Psalm 72–83

Psalm 72

By Solomon. 

¹O God, give the king your justice 

and the king’s son^ayour righteousness 

²so that he may judge your people with righteousness 

and your oppressed ⸤people⸥ with justice. 

³May the mountains bring peace to the people 

and the hills bring righteousness. 

⁴May he grant justice to the people who are oppressed. 

May he save the children of needy people 

and crush their oppressor. 

⁵May they fear you as long as the sun and moon ⸤shine⸥— 

throughout every generation. 

⁶May he be like rain that falls on ⸤freshly⸥ cut grass, 

like showers that water the land. 

⁷May righteous people blossom in his day. 

May there be unlimited peace until the moon no longer ⸤shines⸥. 

⁸May he rule from sea to sea, 

from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. 

⁹May the people of the desert kneel in front of him. 

May his enemies lick the dust. 

¹⁰May the kings from Tarshish and the islands bring presents. 

May the kings from Sheba and Seba bring gifts. 

¹¹May all kings worship him. 

May all nations serve him. 

¹²He will rescue the needy person who cries for help 

and the oppressed person who has no one’s help. 

¹³He will have pity on the poor and needy 

and will save the lives of the needy. 

¹⁴He will rescue them from oppression and violence. 

Their blood will be precious in his sight. 

¹⁵May he live long. 

May the gold from Sheba be given to him. 

May ⸤the people⸥ pray for him continually. 

May ⸤they⸥ praise him all day long. 

¹⁶May there be plenty of grain in the land. 

May it wave ⸤in the breeze⸥ on the mountain tops, 

its fruit like ⸤the treetops of⸥ Lebanon. 

May those from the city flourish like the grass on the ground. 

¹⁷May his name endure forever. 

May his name continue as long as the sun ⸤shines⸥. 

May all nations be blessed through him and call him blessed. 

¹⁸Thank the Lord God, the God of Israel, 

who alone does miracles. 

¹⁹Thanks be to his glorious name forever. 

May the whole earth be filled with his glory. 

Amen and amen!

²⁰The prayers by David, son of Jesse, end here.

BOOK THREE

(Psalms 73–89)

Psalm 73

A psalm by Asaph. 

¹God is truly good to Israel, 

to those whose lives are pure. 

²But my feet had almost stumbled. 

They had almost slipped 

³because I was envious of arrogant people 

when I saw the prosperity that wicked people enjoy. 

⁴They suffer no pain. 

Their bodies are healthy. 

⁵They have no drudgery in their lives like ordinary people. 

They are not plagued ⸤with problems⸥ like others. 

⁶That is why they wear arrogance like a necklace 

and acts of violence like clothing. 

⁷Their eyes peer out from their fat faces, 

and their imaginations run wild. 

⁸They ridicule. 

They speak maliciously. 

They speak arrogantly about oppression. 

⁹They verbally attack heaven, 

and they order people around on earth. 

¹⁰That is why God’s people turn to wickedness 

and swallow their words. 

¹¹Then wicked people ask, “What does God know?” 

“Does the Most High know anything?” 

¹²Look how wicked they are! 

They never have a worry. 

They grow more and more wealthy. 

¹³I’ve received no reward for keeping my life pure 

and washing my hands of any blame. 

¹⁴I’m plagued ⸤with problems⸥ all day long, 

and every morning my punishment ⸤begins again⸥. 

¹⁵If I had said, “I will continue to talk like that,” 

I would have betrayed God’s people. 

¹⁶But when I tried to understand this, 

it was too difficult for me. 

¹⁷Only when I came into God’s holy place 

did I ⸤finally⸥ understand what would happen to them. 

¹⁸You put them in slippery places 

and make them fall into ruin. 

¹⁹They are suddenly destroyed. 

They are completely swept away by terror! 

²⁰As ⸤someone⸥ gets rid of a dream when he wakes up, 

so you, O Lord, get rid of the thought of them 

when you wake up. 

²¹When my heart was filled with bitterness 

and my mind was seized ⸤with envy⸥, 

²²I was stupid, and I did not understand. 

I was like a dumb animal in your presence. 

²³Yet, I am always with you. 

You hold on to my right hand. 

²⁴With your advice you guide me, 

and in the end you will take me to glory. 

²⁵As long as I have you, 

I don’t need anyone else in heaven or on earth. 

²⁶My body and mind may waste away, 

but God remains the foundation of my life 

and my inheritance forever. 

²⁷Without a doubt, those who are far from you will die. 

You destroy all who are unfaithful to you. 

²⁸Being united with God is my highest good. 

I have made the Almighty Lord my refuge 

so that I may report everything that he has done. 

Psalm 74

A maskil^aby Asaph. 

¹Why, O God, have you rejected us forever? 

Why does your anger 

smolder against the sheep in your care? 

²Remember your congregation. 

Long ago you made it your own. 

You bought this tribe to be your possession. 

This tribe is Mount Zion, where you have made your home. 

³Turn your steps towardthese pathetic ruins. 

The enemy has destroyed everything in the holy temple. 

⁴Your opponents have roared inside your meeting place. 

They have set up their own emblems as symbols. 

⁵Starting from its entrance, they hacked away 

like a woodcutter in a forest. 

