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Psalm 69-81
New King James Version
Psalm 69-81
New King James Version
An Urgent Plea for Help in Trouble
To the Chief Musician. Set to [a]“The Lilies.” A Psalm of David.
69 Save me, O God!
For (A)the waters have come up to my [b]neck.
2 (B)I sink in deep mire,
Where there is no standing;
I have come into deep waters,
Where the floods overflow me.
3 (C)I am weary with my crying;
My throat is dry;
(D)My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4 Those who (E)hate me without a cause
Are more than the hairs of my head;
They are mighty who would destroy me,
Being my enemies wrongfully;
Though I have stolen nothing,
I still must restore it.
5 O God, You know my foolishness;
And my sins are not hidden from You.
6 Let not those who [c]wait for You, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed because of me;
Let not those who seek You be [d]confounded because of me, O God of Israel.
7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Shame has covered my face.
8 (F)I have become a stranger to my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s children;
9 (G)Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,
(H)And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
10 When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting,
That became my reproach.
11 I also [e]made sackcloth my garment;
I became a byword to them.
12 Those who [f]sit in the gate speak against me,
And I am the song of the (I)drunkards.
13 But as for me, my prayer is to You,
O Lord, in the acceptable time;
O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,
Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.
14 Deliver me out of the mire,
And let me not sink;
Let me be delivered from those who hate me,
And out of the deep waters.
15 Let not the floodwater overflow me,
Nor let the deep swallow me up;
And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.
16 Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good;
Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.
17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am in trouble;
Hear me speedily.
18 Draw near to my soul, and redeem it;
Deliver me because of my enemies.
19 You know (J)my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;
My adversaries are all before You.
20 Reproach has broken my heart,
And I am full of [g]heaviness;
(K)I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none;
And for (L)comforters, but I found none.
21 They also gave me gall for my food,
(M)And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
22 (N)Let their table become a snare before them,
And their well-being a trap.
23 (O)Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see;
And make their loins shake continually.
24 (P)Pour out Your indignation upon them,
And let Your wrathful anger take hold of them.
25 (Q)Let their dwelling place be desolate;
Let no one live in their tents.
26 For they persecute the ones (R)You have struck,
And talk of the grief of those You have wounded.
27 (S)Add iniquity to their iniquity,
(T)And let them not come into Your righteousness.
28 Let them (U)be blotted out of the book of the living,
(V)And not be written with the righteous.
29 But I am poor and sorrowful;
Let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high.
30 (W)I will praise the name of God with a song,
And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
31 (X)This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bull,
Which has horns and hooves.
32 (Y)The humble shall see this and be glad;
And you who seek God, (Z)your hearts shall live.
33 For the Lord hears the poor,
And does not despise (AA)His prisoners.
34 (AB)Let heaven and earth praise Him,
The seas (AC)and everything that moves in them.
35 (AD)For God will save Zion
And build the cities of Judah,
That they may dwell there and possess it.
36 Also, (AE)the [h]descendants of His servants shall inherit it,
And those who love His name shall dwell in it.
Prayer for Relief from Adversaries(AF)
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. (AG)To bring to remembrance.
70 Make haste, (AH)O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O Lord!
2 (AI)Let them be ashamed and confounded
Who seek my life;
Let them be [i]turned back and confused
Who desire my hurt.
3 (AJ)Let them be turned back because of their shame,
Who say, [j]“Aha, aha!”
4 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
And let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“Let God be magnified!”
5 (AK)But I am poor and needy;
(AL)Make haste to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay.
God the Rock of Salvation
71 In (AM)You, O Lord, I put my trust;
Let me never be put to shame.
2 (AN)Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape;
(AO)Incline Your ear to me, and save me.
3 (AP)Be my [k]strong refuge,
To which I may resort continually;
You have given the (AQ)commandment to save me,
For You are my rock and my fortress.
4 (AR)Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
5 For You are (AS)my hope, O Lord God;
You are my trust from my youth.
6 (AT)By You I have been [l]upheld from birth;
You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb.
My praise shall be continually of You.
7 (AU)I have become as a wonder to many,
But You are my strong refuge.
8 Let (AV)my mouth be filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all the day.
9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
Do not forsake me when my strength fails.
10 For my enemies speak against me;
And those who lie in wait for my life (AW)take counsel together,
11 Saying, “God has forsaken him;
Pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.”
12 (AX)O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, (AY)make haste to help me!
13 Let them be [m]confounded and consumed
Who are adversaries of my life;
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor
Who seek my hurt.
14 But I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits.
16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.
17 O God, You have taught me from my (AZ)youth;
And to this day I declare Your wondrous works.
18 Now also (BA)when I am old and grayheaded,
O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to everyone who is to come.
19 Also (BB)Your righteousness, O God, is [n]very high,
You who have done great things;
(BC)O God, who is like You?
20 (BD)You, who have shown me great and severe troubles,
(BE)Shall revive me again,
And bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
21 You shall increase my greatness,
And comfort me on every side.
22 Also (BF)with the lute I will praise You—
And Your faithfulness, O my God!
To You I will sing with the harp,
O (BG)Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You,
And (BH)my soul, which You have redeemed.
24 My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long;
For they are confounded,
For they are brought to shame
Who seek my hurt.
Glory and Universality of the Messiah’s Reign
A Psalm (BI)of Solomon.
72 Give the king Your judgments, O God,
And Your righteousness to the king’s Son.
2 (BJ)He will judge Your people with righteousness,
And Your poor with justice.
3 (BK)The mountains will bring peace to the people,
And the little hills, by righteousness.
