The Majesty of God in Judgment

To the Chief Musician. On [a]stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

76 In (A)Judah God is known;
His name is great in Israel.
In [b]Salem also is His tabernacle,
And His dwelling place in Zion.
There He broke the arrows of the bow,
The shield and sword of battle. Selah

You are more glorious and excellent
(B)Than the mountains of prey.
(C)The stouthearted were plundered;
(D)They [c]have sunk into their sleep;
And none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands.
(E)At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep.

You, Yourself, are to be feared;
And (F)who may stand in Your presence
When once You are angry?
(G)You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;
(H)The earth feared and was still,
When God (I)arose to judgment,
To deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah

10 (J)Surely the wrath of man shall praise You;
With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself.

11 (K)Make vows to the Lord your God, and pay them;
(L)Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared.
12 He shall cut off the spirit of princes;
(M)He is awesome to the kings of the earth.

The Consoling Memory of God’s Redemptive Works

To the Chief Musician. (N)To Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

77 I cried out to God with my voice—
To God with my voice;
And He gave ear to me.
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;
My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing;
My soul refused to be comforted.
I remembered God, and was troubled;
I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah

You hold my eyelids open;
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 meditate within my heart,
And my spirit [d]makes diligent search.

Will the Lord cast off forever?
And will He be favorable no more?
Has His mercy ceased forever?
Has His (O)promise failed [e]forevermore?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah

10 And I said, “This is my [f]anguish;
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 Your wonders of old.
12 I will also meditate on all Your work,
And talk of Your deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is in [g]the (P)sanctuary;
Who is so great a God as our God?
14 You are the God who does wonders;
You have declared Your strength among the peoples.
15 You have with Your arm redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

16 The waters saw You, O God;
The waters saw You, they were (Q)afraid;
The depths also trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
The skies sent out a sound;
Your arrows also flashed about.
18 The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightnings lit up the world;
The earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was in the sea,
Your path in the great waters,
And Your footsteps were not known.
20 You led Your people like a flock
By the hand of Moses and Aaron.

God’s Kindness to Rebellious Israel

A (R)Contemplation[h] of Asaph.

78 Give ear, O my people, to my law;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a (S)parable;
I will utter [i]dark sayings of old,
Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
(T)We will not hide them from their children,
(U)Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.

For (V)He established a testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers,
That (W)they should make them known to their children;
(X)That the generation to come might know them,
The children who would be born,
That they may arise and declare them to their children,
That they may set their hope in God,
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments;
And (Y)may not be like their fathers,
(Z)A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation (AA)that did not [j]set its heart aright,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

The children of Ephraim, being armed and [k]carrying bows,
Turned back in the day of battle.
10 (AB)They did not keep the covenant of God;
They refused to walk in His law,
11 And (AC)forgot His works
And His wonders that He had shown them.

12 (AD)Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers,
In the land of Egypt, (AE)in the field of Zoan.
13 (AF)He divided the sea and caused them to pass through;
And (AG)He made the waters stand up like a heap.
14 (AH)In the daytime also He led them with the cloud,
And all the night with a light of fire.
15 (AI)He split the rocks in the wilderness,
And gave them drink in abundance like the depths.
16 He also brought (AJ)streams out of the rock,
And caused waters to run down like rivers.

17 But they sinned even more against Him
By (AK)rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.
18 And (AL)they tested God in their heart
By asking for the food of their fancy.
19 (AM)Yes, they spoke against God:
They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 (AN)Behold, He struck the rock,
So that the waters gushed out,
And the streams overflowed.
Can He give bread also?
Can He provide meat for His people?”

21 Therefore the Lord heard this and (AO)was furious;
So a fire was kindled against Jacob,
And anger also came up against Israel,
22 Because they (AP)did not believe in God,
And did not trust in His salvation.
23 Yet He had commanded the clouds above,
(AQ)And opened the doors of heaven,
24 (AR)Had rained down manna on them to eat,
And given them of the [l]bread of (AS)heaven.
25 Men ate angels’ food;
He sent them food to [m]the full.

