Book Three
God Is My Strength and Portion Forever
A Psalm of b Asaph.
PSALM 73 Truly God is good to c Israel,
to those who are d pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
3 e For I was f envious of the arrogant
when I saw the g prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not h stricken like the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore pride is i their necklace;
violence covers them as j a garment.
7 Their k eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and l speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find m no fault in them. [1]
11 And they say, n “How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they o increase in riches.
13 All in vain have I p kept my heart clean
and q washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all the day long I have been h stricken
and r rebuked s every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed t the generation of your children.
16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me u a wearisome task,
17 until I went into v the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their w end.
18 Truly you set them in x slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed y in a moment,
swept away utterly by z terrors!
20 Like a a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when b you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was c brutish and ignorant;
I was like d a beast toward you.
23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you e hold my right hand.
24 You f guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will g receive me to glory.
25 h Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 i My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is j the strength [2] of my heart and my k portion l forever.
27 For behold, those who are m far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is n unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to o be near God;
I have made the Lord GOD my p refuge,
that I may q tell of all your works.
Arise, O God, Defend Your Cause
PSALM 74 O God, why do you s cast us off forever?
Why does your anger t smoke against u the sheep of your pasture?
2 v Remember your congregation, which you have w purchased of old,
which you have x redeemed to be y the tribe of your heritage!
Remember Mount Zion, z where you have dwelt.
3 Direct your steps to a the perpetual ruins;
the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!
4 Your foes have b roared in the midst of your meeting place;
c they set up their d own signs for e signs.
5 They were like those who swing f axes
in a forest of trees. [2]
6 And all its g carved wood
they broke down with hatchets and hammers.
7 They h set your sanctuary on fire;
they i profaned j the dwelling place of your name,
bringing it down to the ground.
8 They k said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”;
they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
9 We do not see our l signs;
m there is no longer any prophet,
and there is none among us who knows how long.
10 How long, O God, n is the foe to scoff?
Is the enemy to revile your name forever?
11 Why o do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
Take it from the fold of your garment [3] and destroy them!
12 Yet p God my King is from of old,
working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 You q divided the sea by your might;
you r broke the heads of s the sea monsters [4] on the waters.
14 You crushed the heads of t Leviathan;
you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
15 You u split open springs and brooks;
you v dried up ever-flowing streams.
16 Yours is the day, yours also the night;
you have established w the heavenly lights and the sun.
17 You have x fixed all the boundaries of the earth;
you have made y summer and winter.
18 z Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs,
and a a foolish people reviles your name.
19 Do not deliver the soul of your b dove to the wild beasts;
c do not forget the life of your poor forever.
20 Have regard for d the covenant,
for e the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.
21 Let not f the downtrodden g turn back in shame;
let h the poor and needy praise your name.
22 Arise, O God, i defend your cause;
j remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!
23 Do not forget the clamor of your foes,
k the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!
God Will Judge with Equity
To the choirmaster: according to l Do Not Destroy. m A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
PSALM 75 We give thanks to you, O God;
we give thanks, for your name is n near.
We [1] recount your wondrous deeds.
2 “At o the set time that I appoint
I will judge p with equity.
3 When the earth q totters, and all its inhabitants,
it is I who keep steady its r pillars. Selah
4 I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
and to the wicked, s ‘Do not lift up your horn;
5 do not lift up your horn on high,
or speak with haughty neck.’”
6 For not from the east or from the west
and not from the wilderness comes t lifting up,
7 but it is u God who executes judgment,
v putting down one and lifting up another.
8 w For in the hand of the LORD there is x a cup
with foaming wine, y well mixed,
and he pours out from it,
and all the wicked of the earth
shall z drain it down to the dregs.
9 But I will declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 a All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
b but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.
Who Can Stand Before You?
To the choirmaster: with c stringed instruments. A Psalm of d Asaph. A Song.
PSALM 76 In Judah God is e known;
his name is great in Israel.
2 His f abode has been established in g Salem,
his h dwelling place in Zion.
