Psalm 81
An Appeal for Israel’s Repentance
To the Chief Musician. aOn 1An Instrument of Gath. A Psalm of Asaph.
1 Sing aloud to God our strength;
Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song and strike the timbrel,
The pleasant harp with the lute.
3 Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon,
At the full moon, on our solemn feast day.
4 For bthis is a statute for Israel,
A law of the God of Jacob.
5 This He established in Joseph as a testimony,
When He went throughout the land of Egypt,
cWhere I heard a language I did not understand.
6 “I removed his shoulder from the burden;
His hands were freed from the baskets.
7 dYou called in trouble, and I delivered you;
eI answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I ftested you at the waters of 2Meribah.
Selah
8 “Hear, gO My people, and I will admonish you!
O Israel, if you will listen to Me!
9 There shall be no hforeign god among you;
Nor shall you worship any foreign god.
10 iI am the Lord your God,
Who brought you out of the land of Egypt;
jOpen your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11 “But My people would not heed My voice,
And Israel would have knone of Me.
12 lSo I gave them over to 3their own stubborn heart,
To walk in their own counsels.
13 “Oh, mthat My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!
14 I would soon subdue their enemies,
And turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 nThe haters of the Lord would pretend submission to Him,
But their 4fate would endure forever.
16 He would ohave fed them also with 5the finest of wheat;
And with honey pfrom the rock I would have satisfied you.”
Psalm 88
A Prayer for Help in Despondency
A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath Leannoth.” a 1Contemplation of AHeman the Ezrahite.
1 O Lord, bGod of my salvation,
I have cried out day and night before You.
2 Let my prayer come before You;
2Incline Your ear to my cry.
3 For my soul is full of troubles,
And my life cdraws near to the grave.
4 I am counted with those who dgo 3down to the pit;
eI am like a man who has no strength,
5 4Adrift among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You remember no more,
And who are cut off from Your hand.
6 You have laid me in the lowest pit,
In darkness, in the depths.
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
And You have afflicted me with all fYour waves.
Selah
8 gYou have 5put away my acquaintances far from me;
You have made me an abomination to them;
hI am shut up, and I cannot get out;
9 My eye wastes away because of affliction.
iLord, I have called daily upon You;
I have stretched out my hands to You.
10 Will You work wonders for the dead?
Shall 6the dead arise and praise You?
Selah
11 Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave?
Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
12 Shall Your wonders be known in the dark?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But to You I have cried out, O Lord,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You.
14 Lord, why do You cast off my soul?
Why do You hide Your face from me?
15 I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth;
I suffer Your terrors;
I am distraught.
16 Your fierce wrath has gone over me;
Your terrors have 7cut me off.
17 They came around me all day long like water;
They engulfed me altogether.
18 jLoved one and friend You have put far from me,
And my acquaintances into darkness.
Psalm 92–93
Praise to the Lord For His Love and Faithfulness
A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath Day.
1 It is agood to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
2 To bdeclare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night,
3 cOn an instrument of ten strings,
On the lute,
And on the harp,
With harmonious sound.
4 For You, Lord, have made me glad through Your work;
I will triumph in the works of Your hands.
5 dO Lord, how great are Your works!
eYour thoughts are very deep.
6 fA senseless man does not know,
Nor does a fool understand this.
7 When gthe wicked 1spring up like grass,
And when all the workers of iniquity flourish,
It is that they may be destroyed forever.
8 hBut You, Lord, are on high forevermore.
9 For behold, Your enemies, O Lord,
For behold, Your enemies shall perish;
All the workers of iniquity shall ibe scattered.
10 But jmy 2horn You have exalted like a wild ox;
I have been kanointed with fresh oil.
11 lMy eye also has seen my desire on my enemies;
My ears hear my desire on the wicked
Who rise up against me.
12 mThe righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,
He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Those who are planted in the house of the Lord
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They shall be 3fresh and 4flourishing,
15 To declare that the Lord is upright;
nHe is my rock, and othere is no unrighteousness in Him.
1 The aLord reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The Lord is clothed,
bHe has girded Himself with strength.
Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be 1moved.
2 cYour throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.
3 The floods have 2lifted up, O Lord,
The floods have lifted up their voice;
The floods lift up their waves.
4 dThe Lord on high is mightier
Than the noise of many waters,
Than the mighty waves of the sea.
5 Your testimonies are very sure;
Holiness adorns Your house,
O Lord, 3forever.