Psalm 78; Psalms 1–11

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Psalm 78

Tell the Coming Generation

A Maskil1 of hAsaph.

iGive ear, O my people, to my teaching;

incline your ears to the words of my mouth!

jI will open my mouth kin a parable;

I will utter dark sayings from of old,

things that we have heard and known,

that our lfathers have told us.

We will not mhide them from their children,

but ntell to the coming generation

the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,

and othe wonders that he has done.

He established pa testimony in qJacob

and appointed a law in qIsrael,

which he commanded our fathers

to teach to their children,

that rthe next generation might know them,

the children yet unborn,

and arise and tell them to their children,

so that they should set their hope in God

and not forget sthe works of God,

but tkeep his commandments;

and that they should not be ulike their fathers,

va stubborn and rebellious generation,

a generation wwhose heart was not steadfast,

whose spirit was not faithful to God.

The Ephraimites, armed with2 the bow,

xturned back on the day of battle.

10  They ydid not keep God’s covenant,

but refused to walk according to his law.

11  They zforgot his works

and athe wonders that he had shown them.

12  In the sight of their fathers bhe performed wonders

in the land of Egypt, in cthe fields of Zoan.

13  He ddivided the sea and let them pass through it,

and made the waters estand like a heap.

14  fIn the daytime he led them with a cloud,

and all the night with a fiery light.

15  He gsplit rocks in the wilderness

and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.

16  He made streams come out of hthe rock

and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

17  Yet they sinned still more against him,

irebelling against the Most High in the desert.

18  They jtested God in their heart

by demanding the food they craved.

19  They spoke against God, saying,

kCan God lspread a table in the wilderness?

20  mHe struck the rock so that water gushed out

and streams overflowed.

Can he also give bread

or provide meat for his people?

21  Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;

na fire was kindled against Jacob;

his anger rose against Israel,

22  because they odid not believe in God

and did not trust his saving power.

23  Yet he commanded the skies above

and popened the doors of heaven,

24  and he qrained down on them manna to eat

and gave them rthe grain of heaven.

25  Man ate of the bread of sthe angels;

he sent them food tin abundance.

26  He ucaused the east wind to blow in the heavens,

and by his power he led out the south wind;

27  he rained meat on them like vdust,

winged birds like wthe sand of the seas;

28  he xlet them fall in the midst of their camp,

all around their dwellings.

29  And they yate and were well filled,

for he gave them what they zcraved.

30  But before they had satisfied their craving,

awhile the food was still in their mouths,

31  the anger of God rose against them,

and he killed bthe strongest of them

and laid low cthe young men of Israel.

32  In spite of all this, they dstill sinned;

edespite his wonders, they did not believe.

33  So he made ftheir days gvanish like3 a breath,4

and their years in terror.

34  When he killed them, they hsought him;

they repented and sought God earnestly.

35  They remembered that God was their irock,

the Most High God their jredeemer.

36  But they kflattered him with their mouths;

they llied to him with their tongues.

37  Their mheart was not nsteadfast toward him;

they were not faithful to his covenant.

38  Yet he, being ocompassionate,

patoned for their iniquity

and did not destroy them;

he restrained his anger often

and did not stir up all his wrath.

39  He qremembered that they were but rflesh,

sa wind that passes and comes not again.

40  How often they trebelled against him in the wilderness

and ugrieved him in vthe desert!

41  They wtested God again and again

and provoked xthe Holy One of Israel.

42  They ydid not remember his power5

or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,

43  zwhen he performed his asigns in Egypt

and his bmarvels in cthe fields of Zoan.

44  He dturned their rivers to blood,

so that they could not drink of their streams.

45  He sent among them swarms of eflies, which devoured them,

and ffrogs, which destroyed them.

46  He gave their crops to gthe destroying locust

and the fruit of their labor to the locust.

47  He destroyed their vines with hhail

and their sycamores with frost.

48  He gave over their icattle to the hail

and their flocks to thunderbolts.

49  He let loose on them his burning anger,

wrath, indignation, and distress,

a company of jdestroying angels.

50  He made a path for his anger;

he did not spare them from death,

but gave their lives over to the plague.