26 (AT)He caused an east wind to blow in the heavens;
And by His power He brought in the south wind.
27 He also rained meat on them like the dust,
Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas;
28 And He let them fall in the midst of their camp,
All around their dwellings.
29 (AU)So they ate and were well filled,
For He gave them their own desire.
30 They were not [n]deprived of their craving;
But (AV)while their food was still in their mouths,
31 The wrath of God came against them,
And slew the stoutest of them,
And struck down the choice men of Israel.

32 In spite of this (AW)they still sinned,
And (AX)did not believe in His wondrous works.
33 (AY)Therefore their days He consumed in futility,
And their years in fear.

34 (AZ)When He slew them, then they sought Him;
And they returned and sought earnestly for God.
35 Then they remembered that (BA)God was their rock,
And the Most High God (BB)their Redeemer.
36 Nevertheless they (BC)flattered Him with their mouth,
And they lied to Him with their tongue;
37 For their heart was not steadfast with Him,
Nor were they faithful in His covenant.
38 (BD)But He, being full of (BE)compassion, forgave their iniquity,
And did not destroy them.
Yes, many a time (BF)He turned His anger away,
And (BG)did not stir up all His wrath;
39 For (BH)He remembered (BI)that they were but flesh,
(BJ)A breath that passes away and does not come again.

40 How often they (BK)provoked[o] Him in the wilderness,
And grieved Him in the desert!
41 Yes, (BL)again and again they tempted God,
And limited the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember His [p]power:
The day when He redeemed them from the enemy,
43 When He worked His signs in Egypt,
And His wonders in the field of Zoan;
44 (BM)Turned their rivers into blood,
And their streams, that they could not drink.
45 (BN)He sent swarms of flies among them, which devoured them,
And (BO)frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He also gave their crops to the caterpillar,
And their labor to the (BP)locust.
47 (BQ)He destroyed their vines with hail,
And their sycamore trees with frost.
48 He also gave up their (BR)cattle to the hail,
And their flocks to fiery [q]lightning.
49 He cast on them the fierceness of His anger,
Wrath, indignation, and trouble,
By sending angels of destruction among them.
50 He made a path for His anger;
He did not spare their soul from death,
But gave [r]their life over to the plague,
51 And destroyed all the (BS)firstborn in Egypt,
The first of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 But He (BT)made His own people go forth like sheep,
And guided them in the wilderness like a flock;
53 And He (BU)led them on safely, so that they did not fear;
But the sea (BV)overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And He brought them to His (BW)holy border,
This mountain (BX)which His right hand had acquired.
55 (BY)He also drove out the nations before them,
(BZ)Allotted them an inheritance by [s]survey,
And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.

56 (CA)Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God,
And did not keep His testimonies,
57 But (CB)turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers;
They were turned aside (CC)like a deceitful bow.
58 (CD)For they provoked Him to anger with their (CE)high places,
And moved Him to jealousy with their carved images.
59 When God heard this, He was furious,
And greatly abhorred Israel,
60 (CF)So that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh,
The tent He had placed among men,
61 (CG)And delivered His strength into captivity,
And His glory into the enemy’s hand.
62 (CH)He also gave His people over to the sword,
And was furious with His inheritance.
63 The fire consumed their young men,
And (CI)their maidens were not given in marriage.
64 (CJ)Their priests fell by the sword,
And (CK)their widows made no lamentation.

65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
(CL)Like a mighty man who shouts because of wine.
66 And (CM)He beat back His enemies;
He put them to a perpetual reproach.

67 Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph,
And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion (CN)which He loved.
69 And He built His (CO)sanctuary like the heights,
Like the earth which He has established forever.
70 (CP)He also chose David His servant,
And took him from the sheepfolds;
71 From following (CQ)the ewes that had young He brought him,
(CR)To shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel His inheritance.
72 So he shepherded them according to the (CS)integrity of his heart,
And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.

A Dirge and a Prayer for Israel, Destroyed by Enemies

A Psalm of Asaph.

