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Assurance of God’s Eternal Protection
To the Chief Musician. On a stringed instrument.a A Psalm of David.
Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
2From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
4I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.
Selah
5For You, O God, have heard my vows;
You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.
6You will prolong the king’s life,
His years as many generations.
7He shall abide before God forever.
Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him!
8So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may daily perform my vows.
A Calm Resolve to Wait for the Salvation of God
To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
2He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be greatly moved.
3How long will you attack a man?
You shall be slain, all of you,
Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.
4They only consult to cast him down from his high position;
They delight in lies;
They bless with their mouth,
But they curse inwardly.
Selah
5My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
6He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.
7In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.
8Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.
Selah
9Surely men of low degree are a vapor,
Men of high degree are a lie;
If they are weighed on the scales,
They are altogether lighter than vapor.
10Do not trust in oppression,
Nor vainly hope in robbery;
If riches increase,
Do not set your heart on them.
11God has spoken once,
Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God.
12Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy;
For You render to each one according to his work.
Joy in the Fellowship of God
A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
2So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
3Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
4Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
6When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
7Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
8My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.
9But those who seek my life, to destroy it,
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10They shall fall by the sword;
They shall be a portion for jackals.
11But the king shall rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;
But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.
Oppressed by the Wicked but Rejoicing in the LORD
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation;
Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,
3Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words,
4That they may shoot in secret at the blameless;
Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.
5They encourage themselves in an evil matter;
They talk of laying snares secretly;
They say, “Who will see them?”
6They devise iniquities:
“We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”
Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.
7But God shall shoot at them with an arrow;
Suddenly they shall be wounded.
8So He will make them stumble over their own tongue;
All who see them shall flee away.
9All men shall fear,
And shall declare the work of God;
For they shall wisely consider His doing.
10The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and trust in Him.
And all the upright in heart shall glory.
Praise to God for His Salvation and Providence
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.
Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;
And to You the vow shall be performed.
2O You who hear prayer,
To You all flesh will come.
3Iniquities prevail against me;
As for our transgressions,
You will provide atonement for them.
4Blessed is the man You choose,
And cause to approach You,
That he may dwell in Your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Of Your holy temple.
5By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us,
O God of our salvation,
You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of the far-off seas;
6Who established the mountains by His strength,
Being clothed with power;
7You who still the noise of the seas,
The noise of their waves,
And the tumult of the peoples.
8They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs;
You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice.
9You visit the earth and water it,
You greatly enrich it;
The river of God is full of water;
You provide their grain,
For so You have prepared it.
10You water its ridges abundantly,
You settle its furrows;
You make it soft with showers,
You bless its growth.
11You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.
12They drop on the pastures of the wilderness,
And the little hills rejoice on every side.
13The pastures are clothed with flocks;
The valleys also are covered with grain;
They shout for joy, they also sing.
Praise to God for His Awesome Works
To the Chief Musician. A Song. A Psalm.
Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!
2Sing out the honor of His name;
Make His praise glorious.
3Say to God,
“How awesome are Your works!
Through the greatness of Your power
Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.
4All the earth shall worship You
And sing praises to You;
They shall sing praises to Your name.”
Selah
5Come and see the works of God;
He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.
6He turned the sea into dry land;
They went through the river on foot.
There we will rejoice in Him.
7He rules by His power forever;
His eyes observe the nations;
Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves.
Selah
8Oh, bless our God, you peoples!
And make the voice of His praise to be heard,
9Who keeps our soul among the living,
And does not allow our feet to be moved.
10For You, O God, have tested us;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
11You brought us into the net;
You laid affliction on our backs.
12You have caused men to ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water;
But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.
13I will go into Your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay You my vows,
14Which my lips have uttered
And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.
15I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals,
With the sweet aroma of rams;
I will offer bulls with goats.
Selah
16Come and hear, all you who fear God,
And I will declare what He has done for my soul.
17I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was extolled with my tongue.
