Thanksgiving for God’s Righteous Judgment

To the Chief Musician. Set to (A)“Do[a] Not Destroy.” A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

75 We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks!
For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.

“When I choose the [b]proper time,
I will judge uprightly.
The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved;
I set up its pillars firmly. Selah

“I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’
And to the wicked, (B)‘Do not [c]lift up the horn.
Do not lift up your horn on high;
Do not speak with [d]a stiff neck.’ ”

For exaltation comes neither from the east
Nor from the west nor from the south.
But (C)God is the Judge:
(D)He puts down one,
And exalts another.
For (E)in the hand of the Lord there is a cup,
And the wine is red;
It is fully mixed, and He pours it out;
Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth
Drain and drink down.

But I will declare forever,
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

10 “All(F) the [e]horns of the wicked I will also cut off,
But (G)the horns of the righteous shall be (H)exalted.”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 75:1 Heb. Al Tashcheth
  2. Psalm 75:2 appointed
  3. Psalm 75:4 Raise the head proudly like a horned animal
  4. Psalm 75:5 Insolent pride
  5. Psalm 75:10 Strength

Psalm 75[a]

God the Judge of the World

For the leader. Do not destroy! A psalm of Asaph; a song.

I

We thank you, God, we give thanks;
    we call upon your name,
    we declare your wonderful deeds.
[You said:][b]
“I will choose the time;
    I will judge fairly.
Though the earth and all its inhabitants quake,
    I make steady its pillars.”(A)
Selah

II

So I say to the boastful: “Do not boast!”(B)
    to the wicked: “Do not raise your horns![c]
Do not raise your horns against heaven!
    Do not speak with a stiff neck!”(C)
For judgment comes not from east or from west,
    not from the wilderness or the mountains,(D)
But from God who decides,
    who brings some low and raises others high.(E)
Yes, a cup[d] is in the Lord’s hand,
    foaming wine, fully spiced.
When God pours it out,
    they will drain it even to the dregs;
    all the wicked of the earth will drink.(F)
10 But I will rejoice forever;
    I will sing praise to the God of Jacob,
11 (G)[Who has said:]
“I will cut off all the horns of the wicked,
    but the horns of the righteous will be exalted.”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 75 The psalmist gives thanks and rejoices (Ps 75:2, 10) for the direct intervention of God, which is promised in two oracles (Ps 75:3–4, 11). Expecting that divine intervention, the psalmist warns evildoers to repent (Ps 75:5–9).
  2. 75:2 You said: supplied for clarity here and in Ps 75:11. The translation assumes in both places that the psalmist is citing an oracle of God.
  3. 75:5 Do not raise your horns!: the horn is the symbol of strength; to raise one’s horn is to exalt one’s own power as Ps 75:5 explains.
  4. 75:9 A cup: “the cup of God’s wrath” is the punishment inflicted on the wicked, cf. Is 51:17; Jer 25:15–29; 49:12; Eze 23:31–33. Spiced: lit., “a mixed drink”; spices or drugs were added to wine, cf. Prv 9:2, 5.

God Will Judge with Equity

To the choirmaster: according to (A)Do Not Destroy. (B)A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

75 We give thanks to you, O God;
    we give thanks, for your name is (C)near.
We[a] recount your wondrous deeds.

“At (D)the set time that I appoint
    I will judge (E)with equity.
When the earth (F)totters, and all its inhabitants,
    it is I who keep steady its (G)pillars. Selah
I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
    and to the wicked, (H)‘Do not lift up your horn;
do not lift up your horn on high,
    or speak with haughty neck.’”

For not from the east or from the west
    and not from the wilderness comes (I)lifting up,
but it is (J)God who executes judgment,
    (K)putting down one and lifting up another.
(L)For in the hand of the Lord there is (M)a cup
    with foaming wine, (N)well mixed,
and he pours out from it,
    and all the wicked of the earth
    shall (O)drain it down to the dregs.

But I will declare it forever;
    I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 (P)All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
    (Q)but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 75:1 Hebrew They