By Asaph
We give our thanks to you, O God, we give our thanks.
Your name is near when men recount your wondrous deeds.
“At the time I choose, I will judge with equity.
When the earth will quake and all its inhabitants
Shake with fear, it is I who holds its pillars firm.
To the arrogant I say, ‘Leave off your boasting’
And to the wicked I say, ‘Do not vaunt your pride,
Flaunt it to the heavens, or speak so defiantly.’”
For neither from the east nor from the west,
Nor from the desert lands comes exaltation.
For it is God alone who is the judge;
He puts down one and raises up another.
For Jehovah holds in his hand a cup,
Full of foaming wine, well mixed with spices.
Out of it does he pour and they shall drink,
All the wicked of the earth, down to the dregs.
As for me, I will proclaim this forever,
And sing my praises to the God of Jacob,
“I will break the power of the wicked
And strengthen the power of the righteous.”
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Psalm 74
By Asaph
O God, why have you rejected us forever?
Why does your anger rage against your pasture’s flock?
Remember the congregation you chose long ago,
The tribe your liberated to be your possession,
And remember where you had made your home, Mount Zion.
Make your way through the everlasting desolation,
The enemy’s total destruction of the Temple.
There, in your meeting place, your adversaries roared
And replaced our banners with their battle standards.
It is well known they came down upon us like woodsmen
Wielding their axes upon a forest of trees.
They smashed the wood carvings with their hatchets and hammers.
They set aflame and profaned your sanctuary,
Burning to the ground the Temple that bears your name.
They vowed to themselves, “Let us crush them completely!”
Throughout the land they razed all your places of worship.
No longer are we given portents from our God;
No more are there among us here any prophets
Or anyone who has a knowledge of the future.
How long, O God, will your enemies revile you?
Will your adversaries profane your name forever?
Why do you withdraw your hand, even your right hand?
Take it from out your bosom and destroy them!
For God is our king of ancient times
Working salvation throughout the world.
You divided the sea with your might
And smashed the heads of sea serpents.
You crushed the heads of Leviathan
And made it food for desert dwellers.
You opened the fountain and the spring,
Drying up ever-flowing rivers.
The day is yours and also is the night;
You made the light and set the sun in its place.
You established the borders of the earth
And created the summer and the winter.
Remember how an enemy mocked you, Jehovah;
How a degenerate people disparaged your name.
Do not deliver the life of your dove to wild beasts,
Or forever forget the souls of your afflicted ones.
Remember the contract you made with us,
For there are dark places upon the earth
That are habitations of the violent.
Let not the oppressed retreat in disgrace.
Let the weak and the needy praise your name.
Rise up, O God, and defend your cause!
Remember how the godless fool
Is reproaching you all the day.
Do not ignore the clamor of your foes,
The constant uproar from those that defy you.
O God, why have you rejected us forever?
Why does your anger rage against your pasture’s flock?
Remember the congregation you chose long ago,
The tribe your liberated to be your possession,
And remember where you had made your home, Mount Zion.
Make your way through the everlasting desolation,
The enemy’s total destruction of the Temple.
There, in your meeting place, your adversaries roared
And replaced our banners with their battle standards.
It is well known they came down upon us like woodsmen
Wielding their axes upon a forest of trees.
They smashed the wood carvings with their hatchets and hammers.
They set aflame and profaned your sanctuary,
Burning to the ground the Temple that bears your name.
They vowed to themselves, “Let us crush them completely!”
Throughout the land they razed all your places of worship.
No longer are we given portents from our God;
No more are there among us here any prophets
Or anyone who has a knowledge of the future.
How long, O God, will your enemies revile you?
Will your adversaries profane your name forever?
Why do you withdraw your hand, even your right hand?
Take it from out your bosom and destroy them!
For God is our king of ancient times
Working salvation throughout the world.
You divided the sea with your might
And smashed the heads of sea serpents.
You crushed the heads of Leviathan
And made it food for desert dwellers.
You opened the fountain and the spring,
Drying up ever-flowing rivers.
The day is yours and also is the night;
You made the light and set the sun in its place.
You established the borders of the earth
And created the summer and the winter.
Remember how an enemy mocked you, Jehovah;
How a degenerate people disparaged your name.
Do not deliver the life of your dove to wild beasts,
Or forever forget the souls of your afflicted ones.
Remember the contract you made with us,
For there are dark places upon the earth
That are habitations of the violent.
Let not the oppressed retreat in disgrace.
Let the weak and the needy praise your name.
Rise up, O God, and defend your cause!
Remember how the godless fool
Is reproaching you all the day.
Do not ignore the clamor of your foes,
The constant uproar from those that defy you.
Psalm 73
By Asaph
Truly God has been good to Israel,
Especially those who are pure of heart.
But as for me, my feet did almost slip;
I nearly stumbled and lost my footing,
For I came to envy the arrogant,
When I did see how much such sinners prosper.
They do not seem to struggle against death,
And their bodies are healthy and well fed.
Free of the vexations of other men,
They are not plagued by the ills of mortals.
Conceit is the chain they wear around their neck;
Violence is the garment that clothes them.
Their eyes bulge out from their obesity,
And they possess more than their hearts desire.
They scoff and sneer and speak maliciously;
Arrogantly do they pontificate;
With their talk they even challenge the heavens,
And spread their boastful words across the earth.
So it is that God’s people may turn to them,
Swallowing all the words that are spoken.
Thus they pose the questions, “How does God know?”
And “Does the Most High know what’s going on?”
Behold, this is what the wicked are like,
Ever free from care as their riches increase.
Surely I have kept my heart pure in vain,
And in vain have washed my hands in innocence.
For all the day am I made to suffer
And every morning am I punished.
(If I had deigned to speak out in this way
I would have offended your followers).
When I tried to understand all of this,
I found it a grievous and painful task,
Until I entered the Temple of God;
Then, I understood what their fate will be.
Surely you will set them on a slippery slope
And push them over the cliff to their destruction.
How quickly will they come to their utter ruin!
How completely will they be consumed by disaster!
Like a dream when one awakens, O Jehovah,
At the dawn you will dismiss them as mere phantoms.
Bitter and all torn up inside,
I was senseless and ignorant,
Like a brutish beast before you.
Yet, I always remain with you
And you hold me by the right hand.
You direct me with your counsel
And, later, receive me in glory.
Whom have I in Heaven, but you?
On earth I desire no one else.
My health and spirit may fail me,
But God is the strength of my heart
And a part of me forever.
Behold, those who pull away from you will perish,
For you bring destruction on all unfaithful to you.
But how good it is for me to draw near to God,
To make my refuge in the Master Jehovah
So that I may tell of all the works he has done.
Truly God has been good to Israel,
Especially those who are pure of heart.
But as for me, my feet did almost slip;
I nearly stumbled and lost my footing,
For I came to envy the arrogant,
When I did see how much such sinners prosper.
They do not seem to struggle against death,
And their bodies are healthy and well fed.
Free of the vexations of other men,
They are not plagued by the ills of mortals.
Conceit is the chain they wear around their neck;
Violence is the garment that clothes them.
Their eyes bulge out from their obesity,
And they possess more than their hearts desire.
They scoff and sneer and speak maliciously;
Arrogantly do they pontificate;
With their talk they even challenge the heavens,
And spread their boastful words across the earth.
So it is that God’s people may turn to them,
Swallowing all the words that are spoken.
Thus they pose the questions, “How does God know?”
And “Does the Most High know what’s going on?”
Behold, this is what the wicked are like,
Ever free from care as their riches increase.
Surely I have kept my heart pure in vain,
And in vain have washed my hands in innocence.
For all the day am I made to suffer
And every morning am I punished.
(If I had deigned to speak out in this way
I would have offended your followers).
When I tried to understand all of this,
I found it a grievous and painful task,
Until I entered the Temple of God;
Then, I understood what their fate will be.
Surely you will set them on a slippery slope
And push them over the cliff to their destruction.
How quickly will they come to their utter ruin!
How completely will they be consumed by disaster!
Like a dream when one awakens, O Jehovah,
At the dawn you will dismiss them as mere phantoms.
Bitter and all torn up inside,
I was senseless and ignorant,
Like a brutish beast before you.
Yet, I always remain with you
And you hold me by the right hand.
You direct me with your counsel
And, later, receive me in glory.
Whom have I in Heaven, but you?
On earth I desire no one else.
My health and spirit may fail me,
But God is the strength of my heart
And a part of me forever.
Behold, those who pull away from you will perish,
For you bring destruction on all unfaithful to you.
But how good it is for me to draw near to God,
To make my refuge in the Master Jehovah
So that I may tell of all the works he has done.
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Psalm 72
(For Solomon)
O God, endow upon the king your justice
And upon the king’s son your righteousness.
May he judge your people with equity
And be fair to the poor and the oppressed.
May the mountains bring peace to the people,
And the hills bear the fruits of righteousness.
He will bring justice to people who are poor,
He will save the children of the needy,
And break into pieces their oppressors.
May they revere you as long as the sun shines,
And the moon remains — through the generations.
May he fall like the rain on new-mown grass,
A gentle shower that waters the earth.
During his reign the righteous will flourish
And peace abound, till the moon is no more.
May he have dominion from sea to sea,
From the river to the ends of the earth.
May the desert nomads bow before him
And his foes prostrate themselves in the dust.
May the kings of Tarshish and the coastlands
Bring him tribute and the kings of the East,
From Sheba and Seba, offer him gifts.
Indeed, may all the kings bow down before him,
And all the nations of the world serve him.
He will save the needy when they cry out to him,
The afflicted, too, who have no one to help them.
He is compassionate to the weak and the poor,
And will save the lives of the poverty-stricken.
He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
Because their life’s blood is valued, precious in his sight.
Long may he live! May the gold of Sheba
Be given him. May the people pray for him
Continually and bless him all the day.
May there be throughout the land a plenitude
Of grain, growing even on the mountain tops,
Fruit trees flourishing, like those of Lebanon,
And city folk thriving like fields of grass.
May his name endure forever
And live on as long as the sun
May all the nations be blest through him
And let all nations call him blest.
Blessed is the god Jehovah,
The god of Israel who alone
Performs wonders and miracles.
Praise his glorious name forever.
And may the entire earth be filled
With his glory. Amen and Amen.
(Thus concludes the prayer of David, son of Jesse).
O God, endow upon the king your justice
And upon the king’s son your righteousness.
May he judge your people with equity
And be fair to the poor and the oppressed.
May the mountains bring peace to the people,
And the hills bear the fruits of righteousness.
He will bring justice to people who are poor,
He will save the children of the needy,
And break into pieces their oppressors.
May they revere you as long as the sun shines,
And the moon remains — through the generations.
May he fall like the rain on new-mown grass,
A gentle shower that waters the earth.
During his reign the righteous will flourish
And peace abound, till the moon is no more.
May he have dominion from sea to sea,
From the river to the ends of the earth.
May the desert nomads bow before him
And his foes prostrate themselves in the dust.
May the kings of Tarshish and the coastlands
Bring him tribute and the kings of the East,
From Sheba and Seba, offer him gifts.
Indeed, may all the kings bow down before him,
And all the nations of the world serve him.
He will save the needy when they cry out to him,
The afflicted, too, who have no one to help them.
He is compassionate to the weak and the poor,
And will save the lives of the poverty-stricken.
He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
Because their life’s blood is valued, precious in his sight.
Long may he live! May the gold of Sheba
Be given him. May the people pray for him
Continually and bless him all the day.
May there be throughout the land a plenitude
Of grain, growing even on the mountain tops,
Fruit trees flourishing, like those of Lebanon,
And city folk thriving like fields of grass.
May his name endure forever
And live on as long as the sun
May all the nations be blest through him
And let all nations call him blest.
Blessed is the god Jehovah,
The god of Israel who alone
Performs wonders and miracles.
Praise his glorious name forever.
And may the entire earth be filled
With his glory. Amen and Amen.
(Thus concludes the prayer of David, son of Jesse).
Psalm 71
In you, O Jehovah, have I found refuge.
Let me never be put to confusion.
With your justice deliver me, rescue me,
Incline your ear to me and set me free.
May you be my refuge among the rocks,
Where I may always find sanctuary.
Give the command for my deliverance,
For you are to me a rock and a fortress.
Save me, my god, from the power of the wicked, From the cruel clutches of ruthless oppressors.
You’ve been my hope since childhood, O Master Jehovah.
Even before my birth I have relied on you;
It is you who delivered me from my mother’s womb,
And so my praise of you will be continuous.
I have become a source of wonder to many,
Because you are my indestructible refuge.
I voice your praise and proclaim your glory all the day.
Do not cast me aside when I grow old;
Do not abandon me when my health declines.
For my enemies conspire against me,
And together they lay in wait to kill me.
They claim, “God has forsaken him, so let’s go
And take him, for there is none to save him.”
O God, be not removed from me.
Come quickly to help me, my god.
Let those who seek to harm my body
Be brought to disgrace and destruction;
Let them be covered with scorn and shame,
Those who wish evil upon me.
As for me, I keep on hoping
And I will praise you more and more.
My voice will recount your righteousness
And your acts of salvation all day,
Though all of them I cannot know.
I will come and proclaim your mighty deeds,
O Master Jehovah, and make mention
Of the righteousness that is yours alone.
O God, from my youth you have instructed me,
And since then I have made known your wonders.
So, even when I be old and gray, O God,
Do not forsake me till I can demonstrate
Your power to the next generation,
Your might to everyone that is to come.
Your justice, O God, extends to the heights.
Because you have performed acts of such greatness
Who indeed can be compared to you, O God?
Hardships, many and severe, have you shown me,
But, once more, you will return to revive me
And raise me up from the depths of the earth.
You will restore to me greater honors
And give me comfort from every side.
I will praise you with music of the harp,
Because of your faithfulness, O my god;
I will sing your accolades, accompanied
By the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
My lips shout out with joy to praise you,
For you have achieved my salvation.
My tongue tells of your justice all day,
For confounded and put to shame
Are those who sought my destruction.
Let me never be put to confusion.
With your justice deliver me, rescue me,
Incline your ear to me and set me free.
May you be my refuge among the rocks,
Where I may always find sanctuary.
Give the command for my deliverance,
For you are to me a rock and a fortress.
Save me, my god, from the power of the wicked, From the cruel clutches of ruthless oppressors.
You’ve been my hope since childhood, O Master Jehovah.
Even before my birth I have relied on you;
It is you who delivered me from my mother’s womb,
And so my praise of you will be continuous.
I have become a source of wonder to many,
Because you are my indestructible refuge.
I voice your praise and proclaim your glory all the day.
Do not cast me aside when I grow old;
Do not abandon me when my health declines.
For my enemies conspire against me,
And together they lay in wait to kill me.
They claim, “God has forsaken him, so let’s go
And take him, for there is none to save him.”
O God, be not removed from me.
Come quickly to help me, my god.
Let those who seek to harm my body
Be brought to disgrace and destruction;
Let them be covered with scorn and shame,
Those who wish evil upon me.
As for me, I keep on hoping
And I will praise you more and more.
My voice will recount your righteousness
And your acts of salvation all day,
Though all of them I cannot know.
I will come and proclaim your mighty deeds,
O Master Jehovah, and make mention
Of the righteousness that is yours alone.
O God, from my youth you have instructed me,
And since then I have made known your wonders.
So, even when I be old and gray, O God,
Do not forsake me till I can demonstrate
Your power to the next generation,
Your might to everyone that is to come.
Your justice, O God, extends to the heights.
Because you have performed acts of such greatness
Who indeed can be compared to you, O God?
Hardships, many and severe, have you shown me,
But, once more, you will return to revive me
And raise me up from the depths of the earth.
You will restore to me greater honors
And give me comfort from every side.
I will praise you with music of the harp,
Because of your faithfulness, O my god;
I will sing your accolades, accompanied
By the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
My lips shout out with joy to praise you,
For you have achieved my salvation.
My tongue tells of your justice all day,
For confounded and put to shame
Are those who sought my destruction.
Thursday, September 14, 2017
Psalm 70
Hasten to deliver me, O God,
Come quickly to save me, Jehovah.
Let those who seek to take my life
Be put to shame and bewildered;
Let those who delight in my ruin
Be put to retreat and disgraced.
Let those who declare, “Aha! Aha!”
Be turned back because of their disgrace.
May all who seek you be filled with joy
And be delighted because of you.
May all who love your salvation
Shout “God is great” again and again.
But I am poor and destitute.
So come to me quickly, O God.
You are my help and deliverer.
Do not delay, O Jehovah!
Come quickly to save me, Jehovah.
Let those who seek to take my life
Be put to shame and bewildered;
Let those who delight in my ruin
Be put to retreat and disgraced.
Let those who declare, “Aha! Aha!”
Be turned back because of their disgrace.
May all who seek you be filled with joy
And be delighted because of you.
May all who love your salvation
Shout “God is great” again and again.
But I am poor and destitute.
So come to me quickly, O God.
You are my help and deliverer.
Do not delay, O Jehovah!
Psalm 69
Save me, O God, for the waters of the flood
Have risen to my neck, and I have sunk
Into the mud on which there is no footing.
In deep water, the deluge overwhelms me.
I am exhausted and my throat is sore
From shouts; my eyesight fails waiting for my god.
More than the number of the hairs on my head
Are those who hate me without any cause.
Mighty, they seek to destroy me with lies:
What I did not steal, they demand I restore.
O God, you know my foolishness;
My sins are not hidden from you.
Let not those who put their faith in you
Be ashamed on account of me,
O Lord Jehovah, god of armies,
Let not those seek you be disgraced
Because of me, God of Israel.
For your sake I have borne reproach
And shame is written on my face.
I am a stranger to my brothers,
An alien to my mother’s sons.
For I am consumed with devotion
To your temple and the words of those
Who insult you fall upon me.
When I weep and chasten my body
With fasting, it brings scorn upon me.
And when I garb myself in sackcloth,
I am an object of ridicule.
Those who sit at the city gate
Find me a topic of gossip,
While drunkards sing songs about me.
But as for me, at the propitious time,
I make my prayer to you, O Jehovah;
In your bounteous, faithful love, O God,
Answer me with your certain salvation.
Save me from the mud, do not let me sink,
Spare me from my enemies, those who hate me,
And deliver me from the deep waters.
Do not let the flood waters engulf me,
The depths swallow me, the pit devour me.
Answer me, O Jehovah, in the goodness
Of your loving kindness; look upon me
In accord with your many acts of mercy.
Hide not from your servant,
For I am in dire distress.
Please answer me quickly!
Come near and rescue me;
Save me from my enemies!
You know how I’m reproached, shamed, and dishonored;
All my adversaries are known to you.
Insults have broken my heart; I’m despondent.
I search for sympathy, but there is none;
I look for one to comfort me, but in vain.
Instead, they give me gall to eat as food,
And when I’m thirsty, vinegar to drink.
May the table set before them be a snare
May it be their retribution, a trap.
Let their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
And may their bodies continually shake.
Pour out your indignation upon them.
Let the fierceness of your rage take hold of them.