79 O God, the [t]nations have come into (CT)Your inheritance;
Your holy temple they have defiled;
(CU)They have laid Jerusalem [u]in heaps.
(CV)The dead bodies of Your servants
They have given as food for the birds of the heavens,
The flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.
Their blood they have shed like water all around Jerusalem,
And there was no one to bury them.
We have become a reproach to our (CW)neighbors,
A scorn and derision to those who are around us.

(CX)How long, Lord?
Will You be angry forever?
Will Your (CY)jealousy burn like fire?
(CZ)Pour out Your wrath on the [v]nations that (DA)do not know You,
And on the kingdoms that (DB)do not call on Your name.
For they have devoured Jacob,
And laid waste his dwelling place.

(DC)Oh, do not remember [w]former iniquities against us!
Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us,
For we have been brought very low.
Help us, O God of our salvation,
For the glory of Your name;
And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins,
(DD)For Your name’s sake!
10 (DE)Why should the [x]nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Let there be known among the nations in our sight
The avenging of the blood of Your servants which has been shed.

11 Let (DF)the groaning of the prisoner come before You;
According to the greatness of Your [y]power
Preserve those who are appointed to die;
12 And return to our neighbors (DG)sevenfold into their bosom
(DH)Their reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.

13 So (DI)we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture,
Will give You thanks forever;
(DJ)We will show forth Your praise to all generations.

Prayer for Israel’s Restoration

To the Chief Musician. (DK)Set to [z]“The Lilies.” A [aa]Testimony of Asaph. A Psalm.

80 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
(DL)You who lead Joseph (DM)like a flock;
You who dwell between the cherubim, (DN)shine forth!
Before (DO)Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
Stir up Your strength,
And come and save us!

(DP)Restore us, O God;
(DQ)Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!

O Lord God of hosts,
(DR)How long will You be angry
Against the prayer of Your people?
(DS)You have fed them with the bread of tears,
And given them tears to drink in great measure.
You have made us a strife to our neighbors,
And our enemies laugh among themselves.

Restore us, O God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!

You have brought (DT)a vine out of Egypt;
(DU)You have cast out the [ab]nations, and planted it.
You prepared room for it,
And caused it to take deep root,
And it filled the land.
10 The hills were covered with its shadow,
And the [ac]mighty cedars with its (DV)boughs.
11 She sent out her boughs to [ad]the Sea,
And her branches to [ae]the River.

12 Why have You (DW)broken down her [af]hedges,
So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit?
13 The boar out of the woods uproots it,
And the wild beast of the field devours it.

14 Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts;
(DX)Look down from heaven and see,
And visit this vine
15 And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted,
And the branch that You made strong (DY)for Yourself.
16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
(DZ)They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
17 (EA)Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.
18 Then we will not turn back from You;
Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.

19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 76:1 Heb. neginoth
  2. Psalm 76:2 Jerusalem
  3. Psalm 76:5 Lit. have slumbered their sleep
  4. Psalm 77:6 ponders diligently
  5. Psalm 77:8 Lit. unto generation and generation
  6. Psalm 77:10 Lit. infirmity
  7. Psalm 77:13 Or holiness
  8. Psalm 78:1 Heb. Maschil
  9. Psalm 78:2 obscure sayings or riddles
  10. Psalm 78:8 Lit. prepare its heart
  11. Psalm 78:9 Lit. bow shooters
  12. Psalm 78:24 Lit. grain
  13. Psalm 78:25 satiation
  14. Psalm 78:30 Lit. separated
  15. Psalm 78:40 rebelled against Him
  16. Psalm 78:42 Lit. hand
  17. Psalm 78:48 lightning bolts
  18. Psalm 78:50 Or their beasts
  19. Psalm 78:55 surveyed measurement, lit. measuring cord
  20. Psalm 79:1 Gentiles
  21. Psalm 79:1 in ruins
  22. Psalm 79:6 Gentiles
  23. Psalm 79:8 Or against us the iniquities of those who were before us
  24. Psalm 79:10 Gentiles
  25. Psalm 79:11 Lit. arm
  26. Psalm 80:1 Heb. Shoshannim
  27. Psalm 80:1 Heb. Eduth
  28. Psalm 80:8 Gentiles
  29. Psalm 80:10 Lit. cedars of God
  30. Psalm 80:11 The Mediterranean
  31. Psalm 80:11 The Euphrates
  32. Psalm 80:12 walls or fences

Psalm 76[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.