51  He struck down every kfirstborn in Egypt,

the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of lHam.

52  Then he led out his people mlike sheep

and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

53  nHe led them in safety, so that they owere not afraid,

but pthe sea overwhelmed their enemies.

54  And he brought them to his qholy land,

rto the mountain which his right hand had swon.

55  He tdrove out nations before them;

he uapportioned them for a possession

and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

56  Yet they vtested and wrebelled against the Most High God

and did not keep his testimonies,

57  but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers;

they twisted like xa deceitful bow.

58  For they yprovoked him to anger with their zhigh places;

they amoved him to jealousy with their bidols.

59  When God heard, he was full of cwrath,

and he utterly rejected Israel.

60  He dforsook his dwelling at eShiloh,

the tent where he dwelt among mankind,

61  and delivered his fpower to captivity,

his gglory to the hand of the foe.

62  He hgave his people over to the sword

and ivented his wrath on his heritage.

63  jFire devoured their young men,

and their young women had no kmarriage song.

64  Their lpriests fell by the sword,

and their mwidows made no lamentation.

65  Then the Lord nawoke as from sleep,

like a strong man shouting because of wine.

66  And he oput his adversaries to rout;

he put them to everlasting shame.

67  He rejected the tent of pJoseph;

he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,

68  but he chose the tribe of Judah,

Mount Zion, which he qloves.

69  He rbuilt his sanctuary like the high heavens,

like the earth, which he has founded forever.

70  He schose David his servant

and took him from the sheepfolds;

71  from tfollowing the nursing ewes he brought him

to ushepherd Jacob his people,

Israel his vinheritance.

72  With wupright heart he shepherded them

and xguided them with his skillful hand.


Psalms 1–11

Book One

The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked

Blessed is the man1

who awalks not in bthe counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in cthe way of sinners,

nor dsits in ethe seat of fscoffers;

but his gdelight is in the law2 of the Lord,

and on his hlaw he meditates day and night.

He is like ia tree

planted by jstreams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its kleaf does not wither.

lIn all that he does, he prospers.

The wicked are not so,

but are like mchaff that the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked nwill not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in othe congregation of the righteous;

for the Lord pknows qthe way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

The Reign of the Lord’s Anointed

rWhy do sthe nations rage3

and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the Lord and against his tAnointed, saying,

Let us uburst their bonds apart

and cast away their cords from us.

He who vsits in the heavens wlaughs;

the Lord holds them in derision.

Then he will speak to them in his xwrath,

and terrify them in his fury, saying,

As for me, I have yset my King

on zZion, my aholy hill.

I will tell of the decree:

The Lord said to me, bYou are my Son;

today I have begotten you.

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,

and cthe ends of the earth your possession.

You shall dbreak4 them with ea rod of iron

and dash them in pieces like fa potter’s vessel.

10  Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

11  gServe the Lord with hfear,

and irejoice with htrembling.

12  jKiss kthe Son,

lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

for his lwrath is quickly kindled.

mBlessed are all who take refuge in him.

Save Me, O My God

A Psalm of David, nwhen he fled from Absalom his son.

O Lord, ohow many are my foes!

Many are prising against me;

many are saying of my soul,

qThere is no salvation for him in God. Selah5

But you, O Lord, are ra shield sabout me,

my glory, and tthe lifter of my head.

I ucried aloud to the Lord,

and he vanswered me from his wholy hill. Selah

I xlay down and slept;

I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.

I ywill not be afraid of many thousands of people

who have zset themselves against me all around.

aArise, O Lord!

Save me, O my God!

For you bstrike all my enemies on the cheek;

you cbreak the teeth of the wicked.

dSalvation belongs to the Lord;

your blessing be on your people! Selah

Answer Me When I Call

To the echoirmaster: with estringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

Answer me when I call, O God of my frighteousness!

You have ggiven me relief when I was in distress.

Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

O men,6 how long shall my honor be turned into shame?

How long will you love vain words and seek after hlies? Selah

But know that the Lord has iset apart jthe godly for himself;

the Lord hears when I call to him.

kBe angry,7 and do not sin;

lponder in your own hearts mon your beds, and be silent. Selah

Offer nright sacrifices,

and put your otrust in the Lord.

