cleared the land for us.
    Like a vine, we took root and filled the land.
10 We covered the mountains with our shade.
    We had limbs like the mighty cedar tree.
11 Our branches reached the Mediterranean Sea.
    And our shoots went to the Euphrates River.

12 So why did you pull down our walls?
    Now everyone who passes by steals from us.
13 Like wild pigs they walk over us.
    Like wild animals they feed on us.

14 God of heaven’s armies, come back.
    Look down from heaven and see.
Take care of us, your vine.
15     You planted this shoot with your own hands.
    You raised and strengthened this child.
16 Now it is cut down and burned with fire.
    You destroyed us by your angry looks.
17 Help the man you have chosen.
    Make this human being strong for your service.
18 Then we will not turn away from you.
    Give us life again, and we will call to you for help.

19 Lord God of heaven’s armies, take us back.
    Show us your kindness so we can be saved.

Psalm 80

For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be sung to the tune “Lilies of the Covenant.”

Please listen, O Shepherd of Israel,
    you who lead Joseph’s descendants like a flock.
O God, enthroned above the cherubim,
    display your radiant glory
    to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh.
Show us your mighty power.
    Come to rescue us!

Turn us again to yourself, O God.
    Make your face shine down upon us.
    Only then will we be saved.
O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies,
    how long will you be angry with our prayers?
You have fed us with sorrow
    and made us drink tears by the bucketful.
You have made us the scorn[a] of neighboring nations.
    Our enemies treat us as a joke.

Turn us again to yourself, O God of Heaven’s Armies.
    Make your face shine down upon us.
    Only then will we be saved.
You brought us from Egypt like a grapevine;
    you drove away the pagan nations and transplanted us into your land.
You cleared the ground for us,
    and we took root and filled the land.
10 Our shade covered the mountains;
    our branches covered the mighty cedars.
11 We spread our branches west to the Mediterranean Sea;
    our shoots spread east to the Euphrates River.[b]
12 But now, why have you broken down our walls
    so that all who pass by may steal our fruit?
13 The wild boar from the forest devours it,
    and the wild animals feed on it.

14 Come back, we beg you, O God of Heaven’s Armies.
    Look down from heaven and see our plight.
Take care of this grapevine
15     that you yourself have planted,
    this son you have raised for yourself.
16 For we are chopped up and burned by our enemies.
    May they perish at the sight of your frown.
17 Strengthen the man you love,
    the son of your choice.
18 Then we will never abandon you again.
    Revive us so we can call on your name once more.

19 Turn us again to yourself, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.
    Make your face shine down upon us.
    Only then will we be saved.

Footnotes

  1. 80:6 As in Syriac version; Hebrew reads the strife.
  2. 80:11 Hebrew west to the sea, . . . east to the river.