18If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear.
19But certainly God has heard me;
He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
20Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me!
An Invocation and a Doxology
To the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments.a A Psalm. A Song.
God be merciful to us and bless us,
And cause His face to shine upon us,
Selah
2That Your way may be known on earth,
Your salvation among all nations.
3Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
4Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy!
For You shall judge the people righteously,
And govern the nations on earth.
Selah
5Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
6Then the earth shall yield her increase;
God, our own God, shall bless us.
7God shall bless us,
And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
The Glory of God in His Goodness to Israel
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.
Let God arise,
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.
2As smoke is driven away,
So drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3But let the righteous be glad;
Let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.
4Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
Extol Him who rides on the clouds,a
By His name YAH,
And rejoice before Him.
5A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.
6God sets the solitary in families;
He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;
But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
7O God, when You went out before Your people,
When You marched through the wilderness,
Selah
8The earth shook;
The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9You, O God, sent a plentiful rain,
Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance,
When it was weary.
10Your congregation dwelt in it;
You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor.
11The Lord gave the word;
Great was the company of those who proclaimed it:
12“Kings of armies flee, they flee,
And she who remains at home divides the spoil.
13Though you lie down among the sheepfolds,
You will be like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And her feathers with yellow gold.”
14When the Almighty scattered kings in it,
It was white as snow in Zalmon.
15A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;
A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.
16Why do you fume with envy, you mountains of many peaks?
This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in;
Yes, the LORD will dwell in it forever.
17The chariots of God are twenty thousand,
Even thousands of thousands;
The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place.
18You have ascended on high,
You have led captivity captive;
You have received gifts among men,
Even from the rebellious,
That the LORD God might dwell there.
19Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation!
Selah
20Our God is the God of salvation;
And to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death.
21But God will wound the head of His enemies,
The hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in his trespasses.
22The Lord said, “I will bring back from Bashan,
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23That your foot may crush thema in blood,
And the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your enemies.”
24They have seen Your procession, O God,
The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.
25The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after;
Among them were the maidens playing timbrels.
26Bless God in the congregations,
The Lord, from the fountain of Israel.
27There is little Benjamin, their leader,
The princes of Judah and their company,
The princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.
28Your God has commandeda your strength;
Strengthen, O God, what You have done for us.
29Because of Your temple at Jerusalem,
Kings will bring presents to You.
30Rebuke the beasts of the reeds,
The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples,
Till everyone submits himself with pieces of silver.
Scatter the peoples who delight in war.
31Envoys will come out of Egypt;
Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.
32Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth;
Oh, sing praises to the Lord,
Selah
33To Him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old!
Indeed, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice.
34Ascribe strength to God;
His excellence is over Israel,
And His strength is in the clouds.
35O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places.
The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people.
Blessed be God!
An Urgent Plea for Help in Trouble
To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Lilies.”a A Psalm of David.
Save me, O God!
For the waters have come up to my neck.
2I sink in deep mire,
Where there is no standing;
I have come into deep waters,
Where the floods overflow me.
3I am weary with my crying;
My throat is dry;
My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4Those who 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.
5O God, You know my foolishness;
And my sins are not hidden from You.
6Let not those who wait for You, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed because of me;
Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.
7Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Shame has covered my face.
8I have become a stranger to my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s children;
9Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,
And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
10When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting,
That became my reproach.
11I also made sackcloth my garment;
I became a byword to them.
12Those who sit in the gate speak against me,
And I am the song of the drunkards.
13But 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.
14Deliver 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.
15Let not the floodwater overflow me,
Nor let the deep swallow me up;
And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.
16Hear me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good;
Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.
17And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am in trouble;
Hear me speedily.
18Draw near to my soul, and redeem it;
Deliver me because of my enemies.
19You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;
My adversaries are all before You.
20Reproach has broken my heart,
And I am full of heaviness;
I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none;
And for comforters, but I found none.
21They also gave me gall for my food,
And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
22Let their table become a snare before them,
And their well-being a trap.
23Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see;
And make their loins shake continually.
24Pour out Your indignation upon them,
And let Your wrathful anger take hold of them.
25Let their dwelling place be desolate;
Let no one live in their tents.
26For they persecute the ones You have struck,
And talk of the grief of those You have wounded.
27Add iniquity to their iniquity,
And let them not come into Your righteousness.
28Let them be blotted out of the book of the living,
And not be written with the righteous.
29But I am poor and sorrowful;
Let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high.
30I will praise the name of God with a song,
And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
31This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bull,
Which has horns and hooves.
32The humble shall see this and be glad;
And you who seek God, your hearts shall live.
33For the LORD hears the poor,
And does not despise His prisoners.
34Let heaven and earth praise Him,
The seas and everything that moves in them.
35For God will save Zion
And build the cities of Judah,
That they may dwell there and possess it.
36Also, the descendants of His servants shall inherit it,
And those who love His name shall dwell in it.
Prayer for Relief from Adversaries
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. To bring to remembrance.
Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O LORD!
2Let them be ashamed and confounded
Who seek my life;
Let them be turned backa and confused
Who desire my hurt.
3Let them be turned back because of their shame,
Who say, “Aha, aha!”
4Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
And let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“Let God be magnified!”
5But I am poor and needy;
Make haste to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O LORD, do not delay.
God the Rock of Salvation
In You, O LORD, I put my trust;
Let me never be put to shame.
2Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape;
Incline Your ear to me, and save me.
3Be my strong refuge,
To which I may resort continually;
You have given the commandment to save me,
For You are my rock and my fortress.
4Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
5For You are my hope, O Lord GOD;
You are my trust from my youth.
6By You I have been upheld from birth;
You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb.
My praise shall be continually of You.
7I have become as a wonder to many,
But You are my strong refuge.
8Let my mouth be filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all the day.
9Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
Do not forsake me when my strength fails.
10For my enemies speak against me;
And those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together,
11Saying, “God has forsaken him;
Pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.”
12O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, make haste to help me!
13Let them be confounded and consumed
Who are adversaries of my life;
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor
Who seek my hurt.
14But I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
15My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits.
16I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.
17O God, You have taught me from my youth;
And to this day I declare Your wondrous works.
18Now also 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.
19Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high,
You who have done great things;
O God, who is like You?
20You, who have shown me great and severe troubles,
Shall revive me again,
And bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
21You shall increase my greatness,
And comfort me on every side.
22Also with the lute I will praise You—
And Your faithfulness, O my God!
To You I will sing with the harp,
O Holy One of Israel.
23My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You,
And my soul, which You have redeemed.
24My 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 of Solomon.
Give the king Your judgments, O God,
And Your righteousness to the king’s Son.
2He will judge Your people with righteousness,
And Your poor with justice.
3The mountains will bring peace to the people,
And the little hills, by righteousness.
4He will bring justice to the poor of the people;
He will save the children of the needy,
And will break in pieces the oppressor.
5They shall fear Youa
As long as the sun and moon endure,
Throughout all generations.
6He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing,
Like showers that water the earth.
7In His days the righteous shall flourish,
And abundance of peace,
Until the moon is no more.
8He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
9Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him,
And His enemies will lick the dust.
10The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
Will bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba
Will offer gifts.
11Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
All nations shall serve Him.
12For He will deliver the needy when he cries,
The poor also, and him who has no helper.
13He will spare the poor and needy,
And will save the souls of the needy.
14He will redeem their life from oppression and violence;
And precious shall be their blood in His sight.
15And He shall live;
And the gold of Sheba will be given to Him;
Prayer also will be made for Him continually,
And daily He shall be praised.
16There will be an abundance of grain in the earth,
On the top of the mountains;
Its fruit shall wave like Lebanon;
And those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
17His name shall endure forever;
His name shall continue as long as the sun.
And men shall be blessed in Him;
All nations shall call Him blessed.
18Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel,
Who only does wondrous things!
19And blessed be His glorious name forever!
And let the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.
20The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
The Tragedy of the Wicked, and the Blessedness of Trust in God
A Psalm of Asaph.
Truly God is good to Israel,
To such as are pure in heart.
2But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
My steps had nearly slipped.
3For I was envious of the boastful,
When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4For there are no pangs in their death,
But their strength is firm.
5They are not in trouble as other men,
Nor are they plagued like other men.
6Therefore pride serves as their necklace;
Violence covers them like a garment.
7Their eyes bulgea with abundance;
They have more than heart could wish.
8They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression;
They speak loftily.
9They set their mouth against the heavens,
And their tongue walks through the earth.
10Therefore his people return here,
And waters of a full cup are drained by them.
11And they say, “How does God know?
And is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12Behold, these are the ungodly,
Who are always at ease;
They increase in riches.
13Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain,
And washed my hands in innocence.
14For all day long I have been plagued,
And chastened every morning.
15If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.
16When I thought how to understand this,
It was too painful for me—
17Until I went into the sanctuary of God;
Then I understood their end.
18Surely You set them in slippery places;
You cast them down to destruction.
19Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment!
They are utterly consumed with terrors.
20As a dream when one awakes,
So, Lord, when You awake,
You shall despise their image.
21Thus my heart was grieved,
And I was vexed in my mind.
22I was so foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
23Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
24You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.
25Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
26My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
28But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.
A Plea for Relief from Oppressors
A Contemplationa of Asaph.
O God, why have You cast us off forever?
Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?
2Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old,
The tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed—
This Mount Zion where You have dwelt.
3Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations.
The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.
4Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place;
They set up their banners for signs.
5They seem like men who lift up
Axes among the thick trees.
6And now they break down its carved work, all at once,
With axes and hammers.
7They have set fire to Your sanctuary;
They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground.
8They said in their hearts,
“Let us destroy them altogether.”
They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.
9We do not see our signs;
There is no longer any prophet;
Nor is there any among us who knows how long.
10O God, how long will the adversary reproach?
Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?
11Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?
Take it out of Your bosom and destroy them.
12For God is my King from of old,
Working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13You divided the sea by Your strength;
You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters.
14You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces,
And gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
15You broke open the fountain and the flood;
You dried up mighty rivers.
16The day is Yours, the night also is Yours;
You have prepared the light and the sun.
17You have set all the borders of the earth;
You have made summer and winter.
18Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O LORD,
And that a foolish people has blasphemed Your name.
19Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast!
Do not forget the life of Your poor forever.
20Have respect to the covenant;
For the dark places of the earth are full of the haunts of cruelty.
21Oh, do not let the oppressed return ashamed!
Let the poor and needy praise Your name.
22Arise, O God, plead Your own cause;
Remember how the foolish man reproaches You daily.
23Do 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 “Do Not Destroy.”a A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
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 proper time,
I will judge uprightly.
3The 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, ‘Do not lift up the horn.
5Do not lift up your horn on high;
Do not speak with a stiff neck.’ ”
6For exaltation comes neither from the east
Nor from the west nor from the south.
7But God is the Judge:
He puts down one,
And exalts another.
8For 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.
9But I will declare forever,
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10“All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off,
But the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.”
The Majesty of God in Judgment
To the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments.a A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
In Judah God is known;
His name is great in Israel.
2In Salema also is His tabernacle,
And His dwelling place in Zion.
3There He broke the arrows of the bow,
The shield and sword of battle.
Selah
4You are more glorious and excellent
Than the mountains of prey.
5The stouthearted were plundered;
They have sunk into their sleep;
And none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands.
6At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep.
7You, Yourself, are to be feared;
And who may stand in Your presence
When once You are angry?
8You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;
The earth feared and was still,
9When God arose to judgment,
To deliver all the oppressed of the earth.
Selah
10Surely the wrath of man shall praise You;
With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself.
11Make vows to the LORD your God, and pay them;
Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared.
12He shall cut off the spirit of princes;
He is awesome to the kings of the earth.
The Consoling Memory of God’s Redemptive Works
To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.
I cried out to God with my voice—
To God with my voice;
And He gave ear to me.
2In 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.
3I remembered God, and was troubled;
I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.
Selah
4You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5I have considered the days of old,
The years of ancient times.
6I call to remembrance my song in the night;
I meditate within my heart,
And my spirit makes diligent search.
7Will the Lord cast off forever?
And will He be favorable no more?
8Has His mercy ceased forever?
Has His promise failed forevermore?
9Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?
Selah
10And I said, “This is my anguish;
But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
11I will remember the works of the LORD;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
12I will also meditate on all Your work,
And talk of Your deeds.
13Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary;
Who is so great a God as our God?
14You are the God who does wonders;
You have declared Your strength among the peoples.
15You have with Your arm redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph.
Selah
16The waters saw You, O God;
The waters saw You, they were afraid;
The depths also trembled.
17The clouds poured out water;
The skies sent out a sound;
Your arrows also flashed about.
18The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightnings lit up the world;
The earth trembled and shook.
19Your way was in the sea,
Your path in the great waters,
And Your footsteps were not known.
20You led Your people like a flock
By the hand of Moses and Aaron.
God’s Kindness to Rebellious Israel
A Contemplationa of Asaph.
Give ear, O my people, to my law;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
3Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
4We will not hide them from their children,
Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD,
And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.
5For He established a testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers,
That they should make them known to their children;
6That the generation to come might know them,
The children who would be born,
That they may arise and declare them to their children,
7That they may set their hope in God,
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments;
8And may not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not set its heart aright,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows,
Turned back in the day of battle.
10They did not keep the covenant of God;
They refused to walk in His law,
11And forgot His works
And His wonders that He had shown them.
12Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers,
In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13He divided the sea and caused them to pass through;
And He made the waters stand up like a heap.
14In the daytime also He led them with the cloud,
And all the night with a light of fire.
15He split the rocks in the wilderness,
And gave them drink in abundance like the depths.
16He also brought streams out of the rock,
And caused waters to run down like rivers.
17But they sinned even more against Him
By rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.
18And they tested God in their heart
By asking for the food of their fancy.
19Yes, they spoke against God:
They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
20Behold, 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?”
21Therefore the LORD heard this and was furious;
So a fire was kindled against Jacob,
And anger also came up against Israel,
22Because they did not believe in God,
And did not trust in His salvation.
23Yet He had commanded the clouds above,
And opened the doors of heaven,
24Had rained down manna on them to eat,
And given them of the bread of heaven.
25Men ate angels’ food;
He sent them food to the full.
26He caused an east wind to blow in the heavens;
And by His power He brought in the south wind.
27He also rained meat on them like the dust,
Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas;
28And He let them fall in the midst of their camp,
All around their dwellings.
29So they ate and were well filled,
For He gave them their own desire.
30They were not deprived of their craving;
But while their food was still in their mouths,
31The wrath of God came against them,
And slew the stoutest of them,
And struck down the choice men of Israel.
32In spite of this they still sinned,
And did not believe in His wondrous works.
33Therefore their days He consumed in futility,
And their years in fear.
34When He slew them, then they sought Him;
And they returned and sought earnestly for God.
35Then they remembered that God was their rock,
And the Most High God their Redeemer.
36Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth,
And they lied to Him with their tongue;
37For their heart was not steadfast with Him,
Nor were they faithful in His covenant.
38But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity,
And did not destroy them.
Yes, many a time He turned His anger away,
And did not stir up all His wrath;
39For He remembered that they were but flesh,
A breath that passes away and does not come again.
40How often they provoked Him in the wilderness,
And grieved Him in the desert!
41Yes, again and again they tempted God,
And limited the Holy One of Israel.
42They did not remember His power:
The day when He redeemed them from the enemy,
43When He worked His signs in Egypt,
And His wonders in the field of Zoan;
44Turned their rivers into blood,
And their streams, that they could not drink.
45He sent swarms of flies among them, which devoured them,
And frogs, which destroyed them.
46He also gave their crops to the caterpillar,
And their labor to the locust.
47He destroyed their vines with hail,
And their sycamore trees with frost.
48He also gave up their cattle to the hail,
And their flocks to fiery lightning.
49He cast on them the fierceness of His anger,
Wrath, indignation, and trouble,
By sending angels of destruction among them.
50He made a path for His anger;
He did not spare their soul from death,
But gave their life over to the plague,
51And destroyed all the firstborn in Egypt,
The first of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52But He made His own people go forth like sheep,
And guided them in the wilderness like a flock;
53And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear;
But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54And He brought them to His holy border,
This mountain which His right hand had acquired.
55He also drove out the nations before them,
Allotted them an inheritance by survey,
And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.
56Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God,
And did not keep His testimonies,
57But turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers;
They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
58For they provoked Him to anger with their high places,
And moved Him to jealousy with their carved images.
59When God heard this, He was furious,
And greatly abhorred Israel,
60So that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh,
The tent He had placed among men,
61And delivered His strength into captivity,
And His glory into the enemy’s hand.
62He also gave His people over to the sword,
And was furious with His inheritance.
63The fire consumed their young men,
And their maidens were not given in marriage.
64Their priests fell by the sword,
And their widows made no lamentation.
65Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
Like a mighty man who shouts because of wine.
66And He beat back His enemies;
He put them to a perpetual reproach.
67Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph,
And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion which He loved.
69And He built His sanctuary like the heights,
Like the earth which He has established forever.
70He also chose David His servant,
And took him from the sheepfolds;
71From following the ewes that had young He brought him,
To shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel His inheritance.
72So he shepherded them according to the 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.
O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance;
Your holy temple they have defiled;
They have laid Jerusalem in heaps.
2The 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.
3Their blood they have shed like water all around Jerusalem,
And there was no one to bury them.
4We have become a reproach to our neighbors,
A scorn and derision to those who are around us.
5How long, LORD?
Will You be angry forever?
Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
6Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You,
And on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name.
7For they have devoured Jacob,
And laid waste his dwelling place.
8Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us!
Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us,
For we have been brought very low.
9Help us, O God of our salvation,
For the glory of Your name;
And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins,
For Your name’s sake!
10Why should the 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.
11Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You;
According to the greatness of Your power
Preserve those who are appointed to die;
12And return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom
Their reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.
13So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture,
Will give You thanks forever;
We will show forth Your praise to all generations.
Prayer for Israel’s Restoration
To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Lilies.”a A Testimonyb of Asaph. A Psalm.
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock;
You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!
2Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
Stir up Your strength,
And come and save us!
3Restore us, O God;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!
4O LORD God of hosts,
How long will You be angry
Against the prayer of Your people?
5You have fed them with the bread of tears,
And given them tears to drink in great measure.
6You have made us a strife to our neighbors,
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
7Restore us, O God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!
8You have brought a vine out of Egypt;
You have cast out the nations, and planted it.
9You prepared room for it,
And caused it to take deep root,
And it filled the land.
10The hills were covered with its shadow,
And the mighty cedars with its boughs.
11She sent out her boughs to the Sea,a
And her branches to the River.b
12Why have You broken down her hedges,
So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit?
13The boar out of the woods uproots it,
And the wild beast of the field devours it.
14Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts;
Look down from heaven and see,
And visit this vine
15And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted,
And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.
16It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
17Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.
18Then we will not turn back from You;
Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.
19Restore us, O LORD God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!
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