Psalm 73–83

Book III

Psalm 73

A psalm of Asaph.

Surely God is good to Israel,

to those who are pure in heart.^a

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;^b

I had nearly lost my foothold.^c

For I envied^d the arrogant

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.^e

They have no struggles;

their bodies are healthy and strong.

They are free^f from common human burdens;

they are not plagued by human ills.

Therefore pride^g is their necklace;^h

they clothe themselves with violence.ⁱ

From their callous hearts^j comes iniquity;

the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.

They scoff, and speak with malice;^k

with arrogance^l they threaten oppression.^m

Their mouths lay claim to heaven,

and their tongues take possession of the earth.

Therefore their people turn to them

and drink up waters in abundance.

They say, “How would God know?

Does the Most High know anything?”

This is what the wicked are like—

always free of care,ⁿ they go on amassing wealth.^o

Surely in vain^p I have kept my heart pure

and have washed my hands in innocence.^q

All day long I have been afflicted,^r

and every morning brings new punishments.

If I had spoken out like that,

I would have betrayed your children.

When I tried to understand^s all this,

it troubled me deeply

till I entered the sanctuary^t of God;

then I understood their final destiny.^u

Surely you place them on slippery ground;^v

you cast them down to ruin.^w

How suddenly^x are they destroyed,

completely swept away^y by terrors!

They are like a dream^z when one awakes;^a

when you arise, Lord,

you will despise them as fantasies.^b

When my heart was grieved

and my spirit embittered,

I was senseless^c and ignorant;

I was a brute beast^d before you.

Yet I am always with you;

you hold me by my right hand.^e

You guide^f me with your counsel,^g

and afterward you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?^h

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.ⁱ

My flesh and my heart^j may fail,^k

but God is the strength^l of my heart

and my portion^m forever.

Those who are far from you will perish;ⁿ

you destroy all who are unfaithful^o to you.

But as for me, it is good to be near God.^p

I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;^q

I will tell of all your deeds.^r

Psalm 74

A maskil of Asaph.

O God, why have you rejected^a us forever?^b

Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?^c

Remember the people you purchased^d long ago,^e

the tribe of your inheritance,^f whom you redeemed^g—

Mount Zion,^h where you dwelt.ⁱ

Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,^j

all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.

Your foes roared^k in the place where you met with us;

they set up their standards^l as signs.

They behaved like men wielding axes

to cut through a thicket of trees.^m

They smashed all the carvedⁿ paneling

with their axes and hatchets.

They burned your sanctuary to the ground;

they defiled^o the dwelling place^p of your Name.^q

They said in their hearts, “We will crush^r them completely!”

They burned^s every place where God was worshiped in the land.

We are given no signs from God;^t

no prophets^u are left,

and none of us knows how long this will be.

How long^v will the enemy mock^w you, God?

Will the foe revile^x your name forever?

Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?^y

Take it from the folds of your garment^z and destroy them!

But God is my King^a from long ago;

he brings salvation^b on the earth.

It was you who split open the sea^c by your power;

you broke the heads of the monster^d in the waters.

It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan^e

and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.^f

It was you who opened up springs^g and streams;

you dried up^h the ever-flowing rivers.

The day is yours, and yours also the night;

you established the sun and moon.ⁱ

It was you who set all the boundaries^j of the earth;

you made both summer and winter.^k

Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord,

how foolish people^l have reviled your name.

Do not hand over the life of your dove^m to wild beasts;

do not forget the lives of your afflictedⁿ people forever.

Have regard for your covenant,^o

because haunts of violence fill the dark places^p of the land.

Do not let the oppressed^q retreat in disgrace;

may the poor and needy^r praise your name.

Rise up,^s O God, and defend your cause;

remember how fools^t mock you all day long.

Do not ignore the clamor^u of your adversaries,^v

the uproar^w of your enemies,^x which rises continually.

Psalm 75

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A psalm of Asaph. A song.

^*We praise you, God,

we praise you, for your Name is near;^a

people tell of your wonderful deeds.^b

You say, “I choose the appointed time;^c

it is I who judge with equity.^d

When the earth and all its people quake,^e

it is I who hold its pillars^f firm.

To the arrogant^g I say, ‘Boast no more,’^h

and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.ⁱ

Do not lift your horns against heaven;

do not speak with outstretched neck.^j’ ”

No one from the east or the west

or from the desert can exalt themselves.

It is God who judges:^k

He brings one down, he exalts another.^l

In the hand of the Lord is a cup

full of foaming wine mixed^m with spices;

he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth

drink it down to its very dregs.ⁿ

As for me, I will declare^o this forever;

I will sing^p praise to the God of Jacob,^q

who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,

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

Psalm 76

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.

^*God is renowned in Judah;

in Israel his name is great.^a

His tent is in Salem,^b

his dwelling place in Zion.^c

There he broke the flashing arrows,^d

the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.^e

You are resplendent with light,^f

more majestic than mountains rich with game.

The valiant^g lie plundered,

they sleep their last sleep;^h

not one of the warriors

can lift his hands.

At your rebuke,ⁱ God of Jacob,

both horse and chariot^j lie still.

It is you alone who are to be feared.^k

Who can stand^l before you when you are angry?^m

From heaven you pronounced judgment,

and the land fearedⁿ and was quiet—

when you, God, rose up to judge,^o

to save all the afflicted^p of the land.

Surely your wrath against human beings brings you praise,^q

and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.

Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them;^r

let all the neighboring lands

bring gifts^s to the One to be feared.

He breaks the spirit of rulers;

he is feared by the kings of the earth.

Psalm 77

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.

^*I cried out to God^a for help;

I cried out to God to hear me.

When I was in distress,^b I sought the Lord;

at night^c I stretched out untiring hands,^d

and I would not be comforted.^e

I remembered^f you, God, and I groaned;^g

I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.^h

You kept my eyes from closing;

I was too troubled to speak.ⁱ

I thought about the former days,^j

the years of long ago;

I remembered my songs in the night.

My heart meditated and my spirit asked:

“Will the Lord reject forever?^k

Will he never show his favor^l again?

Has his unfailing love^m vanished forever?

Has his promiseⁿ failed for all time?

Has God forgotten to be merciful?^o

Has he in anger withheld his compassion?^p”

Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:

the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.^q

I will remember the deeds of the Lord;

yes, I will remember your miracles^r of long ago.

I will consider^s all your works

and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”^t

Your ways, God, are holy.

What god is as great as our God?^u

You are the God who performs miracles;^v

you display your power among the peoples.

With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,^w

the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

The waters^x saw you, God,

the waters saw you and writhed;^y

the very depths were convulsed.

The clouds poured down water,^z

the heavens resounded with thunder;^a

your arrows^b flashed back and forth.

Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,^c

your lightning^d lit up the world;

the earth trembled and quaked.^e

Your path^f led through the sea,^g

your way through the mighty waters,

though your footprints were not seen.

You led your people^h like a flockⁱ

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.^j

Psalm 78

A maskil of Asaph.

My people, hear my teaching;^a

listen to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth with a parable;^b

I will teach you lessons from the past—

things we have heard and known,

things our ancestors have told us.^c

We will not hide them from their descendants;^d

we will tell the next generation^e

the praiseworthy deeds^f of the Lord,

his power, and the wonders^g he has done.

He decreed statutes^h for Jacobⁱ

and established the law in Israel,

which he commanded our ancestors

to teach their children,

so the next generation would know them,

even the children yet to be born,^j

and they in turn would tell their children.

Then they would put their trust in God

and would not forget^k his deeds

but would keep his commands.^l

They would not be like their ancestors^m—

a stubbornⁿ and rebellious^o generation,

whose hearts were not loyal to God,

whose spirits were not faithful to him.

The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,^p

turned back on the day of battle;^q

they did not keep God’s covenant^r

and refused to live by his law.^s

They forgot what he had done,^t

the wonders he had shown them.

He did miracles^u in the sight of their ancestors

in the land of Egypt,^v in the region of Zoan.^w

He divided the sea^x and led them through;

he made the water stand up like a wall.^y

He guided them with the cloud by day

and with light from the fire all night.^z

He split the rocks^a in the wilderness

and gave them water as abundant as the seas;

he brought streams out of a rocky crag

and made water flow down like rivers.

But they continued to sin^b against him,

rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.

They willfully put God to the test^c

by demanding the food they craved.^d

They spoke against God;^e

they said, “Can God really

spread a table in the wilderness?

True, he struck the rock,

and water gushed out,^f

streams flowed abundantly,

but can he also give us bread?

Can he supply meat^g for his people?”

When the Lord heard them, he was furious;

his fire broke out^h against Jacob,

and his wrath rose against Israel,

for they did not believe in God

or trustⁱ in his deliverance.

Yet he gave a command to the skies…