3 There he i broke the flashing arrows,
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah
4 Glorious are you, more majestic
j than the mountains full of k prey.
5 l The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil;
m they sank into sleep;
all the men of war
were unable to use their hands.
6 At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both n rider and horse lay stunned.
7 o But you, you are to be feared!
Who can p stand before you
when once your anger is roused?
8 From the heavens you uttered judgment;
q the earth feared and was still,
9 when God r arose to establish judgment,
to save all the humble of the earth. Selah
10 Surely s the wrath of man shall praise you;
the remnant [1] of wrath you will put on like a belt.
11 t Make your vows to the LORD your God and perform them;
let all around him u bring gifts
to him who v is to be feared,
12 who w cuts off the spirit of princes,
who x is to be feared by the kings of the earth.
In the Day of Trouble I Seek the Lord
To the choirmaster: according to y Jeduthun. A Psalm of z Asaph.
PSALM 77 I a cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.
2 b In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in c the night my d hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul e refuses to be comforted.
3 When I remember God, I f moan;
when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah
4 You hold my eyelids open;
I am so g troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider h the days of old,
the years long ago.
6 I said, [1] “Let me remember my i song in the night;
let me j meditate in my heart.”
Then my spirit made a diligent search:
7 “Will the Lord k spurn forever,
and never again l be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
Are his m promises at an end for all time?
9 n Has God forgotten to be gracious?
o Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah
10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
to the years of the p right hand of the Most High.” [2]
11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will q remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your r work,
and meditate on your s mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is t holy.
u What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who v works wonders;
you have w made known your might among the peoples.
15 You x with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16 When y the waters saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
indeed, the deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
the skies z gave forth thunder;
your a arrows flashed on every side.
18 b The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
c your lightnings lighted up the world;
the earth d trembled and shook.
19 Your e way was through the sea,
your path through the great waters;
yet your footprints f were unseen. [3]
20 You g led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Tell the Coming Generation
PSALM 78 i Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 j I will open my mouth k in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known,
that our l fathers have told us.
4 We will not m hide them from their children,
but n tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,
and o the wonders that he has done.
5 He established p a testimony in q Jacob
and appointed a law in q Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
6 that r the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget s the works of God,
but t keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be u like their fathers,
v a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation w whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9 The Ephraimites, armed with [2] the bow,
x turned back on the day of battle.
10 They y did not keep God’s covenant,
but refused to walk according to his law.
11 They z forgot his works
and a the wonders that he had shown them.
12 In the sight of their fathers b he performed wonders
in the land of Egypt, in c the fields of Zoan.
13 He d divided the sea and let them pass through it,
and made the waters e stand like a heap.
14 f In the daytime he led them with a cloud,
and all the night with a fiery light.
15 He g split rocks in the wilderness
and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
16 He made streams come out of h the rock
and caused waters to flow down like rivers.
17 Yet they sinned still more against him,
i rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 They j tested God in their heart
by demanding the food they craved.
19 They spoke against God, saying,
k “Can God l spread a table in the wilderness?
20 m He struck the rock so that water gushed out
and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread
or provide meat for his people?”
21 Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath;
n a fire was kindled against Jacob;
his anger rose against Israel,
22 because they o did not believe in God
and did not trust his saving power.
23 Yet he commanded the skies above
and p opened the doors of heaven,
24 and he q rained down on them manna to eat
and gave them r the grain of heaven.
25 Man ate of the bread of s the angels;
he sent them food t in abundance.
26 He u caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
and by his power he led out the south wind;
27 he rained meat on them like v dust,
winged birds like w the sand of the seas;
28 he x let them fall in the midst of their camp,
all around their dwellings.
29 And they y ate and were well filled,
for he gave them what they z craved.
30 But before they had satisfied their craving,
a while the food was still in their mouths,
31 the anger of God rose against them,
and he killed b the strongest of them
and laid low c the young men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this, they d still sinned;
e despite his wonders, they did not believe.
33 So he made f their days g vanish like [3] a breath, [4]
and their years in terror.
