Psalm 60

Prayer in Difficult Times

For the choir director: according to “The Lily of Testimony.”(A) A Miktam of David for teaching. When he fought with Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and struck Edom in Salt Valley, killing twelve thousand.(B)

God, you have rejected us;
you have broken us down;
you have been angry. Restore us![a](C)
You have shaken the land and split it open.
Heal its fissures, for it shudders.(D)
You have made your people suffer hardship;
you have given us wine to drink
that made us stagger.(E)
You have given a signal flag to those who fear you,
so that they can flee before the archers.[b](F)Selah
Save with your right hand, and answer me,
so that those you love may be rescued.(G)

God has spoken in his sanctuary:[c]
“I will celebrate!
I will divide up Shechem.(H)
I will apportion the Valley of Succoth.(I)
Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine,
and Ephraim is my helmet;(J)
Judah is my scepter.(K)
Moab is my washbasin.(L)
I throw my sandal on Edom;(M)
I shout in triumph over Philistia.”(N)

Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?(O)
10 God, haven’t you rejected us?
God, you do not march out with our armies.(P)
11 Give us aid against the foe,
for human help is worthless.(Q)
12 With God we will perform valiantly;(R)
he will trample our foes.(S)

Footnotes

  1. 60:1 Or Turn back to us
  2. 60:4 Or can rally before the archers, or can rally because of the truth
  3. 60:6 Or has promised by his holy nature

Psalm 75

God Judges the Wicked

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A psalm of Asaph.(A) A song.

We give thanks to you, God;
we give thanks to you, for your name is near.(B)
People tell about your wondrous works.(C)

“When I choose a time,
I will judge fairly.(D)
When the earth and all its inhabitants shake,
I am the one who steadies its pillars.(E)Selah
I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn.(F)
Do not lift up your horn against heaven[a]
or speak arrogantly.’”(G)

Exaltation does not come
from the east, the west, or the desert,
for God is the Judge:
He brings down one and exalts another.(H)
For there is a cup in the Lord’s hand,
full of wine blended with spices, and he pours from it.
All the wicked of the earth will drink,
draining it to the dregs.(I)

As for me, I will tell about him forever;
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.(J)

10 “I will cut off all the horns of the wicked,(K)
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”(L)

Footnotes

  1. 75:5 Lit horn to the height

War with the Ammonites

10 Some time later, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun became king in his place.(A) Then David said, “I’ll show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.”

So David sent his emissaries to console Hanun concerning his father. However, when they arrived in the land of the Ammonites, the Ammonite leaders said to Hanun their lord, “Just because David has sent men with condolences for you, do you really believe he’s showing respect for your father? Instead, hasn’t David sent his emissaries in order to scout out the city, spy on it, and demolish it?” (B) So Hanun took David’s emissaries, shaved off half their beards,(C) cut their clothes in half at the hips, and sent them away.(D)

When this was reported to David, he sent someone to meet them, since they were deeply humiliated. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow back; then return.”

When the Ammonites realized they had become repulsive to David, they hired twenty thousand foot soldiers from the Arameans of Beth-rehob and Zobah, one thousand men from the king of Maacah, and twelve thousand men from Tob.

David heard about it and sent Joab and all the elite troops. The Ammonites marched out and lined up in battle formation at the entrance to the city gate while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were in the field by themselves. When Joab saw that there was a battle line in front of him and another behind him, he chose some of Israel’s finest young men and lined up in formation to engage the Arameans. 10 He placed the rest of the forces under the command of his brother Abishai. They lined up in formation to engage the Ammonites.

11 “If the Arameans are too strong for me,” Joab said, “then you will be my help. However, if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I’ll come to help you. 12 Be strong! Let’s prove ourselves strong for our people and for the cities of our God.(E) May the Lord’s will be done.”[a](F)

13 Joab and his troops advanced to fight against the Arameans, and they fled before him. 14 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they too fled before Abishai and entered the city. So Joab withdrew from the attack against the Ammonites and went to Jerusalem.

15 When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they regrouped. 16 Hadadezer sent messengers to bring the Arameans who were beyond the Euphrates River, and they came to Helam with Shobach, commander of Hadadezer’s army, leading them.

17 When this was reported to David, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, and went to Helam. Then the Arameans lined up to engage David in battle and fought against him. 18 But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers.[b] He also struck down Shobach commander of their army, who died there. 19 When all the kings who were Hadadezer’s subjects saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became their subjects. After this, the Arameans were afraid to ever help the Ammonites again.

Footnotes

  1. 10:12 Lit the Lord do what is good in his eyes
  2. 10:18 Some LXX mss; MT reads horsemen; 1Ch 19:18

War with the Ammonites

19 Some time later,(A) King Nahash of the Ammonites died, and his son became king in his place. Then David said, “I’ll show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.”

So David sent messengers to console him concerning his father. However, when David’s emissaries arrived in the land of the Ammonites to console him, the Ammonite leaders said to Hanun, “Just because David has sent men with condolences for you, do you really believe he’s showing respect for your father? Instead, haven’t his emissaries come in order to scout out, overthrow, and spy on the land?” So Hanun took David’s emissaries, shaved them, cut their clothes in half at the hips, and sent them away.(B)

It was reported to David about his men, so he sent messengers to meet them, since the men were deeply humiliated. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow back; then return.”

When the Ammonites realized(C) they had made themselves repulsive to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent thirty-eight tons[a] of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Aram-naharaim, Aram-maacah, and Zobah.(D) They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and the king of Maacah with his army, who came and camped near Medeba.(E) The Ammonites also came together from their cities for the battle.