God is renowned in Judah;
    in Israel his name is great.(A)
His tent is in Salem,(B)
    his dwelling place in Zion.(C)
There he broke the flashing arrows,(D)
    the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.[b](E)

You are radiant with light,(F)
    more majestic than mountains rich with game.
The valiant(G) lie plundered,
    they sleep their last sleep;(H)
not one of the warriors
    can lift his hands.
At your rebuke,(I) God of Jacob,
    both horse and chariot(J) lie still.

It is you alone who are to be feared.(K)
    Who can stand(L) before you when you are angry?(M)
From heaven you pronounced judgment,
    and the land feared(N) and was quiet—
when you, God, rose up to judge,(O)
    to save all the afflicted(P) of the land.
10 Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise,(Q)
    and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.[c]

11 Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them;(R)
    let all the neighboring lands
    bring gifts(S) to the One to be feared.
12 He breaks the spirit of rulers;
    he is feared by the kings of the earth.

Psalm 77[d]

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

I cried out to God(T) for help;
    I cried out to God to hear me.
When I was in distress,(U) I sought the Lord;
    at night(V) I stretched out untiring hands,(W)
    and I would not be comforted.(X)

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

“Will the Lord reject forever?(AD)
    Will he never show his favor(AE) again?
Has his unfailing love(AF) vanished forever?
    Has his promise(AG) failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful?(AH)
    Has he in anger withheld his compassion?(AI)

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

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

16 The waters(AQ) saw you, God,
    the waters saw you and writhed;(AR)
    the very depths were convulsed.
17 The clouds poured down water,(AS)
    the heavens resounded with thunder;(AT)
    your arrows(AU) flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,(AV)
    your lightning(AW) lit up the world;
    the earth trembled and quaked.(AX)
19 Your path(AY) led through the sea,(AZ)
    your way through the mighty waters,
    though your footprints were not seen.

20 You led your people(BA) like a flock(BB)
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.(BC)

Psalm 78

A maskil[f] of Asaph.

My people, hear my teaching;(BD)
    listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth with a parable;(BE)
    I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
things we have heard and known,
    things our ancestors have told us.(BF)
We will not hide them from their descendants;(BG)
    we will tell the next generation(BH)
the praiseworthy deeds(BI) of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders(BJ) he has done.
He decreed statutes(BK) for Jacob(BL)
    and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
    to teach their children,
so the next generation would know them,
    even the children yet to be born,(BM)
    and they in turn would tell their children.
Then they would put their trust in God
    and would not forget(BN) his deeds
    but would keep his commands.(BO)
They would not be like their ancestors(BP)
    a stubborn(BQ) and rebellious(BR) generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
    whose spirits were not faithful to him.

The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,(BS)
    turned back on the day of battle;(BT)
10 they did not keep God’s covenant(BU)
    and refused to live by his law.(BV)
11 They forgot what he had done,(BW)
    the wonders he had shown them.
12 He did miracles(BX) in the sight of their ancestors
    in the land of Egypt,(BY) in the region of Zoan.(BZ)
13 He divided the sea(CA) and led them through;
    he made the water stand up like a wall.(CB)
14 He guided them with the cloud by day
    and with light from the fire all night.(CC)
15 He split the rocks(CD) in the wilderness
    and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16 he brought streams out of a rocky crag
    and made water flow down like rivers.

