Psalm 76
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 76
Israel’s God—Judge of All the Earth
To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
1 In Judah God is known;
his name is great in Israel.(A)
2 His abode has been established in Salem,
his dwelling place in Zion.(B)
3 There he broke the flashing arrows,
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah(C)
4 Glorious are you, more majestic
than the everlasting mountains.[a]
5 The courageous were stripped of their spoil;
they sank into sleep;
none of the troops
was able to lift a hand.(D)
6 At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both rider and horse lay stunned.
7 But you indeed are awesome!
Who can stand before you
when your anger is roused?(E)
8 From the heavens you uttered judgment;
the earth feared and was still(F)
9 when God rose up to establish judgment,
to save all the oppressed of the earth. Selah(G)
10 Human wrath serves only to praise you,
when you bind the last bit of your[b] wrath around you.(H)
11 Make vows to the Lord your God and perform them;
let all who are around him bring gifts
to the one who is awesome,(I)
12 who cuts off the spirit of princes,
who inspires fear in the kings of the earth.(J)
Psalm 76
The Message
76 1-3 God is well-known in Judah;
in Israel, he’s a household name.
He keeps a house in Salem,
his own suite of rooms in Zion.
That’s where, using arrows for kindling,
he made a bonfire of weapons of war.
4-6 Oh, how bright you shine!
Outshining their huge piles of loot!
The warriors were plundered
and left there impotent.
And now there’s nothing to them,
nothing to show for their swagger and threats.
Your sudden roar, God of Jacob,
knocked the wind out of horse and rider.
7-10 Fierce you are, and fearsome!
Who can stand up to your rising anger?
From heaven you thunder judgment;
earth falls to her knees and holds her breath.
God stands tall and makes things right,
he saves all the wretched on earth.
Instead of smoldering rage—God-praise!
All that sputtering rage—now a garland for God!
11-12 Do for God what you said you’d do—
he is, after all, your God.
Let everyone in town bring offerings
to the One Who Watches our every move.
Nobody gets by with anything,
no one plays fast and loose with him.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson