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O God, Restore Us

For the choir director. [a]El Shoshannim. [b]Eduth. Of Asaph. A Psalm.

80 O (A)Shepherd of Israel, give ear,
You who guide (B)Joseph like a flock;
You who (C)are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!
Before (D)Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, (E)stir up Your might
And come to save us!
O God, (F)restore us
And (G)cause Your face to shine upon us, that we would be saved.

O (H)Yahweh God of hosts,
(I)How long will You [c]smolder against the prayer of Your people?
You have fed them with the (J)bread of tears,
And You have made them to drink tears in [d]large measure.
You set us as [e]an object of strife (K)to our neighbors,
And our enemies mock us among themselves.
O God of hosts, restore us
And cause Your face to shine upon us, that we might be saved.

You removed a (L)vine from Egypt;
You (M)drove out the [f]nations and then You (N)planted it.
You (O)cleared the ground before it,
And it (P)took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shadow,
And [g]the cedars of God with its (Q)boughs.
11 It sent out its branches (R)to the sea
And its shoots to the River.
12 Why have You (S)broken down its [h]hedges,
So that all who pass that way pick its fruit?
13 A boar from the forest (T)devours it
And whatever moves in the field feeds on it.

14 O God of hosts, (U)return now, we beseech You;
(V)Look down from heaven and see, and visit this vine,
15 Even the [i](W)sapling which Your right hand has planted,
And on the [j]son whom You have [k]strengthened for Yourself.
16 It is (X)burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish at the (Y)rebuke of Your face.
17 Let (Z)Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You (AA)made strong for Yourself.
18 Then we shall not (AB)turn back from You;
(AC)Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.
19 O Yahweh God of hosts, (AD)restore us;
Cause Your face to shine upon us, that we might be saved.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 80 Title Possibly, To Lilies
  2. Psalm 80 Title Lit A testimony
  3. Psalm 80:4 Lit smoke
  4. Psalm 80:5 Lit a third part of a
  5. Psalm 80:6 Lit a strife to
  6. Psalm 80:8 Or Gentiles
  7. Psalm 80:10 Or its boughs are like the cedars of God
  8. Psalm 80:12 Or walls, fences
  9. Psalm 80:15 Or root
  10. Psalm 80:15 Or figuratively: branch
  11. Psalm 80:15 Or secured

Psalm 80

Hear, O Shepherd of Israel

Heading

For the choir director. To “Lilies.”[a] A Testimony.[b] By Asaph. A psalm.

Opening Plea

O Shepherd of Israel, give ear,
you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who are seated above the cherubim, shine forth.
Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,
stir up your might.
Come with salvation for us.

Refrain

God, restore us, and make your face shine,
    so we will be saved.

The Problem

Lord God of Armies, how long will your anger smoke
    against the prayer of your people?
You make them eat bread with tears,
and you make them drink tears by the quart.[c]
You create strife between us and our neighbors,
so our enemies join together in mocking us.

Refrain

God of Armies, restore us, and make your face shine,
    so we will be saved.

Past Blessing

You brought a vine out from Egypt.
You drove out the nations, and you planted it.
You cleared a place for it,
and it took root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered by its shade,
the cedars of God with its branches.
11 It sent out its boughs to the Sea,[d]
its shoots as far as the River.[e]

Present Judgment

12 Why have you broken down its walls
so that all who pass by pick its fruit?
13 A wild boar from the forest tears it up,
and the wild animals[f] feed on it.

Prayer for the King

14 God of Armies, return now!
Look down from heaven and see,
and take care of this vine,
15 the shoot that your right hand has planted,
the son that you made strong for yourself.
16 It is burned with fire like garbage.[g]
Because of the rebuke from your face they perish.
17 Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
on the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself.[h]
18 Then we will not turn away from you.
Cause us to live, and we will call on your name.

Refrain

19 Lord God of Armies, restore us, and make your face shine,
    so we will be saved.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 80:1 This may be the name of the tune.
  2. Psalm 80:1 Or “Lilies of the Testimony”
  3. Psalm 80:5 Literally by a third [of a bath?]
  4. Psalm 80:11 Very likely, the Mediterranean
  5. Psalm 80:11 The Euphrates
  6. Psalm 80:13 Or insects
  7. Psalm 80:16 The Hebrew word translated like garbage is emended by some translations into a verb meaning they cut it down, but this seems unlikely because it would place the cutting down after the burning.
  8. Psalm 80:17 Though this psalm has a concern for the northern kingdom of Israel, this verse seems to refer to the Davidic king. Faithful northerners still looked for the Messiah, who would come from Judah.