17 But they continued to sin(CE) against him,
    rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
18 They willfully put God to the test(CF)
    by demanding the food they craved.(CG)
19 They spoke against God;(CH)
    they said, “Can God really
    spread a table in the wilderness?
20 True, he struck the rock,
    and water gushed out,(CI)
    streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
    Can he supply meat(CJ) for his people?”
21 When the Lord heard them, he was furious;
    his fire broke out(CK) against Jacob,
    and his wrath rose against Israel,
22 for they did not believe in God
    or trust(CL) in his deliverance.
23 Yet he gave a command to the skies above
    and opened the doors of the heavens;(CM)
24 he rained down manna(CN) for the people to eat,
    he gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Human beings ate the bread of angels;
    he sent them all the food they could eat.
26 He let loose the east wind(CO) from the heavens
    and by his power made the south wind blow.
27 He rained meat down on them like dust,
    birds(CP) like sand on the seashore.
28 He made them come down inside their camp,
    all around their tents.
29 They ate till they were gorged—(CQ)
    he had given them what they craved.
30 But before they turned from what they craved,
    even while the food was still in their mouths,(CR)
31 God’s anger rose against them;
    he put to death the sturdiest(CS) among them,
    cutting down the young men of Israel.

32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;(CT)
    in spite of his wonders,(CU) they did not believe.(CV)
33 So he ended their days in futility(CW)
    and their years in terror.
34 Whenever God slew them, they would seek(CX) him;
    they eagerly turned to him again.
35 They remembered that God was their Rock,(CY)
    that God Most High was their Redeemer.(CZ)
36 But then they would flatter him with their mouths,(DA)
    lying to him with their tongues;
37 their hearts were not loyal(DB) to him,
    they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he was merciful;(DC)
    he forgave(DD) their iniquities(DE)
    and did not destroy them.
Time after time he restrained his anger(DF)
    and did not stir up his full wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh,(DG)
    a passing breeze(DH) that does not return.

40 How often they rebelled(DI) against him in the wilderness(DJ)
    and grieved him(DK) in the wasteland!
41 Again and again they put God to the test;(DL)
    they vexed the Holy One of Israel.(DM)
42 They did not remember(DN) his power—
    the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,(DO)
43 the day he displayed his signs(DP) in Egypt,
    his wonders(DQ) in the region of Zoan.
44 He turned their river into blood;(DR)
    they could not drink from their streams.
45 He sent swarms of flies(DS) that devoured them,
    and frogs(DT) that devastated them.
46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper,(DU)
    their produce to the locust.(DV)
47 He destroyed their vines with hail(DW)
    and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48 He gave over their cattle to the hail,
    their livestock(DX) to bolts of lightning.
49 He unleashed against them his hot anger,(DY)
    his wrath, indignation and hostility—
    a band of destroying angels.(DZ)
50 He prepared a path for his anger;
    he did not spare them from death
    but gave them over to the plague.
51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt,(EA)
    the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.(EB)
52 But he brought his people out like a flock;(EC)
    he led them like sheep through the wilderness.
53 He guided them safely, so they were unafraid;
    but the sea engulfed(ED) their enemies.(EE)
54 And so he brought them to the border of his holy land,
    to the hill country his right hand(EF) had taken.
55 He drove out nations(EG) before them
    and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance;(EH)
    he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.

56 But they put God to the test
    and rebelled against the Most High;
    they did not keep his statutes.
57 Like their ancestors(EI) they were disloyal and faithless,
    as unreliable as a faulty bow.(EJ)
58 They angered him(EK) with their high places;(EL)
    they aroused his jealousy with their idols.(EM)
59 When God heard(EN) them, he was furious;(EO)
    he rejected Israel(EP) completely.
60 He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,(EQ)
    the tent he had set up among humans.(ER)
61 He sent the ark of his might(ES) into captivity,(ET)
    his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
62 He gave his people over to the sword;(EU)
    he was furious with his inheritance.(EV)
63 Fire consumed(EW) their young men,
    and their young women had no wedding songs;(EX)
64 their priests were put to the sword,(EY)
    and their widows could not weep.