There are many who say, Who will show us some good?

pLift up qthe light of your face upon us, O Lord!

You have put rmore joy in my heart

than they have when their grain and wine abound.

In peace I will both slie down and sleep;

for you alone, O Lord, make me tdwell in safety.

Lead Me in Your Righteousness

To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

Give ear to my words, O Lord;

consider my ugroaning.

Give attention to the sound of my cry,

my vKing and my God,

for wto you do I pray.

O Lord, in xthe morning you hear my voice;

in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you8 and ywatch.

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;

evil may not dwell with you.

The zboastful shall not astand before your eyes;

you bhate all evildoers.

You destroy those who speak clies;

the Lord abhors dthe bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,

will enter your house.

I will ebow down ftoward your gholy temple

in the fear of you.

hLead me, O Lord, in your righteousness

because of my enemies;

imake your way straight before me.

For there is no truth in their mouth;

their inmost self is jdestruction;

ktheir throat is lan open grave;

they mflatter with their tongue.

10  nMake them bear their guilt, O God;

let them ofall by their own counsels;

because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,

for they have rebelled against you.

11  But let all who ptake refuge in you qrejoice;

let them ever sing for joy,

and spread your protection over them,

that those who love your name may rexult in you.

12  For you sbless the righteous, O Lord;

you tcover him with favor as with ua shield.

O Lord, Deliver My Life

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to vThe Sheminith.9 A Psalm of David.

O Lord, wrebuke me not in your anger,

nor xdiscipline me in your wrath.

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;

yheal me, O Lord, zfor my bones are troubled.

My asoul also is greatly troubled.

But you, O Lordbhow long?

Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;

save me for the sake of your steadfast love.

For in cdeath there is no remembrance of you;

in Sheol who will give you praise?

I am dweary with my emoaning;

every night I flood my bed with tears;

I drench my couch with my weeping.

My feye wastes away because of grief;

it grows weak because of all my foes.

gDepart from me, all you hworkers of evil,

for the Lord ihas heard the sound of my weeping.

The Lord has heard my jplea;

the Lord accepts my prayer.

10  All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;

they shall kturn back and be put to shame in a moment.

In You Do I Take Refuge

A lShiggaion10 of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.

O Lord my God, in you do I mtake refuge;

nsave me from all my pursuers and deliver me,

lest like oa lion they tear my soul apart,

rending it in pieces, with pnone to deliver.

O Lord my God, qif I have done this,

if there is rwrong in my hands,

if I have repaid smy friend11 with evil

or tplundered my enemy without cause,

let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,

and let him utrample my life to the ground

and lay my glory in the dust. Selah

vArise, O Lord, in your anger;

wlift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;

xawake for me; you have appointed a judgment.

Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you;

over it return on high.

The Lord yjudges the peoples;

zjudge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness

and according to the integrity that is in me.

Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,

and may you establish the righteous

you who atest bthe minds and hearts,12

O righteous God!

10  My shield is cwith God,

who saves dthe upright in heart.

11  God is ea righteous judge,

and a God who feels findignation every day.

12  If a man13 does not repent, God14 will gwhet his sword;

he has hbent and ireadied his bow;

13  he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,

making his jarrows kfiery shafts.

14  Behold, the wicked man lconceives evil

and is lpregnant with mischief

and gives birth to lies.

15  He makes ma pit, digging it out,

and falls into the hole that he has made.

16  His nmischief returns upon his own head,

and on his own skull his violence descends.

17  I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness,

and I will osing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

How Majestic Is Your Name

To the choirmaster: according to The pGittith.15 A Psalm of David.

O Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your qname in all the earth!

You have set your rglory above the heavens.

sOut of the mouth of babies and infants,

you have established tstrength because of your foes,

to still uthe enemy and the avenger.

When I vlook at your heavens, the work of your wfingers,

the moon and the stars, xwhich you have set in place,

ywhat is man that you are zmindful of him,

and athe son of man that you bcare for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than cthe heavenly beings16

and crowned him with dglory and honor.

