Sermon Central
Psalm 56-87
Psalm 56
2My adversaries pursue me all day long; in their pride many are attacking me.
3When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
4In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
5All day long they twist my words; all their schemes are for my ruin.
7Because of their wickedness do not
8Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll
9Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me.
10In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise—
11in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?
12I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you. 13For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.
Psalm 57
2I cry out to God Most High, to God, who vindicates me.
3He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me—
4I am in the midst of lions; I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts— men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
6They spread a net for my feet— I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path— but they have fallen into it themselves.
7My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
8Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.
9I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.
10For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. 11Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.
2No, in your heart you devise injustice, and your hands mete out violence on the earth.
3Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
4Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
5that will not heed the tune of the charmer, however skillful the enchanter may be.
6Break the teeth in their mouths, O God; LORD, tear out the fangs of those lions!
7Let them vanish like water that flows away; when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.
8May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along, like a stillborn child that never sees the sun.
9Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns— whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.
10The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked. 11Then people will say, “Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.”
Psalm 59
2Deliver me from evildoers and save me from those who are after my blood.
3See how they lie in wait for me! Fierce men conspire against me for no offense or sin of mine, LORD .
4I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me. Arise to help me; look on my plight!
5You, LORD God Almighty, you who are the God of Israel, rouse yourself to punish all the nations; show no mercy to wicked traitors.
6They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city.
7See what they spew from their mouths— the words from their lips are sharp as swords, and they think, “Who can hear us?”
8But you laugh at them, LORD ; you scoff at all those nations.
9You are my strength, I watch for you; you, God, are my fortress,
10my God on whom I can rely. God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me.
11But do not kill them, Lord our shield,
12For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride. For the curses and lies they utter,
13consume them in your wrath, consume them till they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob.
14They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city.
16But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. 17You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.
Psalm 60
2You have shaken the land and torn it open; mend its fractures, for it is quaking.
3You have shown your people desperate times; you have given us wine that makes us stagger.
5Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.
6God has spoken from his sanctuary: “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.
7Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah is my scepter.
8Moab is my washbasin, on Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
9Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?
10Is it not you, God, you who have now rejected us and no longer go out with our armies?
11Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless. 12With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.
Psalm 61
2From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.
4I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
5For you, God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
7May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him. 8Then I will ever sing in praise of your name and fulfill my vows day after day.
Psalm 62
2Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
3How long will you assault me? Would all of you throw me down— this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4Surely they intend to topple me from my lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse.
5Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.
6Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
9Surely the lowborn are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie. If weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.
11One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: “Power belongs to you, God, 12and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”; and, “You reward everyone according to what they have done.”
Psalm 63
2I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
3Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
4I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.
7Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
9Those who want to kill me will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth.
10They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals. 11But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God will glory in him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced.
Psalm 64
2Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the plots of evildoers.
3They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.
4They shoot from ambush at the innocent; they shoot suddenly, without fear.
5They encourage each other in evil plans, they talk about hiding their snares; they say, “Who will see it
7But God will shoot them with his arrows; they will suddenly be struck down.
8He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
9All people will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done. 10The righteous will rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him; all the upright in heart will glory in him!
Psalm 65
2You who answer prayer, to you all people will come.
3When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave
4Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.
5You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas,
6who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength,
7who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.
8The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.
9You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.
11You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.
12The grasslands of the wilderness overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. 13The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.
Psalm 66 1For the director of music. A song. A psalm. Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
2Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious.
3Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.
4All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name.”
5Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind!
6He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot— come, let us rejoice in him.
7He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations— let not the rebellious rise up against him.
8Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard;
9he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.
10For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver.
11You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.
12You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.
13I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you—
15I will sacrifice fat animals to you and an offering of rams; I will offer bulls and goats.
16Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.
17I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue.
19but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. 20Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!
Psalm 67
2so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
3May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you.
4May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.
5May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. 7May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.
Psalm 68
2May you blow them away like smoke— as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God.
3But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.
4Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds
5A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.
6God sets the lonely in families,
8the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.
9You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance.
10Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, God, you provided for the poor.
11The Lord announces the word, and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng:
12“Kings and armies flee in haste; the women at home divide the plunder.
13Even while you sleep among the sheep pens,
14When the Almighty
15Mount Bashan, majestic mountain, Mount Bashan, rugged mountain,
16why gaze in envy, you rugged mountain, at the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the LORD himself will dwell forever?
17The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.
18When you ascended on high, you took many captives; you received gifts from people, even from
19Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
20Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.
21Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.
22The Lord says, “I will bring them from Bashan; I will bring them from the depths of the sea,
23that your feet may wade in the blood of your foes, while the tongues of your dogs have their share.”
24Your procession, God, has come into view, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.
25In front are the singers, after them the musicians; with them are the young women playing the timbrels.
26Praise God in the great congregation; praise the LORD in the assembly of Israel.
27There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them, there the great throng of Judah’s princes, and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.