4 (BL)He will bring justice to the poor of the people;
He will save the children of the needy,
And will [o]break in pieces the oppressor.
5 [p]They shall fear You
(BM)As long as the sun and moon endure,
Throughout all generations.
6 (BN)He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing,
Like showers that water the earth.
7 In His days the righteous shall flourish,
(BO)And abundance of peace,
Until the moon is no more.
8 (BP)He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 (BQ)Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him,
(BR)And His enemies will lick the dust.
10 (BS)The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
Will bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba
Will offer gifts.
11 (BT)Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
All nations shall serve Him.
12 For He (BU)will deliver the needy when he cries,
The poor also, and him who has no helper.
13 He will spare the poor and needy,
And will save the souls of the needy.
14 He will redeem their life from oppression and violence;
And (BV)precious shall be their blood in His sight.
15 And He shall live;
And the gold of (BW)Sheba will be given to Him;
Prayer also will be made for Him continually,
And daily He shall be praised.
16 There will be an abundance of grain in the earth,
On the top of the mountains;
Its fruit shall wave like Lebanon;
(BX)And those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
17 (BY)His name shall endure forever;
His name shall continue as long as the sun.
And (BZ)men shall be blessed in Him;
(CA)All nations shall call Him blessed.
18 (CB)Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
(CC)Who only does wondrous things!
19 And (CD)blessed be His glorious name forever!
(CE)And let the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.
20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
BOOK THREE
Psalms 73–89
The Tragedy of the Wicked, and the Blessedness of Trust in God
A Psalm of (CF)Asaph.
73 Truly God is good to Israel,
To such as are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
My steps had nearly (CG)slipped.
3 (CH)For I was envious of the boastful,
When I saw the prosperity of the (CI)wicked.
4 For there are no [q]pangs in their death,
But their strength is firm.
5 (CJ)They are not in trouble as other men,
Nor are they plagued like other men.
6 Therefore pride serves as their necklace;
Violence covers them (CK)like a garment.
7 (CL)Their [r]eyes bulge with abundance;
They have more than heart could wish.
8 (CM)They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression;
They (CN)speak [s]loftily.
9 They set their mouth (CO)against the heavens,
And their tongue walks through the earth.
10 Therefore his people return here,
(CP)And waters of a full cup are drained by them.
11 And they say, (CQ)“How does God know?
And is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the ungodly,
Who are always at ease;
They increase in riches.
13 Surely I have [t]cleansed my heart in (CR)vain,
And washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all day long I have been plagued,
And chastened every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.
16 When I thought how to understand this,
It was [u]too painful for me—
17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God;
Then I understood their (CS)end.
18 Surely (CT)You set them in slippery places;
You cast them down to destruction.
19 Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment!
They are utterly consumed with terrors.
20 As a dream when one awakes,
So, Lord, when You awake,
You shall despise their image.
21 Thus my heart was grieved,
And I was [v]vexed in my mind.
22 (CU)I was so foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
24 (CV)You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.
25 (CW)Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
26 (CX)My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the [w]strength of my heart and my (CY)portion forever.
27 For indeed, (CZ)those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who [x]desert You for harlotry.
28 But it is good for me to (DA)draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord God,
That I may (DB)declare all Your works.
A Plea for Relief from Oppressors
A [y]Contemplation of Asaph.
74 O God, why have You cast us off forever?
Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?
2 Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old,
The tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed—
This Mount Zion where You have dwelt.
3 Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations.
The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.
4 (DC)Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place;
(DD)They set up their banners for signs.
5 They seem like men who lift up
Axes among the thick trees.
6 And now they break down its carved work, all at once,
With axes and hammers.
7 They have set fire to Your sanctuary;
They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground.
8 (DE)They said in their hearts,
“Let us [z]destroy them altogether.”
They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.
9 We do not see our signs;
(DF)There is no longer any prophet;
Nor is there any among us who knows how long.
10 O God, how long will the adversary [aa]reproach?
Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?
11 (DG)Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?
Take it out of Your bosom and destroy them.
12 For (DH)God is my King from of old,
Working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 (DI)You divided the sea by Your strength;
You broke the heads of the [ab]sea serpents in the waters.
14 You broke the heads of [ac]Leviathan in pieces,
And gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
15 (DJ)You broke open the fountain and the flood;
(DK)You dried up mighty rivers.
16 The day is Yours, the night also is (DL)Yours;
(DM)You have prepared the light and the sun.
17 You have (DN)set all the borders of the earth;
(DO)You have made summer and winter.
18 Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O Lord,
And that a foolish people has blasphemed Your name.
19 Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast!
Do not forget the life of Your poor forever.
20 (DP)Have respect to the covenant;
For the [ad]dark places of the earth are full of the [ae]haunts of [af]cruelty.
21 Oh, do not let the oppressed return ashamed!
Let the poor and needy praise Your name.
22 Arise, O God, plead Your own cause;
Remember how the foolish man [ag]reproaches You daily.
23 Do not forget the voice of Your enemies;
The tumult of those who rise up against You increases continually.
Thanksgiving for God’s Righteous Judgment
To the Chief Musician. Set to (DQ)“Do[ah] 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.
2 “When I choose the [ai]proper time,
I will judge uprightly.
3 The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved;
I set up its pillars firmly. Selah
4 “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’
And to the wicked, (DR)‘Do not [aj]lift up the horn.
5 Do not lift up your horn on high;
Do not speak with [ak]a stiff neck.’ ”
6 For exaltation comes neither from the east
Nor from the west nor from the south.