You have given him edominion over the works of your hands;

fyou have put all things under his feet,

all sheep and oxen,

and also the beasts of the field,

the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,

whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

I Will Recount Your Wonderful Deeds

17 To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben.18 A Psalm of David.

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;

I will recount all of your gwonderful deeds.

I will be glad and hexult in you;

I will ising praise to your name, jO Most High.

When my enemies turn back,

they stumble and perish before19 your presence.

For you have kmaintained my just cause;

you have lsat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

You have mrebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;

you have nblotted out their name forever and ever.

The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;

their cities you rooted out;

the very memory of them has perished.

But the Lord sits enthroned forever;

he has established his throne for justice,

and he ojudges the world with righteousness;

he pjudges the peoples with uprightness.

The Lord is qa stronghold for rthe oppressed,

a stronghold in stimes of trouble.

10  And those who tknow your name put their trust in you,

for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

11  Sing praises to the Lord, who usits enthroned in Zion!

Tell among the peoples his vdeeds!

12  For he who wavenges blood is mindful of them;

he xdoes not forget the cry of the afflicted.

13  yBe gracious to me, O Lord!

See my affliction from those who hate me,

O you who lift me up from zthe gates of death,

14  that I may recount all your praises,

that in the gates of athe daughter of Zion

I may brejoice in your salvation.

15  The nations have sunk in cthe pit that they made;

in dthe net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.

16  The Lord has made himself eknown; he has executed judgment;

the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion.20 Selah

17  The wicked shall freturn to Sheol,

all the nations that gforget God.

18  For the needy shall not always be forgotten,

and hthe hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

19  iArise, O Lord! Let not jman prevail;

let the nations be judged before you!

20  Put them in fear, O Lord!

Let the nations know that they are but jmen! Selah

Why Do You Hide Yourself?

Why, O Lord, do you stand kfar away?

Why ldo you hide yourself in mtimes of trouble?

In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;

let them nbe caught in the schemes that they have devised.

For the wicked oboasts of the desires of his soul,

and the one greedy for gain pcurses21 and qrenounces the Lord.

In the pride of his face22 the wicked does not qseek him;23

all his thoughts are, rThere is no God.

His ways prosper at all times;

your judgments are on high, sout of his sight;

as for all his foes, he tpuffs at them.

He usays in his heart, I shall not be moved;

throughout all generations I vshall not meet adversity.

wHis mouth is filled with cursing and xdeceit and yoppression;

zunder his tongue are amischief and biniquity.

He sits in ambush in the villages;

in chiding places he murders the innocent.

His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;

he lurks in ambush like da lion in his ethicket;

he flurks that he may seize the poor;

he seizes the poor when he draws him into his gnet.

10  The helpless are crushed, sink down,

and fall by his might.

11  He says in his heart, God has forgotten,

he has hhidden his face, he iwill never see it.

12  jArise, O Lord; O God, klift up your hand;

lforget not the afflicted.

13  Why does the wicked mrenounce God

and say in his heart, You will not ncall to account?

14  But you do see, for you onote mischief and vexation,

that you may take it into your hands;

to you the helpless pcommits himself;

you have been qthe helper of the fatherless.

15  rBreak the arm of the wicked and evildoer;

scall his wickedness to account till you find none.

16  tThe Lord is king forever and ever;

the unations perish from his land.

17  O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;

you will vstrengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

18  to wdo justice to the fatherless and xthe oppressed,

so that yman who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

The Lord Is in His Holy Temple

To the choirmaster. Of David.

In the Lord I take refuge;

how can you say to my soul,

zFlee like a bird to your mountain,

for behold, the wicked abend the bow;

bthey have fitted their arrow to the string

to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;

if cthe foundations are destroyed,

what can the righteous do?24

dThe Lord is in his holy temple;

the Lord’s ethrone is in heaven;

his eyes see, his eyelids ftest the children of man.

The Lord gtests the righteous,

but hhis soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

Let him rain coals on the wicked;

ifire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be jthe portion of their cup.

For the Lord is righteous;

he kloves righteous deeds;

lthe upright shall behold his face.