28Summon your power, God
29Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings will bring you gifts.
30Rebuke the beast among the reeds, the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations. Humbled, may the beast bring bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war.
31Envoys will come from Egypt; Cush
33to him who rides across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens, who thunders with mighty voice.
34Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the heavens. 35You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!
Psalm 69
2I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.
3I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.
4Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal.
5You, God, know my folly; my guilt is not hidden from you.
6Lord, 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.
7For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face.
8I am a foreigner to my own family, a stranger to my own mother’s children;
9for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
10When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn;
12Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards.
13But I pray to you, LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.
14Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters.
15Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.
16Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.
18Come near and rescue me; deliver me because of my foes.
20Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none.
21They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
22May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and
23May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.
25May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
26For they persecute those you wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt.
28May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.
29But as for me, afflicted and in pain— may your salvation, God, protect me.
30I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
31This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
32The poor will see and be glad— you who seek God, may your hearts live!
33The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people.
34Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them,
35for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it; 36the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.
Psalm 70
2May those who want to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.
3May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” turn back because of their shame.
4But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, “The LORD is great!” 5But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; LORD, do not delay.
Psalm 71 1In you, LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.
3Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
4Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.
5For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.
6From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.
7I have become a sign to many; you are my strong refuge.
8My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.
10For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together.
11They say, “God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him.”
12Do not be far from me, my God; come quickly, God, to help me.
13May my accusers perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace.
14As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.
15My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long— though I know not how to relate them all.
16I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign LORD ; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
18Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.
19Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens, you who have done great things. Who is like you, God?
20Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.
21You will increase my honor and comfort me once more.
22I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel.
23My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you— I whom you have delivered. 24My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.
Psalm 72 1Of Solomon. Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness.
2May he judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.
4May he defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; may he crush the oppressor.
5May he endure
6May he be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.
7In his days may the righteous flourish and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.
8May he rule from sea to sea and from the River
11May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.
12For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.
13He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.
14He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.
16May grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. May the crops flourish like Lebanon and thrive
17May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. Then all nations will be blessed through him,
18Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.
19Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen. 20This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.
BOOK III Psalm 73 1A psalm of Asaph. Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
2But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.
3For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.
5They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills.
6Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.
7From their callous hearts comes iniquity
8They scoff, and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance.
11They say, “How would God know? Does the Most High know anything?”
12This is what the wicked are like— always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
13Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence.
14All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments.
15If I had spoken out like that, I would have betrayed your children.
16When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply
17till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.
18Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.
19How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!
20They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.
21When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,
22I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.
23Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
24You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
25Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
Psalm 74
1A maskil
2Remember the nation you purchased long ago, the people of your inheritance, whom you redeemed— Mount Zion, where you dwelt.
3Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins, all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.
4Your foes roared in the place where you met with us; they set up their standards as signs.
5They behaved like men wielding axes to cut through a thicket of trees.
6They smashed all the carved paneling with their axes and hatchets.
7They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name.
8They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely!” They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.
9We are given no signs from God; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be.
10How long will the enemy mock you, God? Will the foe revile your name forever?
11Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!
12But God is my King from long ago; he brings salvation on the earth.
13It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.
14It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.
16The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon.
17It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.
18Remember how the enemy has mocked you, LORD, how foolish people have reviled your name.
19Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts; do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.
20Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.
21Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name.
22Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long. 23Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries, the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.
Psalm 75
2You say, “I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge with equity.
3When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm.
4To the arrogant I say, ‘Boast no more,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.
7It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.
8In the hand of the LORD is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs.
9As for me, I will declare this forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob, 10who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”
Psalm 76
3There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.
4You are radiant with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game.
5The valiant lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep; not one of the warriors can lift his hands.
7It is you alone who are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry?
8From heaven you pronounced judgment, and the land feared and was quiet—
9when you, God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land.
10Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.
11Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared. 12He breaks the spirit of rulers; he is feared by the kings of the earth.
2When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands, and I would not be comforted.
3I remembered you, God, and I groaned; I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.
4You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak.
5I thought about the former days, the years of long ago;
6I remembered my songs in the night. My heart meditated and my spirit asked:
7“Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again?
8Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?
9Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”
11I will remember the deeds of the LORD ; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
12I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
13Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God?
14You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.
15With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
16The waters saw you, God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed.
17The clouds poured down water, the heavens resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth.
18Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.
19Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. 20You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Psalm 78
1A maskil
2I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
4We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.
5He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children,
7Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.
8They would not be like their ancestors— a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him.
9The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle;
10they did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his law.
11They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them.
12He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
13He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand up like a wall.
14He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night.
15He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers.
17But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
18They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved.
19They spoke against God; they said, “Can God really spread a table in the wilderness?
20True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out, streams flowed abundantly, but can he also give us bread? Can he supply meat for his people?”
21When the LORD heard them, he was furious; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel,
22for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance.
23Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens;
24he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven.
25Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat.
26He let loose the east wind from the heavens and by his power made the south wind blow.