7 But (DS)God is the Judge:
(DT)He puts down one,
And exalts another.
8 For (DU)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.
9 But I will declare forever,
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 “All(DV) the [al]horns of the wicked I will also cut off,
But (DW)the horns of the righteous shall be (DX)exalted.”
The Majesty of God in Judgment
To the Chief Musician. On [am]stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
76 In (DY)Judah God is known;
His name is great in Israel.
2 In [an]Salem also is His tabernacle,
And His dwelling place in Zion.
3 There He broke the arrows of the bow,
The shield and sword of battle. Selah
4 You are more glorious and excellent
(DZ)Than the mountains of prey.
5 (EA)The stouthearted were plundered;
(EB)They [ao]have sunk into their sleep;
And none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands.
6 (EC)At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep.
7 You, Yourself, are to be feared;
And (ED)who may stand in Your presence
When once You are angry?
8 (EE)You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;
(EF)The earth feared and was still,
9 When God (EG)arose to judgment,
To deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah
10 (EH)Surely the wrath of man shall praise You;
With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself.
11 (EI)Make vows to the Lord your God, and pay them;
(EJ)Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared.
12 He shall cut off the spirit of princes;
(EK)He is awesome to the kings of the earth.
The Consoling Memory of God’s Redemptive Works
To the Chief Musician. (EL)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.
2 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.
3 I remembered God, and was troubled;
I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah
4 You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I have considered the days of old,
The years of ancient times.
6 I call to remembrance my song in the night;
I meditate within my heart,
And my spirit [ap]makes diligent search.
7 Will the Lord cast off forever?
And will He be favorable no more?
8 Has His mercy ceased forever?
Has His (EM)promise failed [aq]forevermore?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah
10 And I said, “This is my [ar]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 [as]the (EN)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 (EO)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 (EP)Contemplation[at] of Asaph.
78 Give ear, O my people, to my law;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a (EQ)parable;
I will utter [au]dark sayings of old,
3 Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
4 (ER)We will not hide them from their children,
(ES)Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.
5 For (ET)He established a testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers,
That (EU)they should make them known to their children;
6 (EV)That the generation to come might know them,
The children who would be born,
That they may arise and declare them to their children,
7 That they may set their hope in God,
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments;
8 And (EW)may not be like their fathers,
(EX)A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation (EY)that did not [av]set its heart aright,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9 The children of Ephraim, being armed and [aw]carrying bows,
Turned back in the day of battle.
10 (EZ)They did not keep the covenant of God;
They refused to walk in His law,
11 And (FA)forgot His works
And His wonders that He had shown them.
12 (FB)Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers,
In the land of Egypt, (FC)in the field of Zoan.
13 (FD)He divided the sea and caused them to pass through;
And (FE)He made the waters stand up like a heap.
14 (FF)In the daytime also He led them with the cloud,
And all the night with a light of fire.
15 (FG)He split the rocks in the wilderness,
And gave them drink in abundance like the depths.
16 He also brought (FH)streams out of the rock,
And caused waters to run down like rivers.
17 But they sinned even more against Him
By (FI)rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.
18 And (FJ)they tested God in their heart
By asking for the food of their fancy.
19 (FK)Yes, they spoke against God:
They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 (FL)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 (FM)was furious;
So a fire was kindled against Jacob,
And anger also came up against Israel,
22 Because they (FN)did not believe in God,
And did not trust in His salvation.
23 Yet He had commanded the clouds above,
(FO)And opened the doors of heaven,
24 (FP)Had rained down manna on them to eat,
And given them of the [ax]bread of (FQ)heaven.
25 Men ate angels’ food;
He sent them food to [ay]the full.
26 (FR)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 (FS)So they ate and were well filled,
For He gave them their own desire.
30 They were not [az]deprived of their craving;
But (FT)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 (FU)they still sinned,
And (FV)did not believe in His wondrous works.
33 (FW)Therefore their days He consumed in futility,
And their years in fear.
34 (FX)When He slew them, then they sought Him;
And they returned and sought earnestly for God.
35 Then they remembered that (FY)God was their rock,
And the Most High God (FZ)their Redeemer.
36 Nevertheless they (GA)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 (GB)But He, being full of (GC)compassion, forgave their iniquity,
And did not destroy them.
Yes, many a time (GD)He turned His anger away,
And (GE)did not stir up all His wrath;
39 For (GF)He remembered (GG)that they were but flesh,
(GH)A breath that passes away and does not come again.
40 How often they (GI)provoked[ba] Him in the wilderness,
And grieved Him in the desert!
41 Yes, (GJ)again and again they tempted God,
And limited the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember His [bb]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 (GK)Turned their rivers into blood,
And their streams, that they could not drink.
45 (GL)He sent swarms of flies among them, which devoured them,
And (GM)frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He also gave their crops to the caterpillar,
And their labor to the (GN)locust.
47 (GO)He destroyed their vines with hail,
And their sycamore trees with frost.
48 He also gave up their (GP)cattle to the hail,
And their flocks to fiery [bc]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 [bd]their life over to the plague,
51 And destroyed all the (GQ)firstborn in Egypt,
The first of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 But He (GR)made His own people go forth like sheep,
And guided them in the wilderness like a flock;
53 And He (GS)led them on safely, so that they did not fear;
But the sea (GT)overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And He brought them to His (GU)holy border,
This mountain (GV)which His right hand had acquired.
55 (GW)He also drove out the nations before them,
(GX)Allotted them an inheritance by [be]survey,
And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.