⁶They smashed all its carved paneling with axes and hatchets. 

⁷They burned your holy place to the ground. 

They dishonored the place where you live among us. 

⁸They said to themselves, “We will crush them.” 

They burned every meeting place of God in the land. 

⁹We no longer see miraculous signs. 

There are no prophets anymore. 

No one knows how long this will last. 

¹⁰How long, O God, will the enemy insult us? 

Will the enemy despise you forever? 

¹¹Why do you hold back your hand, especially your right hand? 

Take your hands out of your pockets. 

Destroy your enemies! 

¹²And yet, from long ago God has been my king, 

the one who has been victorious throughout the earth. 

¹³You stirred up the sea with your own strength. 

You smashed the heads of sea monsters in the water. 

¹⁴You crushed the heads of Leviathan 

and gave them to the creatures of the desert for food. 

¹⁵You opened the springs and brooks. 

You dried up the ever-flowing rivers. 

¹⁶The day and the night are yours. 

You set the moon and the sun in their places. 

¹⁷You determined all the boundaries of the earth. 

You created summer and winter. 

¹⁸Remember how the enemy insulted you, O Lord. 

Remember how an entire nation of godless fools despised your name. 

¹⁹Do not hand over the soul of your dove to wild animals. 

Do not forget the life of your oppressed people forever. 

²⁰Consider your promise^f

because every dark corner of the land is filled with violence. 

²¹Do not let oppressed people come back in disgrace. 

Let weak and needy people praise your name. 

²²Arise, O God! 

Fight for your own cause! 

Remember how godless fools insult you all day long. 

²³Do not forget the shouting of your opponents. 

Do not forget the uproar made by those who attack you. 

Psalm 75

For the choir director; al tashcheth; a psalm by Asaph; a song. 

¹We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks. 

You are present, and your miracles confirm that. 

²When I choose the right time, 

I will judge fairly. 

³When the earth and everyone who lives on it begin to melt, 

I will make its foundations as solid as rock. 

Selah 

⁴I said to those who brag, “Don’t brag,” 

and to wicked people, 

“Don’t raise your weapons. 

⁵Don’t raise your weapons so proudly 

or speak so defiantly.” 

⁶The ⸤authority⸥ to reward someone does not ⸤come⸥ 

from the east, 

from the west, 

or ⸤even⸥ from the wilderness. 

⁷God alone is the judge. 

He punishes one person and rewards another. 

⁸A cup is in the Lord’s hand. 

(Its foaming wine is thoroughly mixed with spices.) 

He will empty it, 

⸤and⸥ all the wicked people on earth 

will have to drink every last drop. 

⁹But I will speak ⸤about your miracles⸥ forever. 

I will make music to praise the God of Jacob. 

¹⁰I will destroy all the weapons of wicked people, 

but the weapons of righteous people will be raised proudly. 

Psalm 76

For the choir director; on stringed instruments; a psalm by Asaph; a song. 

¹God is known in Judah. 

His name is great in Israel. 

²His tent is in Salem. 

His home is in Zion. 

³There he destroyed flaming arrows, 

shields, swords, and weapons of war. 

Selah 

⁴You are the radiant one. 

You are more majestic than the ancient mountains.^a

⁵Brave people were robbed. 

They died. 

None of the warriors were able to lift a hand. 

⁶At your stern warning, O God of Jacob, 

chariot riders and horses were put to sleep. 

⁷You alone must be feared! 

Who can stand in your presence when you become angry? 

⁸From heaven you announced a verdict. 

The earth was fearful and silent 

⁹when you rose to judge, O God, 

when you rose to save every oppressed person on earth. 

Selah 

¹⁰Even angry mortals will praise you. 

You will wear the remainder of ⸤their⸥ anger. 

¹¹Make vows to the Lord your God, and keep them. 

Let everyone around him bring gifts to the one who must be feared. 

¹²He cuts short the lives of influential people. 

He terrifies the kings of the earth. 

Psalm 77

For the choir director; according to Jeduthun; a psalm by Asaph. 

¹Loudly, I cried to God. 

Loudly, I cried to God 

so that he would open his ears to ⸤hear⸥ me. 

²On the day I was in trouble, I went to the Lord for help. 

At night I stretched out my hands in prayer without growing tired. 

Yet, my soul refused to be comforted. 

³I sigh as I remember God. 

I begin to lose hope as I think about him. 

Selah 

⁴(You keep my eyelids open.) 

I am so upset that I cannot speak. 

⁵I have considered the days of old, 

the years long ago. 

⁶I remember my song in the night 

and reflect ⸤on it⸥. 

My spirit searches ⸤for an answer⸥: 

⁷Will the Lord reject ⸤me⸥ for all time? 

Will he ever accept me? 

⁸Has his mercy come to an end forever? 

Has his promise been canceled throughout every generation? 

⁹Has God forgotten to be merciful? 

Has he locked up his compassion because of his anger? Selah 

¹⁰Then I said, “It makes me feel sick 

that the power of the Most High is no longer the same.” 

¹¹I will remember the deeds of the Lord. 

I will remember your ancient miracles. 

¹²I will reflect on all your actions 

and think about what you have done. 

¹³O God, your ways are holy! 

What god is as great as our God? 

¹⁴You are the…