Psalm 73–83

BOOK III

(Psalms 73–89)

Psalm 73

God’s Ways Vindicated

A psalm of Asaph. ^r

¹God is indeed good to Israel,

to the pure in heart. ^s

²But as for me, my feet almost slipped;

my steps nearly went astray. ^t

³For I envied the arrogant;

I saw the prosperity of the wicked. ^u

⁴They have an easy time until they die, ^v

and their bodies are well fed. ^wx

⁵They are not in trouble like others;

they are not afflicted like most people. ^y

⁶Therefore, pride is their necklace,

and violence covers them like a garment. ^z

⁷Their eyes bulge out from fatness;

the imaginations of their hearts run wild. ^a

⁸They mock, and they speak maliciously;

they arrogantly threaten oppression. ^b

⁹They set their mouths against heaven,

and their tongues strut across the earth. ^c

¹⁰Therefore His people turn to them ^d

and drink in their overflowing words. ^ef

¹¹The wicked say, “How can God know?

Does the Most High know everything?” ^g

¹²Look at them—the wicked!

They are always at ease,

and they increase their wealth. ^h

¹³Did I purify my heart

and wash my hands in innocence for nothing? ⁱ

¹⁴For I am afflicted all day long

and punished every morning. ^j

¹⁵If I had decided to say these things aloud,

I would have betrayed Your people. ^kl

¹⁶When I tried to understand all this,

it seemed hopeless ^mn

¹⁷until I entered God’s sanctuary.

Then I understood their destiny. ^o

¹⁸Indeed, You put them in slippery places;

You make them fall into ruin. ^p

¹⁹How suddenly they become a desolation!

They come to an end, swept away by terrors. ^q

²⁰Like one waking from a dream,

Lord, when arising, You will despise their image. ^r

²¹When I became embittered

and my innermost being ^swas wounded, ^t

²²I was stupid and didn’t understand;

I was an unthinking animal toward You. ^u

²³Yet I am always with You;

You hold my right hand. ^v

²⁴You guide me with Your counsel,

and afterward You will take me up in glory. ^wx

²⁵Who do I have in heaven but You?

And I desire nothing on earth but You. ^y

²⁶My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength ^zof my heart,

my portion forever. ^a

²⁷Those far from You will certainly perish;

You destroy all who are unfaithful to You. ^b

²⁸But as for me, God’s presence is my good.

I have made the Lord God my refuge,

so I can tell about all You do. ^c

Psalm 74

Prayer for Israel

A Maskil of Asaph. ^d

¹Why have You rejected us forever, God?

Why does Your anger burn

against the sheep of Your pasture? ^e

²Remember Your congregation,

which You purchased long ago

and redeemed as the tribe for Your own possession. ^f

Remember Mount Zion where You dwell. ^g

³Make Your way ^hto the everlasting ruins,

to all that the enemy has destroyed in the sanctuary. ⁱ

⁴Your adversaries roared in the meeting place

where You met with us. ^j

They set up their emblems as signs. ^k

⁵It was like men in a thicket of trees,

wielding axes, ^l

⁶then smashing all the carvings

with hatchets and picks. ^m

⁷They set Your sanctuary on fire;

they utterly ⁿdesecrated

the dwelling place of Your name. ^o

⁸They said in their hearts,

“Let us oppress them relentlessly.”

They burned down every place throughout the land

where God met with us. ^pq

⁹There are no signs for us to see.

There is no longer a prophet.

And none of us knows how long this will last. ^r

¹⁰God, how long will the enemy mock?

Will the foe insult Your name forever? ^s

¹¹Why do You hold back Your hand?

Stretch out ^tYour right hand and destroy them! ^u

¹²God my King is from ancient times,

performing saving acts on the earth. ^v

¹³You divided the sea with Your strength;

You smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the waters; ^w

¹⁴You crushed the heads of Leviathan;

You fed him to the creatures of the desert. ^x

¹⁵You opened up springs and streams; ^y

You dried up ever-flowing rivers. ^z

¹⁶The day is Yours, also the night;

You established the moon and the sun. ^a

¹⁷You set all the boundaries of the earth;

You made summer and winter. ^b

¹⁸Remember this: the enemy has mocked Yahweh,

and a foolish people has insulted Your name. ^c

¹⁹Do not give the life of Your dove to beasts; ^d

do not forget the lives of Your poor people forever. ^e

²⁰Consider the covenant, ^f

for the dark places of the land are full of violence. ^g

²¹Do not let the oppressed turn away in shame;

let the poor and needy praise Your name. ^h

²²Rise up, God, defend Your cause! ⁱ

Remember the insults

that fools bring against You all day long. ^j

²³Do not forget the clamor of Your adversaries,

the tumult of Your opponents that goes up constantly. ^k

Psalm 75

God Judges the Wicked

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” ^lA psalm of Asaph. ^mA song.

¹We give thanks to You, God;

we give thanks to You, for Your name is near.

People tell about Your wonderful works. ⁿ

²“When I choose a time,

I will judge fairly. ^o

³When the earth and all its inhabitants shake,

I am the One who steadies its pillars. ^pSelah

⁴I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’

and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn. ^q

⁵Do not lift up your horn against heaven

or speak arrogantly.’ ” ^r

⁶Exaltation does not come

from the east, the west, or the desert,

⁷for God is the Judge:

He brings down one and exalts another. ^s

⁸For there is a cup in the Lord’s hand,

full of wine blended with spices, and He pours from it.

All the wicked of the earth will drink,

draining it to the dregs. ^t

⁹As for me, I will tell about Him forever;

I will sing praise to the God of Jacob. ^u

¹⁰“I will cut off all the horns of the wicked, ^v

but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.” ^w

Psalm 76

God, the Powerful Judge

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. ^xA song.

¹God is known in Judah;

His name is great in Israel. ^y

²His tent is in Salem, ^z

His dwelling place in Zion. ^a

³There He shatters the bow’s flaming arrows,

the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. ^bSelah

⁴You are resplendent and majestic

coming down from the mountains of prey. ^c

⁵The brave-hearted have been plundered;

they have slipped into their final sleep.

None of the warriors was able to lift a hand. ^d

⁶At Your rebuke, God of Jacob,

both chariot and horse lay still. ^e

⁷And You—You are to be feared. ^f

When You are angry,

who can stand before You? ^g

⁸From heaven You pronounced judgment.

The earth feared and grew quiet ^h

⁹when God rose up to judge

and to save all the lowly of the earth. ⁱSelah

¹⁰Even human wrath will praise You;

You will clothe Yourself

with their remaining wrath. ^jk

¹¹Make and keep your vows

to the Lord your God; ^l

let all who are around Him bring tribute

to the awe-inspiring One. ^mn

¹²He humbles the spirit of leaders;

He is feared by the kings of the earth. ^o

Psalm 77

Confidence in a Time of Crisis

For the choir director: according to Jeduthun. Of Asaph. ^pA psalm.

¹I cry aloud to God,

aloud to God, and He will hear me. ^q

²I sought the Lord in my day of trouble.

My hands were continually lifted up

all night long;

I refused to be comforted. ^r

³I think of God; I groan;

I meditate; my spirit becomes weak. ^sSelah

⁴You have kept me from closing my eyes;

I am troubled and cannot speak. ^t

⁵I consider days of old,

years long past. ^u

⁶At night I remember my music;

I meditate in my heart, and my spirit ponders. ^v

⁷“Will the Lord reject forever

and never again show favor? ^w

⁸Has His faithful love ceased forever?

Is His promise at an end for all generations? ^x

⁹Has God forgotten to be gracious?

Has He in anger withheld His compassion?” ^ySelah

¹⁰So I say, “I am grieved ^z

that the right hand of the Most High has changed.” ^a

¹¹I will remember the Lord’s works;

yes, I will remember Your ancient wonders. ^b

¹²I will reflect on all You have done

and meditate on Your actions. ^c

¹³God, Your way is holy.

What god is great like God? ^d

¹⁴You are the God who works wonders;

You revealed Your strength among the peoples. ^e

¹⁵With power You redeemed Your people,

the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. ^fSelah

¹⁶The waters saw You, God.

The waters saw You; they trembled.

Even the depths shook. ^g

¹⁷The clouds poured down water.

The storm clouds thundered;

Your arrows flashed back and forth. ^h

¹⁸The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;

lightning lit up the world. ⁱ

The earth shook and quaked. ^j

¹⁹Your way went through the sea

and Your path through the great waters,

but Your footprints were unseen. ^k

²⁰You led Your people like a flock ^l

by the hand of Moses and Aaron. ^m

Psalm 78

Lessons from Israel’s Past

A Maskil of Asaph. ⁿ

¹My people, hear my instruction;

listen to what I say. ^o

²I will declare wise sayings;

I will speak mysteries from the past ^p—

³things we have heard and known

and that our fathers have passed down to us. ^q

⁴We must not hide them from their children,

but must tell a future generation

the praises of the Lord,

His might, and the wonderful works

He has performed. ^r

⁵He established a testimony in Jacob

and set up a law in Israel,

which He commanded our fathers

to teach to their children ^s

⁶so that a future generation—

children yet to be born—might know.

They were to rise and tell their children ^t

⁷so that they might put their confidence in God

and not forget God’s works,

but keep His commands. ^u

⁸Then they would not be like their fathers,

a stubborn and rebellious generation,

a generation whose heart was not loyal

and whose spirit was not faithful to God. ^v

⁹The Ephraimite archers turned back

on the day of battle. ^w

¹⁰They did not keep God’s covenant

and refused to live by His law. ^x

¹¹They forgot what He had done,

the wonderful works He had shown them. ^y

¹²He worked wonders in the sight of their fathers

in the land of Egypt, the region of Zoan. ^z

¹³He split the sea and brought them across;

the water stood firm like a wall. ^a

¹⁴He led them with a cloud by day

and with a fiery light throughout the night. ^b

¹⁵He split rocks in the wilderness

and gave them drink as abundant as the depths. ^c

¹⁶He brought streams out of the stone

and made water flow down like rivers. ^d

¹⁷But they continued to sin against Him,

rebelling in the desert against the Most High. ^e

¹⁸They deliberately ^ftested God,

demanding the food they craved. ^g

¹⁹They spoke against God, saying,

“Is God able to provide food in the…