Let their encampment become desolate
And let there be none to dwell in their tents.
They persecute those whom you have struck down
And recount the pain of those you have wounded.
For crime after crime, let them be punished.
Let them not receive your vindication.
May they be erased from the Book of Life;
Let them not be counted among the righteous.
But I am sore afflicted and suffering.
Let your salvation, O God, raise me on high.
I will extol the name of God in song
And I will exalt him with thanksgiving.
This will please Jehovah more than cattle,
Or a young bullock with its horns and hooves.
The humble will see this and be gladdened
And those who seek the help of God will take heart,
For Jehovah hears the pleas of the needy
And does not despise his people in bondage.
Praise him, heaven and earth, and the sea
And all the creatures that swim in it,
For God will deliver Zion
And rebuild the cities of Judah,
So that the people may dwell there
And possess it as a legacy.
The descendants of his servants
Will claim it as an inheritance
And those who love his name will live there.
Have risen to my neck, and I have sunk
Into the mud on which there is no footing.
In deep water, the deluge overwhelms me.
I am exhausted and my throat is sore
From shouts; my eyesight fails waiting for my god.
More than the number of the hairs on my head
Are those who hate me without any cause.
Mighty, they seek to destroy me with lies:
What I did not steal, they demand I restore.
O God, you know my foolishness;
My sins are not hidden from you.
Let not those who put their faith in you
Be ashamed on account of me,
O Lord Jehovah, god of armies,
Let not those seek you be disgraced
Because of me, God of Israel.
For your sake I have borne reproach
And shame is written on my face.
I am a stranger to my brothers,
An alien to my mother’s sons.
For I am consumed with devotion
To your temple and the words of those
Who insult you fall upon me.
When I weep and chasten my body
With fasting, it brings scorn upon me.
And when I garb myself in sackcloth,
I am an object of ridicule.
Those who sit at the city gate
Find me a topic of gossip,
While drunkards sing songs about me.
But as for me, at the propitious time,
I make my prayer to you, O Jehovah;
In your bounteous, faithful love, O God,
Answer me with your certain salvation.
Save me from the mud, do not let me sink,
Spare me from my enemies, those who hate me,
And deliver me from the deep waters.
Do not let the flood waters engulf me,
The depths swallow me, the pit devour me.
Answer me, O Jehovah, in the goodness
Of your loving kindness; look upon me
In accord with your many acts of mercy.
Hide not from your servant,
For I am in dire distress.
Please answer me quickly!
Come near and rescue me;
Save me from my enemies!
You know how I’m reproached, shamed, and dishonored;
All my adversaries are known to you.
Insults have broken my heart; I’m despondent.
I search for sympathy, but there is none;
I look for one to comfort me, but in vain.
Instead, they give me gall to eat as food,
And when I’m thirsty, vinegar to drink.
May the table set before them be a snare
May it be their retribution, a trap.
Let their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
And may their bodies continually shake.
Pour out your indignation upon them.
Let the fierceness of your rage take hold of them.
Let their encampment become desolate
And let there be none to dwell in their tents.
They persecute those whom you have struck down
And recount the pain of those you have wounded.
For crime after crime, let them be punished.
Let them not receive your vindication.
May they be erased from the Book of Life;
Let them not be counted among the righteous.
But I am sore afflicted and suffering.
Let your salvation, O God, raise me on high.
I will extol the name of God in song
And I will exalt him with thanksgiving.
This will please Jehovah more than cattle,
Or a young bullock with its horns and hooves.
The humble will see this and be gladdened
And those who seek the help of God will take heart,
For Jehovah hears the pleas of the needy
And does not despise his people in bondage.
Praise him, heaven and earth, and the sea
And all the creatures that swim in it,
For God will deliver Zion
And rebuild the cities of Judah,
So that the people may dwell there
And possess it as a legacy.
The descendants of his servants
Will claim it as an inheritance
And those who love his name will live there.
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