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Psalm 85-88
New International Version
Psalm 85-88
New International Version
Psalm 85[a]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 You, Lord, showed favor to your land;
you restored the fortunes(A) of Jacob.
2 You forgave(B) the iniquity(C) of your people
and covered all their sins.[b]
3 You set aside all your wrath(D)
and turned from your fierce anger.(E)
4 Restore(F) us again, God our Savior,(G)
and put away your displeasure toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever?(H)
Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
6 Will you not revive(I) us again,
that your people may rejoice(J) in you?
7 Show us your unfailing love,(K) Lord,
and grant us your salvation.(L)
8 I will listen to what God the Lord says;
he promises peace(M) to his people, his faithful servants—
but let them not turn to folly.(N)
9 Surely his salvation(O) is near those who fear him,
that his glory(P) may dwell in our land.
10 Love and faithfulness(Q) meet together;
righteousness(R) and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness(S) looks down from heaven.
12 The Lord will indeed give what is good,(T)
and our land will yield(U) its harvest.
13 Righteousness goes before him
and prepares the way for his steps.
Psalm 86
A prayer of David.
1 Hear me, Lord, and answer(V) me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.(W)
You are my God; 3 have mercy(X) on me, Lord,
for I call(Y) to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord,
for I put my trust(Z) in you.
5 You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
abounding in love(AA) to all who call to you.
6 Hear my prayer, Lord;
listen to my cry(AB) for mercy.
7 When I am in distress,(AC) I call(AD) to you,
because you answer(AE) me.
8 Among the gods(AF) there is none like you,(AG) Lord;
no deeds can compare with yours.
9 All the nations you have made
will come(AH) and worship(AI) before you, Lord;
they will bring glory(AJ) to your name.
10 For you are great(AK) and do marvelous deeds;(AL)
you alone(AM) are God.
11 Teach me your way,(AN) Lord,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;(AO)
give me an undivided(AP) heart,
that I may fear(AQ) your name.
12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;(AR)
I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me(AS) from the depths,
from the realm of the dead.(AT)
14 Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God;
ruthless people are trying to kill me—
they have no regard for you.(AU)
15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious(AV) God,
slow to anger,(AW) abounding(AX) in love and faithfulness.(AY)
16 Turn to me(AZ) and have mercy(BA) on me;
show your strength(BB) in behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you
just as my mother did.(BC)
17 Give me a sign(BD) of your goodness,
that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
Psalm 87
Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. A song.
1 He has founded his city on the holy mountain.(BE)
2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion(BF)
more than all the other dwellings of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are said of you,
city of God:[c](BG)
4 “I will record Rahab[d](BH) and Babylon
among those who acknowledge me—
Philistia(BI) too, and Tyre(BJ), along with Cush[e]—
and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’”[f](BK)
5 Indeed, of Zion it will be said,
“This one and that one were born in her,
and the Most High himself will establish her.”
6 The Lord will write in the register(BL) of the peoples:
“This one was born in Zion.”
Psalm 88[g]
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth.[h] A maskil[i] of Heman the Ezrahite.
1 Lord, you are the God who saves me;(BO)
day and night I cry out(BP) to you.
2 May my prayer come before you;
turn your ear to my cry.
3 I am overwhelmed with troubles(BQ)
and my life draws near to death.(BR)
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;(BS)
I am like one without strength.(BT)
5 I am set apart with the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
who are cut off(BU) from your care.
6 You have put me in the lowest pit,
in the darkest depths.(BV)
7 Your wrath(BW) lies heavily on me;
you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.[j](BX)
8 You have taken from me my closest friends(BY)
and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined(BZ) and cannot escape;(CA)
9 my eyes(CB) are dim with grief.
I call(CC) to you, Lord, every day;
I spread out my hands(CD) to you.
10 Do you show your wonders to the dead?
Do their spirits rise up and praise you?(CE)
11 Is your love declared in the grave,
your faithfulness(CF) in Destruction[k]?
12 Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
13 But I cry to you for help,(CG) Lord;
in the morning(CH) my prayer comes before you.(CI)
14 Why, Lord, do you reject(CJ) me
and hide your face(CK) from me?
15 From my youth(CL) I have suffered(CM) and been close to death;
I have borne your terrors(CN) and am in despair.(CO)
16 Your wrath(CP) has swept over me;
your terrors(CQ) have destroyed me.
17 All day long they surround me like a flood;(CR)
they have completely engulfed me.
18 You have taken from me friend(CS) and neighbor—
darkness is my closest friend.
Footnotes
- Psalm 85:1 In Hebrew texts 85:1-13 is numbered 85:2-14.
- Psalm 85:2 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
- Psalm 87:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 6.
- Psalm 87:4 A poetic name for Egypt
- Psalm 87:4 That is, the upper Nile region
- Psalm 87:4 Or “I will record concerning those who acknowledge me: / ‘This one was born in Zion.’ / Hear this, Rahab and Babylon, / and you too, Philistia, Tyre and Cush.”
- Psalm 88:1 In Hebrew texts 88:1-18 is numbered 88:2-19.
- Psalm 88:1 Title: Possibly a tune, “The Suffering of Affliction”
- Psalm 88:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 88:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 10.
- Psalm 88:11 Hebrew Abaddon
Psalm 85-88
King James Version
Psalm 85-88
King James Version
85 Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.
3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.
4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.
5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?
6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?
7 Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation.
8 I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
12 Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.
13 Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.
86 Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.
3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.
4 Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
6 Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.
7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.
9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.
10 For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.
11 Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.
12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.
13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
14 O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.
15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
16 O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.
17 Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, Lord, hast holpen me, and comforted me.
87 His foundation is in the holy mountains.
2 The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.
4 I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.
5 And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.
6 The Lord shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah.
7 As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee.
88 O lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:
2 Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.
4 I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:
5 Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.
6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
7 Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.
8 Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.
9 Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: Lord, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.
10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.
11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?
12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But unto thee have I cried, O Lord; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
14 Lord, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?
15 I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.
16 Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.
17 They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.
18 Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.
New International Version (NIV) 
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