34 When he killed them, they h sought him;
they repented and sought God earnestly.
35 They remembered that God was their i rock,
the Most High God their j redeemer.
36 But they k flattered him with their mouths;
they l lied to him with their tongues.
37 Their m heart was not n steadfast toward him;
they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he, being o compassionate,
p atoned for their iniquity
and did not destroy them;
he restrained his anger often
and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 He q remembered that they were but r flesh,
s a wind that passes and comes not again.
40 How often they t rebelled against him in the wilderness
and u grieved him in v the desert!
41 They w tested God again and again
and provoked x the Holy One of Israel.
42 They y did not remember his power [5]
or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,
43 z when he performed his a signs in Egypt
and his b marvels in c the fields of Zoan.
44 He d turned their rivers to blood,
so that they could not drink of their streams.
45 He sent among them swarms of e flies, which devoured them,
and f frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave their crops to g the destroying locust
and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with h hail
and their sycamores with frost.
48 He gave over their i cattle to the hail
and their flocks to thunderbolts.
49 He let loose on them his burning anger,
wrath, indignation, and distress,
a company of j destroying angels.
50 He made a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death,
but gave their lives over to the plague.
51 He struck down every k firstborn in Egypt,
the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of l Ham.
52 Then he led out his people m like sheep
and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 n He led them in safety, so that they o were not afraid,
but p the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them to his q holy land,
r to the mountain which his right hand had s won.
55 He t drove out nations before them;
he u apportioned them for a possession
and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 Yet they v tested and w rebelled against the Most High God
and did not keep his testimonies,
57 but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers;
they twisted like x a deceitful bow.
58 For they y provoked him to anger with their z high places;
they a moved him to jealousy with their b idols.
59 When God heard, he was full of c wrath,
and he utterly rejected Israel.
60 He d forsook his dwelling at e Shiloh,
the tent where he dwelt among mankind,
61 and delivered his f power to captivity,
his g glory to the hand of the foe.
62 He h gave his people over to the sword
and i vented his wrath on his heritage.
63 j Fire devoured their young men,
and their young women had no k marriage song.
64 Their l priests fell by the sword,
and their m widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the Lord n awoke as from sleep,
like a strong man shouting because of wine.
66 And he o put his adversaries to rout;
he put them to everlasting shame.
67 He rejected the tent of p Joseph;
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which he q loves.
69 He r built his sanctuary like the high heavens,
like the earth, which he has founded forever.
70 He s chose David his servant
and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 from t following the nursing ewes he brought him
to u shepherd Jacob his people,
Israel his v inheritance.
72 With w upright heart he shepherded them
and x guided them with his skillful hand.
How Long, O LORD?
A Psalm of y Asaph.
PSALM 79 O God, z the nations have come into your a inheritance;
they have defiled your b holy temple;
they have c laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2 They have given d the bodies of your servants
to the birds of the heavens for food,
the flesh of your e faithful to f the beasts of the earth.
3 They have poured out their blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and there was g no one to bury them.
4 We have become h a taunt to our neighbors,
h mocked and derided by those around us.
5 i How long, O LORD? Will you be angry j forever?
Will your k jealousy l burn like fire?
6 m Pour out your anger on the nations
that n do not know you,
and on the kingdoms
that o do not call upon your name!
7 For they have devoured Jacob
and laid waste his habitation.
8 p Do not remember against us q our former iniquities; [1]
let your compassion come speedily to meet us,
for we are r brought very low.
9 s Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us, and t atone for our sins,
for your u name’s sake!
10 v Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Let w the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants
be known among the nations before our eyes!
11 Let x the groans of the prisoners come before you;
according to your great power, preserve those y doomed to die!
12 Return z sevenfold into the a lap of our neighbors
the b taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!
13 But we your people, the c sheep of your pasture,
will d give thanks to you forever;
from generation to generation we will recount your praise.
Restore Us, O God
To the choirmaster: according to e Lilies. A Testimony. Of f Asaph, a Psalm.