65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,(EZ)
    as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.
66 He beat back his enemies;
    he put them to everlasting shame.(FA)
67 Then he rejected the tents of Joseph,
    he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;(FB)
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,(FC)
    Mount Zion,(FD) which he loved.
69 He built his sanctuary(FE) like the heights,
    like the earth that he established forever.
70 He chose David(FF) his servant
    and took him from the sheep pens;
71 from tending the sheep(FG) he brought him
    to be the shepherd(FH) of his people Jacob,
    of Israel his inheritance.
72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;(FI)
    with skillful hands he led them.

Psalm 79

A psalm of Asaph.

O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance;(FJ)
    they have defiled(FK) your holy temple,
    they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.(FL)
They have left the dead bodies of your servants
    as food for the birds of the sky,(FM)
    the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.(FN)
They have poured out blood like water
    all around Jerusalem,
    and there is no one to bury(FO) the dead.(FP)
We are objects of contempt to our neighbors,
    of scorn(FQ) and derision to those around us.(FR)

How long,(FS) Lord? Will you be angry(FT) forever?
    How long will your jealousy burn like fire?(FU)
Pour out your wrath(FV) on the nations
    that do not acknowledge(FW) you,
on the kingdoms
    that do not call on your name;(FX)
for they have devoured(FY) Jacob
    and devastated his homeland.

Do not hold against us the sins of past generations;(FZ)
    may your mercy come quickly to meet us,
    for we are in desperate need.(GA)
Help us,(GB) God our Savior,
    for the glory of your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins
    for your name’s sake.(GC)
10 Why should the nations say,
    “Where is their God?”(GD)

Before our eyes, make known among the nations
    that you avenge(GE) the outpoured blood(GF) of your servants.
11 May the groans of the prisoners come before you;
    with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.
12 Pay back into the laps(GG) of our neighbors seven times(GH)
    the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord.
13 Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture,(GI)
    will praise you forever;(GJ)
from generation to generation
    we will proclaim your praise.

Psalm 80[g]

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” Of Asaph. A psalm.

Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
    you who lead Joseph like a flock.(GK)
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,(GL)
    shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.(GM)
Awaken(GN) your might;
    come and save us.(GO)

Restore(GP) us,(GQ) O God;
    make your face shine on us,
    that we may be saved.(GR)

How long,(GS) Lord God Almighty,
    will your anger smolder(GT)
    against the prayers of your people?
You have fed them with the bread of tears;(GU)
    you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.(GV)
You have made us an object of derision[h] to our neighbors,
    and our enemies mock us.(GW)

Restore us, God Almighty;
    make your face shine on us,
    that we may be saved.(GX)

You transplanted a vine(GY) from Egypt;
    you drove out(GZ) the nations and planted(HA) it.
You cleared the ground for it,
    and it took root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
    the mighty cedars with its branches.
11 Its branches reached as far as the Sea,[i]
    its shoots as far as the River.[j](HB)

12 Why have you broken down its walls(HC)
    so that all who pass by pick its grapes?
13 Boars from the forest ravage(HD) it,
    and insects from the fields feed on it.
14 Return to us, God Almighty!
    Look down from heaven and see!(HE)
Watch over this vine,
15     the root your right hand has planted,
    the son[k] you have raised up for yourself.

16 Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;(HF)
    at your rebuke(HG) your people perish.
17 Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
    the son of man(HH) you have raised up for yourself.
18 Then we will not turn away from you;
    revive(HI) us, and we will call on your name.

19 Restore us, Lord God Almighty;
    make your face shine on us,
    that we may be saved.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 76:1 In Hebrew texts 76:1-12 is numbered 76:2-13.
  2. Psalm 76:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 9.
  3. Psalm 76:10 Or Surely the wrath of mankind brings you praise, / and with the remainder of wrath you arm yourself
  4. Psalm 77:1 In Hebrew texts 77:1-20 is numbered 77:2-21.
  5. Psalm 77:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 9 and 15.
  6. Psalm 78:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  7. Psalm 80:1 In Hebrew texts 80:1-19 is numbered 80:2-20.
  8. Psalm 80:6 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text contention
  9. Psalm 80:11 Probably the Mediterranean
  10. Psalm 80:11 That is, the Euphrates
  11. Psalm 80:15 Or branch