56 (GY)Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God,
And did not keep His testimonies,
57 But (GZ)turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers;
They were turned aside (HA)like a deceitful bow.
58 (HB)For they provoked Him to anger with their (HC)high places,
And moved Him to jealousy with their carved images.
59 When God heard this, He was furious,
And greatly abhorred Israel,
60 (HD)So that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh,
The tent He had placed among men,
61 (HE)And delivered His strength into captivity,
And His glory into the enemy’s hand.
62 (HF)He also gave His people over to the sword,
And was furious with His inheritance.
63 The fire consumed their young men,
And (HG)their maidens were not given in marriage.
64 (HH)Their priests fell by the sword,
And (HI)their widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
(HJ)Like a mighty man who shouts because of wine.
66 And (HK)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 (HL)which He loved.
69 And He built His (HM)sanctuary like the heights,
Like the earth which He has established forever.
70 (HN)He also chose David His servant,
And took him from the sheepfolds;
71 From following (HO)the ewes that had young He brought him,
(HP)To shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel His inheritance.
72 So he shepherded them according to the (HQ)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 [bf]nations have come into (HR)Your inheritance;
Your holy temple they have defiled;
(HS)They have laid Jerusalem [bg]in heaps.
2 (HT)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.
3 Their blood they have shed like water all around Jerusalem,
And there was no one to bury them.
4 We have become a reproach to our (HU)neighbors,
A scorn and derision to those who are around us.
5 (HV)How long, Lord?
Will You be angry forever?
Will Your (HW)jealousy burn like fire?
6 (HX)Pour out Your wrath on the [bh]nations that (HY)do not know You,
And on the kingdoms that (HZ)do not call on Your name.
7 For they have devoured Jacob,
And laid waste his dwelling place.
8 (IA)Oh, do not remember [bi]former iniquities against us!
Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us,
For we have been brought very low.
9 Help us, O God of our salvation,
For the glory of Your name;
And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins,
(IB)For Your name’s sake!
10 (IC)Why should the [bj]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 (ID)the groaning of the prisoner come before You;
According to the greatness of Your [bk]power
Preserve those who are appointed to die;
12 And return to our neighbors (IE)sevenfold into their bosom
(IF)Their reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.
13 So (IG)we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture,
Will give You thanks forever;
(IH)We will show forth Your praise to all generations.
Prayer for Israel’s Restoration
To the Chief Musician. (II)Set to [bl]“The Lilies.” A [bm]Testimony of Asaph. A Psalm.
80 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
(IJ)You who lead Joseph (IK)like a flock;
You who dwell between the cherubim, (IL)shine forth!
2 Before (IM)Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
Stir up Your strength,
And come and save us!
4 O Lord God of hosts,
(IP)How long will You be angry
Against the prayer of Your people?
5 (IQ)You have fed them with the bread of tears,
And given them tears to drink in great measure.
6 You have made us a strife to our neighbors,
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!
8 You have brought (IR)a vine out of Egypt;
(IS)You have cast out the [bn]nations, and planted it.
9 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 [bo]mighty cedars with its (IT)boughs.
11 She sent out her boughs to [bp]the Sea,
And her branches to [bq]the River.
12 Why have You (IU)broken down her [br]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;
(IV)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 (IW)for Yourself.
16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
(IX)They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
17 (IY)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!
An Appeal for Israel’s Repentance
To the Chief Musician. (IZ)On[bs] an instrument of Gath. A Psalm of Asaph.
81 Sing aloud to God our strength;
Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song and strike the timbrel,
The pleasant harp with the lute.
3 Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon,
At the full moon, on our solemn feast day.
4 For (JA)this is a statute for Israel,
A law of the God of Jacob.
5 This He established in Joseph as a testimony,
When He went throughout the land of Egypt,
(JB)Where I heard a language I did not understand.
6 “I removed his shoulder from the burden;
His hands were freed from the baskets.
7 (JC)You called in trouble, and I delivered you;
(JD)I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I (JE)tested you at the waters of [bt]Meribah. Selah
8 “Hear,(JF) O My people, and I will admonish you!
O Israel, if you will listen to Me!
9 There shall be no (JG)foreign god among you;
Nor shall you worship any foreign god.
10 (JH)I am the Lord your God,
Who brought you out of the land of Egypt;
(JI)Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11 “But My people would not heed My voice,
And Israel would have (JJ)none of Me.
12 (JK)So I gave them over to [bu]their own stubborn heart,
To walk in their own counsels.
13 “Oh,(JL) that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!
14 I would soon subdue their enemies,
And turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 (JM)The haters of the Lord would pretend submission to Him,
But their [bv]fate would endure forever.
16 He would (JN)have fed them also with [bw]the finest of wheat;
And with honey (JO)from the rock I would have satisfied you.”
Footnotes
- Psalm 69:1 Heb. Shoshannim
- Psalm 69:1 Lit. soul
- Psalm 69:6 Wait in faith
- Psalm 69:6 dishonored
- Psalm 69:11 Symbolic of sorrow
- Psalm 69:12 Sit as judges
- Psalm 69:20 Lit. sickness
- Psalm 69:36 Lit. seed
- Psalm 70:2 So with MT, LXX, Tg., Vg.; some Heb. mss., Syr. appalled (cf. 40:15)
- Psalm 70:3 An expression of scorn
- Psalm 71:3 Lit. rock of refuge or rock of habitation
- Psalm 71:6 sustained from the womb
- Psalm 71:13 ashamed
- Psalm 71:19 great, lit. to the height of heaven
- Psalm 72:4 crush
- Psalm 72:5 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Vg. They shall continue
- Psalm 73:4 pains
- Psalm 73:7 Tg. face bulges; LXX, Syr., Vg. iniquity bulges
- Psalm 73:8 Proudly
- Psalm 73:13 kept my heart pure in vain
- Psalm 73:16 troublesome in my eyes
- Psalm 73:21 Lit. pierced in my kidneys
- Psalm 73:26 Lit. rock
- Psalm 73:27 Are unfaithful to You
- Psalm 74:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 74:8 oppress
- Psalm 74:10 revile
- Psalm 74:13 sea monsters
- Psalm 74:14 A large sea creature of unknown identity
- Psalm 74:20 hiding places
- Psalm 74:20 homes
- Psalm 74:20 violence
- Psalm 74:22 reviles or taunts
- Psalm 75:1 Heb. Al Tashcheth
- Psalm 75:2 appointed
- Psalm 75:4 Raise the head proudly like a horned animal
- Psalm 75:5 Insolent pride
- Psalm 75:10 Strength
- Psalm 76:1 Heb. neginoth
- Psalm 76:2 Jerusalem
- Psalm 76:5 Lit. have slumbered their sleep
- Psalm 77:6 ponders diligently
- Psalm 77:8 Lit. unto generation and generation
- Psalm 77:10 Lit. infirmity
- Psalm 77:13 Or holiness
- Psalm 78:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 78:2 obscure sayings or riddles
- Psalm 78:8 Lit. prepare its heart
- Psalm 78:9 Lit. bow shooters
- Psalm 78:24 Lit. grain
- Psalm 78:25 satiation
- Psalm 78:30 Lit. separated
- Psalm 78:40 rebelled against Him
- Psalm 78:42 Lit. hand
- Psalm 78:48 lightning bolts
- Psalm 78:50 Or their beasts
- Psalm 78:55 surveyed measurement, lit. measuring cord
- Psalm 79:1 Gentiles
- Psalm 79:1 in ruins
- Psalm 79:6 Gentiles
- Psalm 79:8 Or against us the iniquities of those who were before us
- Psalm 79:10 Gentiles
- Psalm 79:11 Lit. arm
- Psalm 80:1 Heb. Shoshannim
- Psalm 80:1 Heb. Eduth
- Psalm 80:8 Gentiles
- Psalm 80:10 Lit. cedars of God
- Psalm 80:11 The Mediterranean
- Psalm 80:11 The Euphrates
- Psalm 80:12 walls or fences
- Psalm 81:1 Heb. Al Gittith
- Psalm 81:7 Lit. Strife or Contention
- Psalm 81:12 the dictates of their heart
- Psalm 81:15 Lit. time
- Psalm 81:16 Lit. fat of wheat
Psalm 69-78
New International Version
Psalm 69-78
New International Version
Psalm 69[a]
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.
1 Save me, O God,
for the waters(A) have come up to my neck.(B)
2 I sink in the miry depths,(C)
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help;(D)
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,(E)
looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me(F) without reason(G)
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,(H)
those who seek to destroy me.(I)
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.
6 Lord, the Lord Almighty,
may those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me.
7 For I endure scorn(L) for your sake,(M)
and shame covers my face.(N)
8 I am a foreigner to my own family,
a stranger to my own mother’s children;(O)
9 for zeal for your house consumes me,(P)
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.(Q)
10 When I weep and fast,(R)
I must endure scorn;
11 when I put on sackcloth,(S)
people make sport of me.
12 Those who sit at the gate(T) mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards.(U)
13 But I pray to you, Lord,
in the time of your favor;(V)
in your great love,(W) O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.(X)
15 Do not let the floodwaters(Y) engulf me
or the depths swallow me up(Z)
or the pit close its mouth over me.(AA)
16 Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love;(AB)
in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face(AC) from your servant;
answer me quickly,(AD) for I am in trouble.(AE)
18 Come near and rescue me;
deliver(AF) me because of my foes.
19 You know how I am scorned,(AG) disgraced and shamed;
all my enemies are before you.
20 Scorn has broken my heart
and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters,(AH) but I found none.(AI)
21 They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar(AJ) for my thirst.(AK)
22 May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and[b] a trap.(AL)
23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.(AM)
24 Pour out your wrath(AN) on them;
let your fierce anger overtake them.
25 May their place be deserted;(AO)
let there be no one to dwell in their tents.(AP)
26 For they persecute those you wound
and talk about the pain of those you hurt.(AQ)
27 Charge them with crime upon crime;(AR)
do not let them share in your salvation.(AS)
28 May they be blotted out of the book of life(AT)
and not be listed with the righteous.(AU)
29 But as for me, afflicted and in pain—
may your salvation, God, protect me.(AV)
30 I will praise God’s name in song(AW)
and glorify him(AX) with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the Lord more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hooves.(AY)
32 The poor will see and be glad(AZ)—
you who seek God, may your hearts live!(BA)
33 The Lord hears the needy(BB)
and does not despise his captive people.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that move in them,(BC)
35 for God will save Zion(BD)
and rebuild the cities of Judah.(BE)
Then people will settle there and possess it;
36 the children of his servants will inherit it,(BF)
and those who love his name will dwell there.(BG)
Psalm 70[c](BH)
For the director of music. Of David. A petition.
1 Hasten, O God, to save me;
come quickly, Lord, to help me.(BI)
2 May those who want to take my life(BJ)
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.(BK)
3 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”(BL)
turn back because of their shame.
4 But may all who seek you(BM)
rejoice and be glad(BN) in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
“The Lord is great!”(BO)
5 But as for me, I am poor and needy;(BP)
come quickly to me,(BQ) O God.
You are my help(BR) and my deliverer;(BS)
Lord, do not delay.(BT)
Psalm 71(BU)
1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;(BV)
let me never be put to shame.(BW)
2 In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
turn your ear(BX) to me and save me.
3 Be my rock of refuge,
to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.(BY)
4 Deliver(BZ) me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,(CA)
from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.(CB)
5 For you have been my hope,(CC) Sovereign Lord,
my confidence(CD) since my youth.
6 From birth(CE) I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.(CF)
I will ever praise(CG) you.
7 I have become a sign(CH) to many;
you are my strong refuge.(CI)
8 My mouth(CJ) is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor(CK) all day long.
9 Do not cast(CL) me away when I am old;(CM)
do not forsake(CN) me when my strength is gone.
10 For my enemies(CO) speak against me;
those who wait to kill(CP) me conspire(CQ) together.
11 They say, “God has forsaken(CR) him;
pursue him and seize him,
for no one will rescue(CS) him.”
12 Do not be far(CT) from me, my God;
come quickly, God, to help(CU) me.
13 May my accusers(CV) perish in shame;(CW)
may those who want to harm me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.(CX)
14 As for me, I will always have hope;(CY)
I will praise you more and more.
15 My mouth will tell(CZ) of your righteous deeds,(DA)
of your saving acts all day long—
though I know not how to relate them all.
16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts,(DB) Sovereign Lord;
I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
17 Since my youth, God, you have taught(DC) me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.(DD)
18 Even when I am old and gray,(DE)
do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power(DF) to the next generation,
your mighty acts to all who are to come.(DG)
19 Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,(DH)
you who have done great things.(DI)
Who is like you, God?(DJ)
20 Though you have made me see troubles,(DK)
many and bitter,
you will restore(DL) my life again;
from the depths of the earth(DM)
you will again bring me up.
21 You will increase my honor(DN)
and comfort(DO) me once more.
22 I will praise you with the harp(DP)
for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,(DQ)
Holy One of Israel.(DR)
23 My lips will shout for joy(DS)
when I sing praise to you—
I whom you have delivered.(DT)
24 My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
all day long,(DU)
for those who wanted to harm me(DV)
have been put to shame and confusion.(DW)
Psalm 72
Of Solomon.
1 Endow the king with your justice,(DX) O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2 May he judge your people in righteousness,(DY)
your afflicted ones with justice.
3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4 May he defend the afflicted(DZ) among the people
and save the children of the needy;(EA)
may he crush the oppressor.(EB)
5 May he endure[d](EC) as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.(ED)
6 May he be like rain(EE) falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
7 In his days may the righteous flourish(EF)
and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.
8 May he rule from sea to sea
and from the River[e](EG) to the ends of the earth.(EH)
9 May the desert tribes bow before him
and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish(EI) and of distant shores(EJ)
bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba(EK) and Seba
present him gifts.(EL)
11 May all kings bow down(EM) to him
and all nations serve(EN) him.
12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity(EO) on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue(EP) them from oppression and violence,
for precious(EQ) is their blood in his sight.
15 Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba(ER) be given him.
May people ever pray for him
and bless him all day long.(ES)
16 May grain(ET) abound throughout the land;
on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops(EU) flourish like Lebanon(EV)
and thrive[f] like the grass of the field.(EW)
17 May his name endure forever;(EX)
may it continue as long as the sun.(EY)
18 Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,(FA)
who alone does marvelous deeds.(FB)
19 Praise be to his glorious name(FC) forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.(FD)
Amen and Amen.(FE)
20 This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.(FF)
BOOK III
Psalms 73–89
Psalm 73
A psalm of Asaph.
1 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.(FG)
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;(FH)
I had nearly lost my foothold.(FI)
3 For I envied(FJ) the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.(FK)
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.[h]
5 They are free(FL) from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride(FM) is their necklace;(FN)
they clothe themselves with violence.(FO)
7 From their callous hearts(FP) comes iniquity[i];
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;(FQ)
with arrogance(FR) they threaten oppression.(FS)
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.[j]
11 They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”
13 Surely in vain(FV) I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.(FW)
14 All day long I have been afflicted,(FX)
and every morning brings new punishments.
15 If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand(FY) all this,
it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary(FZ) of God;
then I understood their final destiny.(GA)
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;(GB)
you cast them down to ruin.(GC)
19 How suddenly(GD) are they destroyed,
completely swept away(GE) by terrors!
20 They are like a dream(GF) when one awakes;(GG)
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.(GH)
21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless(GI) and ignorant;
I was a brute beast(GJ) before you.
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.(GK)
24 You guide(GL) me with your counsel,(GM)
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?(GN)
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.(GO)
26 My flesh and my heart(GP) may fail,(GQ)
but God is the strength(GR) of my heart
and my portion(GS) forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;(GT)
you destroy all who are unfaithful(GU) to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.(GV)
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;(GW)
I will tell of all your deeds.(GX)
Psalm 74
A maskil[k] of Asaph.
1 O God, why have you rejected(GY) us forever?(GZ)
Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?(HA)
2 Remember the nation you purchased(HB) long ago,(HC)
the people of your inheritance,(HD) whom you redeemed(HE)—
Mount Zion,(HF) where you dwelt.(HG)
3 Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,(HH)
all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.
4 Your foes roared(HI) in the place where you met with us;
they set up their standards(HJ) as signs.
5 They behaved like men wielding axes
to cut through a thicket of trees.(HK)
6 They smashed all the carved(HL) paneling
with their axes and hatchets.
7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground;
they defiled(HM) the dwelling place(HN) of your Name.(HO)
8 They said in their hearts, “We will crush(HP) them completely!”
They burned(HQ) every place where God was worshiped in the land.
9 We are given no signs from God;(HR)
no prophets(HS) are left,
and none of us knows how long this will be.
10 How long(HT) will the enemy mock(HU) you, God?
Will the foe revile(HV) your name forever?
11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?(HW)
Take it from the folds of your garment(HX) and destroy them!
13 It was you who split open the sea(IA) by your power;
you broke the heads of the monster(IB) in the waters.
14 It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan(IC)
and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.(ID)
15 It was you who opened up springs(IE) and streams;
you dried up(IF) the ever-flowing rivers.
16 The day is yours, and yours also the night;
you established the sun and moon.(IG)
17 It was you who set all the boundaries(IH) of the earth;
you made both summer and winter.(II)
18 Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord,
how foolish people(IJ) have reviled your name.
19 Do not hand over the life of your dove(IK) to wild beasts;
do not forget the lives of your afflicted(IL) people forever.
20 Have regard for your covenant,(IM)
because haunts of violence fill the dark places(IN) of the land.
21 Do not let the oppressed(IO) retreat in disgrace;
may the poor and needy(IP) praise your name.
22 Rise up,(IQ) O God, and defend your cause;
remember how fools(IR) mock you all day long.
23 Do not ignore the clamor(IS) of your adversaries,(IT)
the uproar(IU) of your enemies,(IV) which rises continually.
Psalm 75[l]
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A psalm of Asaph. A song.
1 We praise you, God,
we praise you, for your Name is near;(IW)
people tell of your wonderful deeds.(IX)
2 You say, “I choose the appointed time;(IY)
it is I who judge with equity.(IZ)
3 When the earth and all its people quake,(JA)
it is I who hold its pillars(JB) firm.[m]
4 To the arrogant(JC) I say, ‘Boast no more,’(JD)
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.[n](JE)
5 Do not lift your horns against heaven;
do not speak so defiantly.(JF)’”
6 No one from the east or the west
or from the desert can exalt themselves.
7 It is God who judges:(JG)
He brings one down, he exalts another.(JH)
8 In the hand of the Lord is a cup
full of foaming wine mixed(JI) with spices;
he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth
drink it down to its very dregs.(JJ)
9 As for me, I will declare(JK) this forever;
I will sing(JL) praise to the God of Jacob,(JM)
10 who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”(JN)
Psalm 76[o]
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.
1 God is renowned in Judah;
in Israel his name is great.(JO)
2 His tent is in Salem,(JP)
his dwelling place in Zion.(JQ)
3 There he broke the flashing arrows,(JR)
the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.[p](JS)
4 You are radiant with light,(JT)
more majestic than mountains rich with game.
5 The valiant(JU) lie plundered,
they sleep their last sleep;(JV)
not one of the warriors
can lift his hands.
6 At your rebuke,(JW) God of Jacob,
both horse and chariot(JX) lie still.
7 It is you alone who are to be feared.(JY)
Who can stand(JZ) before you when you are angry?(KA)
8 From heaven you pronounced judgment,
and the land feared(KB) and was quiet—
9 when you, God, rose up to judge,(KC)
to save all the afflicted(KD) of the land.
10 Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise,(KE)
and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.[q]
11 Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them;(KF)
let all the neighboring lands
bring gifts(KG) to the One to be feared.
12 He breaks the spirit of rulers;
he is feared by the kings of the earth.
Psalm 77[r]
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.
1 I cried out to God(KH) for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
2 When I was in distress,(KI) I sought the Lord;
at night(KJ) I stretched out untiring hands,(KK)
and I would not be comforted.(KL)
3 I remembered(KM) you, God, and I groaned;(KN)
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.[s](KO)
4 You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.(KP)
5 I thought about the former days,(KQ)
the years of long ago;
6 I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart meditated and my spirit asked:
7 “Will the Lord reject forever?(KR)
Will he never show his favor(KS) again?
8 Has his unfailing love(KT) vanished forever?
Has his promise(KU) failed for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?(KV)
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?(KW)”
10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.(KX)
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles(KY) of long ago.
12 I will consider(KZ) all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”(LA)
13 Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?(LB)
14 You are the God who performs miracles;(LC)
you display your power among the peoples.
15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,(LD)
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
16 The waters(LE) saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;(LF)
the very depths were convulsed.
17 The clouds poured down water,(LG)
the heavens resounded with thunder;(LH)
your arrows(LI) flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,(LJ)
your lightning(LK) lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.(LL)
19 Your path(LM) led through the sea,(LN)
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
Psalm 78
A maskil[t] of Asaph.
1 My people, hear my teaching;(LR)
listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth with a parable;(LS)
I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
3 things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.(LT)
4 We will not hide them from their descendants;(LU)
we will tell the next generation(LV)
the praiseworthy deeds(LW) of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders(LX) he has done.
5 He decreed statutes(LY) for Jacob(LZ)
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,(MA)
and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget(MB) his deeds
but would keep his commands.(MC)
8 They would not be like their ancestors(MD)—
a stubborn(ME) and rebellious(MF) generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
whose spirits were not faithful to him.
9 The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,(MG)
turned back on the day of battle;(MH)
10 they did not keep God’s covenant(MI)
and refused to live by his law.(MJ)
11 They forgot what he had done,(MK)
the wonders he had shown them.