PSALM 80 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead g Joseph like h a flock.
You who are i enthroned upon the cherubim, j shine forth.
2 Before k Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,
l stir up your might
and m come to save us!
o let your face shine, that we may be saved!
4 O p LORD God of hosts,
q how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
5 You have fed them with r the bread of tears
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6 s You make us an object of contention for our s neighbors,
and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 n Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved!
8 You brought t a vine out of Egypt;
you u drove out the nations and planted it.
9 You v cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches.
11 It sent out its branches to w the sea
and its shoots to w the River. [2]
12 Why then have you x broken down its walls,
so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13 y The boar from the forest ravages it,
and all that move in the field feed on it.
14 Turn again, O God of hosts!
z Look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
15 the stock that your right hand planted,
and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.
16 They have a burned it with fire; they have a cut it down;
may they perish at b the rebuke of your face!
17 But c let your hand be on the man of your right hand,
the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!
18 Then we shall not turn back from you;
d give us life, and we will call upon your name!
19 e Restore us, O LORD God of hosts!
Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Oh, That My People Would Listen to Me
To the choirmaster: according to f The Gittith. [1] Of g Asaph.
PSALM 81 h Sing aloud to God our strength;
i shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
2 Raise a song; sound j the tambourine,
k the sweet lyre with k the harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at l the new moon,
at the full moon, on our feast day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel,
a rule [2] of the God of Jacob.
5 He made it m a decree in n Joseph
when he o went out over [3] the land of Egypt.
p I hear a language q I had not known:
6 “I r relieved your [4] shoulder of s the burden;
your hands were freed from the basket.
7 In distress you t called, and I delivered you;
I u answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I v tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
8 w Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no x strange god among you;
you shall not bow down to a y foreign god.
10 z I am the LORD your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
a Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel b would not submit to me.
12 So I c gave them over to their d stubborn hearts,
to follow their own e counsels.
13 f Oh, that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would g walk in my ways!
14 I would soon subdue their enemies
and h turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the LORD would i cringe toward him,
and their fate would last forever.
16 But he would feed you [5] with j the finest of the wheat,
and with k honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Rescue the Weak and Needy
A Psalm of l Asaph.
PSALM 82 m God n has taken his place in the divine council;
in the midst of p the gods he q holds judgment:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly
and r show partiality to s the wicked? Selah
3 t Give justice to u the weak and the fatherless;
v maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
4 w Rescue the weak and the needy;
x deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
5 y They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
z they walk about in darkness;
a all the foundations of the earth are b shaken.
6 c I said, “You are gods,
sons of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, like men d you shall die,
and fall like any prince.” [1]
8 e Arise, O God, judge the earth;
for you shall f inherit all the nations!
O God, Do Not Keep Silence
A Song. A Psalm of g Asaph.
PSALM 83 O God, do not keep silence;
h do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
2 For behold, your enemies i make an uproar;
those who hate you have j raised their heads.
3 They lay k crafty plans against your people;
they consult together against your l treasured ones.
4 They say, “Come, m let us wipe them out as a nation;
let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”
5 For they conspire with one accord;
against you they make a covenant—
6 the tents of n Edom and o the Ishmaelites,
7 r Gebal and p Ammon and s Amalek,
t Philistia with the inhabitants of u Tyre;
8 v Asshur also has joined them;
they are the strong arm of w the children of Lot. Selah
9 Do to them as you did to x Midian,
as to y Sisera and Jabin at z the river Kishon,
10 who were destroyed at a En-dor,
who became b dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like c Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like d Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, e “Let us take possession for ourselves
of the pastures of God.”
13 O my God, make them like f whirling dust, [1]
like g chaff before the wind.
14 As h fire consumes the forest,
as the flame i sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so may you pursue them j with your tempest
and terrify them with your hurricane!
16 k Fill their faces with shame,
that they may seek your name, O LORD.
17 Let them be l put to shame and dismayed forever;
let them perish in disgrace,
18 that they may m know that you alone,
n whose name is the LORD,
are o the Most High over all the earth.