David heard about this and sent Joab and all the elite troops. The Ammonites marched out and lined up in battle formation at the entrance of the city while the kings who had come were in the field by themselves. 10 When Joab saw that there was a battle line in front of him and another behind him, he chose some of Israel’s finest young men[b](F) and lined up in formation to engage the Arameans. 11 He placed the rest of the forces under the command of his brother Abishai. They lined up in formation to engage the Ammonites.

12 “If the Arameans are too strong for me,” Joab said, “then you’ll be my help. However, if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I’ll help you. 13 Be strong! Let’s prove ourselves strong for our people and for the cities of our God.(G) May the Lord’s will be done.”[c]

14 Joab and the people with him approached the Arameans for battle, and they fled before him. 15 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they likewise fled before Joab’s brother Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab went to Jerusalem.

16 When the Arameans realized that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers to summon the Arameans who were beyond the Euphrates River. They were led by Shophach, the commander of Hadadezer’s army.

17 When this was reported to David, he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan. He came up to the Arameans and lined up against them. When David lined up to engage them, they fought against him. 18 But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers. He also killed Shophach, commander of the army. 19 When Hadadezer’s subjects saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became his subjects. After this, the Arameans were never willing to help the Ammonites again.

Footnotes

  1. 19:6 Lit 1,000 talents
  2. 19:10 Lit Israel’s choice ones
  3. 19:13 Lit the Lord do what is good in his eyes

Psalm 20

Deliverance in Battle

For the choir director. A psalm of David.

May the Lord answer you in a day of trouble;(A)
may the name of Jacob’s God protect you.(B)
May he send you help from the sanctuary
and sustain you from Zion.(C)
May he remember all your offerings
and accept your burnt offering.(D)Selah

May he give you what your heart desires(E)
and fulfill your whole purpose.(F)
Let us shout for joy at your victory(G)
and lift the banner in the name of our God.(H)
May the Lord fulfill all your requests.(I)

Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed;(J)
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with mighty victories from his right hand.(K)
Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses,
but we take pride in the name of the Lord our God.(L)
They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand firm.(M)
Lord, give victory to the king!(N)
May he[a] answer us on the day that we call.

Footnotes

  1. 20:9 Or Lord, save. May the king

Psalm 65

God’s Care for the Earth

For the choir director. A psalm of David. A song.

Praise is rightfully yours,[a]
God, in Zion;
vows to you will be fulfilled.(A)
All humanity will come to you,
the one who hears prayer.(B)
Iniquities overwhelm me;
only you can atone for our rebellions.(C)
How happy is the one you choose
and bring near to live in your courts!
We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house,(D)
the holiness of your temple.[b](E)

You answer us in righteousness,
with awe-inspiring works,
God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the distant seas.(F)
You establish the mountains by your power;
you are robed with strength.(G)
You silence the roar of the seas,
the roar of their waves,
and the tumult of the nations.(H)
Those who live far away are awed by your signs;
you make east and west shout for joy.(I)

You visit the earth and water it abundantly,
enriching it greatly.
God’s stream is filled with water,
for you prepare the earth in this way,
providing people with grain.(J)
10 You soften it with showers and bless its growth,
soaking its furrows and leveling its ridges.(K)
11 You crown the year with your goodness;
your carts overflow with plenty.[c](L)
12 The wilderness pastures overflow,
and the hills are robed with joy.(M)
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks
and the valleys covered with grain.(N)
They shout in triumph; indeed, they sing.(O)

Psalm 66

Praise for God’s Mighty Acts

For the choir director. A song. A psalm.

Let the whole earth shout joyfully to God!(P)
Sing about the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious.(Q)
Say to God, “How awe-inspiring are your works!
Your enemies will cringe before you
because of your great strength.(R)
The whole earth will worship you
and sing praise to you.
They will sing praise to your name.”(S)Selah

Come and see the wonders of God;(T)
his acts for humanity[d] are awe-inspiring.
He turned the sea into dry land,
and they crossed the river on foot.(U)
There we rejoiced in him.(V)
He rules forever by his might;
he keeps his eye on the nations.(W)
The rebellious should not exalt themselves.(X)Selah
Bless our God, you peoples;
let the sound of his praise be heard.(Y)
He keeps us alive[e]
and does not allow our feet to slip.(Z)

10 For you, God, tested us;
you refined us as silver is refined.(AA)
11 You lured us into a trap;
you placed burdens on our backs.(AB)
12 You let men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water,
but you brought us out to abundance.[f](AC)

13 I will enter your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay you my vows(AD)
14 that my lips promised
and my mouth spoke during my distress.(AE)
15 I will offer you fattened sheep as burnt offerings,
with the fragrant smoke of rams;
I will sacrifice bulls with goats.(AF)Selah

16 Come and listen, all who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for me.(AG)
17 I cried out to him with my mouth,
and praise was on my tongue.(AH)
18 If I had been aware of malice in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.(AI)
19 However, God has listened;
he has paid attention to the sound of my prayer.(AJ)
20 Blessed be God!
He has not turned away my prayer
or turned his faithful love from me.(AK)

Footnotes

  1. 65:1 Or Praise is silence to you, or Praise awaits you
  2. 65:4 Or house, your holy temple
  3. 65:11 Lit your paths drip with fat
  4. 66:5 Or for the descendants of Adam
  5. 66:9 Lit He sets our soul in life
  6. 66:12 Or a place of satisfaction

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