27He rained meat down on them like dust, birds like sand on the seashore.
28He made them come down inside their camp, all around their tents.
29They ate till they were gorged— he had given them what they craved.
30But before they turned from what they craved, even while the food was still in their mouths,
31God’s anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them, cutting down the young men of Israel.
32In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.
33So he ended their days in futility and their years in terror.
34Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again.
35They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.
37their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.
38Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.
39He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.
40How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the wasteland!
41Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel.
42They did not remember his power— the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,
43the day he displayed his signs in Egypt, his wonders in the region of Zoan.
44He turned their river into blood; they could not drink from their streams.
45He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them.
46He gave their crops to the grasshopper, their produce to the locust.
48He gave over their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning.
49He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility— a band of destroying angels.
51He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.
52But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the wilderness.
53He guided them safely, so they were unafraid; but the sea engulfed their enemies.
54And so he brought them to the border of his holy land, to the hill country his right hand had taken.
55He drove out nations before them and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.
56But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes.
57Like their ancestors they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow.
58They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols.
59When God heard them, he was furious; he rejected Israel completely.
60He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among humans.
61He sent the ark of his might into captivity, his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
62He gave his people over to the sword; he was furious with his inheritance.
63Fire consumed their young men, and their young women had no wedding songs;
64their priests were put to the sword, and their widows could not weep.
65Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.
66He beat back his enemies; he put them to everlasting shame.
67Then he rejected the tents of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
68but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved.
69He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever.
70He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens;
71from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. 72And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.
Psalm 79 1A psalm of Asaph. O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
2They have left the dead bodies of your servants as food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.
3They have poured out blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead.
4We are objects of contempt to our neighbors, of scorn and derision to those around us.
5How long, LORD ? Will you be angry forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire?
6Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name;
7for they have devoured Jacob and devastated his homeland.
8Do not hold against us the sins of past generations; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need.
9Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.
10Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Before our eyes, make known among the nations that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.
11May the groans of the prisoners come before you; with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.
12Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord. 13Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will proclaim your praise.
Psalm 80
2before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Awaken your might; come and save us.
3Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.
4How long, LORD God Almighty, will your anger smolder against the prayers of your people?
5You have fed them with the bread of tears; you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.
6You have made us an object of derision
7Restore us, God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.
8You transplanted a vine from Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.
9You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land.
10The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches.
11Its branches reached as far as the Sea,
12Why have you broken down its walls so that all who pass by pick its grapes?
13Boars from the forest ravage it, and insects from the fields feed on it.
14Return to us, God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see! Watch over this vine,
15the root your right hand has planted, the son
16Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire; at your rebuke your people perish.
17Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself.
18Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name.
2Begin the music, strike the timbrel, play the melodious harp and lyre.
3Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;
4this is a decree for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5When God went out against Egypt, he established it as a statute for Joseph. I heard an unknown voice say:
6“I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket.
7In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
8Hear me, my people, and I will warn you— if you would only listen to me, Israel!
9You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not worship any god other than me.
10I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.
12So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.
13“If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways,
14how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!
15Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. 16But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Psalm 82 1A psalm of Asaph. God presides in the great assembly; he renders judgment among the “gods”:
3Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
4Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
5“The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6“I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’
7But you will die like mere mortals; you will fall like every other ruler.” 8Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance.
Psalm 83
2See how your enemies growl, how your foes rear their heads.
3With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish.
4“Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”
5With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you—
6the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites,
7Byblos, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
8Even Assyria has joined them to reinforce Lot’s descendants.
9Do to them as you did to Midian, as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
10who perished at Endor and became like dung on the ground.
11Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12who said, “Let us take possession of the pasturelands of God.”
13Make them like tumbleweed, my God, like chaff before the wind.
14As fire consumes the forest or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm.
16Cover their faces with shame, LORD, so that they will seek your name.
17May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may they perish in disgrace. 18Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD — that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.
Psalm 84
2My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD ; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
3Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
4Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.
5Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
7They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
8Hear my prayer, LORD God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob.
9Look on our shield,
11For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. 12LORD Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.
Psalm 85
2You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins.
3You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger.
4Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us.
5Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
6Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?
7Show us your unfailing love, LORD, and grant us your salvation.
8I will listen to what God the LORD says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants— but let them not turn to folly.
10Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
12The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. 13Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.
Psalm 86 1A prayer of David. Hear me, LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
2Guard my life, for I am faithful to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God;
4Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you.
5You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.
6Hear my prayer, LORD ; listen to my cry for mercy.
7When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me.
8Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.
9All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.
11Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
12I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
13For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead.
15But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
16Turn to me and have mercy on me; show your strength in behalf of your servant; save me, because I serve you just as my mother did. 17Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
Psalm 87 1Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. A song. He has founded his city on the holy mountain.
2The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwellings of Jacob.
3Glorious things are said of you, city of God:
4“I will record Rahab
5Indeed, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.”
6The LORD will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.” 7As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in you.”