Psalm 80
English Standard Version
Restore Us, O God
To the choirmaster: according to (A)Lilies. A Testimony. Of (B)Asaph, a Psalm.
80 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead (C)Joseph like (D)a flock.
You who are (E)enthroned upon the cherubim, (F)shine forth.
2 Before (G)Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,
(H)stir up your might
and (I)come to save us!
4 O (L)Lord God of hosts,
(M)how long will you be angry with your people's prayers?
5 You have fed them with (N)the bread of tears
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6 (O)You make us an object of contention for our (P)neighbors,
and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 (Q)Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved!
8 You brought (R)a vine out of Egypt;
you (S)drove out the nations and planted it.
9 You (T)cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches.
11 It sent out its branches to (U)the sea
and its shoots to (V)the River.[b]
12 Why then have you (W)broken down its walls,
so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13 (X)The boar from the forest ravages it,
and all that move in the field feed on it.
14 Turn again, O God of hosts!
(Y)Look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
15 the stock that your right hand planted,
and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.
16 They have (Z)burned it with fire; they have (AA)cut it down;
may they perish at (AB)the rebuke of your face!
17 But (AC)let your hand be on the man of your right hand,
the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!
18 Then we shall not turn back from you;
(AD)give us life, and we will call upon your name!
19 (AE)Restore us, O Lord God of hosts!
Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Footnotes
- Psalm 80:3 Or Turn us again; also verses 7, 19
- Psalm 80:11 That is, the Euphrates
Psalm 80
The Message
80 1-2 Listen, Shepherd, Israel’s Shepherd—
get all your Joseph sheep together.
Throw beams of light
from your dazzling throne
So Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh
can see where they’re going.
Get out of bed—you’ve slept long enough!
Come on the run before it’s too late.
3 God, come back!
Smile your blessing smile:
That will be our salvation.
4-6 God, God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
how long will you smolder like a sleeping volcano
while your people call for fire and brimstone?
You put us on a diet of tears,
bucket after bucket of salty tears to drink.
You make us look ridiculous to our friends;
our enemies poke fun day after day.
7 God-of-the-Angel-Armies, come back!
Smile your blessing smile:
That will be our salvation.
8-18 Remember how you brought a young vine from Egypt,
cleared out the brambles and briers
and planted your very own vineyard?
You prepared the good earth,
you planted her roots deep;
the vineyard filled the land.
Your vine soared high and shaded the mountains,
even dwarfing the giant cedars.
Your vine ranged west to the Sea,
east to the River.
So why do you no longer protect your vine?
Trespassers pick its grapes at will;
Wild pigs crash through and crush it,
and the mice nibble away at what’s left.
God-of-the-Angel-Armies, turn our way!
Take a good look at what’s happened
and attend to this vine.
Care for what you once tenderly planted—
the vine you raised from a shoot.
And those who dared to set it on fire—
give them a look that will kill!
Then take the hand of your once-favorite child,
the child you raised to adulthood.
We will never turn our back on you;
breathe life into our lungs so we can shout your name!
19 God, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, come back!
Smile your blessing smile:
That will be our salvation.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson