Beginning
Psalm 80
For the worship leader. A song of Asaph to the tune “The Lilies.”[a]
Psalm 80 is a communal lament composed in Judah (the Southern Kingdom) after the fall of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) in 722 b.c.
1 Turn Your ear toward us, Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead the children of Joseph like a flock.
You who sit enthroned above heaven’s winged creatures,[b]
radiate Your light!
2 In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
arouse Your strength and power,
and save us!
3 Bring us back to You, God.
Turn the light of Your face upon us so that we will be rescued from this sea of darkness.
4 O Eternal God, Commander of heaven’s armies,
how long will You remain angry at the prayers of Your sons and daughters?
5 You have given them tears for food;
You have given them an abundance of tears to drink.
6 You have made us a source of trouble for our neighbors—
our enemies laugh to each other behind our backs.
7 O God, Commander of heaven’s armies, bring us back to You.
Turn the light of Your face upon us so that we will be rescued from this sea of darkness.
8 You took us like a grapevine dug from the soil of Egypt;
You forced out the nations and transplanted it in Your land.
9 You groomed the ground around it,
planted it so it would root deep into the earth, and it covered all the land.
10 As it grew, the mountains were blanketed by its shadow;
the mighty cedars were covered by its branches.
11 The plant extended its branches to the Mediterranean Sea,
and spread its shoots all the way to the Euphrates River.
12 God, why have You pulled down the wall that protected it
so that everyone who wanders by can pick its sweet grapes?
13 The wild boar of the forest eats it all,
and the creatures of the field feast upon it.
14 O God, Commander of heaven’s armies, come back to us.
Gaze down from heaven and see what has happened.
Keep watch over this vine, and nourish it.
15 Look after the saplings which You planted with Your own right hand,
the child whom You have raised and nurtured for Yourself.
16 Your enemies have chopped it down and burned it with fire;
may they be destroyed by the sight of Your rebuke.
17 Let Your protective hand rest on the one who is at Your right hand,
the child of man whom You have raised and nurtured for Yourself.
18 Then we will not turn away from You.
Bring us back to life! And we will call out for You!
19 O Eternal God, Commander of heaven’s armies, bring us back to You.
Turn the light of Your face upon us so that we will be rescued from this sea of darkness.
Psalm 81
For the worship leader. A song of Asaph accompanied by the harp.[c]
God’s covenant people celebrated many festivals honoring God and His provisions. Poets composed songs specifically for use on feast days. Psalm 81 is one of those. It was written to celebrate the Festival of Booths. God commanded His people to celebrate this festival every year so they would remember how God provided for them as they moved toward the promised land (Deuteronomy 16:13–15). A portion of this psalm (verses 5b–16) would have been sung by the lead musician as if he were speaking for God.
In the annual rhythm of festivals and praise, God is reminding the people of all He has done for them and of their past disobedience in spite of His love. He is also calling His people to renew their commitment to Him, a reasonable request on a holiday honoring Him.
1 Sing with joy to God, our strength, our fortress.
Raise your voices to the True God of Jacob.
2 Sing and strike up a melody;
sound the tambourine,
strum the sweet lyre and the harp.
3 Blow the trumpet to announce the new moon,
the full moon, the day of our feast.[d]
4 For this is prescribed for Israel,
a rule ordained by the True God of Jacob.
5 A precept established by God in Joseph
during His journey in Egypt.
I hear it said in a language foreign to me:
6 “I removed the burden from your shoulders;
I removed heavy baskets from your hands.
7 You cried out to Me, I heard your distress, and I delivered you;
I answered you from the secret place, where clouds of thunder roll.
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
[pause][e]
8 “O My people, hear Me; I will rebuke you.
Israel, Israel! If you would only listen to Me.
9 Do not surround yourselves with other gods
or bow down to strange gods.
10 I am the Eternal, your True God.
I liberated you from slavery, led you out from the land of Egypt.
If you open your mouth wide, I will fill it.
11 “But My own people did not hear My voice!
Israel refused to obey Me.
12 So I freed them to follow their hard hearts,
to do what they thought was best.
13 If only My people would hear My voice
and Israel would follow My direction!
14 Then I would not hesitate to humble their enemies
and defeat their opposition Myself.
15 Those who hate the Eternal will cower in His presence, pretending to submit;
they secretly loathe Him, yet their doom is forever.
16 But you—I will feed you the best wheat
and satisfy you with honey out of the rock.”
Psalm 82
A song of Asaph.
Psalm 82 provides an image of a heavenly scene in which God accuses His heavenly messengers of not caring for the poor and pursuing justice.
1 The True God stands to preside over the heavenly council.
He pronounces judgment on the so-called gods.
2 He asks: “How long will you judge dishonestly
and be partial to the wicked?”