My Soul Longs for the Courts of the LORD
To the choirmaster: according to p The Gittith. [1] A Psalm of q the Sons of Korah.
PSALM 84 How r lovely is your s dwelling place,
O LORD of hosts!
2 My soul t longs, yes, u faints
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to v the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
w my King and my God.
4 x Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever y singing your praise! Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
z in whose heart are the highways to Zion. [2]
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
a the early rain also covers it with b pools.
7 They go c from strength to strength;
each one d appears before God in Zion.
8 O e LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 f Behold our g shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!
10 For a day h in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be i a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the LORD God is j a sun and g shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor.
k No good thing does he withhold
from those who l walk uprightly.
12 O LORD of hosts,
m blessed is the one who trusts in you!
Revive Us Again
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of n the Sons of Korah.
PSALM 85 LORD, you were o favorable to your land;
you p restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You q forgave the iniquity of your people;
you q covered all their sin. Selah
3 You withdrew all your wrath;
you r turned from your hot anger.
4 s Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
and put away your indignation toward us!
5 t Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not u revive us again,
that your people may v rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD,
and grant us your salvation.
8 w Let me hear what God the LORD will speak,
for he will x speak peace to his people, to his y saints;
but let them not z turn back to a folly.
9 Surely his b salvation is near to those who fear him,
that c glory may dwell in our land.
10 d Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;
e righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs up from the ground,
and righteousness looks down from the sky.
12 Yes, f the LORD will give what is good,
and our land g will yield its increase.
13 h Righteousness will go before him
and make his footsteps a way.
Great Is Your Steadfast Love
i A Prayer of David.
PSALM 86 j Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am k poor and needy.
2 Preserve my life, for I am l godly;
save your servant, who m trusts in you—you are my God.
3 n Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant,
for o to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and p forgiving,
q abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
6 r Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
7 In s the day of my trouble I call upon you,
t for you answer me.
8 There is u none like you among the gods, O Lord,
v nor are there any works like yours.
9 w All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
10 For x you are great and y do wondrous things;
z you alone are God.
11 a Teach me your way, O LORD,
that I may b walk in your truth;
c unite my heart to fear your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
13 d For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have e delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
14 O God, insolent men have f risen up against me;
a band of ruthless men seeks my life,
and they do not set you before them.
15 But you, O Lord, are a God g merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
16 h Turn to me and be gracious to me;
give your strength to i your servant,
and save i the son of your maidservant.
17 j Show me a sign of your k favor,
that those who hate me may see and be put to shame
because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
Glorious Things of You Are Spoken
A Psalm of l the Sons of Korah. A Song.
PSALM 87 On m the holy mount n stands the city he founded;
2 the LORD o loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
3 p Glorious things of you are spoken,
O q city of God. Selah
4 Among those who r know me I mention s Rahab and Babylon;
behold, Philistia and Tyre, with t Cush [1]—
“This one was born there,” they say.
5 And of Zion it shall be said,
“This one and that one were born in her”;
for the Most High himself will u establish her.
6 The LORD records as he v registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah
7 w Singers and x dancers alike say,
“All my y springs are in you.”
I Cry Out Day and Night Before You
A Song. A Psalm of z the Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to a Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil [1] of b Heman the Ezrahite.
PSALM 88 O LORD, c God of my salvation;
I d cry out day and night before you.
2 Let my prayer come before you;
e incline your ear to my cry!
3 For my soul is full of troubles,
and f my life draws near to g Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who h go down to the pit;
I am a man who has no strength,
5 like one set loose among the dead,
like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom i you remember no more,
for they are j cut off from your hand.
6 You have put me in k the depths of the pit,
in the l regions dark and m deep.
7 Your wrath n lies heavy upon me,
and you overwhelm me with o all your waves. Selah
8 You have caused p my companions to shun me;
you have made me q a horror [2] to them.
I am r shut in so that I cannot escape;
9 s my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O LORD;
I t spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you work wonders for the dead?
u Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your v wonders known in w the darkness,
or your righteousness in the land of x forgetfulness?
13 But I, O LORD, cry y to you;
z in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 O LORD, why a do you cast my soul away?
Why b do you hide your face from me?
15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors; I am helpless. [3]
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
your c dreadful assaults destroy me.
17 They d surround me like a flood e all day long;
they f close in on me together.
18 You have caused g my beloved and my friend to shun me;
my companions have become darkness. [4]
I Will Sing of the Steadfast Love of the LORD
A Maskil [1] of h Ethan the Ezrahite.
PSALM 89 i I will sing of j the steadfast love of the LORD, forever;
with my mouth I will make known your k faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I said, j “Steadfast love will be built up forever;
in the heavens l you will establish your k faithfulness.”
3 You have said, “I have made m a covenant with my n chosen one;
I have o sworn to David my servant:
4 ‘I will establish your p offspring forever,
and build your q throne for all generations.’” Selah
5 Let r the heavens praise your s wonders, O LORD,
your faithfulness in the assembly of t the holy ones!
6 For u who in the skies can be compared to the LORD?
u Who among the heavenly beings [2] is like the LORD,
7 a God greatly v to be feared in the council of t the holy ones,
and awesome above all w who are around him?
8 O LORD God of hosts,
x who is mighty as you are, O y LORD,
with your faithfulness all around you?
9 You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you z still them.
10 You a crushed b Rahab like a carcass;
you c scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 d The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
e the world and all that is in it, you have f founded them.
12 g The north and the south, you have created them;
h Tabor and i Hermon j joyously praise your name.
13 You have a mighty arm;
strong is your hand, high your right hand.
14 k Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
l steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are the people who know m the festal shout,
who walk, O LORD, in n the light of your face,
16 who exult in your o name all the day
and in your righteousness are p exalted.
17 For you are q the glory of their strength;
by your favor our r horn is exalted.
18 For our s shield belongs to the LORD,
our king to t the Holy One of Israel.
19 u Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, [3] and said:
“I have v granted help to one who is w mighty;
I have exalted one x chosen from the people.
20 y I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have z anointed him,
21 so that my a hand shall be established with him;
my arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not outwit him;
b the wicked shall not humble him.
23 I will c crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
24 My d faithfulness and my d steadfast love shall be with him,
and in my name shall his e horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand on f the sea
and his right hand on f the rivers.
26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my g Father,
my God, and h the Rock of my salvation.’
27 And I will make him the i firstborn,
j the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
and my k covenant will stand firm [4] for him.
29 I will establish his l offspring forever
and his l throne as m the days of the heavens.
30 n If his children forsake my law
and do not walk according to my rules, [5]
31 if they violate my statutes
and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with o the rod
and their iniquity with stripes,
33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love
or be false to my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my k covenant
or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
35 Once for all I have sworn p by my holiness;
I will not q lie to David.
36 His l offspring shall endure forever,
r his l throne as long as s the sun before me.
37 Like s the moon it shall be established forever,
t a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah
38 But now you have u cast off and rejected;
you are full of wrath against your v anointed.
39 You have w renounced x the covenant with your servant;
you have y defiled his z crown in the dust.
40 You have a breached all his walls;
you have laid his strongholds in ruins.
41 a All who pass by plunder him;
he has become b the scorn of his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You have also turned back the edge of his sword,
and you have not made him stand in battle.
44 You have made his splendor to cease
and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short c the days of his youth;
you have d covered him with shame. Selah
46 e How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath f burn like fire?
47 g Remember h how short my i time is!
For what vanity you have created all the children of man!
48 j What man can live and never k see death?
Who can deliver his soul from the power of l Sheol? Selah
49 Lord, where is your m steadfast love of old,
which by your m faithfulness you swore to David?
50 n Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked,
and how I bear in my o heart the insults [6] of all the many nations,
51 with which your enemies mock, O LORD,
with which they mock p the footsteps of your q anointed.
52 r Blessed be the LORD forever!
Amen and Amen.