12 He did miracles(ML) in the sight of their ancestors
in the land of Egypt,(MM) in the region of Zoan.(MN)
13 He divided the sea(MO) and led them through;
he made the water stand up like a wall.(MP)
14 He guided them with the cloud by day
and with light from the fire all night.(MQ)
15 He split the rocks(MR) 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(MS) against him,
rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
18 They willfully put God to the test(MT)
by demanding the food they craved.(MU)
19 They spoke against God;(MV)
they said, “Can God really
spread a table in the wilderness?
20 True, he struck the rock,
and water gushed out,(MW)
streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
Can he supply meat(MX) for his people?”
21 When the Lord heard them, he was furious;
his fire broke out(MY) against Jacob,
and his wrath rose against Israel,
22 for they did not believe in God
or trust(MZ) in his deliverance.
23 Yet he gave a command to the skies above
and opened the doors of the heavens;(NA)
24 he rained down manna(NB) 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(NC) from the heavens
and by his power made the south wind blow.
27 He rained meat down on them like dust,
birds(ND) 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—(NE)
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,(NF)
31 God’s anger rose against them;
he put to death the sturdiest(NG) among them,
cutting down the young men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;(NH)
in spite of his wonders,(NI) they did not believe.(NJ)
33 So he ended their days in futility(NK)
and their years in terror.
34 Whenever God slew them, they would seek(NL) him;
they eagerly turned to him again.
35 They remembered that God was their Rock,(NM)
that God Most High was their Redeemer.(NN)
36 But then they would flatter him with their mouths,(NO)
lying to him with their tongues;
37 their hearts were not loyal(NP) to him,
they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he was merciful;(NQ)
he forgave(NR) their iniquities(NS)
and did not destroy them.
Time after time he restrained his anger(NT)
and did not stir up his full wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh,(NU)
a passing breeze(NV) that does not return.
40 How often they rebelled(NW) against him in the wilderness(NX)
and grieved him(NY) in the wasteland!
41 Again and again they put God to the test;(NZ)
they vexed the Holy One of Israel.(OA)
42 They did not remember(OB) his power—
the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,(OC)
43 the day he displayed his signs(OD) in Egypt,
his wonders(OE) in the region of Zoan.
44 He turned their river into blood;(OF)
they could not drink from their streams.
45 He sent swarms of flies(OG) that devoured them,
and frogs(OH) that devastated them.
46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper,(OI)
their produce to the locust.(OJ)
47 He destroyed their vines with hail(OK)
and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48 He gave over their cattle to the hail,
their livestock(OL) to bolts of lightning.
49 He unleashed against them his hot anger,(OM)
his wrath, indignation and hostility—
a band of destroying angels.(ON)
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,(OO)
the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.(OP)
52 But he brought his people out like a flock;(OQ)
he led them like sheep through the wilderness.
53 He guided them safely, so they were unafraid;
but the sea engulfed(OR) their enemies.(OS)
54 And so he brought them to the border of his holy land,
to the hill country his right hand(OT) had taken.
55 He drove out nations(OU) before them
and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance;(OV)
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(OW) they were disloyal and faithless,
as unreliable as a faulty bow.(OX)
58 They angered him(OY) with their high places;(OZ)
they aroused his jealousy with their idols.(PA)
59 When God heard(PB) them, he was furious;(PC)
he rejected Israel(PD) completely.
60 He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,(PE)
the tent he had set up among humans.(PF)
61 He sent the ark of his might(PG) into captivity,(PH)
his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
62 He gave his people over to the sword;(PI)
he was furious with his inheritance.(PJ)
63 Fire consumed(PK) their young men,
and their young women had no wedding songs;(PL)
64 their priests were put to the sword,(PM)
and their widows could not weep.
65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,(PN)
as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.
66 He beat back his enemies;
he put them to everlasting shame.(PO)
67 Then he rejected the tents of Joseph,
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;(PP)
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,(PQ)
Mount Zion,(PR) which he loved.
69 He built his sanctuary(PS) like the heights,
like the earth that he established forever.
70 He chose David(PT) his servant
and took him from the sheep pens;
71 from tending the sheep(PU) he brought him
to be the shepherd(PV) of his people Jacob,
of Israel his inheritance.
72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;(PW)
with skillful hands he led them.
Footnotes
- Psalm 69:1 In Hebrew texts 69:1-36 is numbered 69:2-37.
- Psalm 69:22 Or snare / and their fellowship become
- Psalm 70:1 In Hebrew texts 70:1-5 is numbered 70:2-6.
- Psalm 72:5 Septuagint; Hebrew You will be feared
- Psalm 72:8 That is, the Euphrates
- Psalm 72:16 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text Lebanon, / from the city
- Psalm 72:17 Or will use his name in blessings (see Gen. 48:20)
- Psalm 73:4 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text struggles at their death; / their bodies are healthy
- Psalm 73:7 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew Their eyes bulge with fat
- Psalm 73:10 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
- Psalm 74:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 75:1 In Hebrew texts 75:1-10 is numbered 75:2-11.
- Psalm 75:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
- Psalm 75:4 Horns here symbolize strength; also in verses 5 and 10.
- Psalm 76:1 In Hebrew texts 76:1-12 is numbered 76:2-13.
- Psalm 76:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 9.
- Psalm 76:10 Or Surely the wrath of mankind brings you praise, / and with the remainder of wrath you arm yourself
- Psalm 77:1 In Hebrew texts 77:1-20 is numbered 77:2-21.
- Psalm 77:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 9 and 15.
- Psalm 78:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.