[pause][f]
3 “Stand up for the poor and the orphan;
advocate for the rights of the afflicted and those in need.
4 Deliver the poor and the needy;
rescue them from their evil oppressors.”
5 These bullies are ignorant; they have no understanding of My ways.
So as they walk in darkness,
the foundations of the earth tremble.
6 I said, “Though you are gods[g]
and children of the Most High,
7 You will die no differently than any mortal;
you will fall like one of the princes.”
8 Rise up, O True God; judge the rulers of the earth,
for all the nations are Yours.
Psalm 83
A song of Asaph.
1 O True God, do not be quiet any longer.
Do not stay silent or be still, O God.
2 Look now, Your enemies are causing a commotion;
those who hate You are rising up!
3 They are conniving against Your people,
conspiring against those You cherish.
4 They say, “Join us. Let’s wipe the entire nation off the face of the earth
so no one will remember Israel’s name.”
5 They are all in it together, thinking as one,
and making a pact against You:
6 The people of Edom and Ishmael;
the Moabites and the Hagrites;
7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia with the residents of Tyre.
8 And the powerful Assyrians have joined the alliance
to add their strength and support the descendants of Lot: Moab and Ammon.
[pause][h]
9 Do to these nations what You did to Midian,
to Sisera and Jabin at the raging waters of Kishon.
10 They were destroyed at En-dor;
they became like dung, fertilizer for the ground.
11 Make their rulers like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who schemed, “We should own the meadows of the True God,
let’s take them!”
13 O my God, blow them away like a tumbleweed,
scatter them like dust in a whirlwind.
14 As a wildfire charges through the forest
or a flame sprints up the mountainside,
15 Send Your raging winds to chase them, hunt them down,
and terrify them with Your storm.
16 Redden their faces in shame
so that they will turn and seek Your holy name, Eternal One.
17 May they face disappointment and anxiety forever;
may they be ashamed and die.
18 May they know that You and You alone,
whose name is the Eternal,
are the Most High, the Supreme Ruler over all the earth.
Psalm 84
For the worship leader. A song of the sons of Korah accompanied by the harp.[i]
1 How lovely is Your temple, Your dwelling place on earth,
O Eternal One, Commander of heaven’s armies.
2 How I long to be there—my soul is spent,
wanting, waiting to walk in the courts of the Eternal.
My whole being sings joyfully
to the living God.
3 Just as the sparrow seeks her home,
and the swallow finds in her own nest
a place to lay her young,
I, too, seek Your altars, my King and my God,
Commander of heaven’s armies.
4 How blessed are those who make Your house their home,
who live with You;
they are constantly praising You.
[pause][j]
5 Blessed are those who make You their strength,
for they treasure every step of the journey [to Zion].[k]
6 On their way through the valley of Baca,
they stop and dig wells to collect the refreshing spring water,
and the early rains fill the pools.
7 They journey from place to place, gaining strength along the way;
until they meet God in Zion.
8 O Eternal God, Commander of heaven’s armies, listen to my prayer.
O please listen, God of Jacob.
[pause]
9 O True God, look at our shield, our protector,
see the face of Your anointed king, and defend our defender.
10 Just one day in the courts of Your temple is greater
than a thousand anywhere else.
I would rather serve as a porter at my God’s doorstep
than live in luxury in the house of the wicked.
11 For the Eternal God is a sun and a shield.
The Eternal grants favor and glory;
He doesn’t deny any good thing
to those who live with integrity.
12 O Eternal One, Commander of heaven’s armies,
how fortunate are those who trust You.
Psalm 85
For the worship leader. A song of the sons of Korah.
1 O Eternal One, there was a time when You were gracious to Your land;
You returned Jacob’s descendants from their captivity.
2 You forgave the iniquity of Your people,
covered all of their sins.
[pause][l]
3 There was a time when You restrained all of Your fierce wrath,
when You cooled Your hot anger.
4 O God of our salvation, bring us back again—as You did before—
and put away Your anger toward us.
5 Will You be mad at us forever?
Will You continue to be angry with our children and theirs?
6 Will You not bring us back to life once more
so that we, Your people, will find joy and pleasure in You?
7 O Eternal One, show us Your unfailing love;
give us what we truly need: Your salvation.
8 I will hear what the True God—the Eternal—will say,
for He will speak peace over His people,
peace over those who faithfully follow Him, [but do not let them abuse His gift and return to foolish ways].[m]
9 Without a doubt, His salvation is near for those who revere Him
so that He will be with us again and all His glory will fill this land.
10 Unfailing love and truth have met on their way;
righteousness and peace have kissed one another.
11 Truth will spring from the earth like a plant,
and justice will look down from the sky.
12 Yes, the Eternal will plant goodness in the earth,
and our land will yield great abundance.
13 Justice will come before Him,
marking out a path, setting a way for His feet.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.