Psalm 73–83

¹A Psalm of Asaph. Only—good to Israel is God, to the clean of heart. And I—as a little thing, My feet have been turned aside,

²As nothing, have my steps slipped, For I have been envious of the boastful,

³The peace of the wicked I see, That there are no bands at their death,

⁴And their might is firm.

⁵In the misery of mortals they are not, And with common men they are not plagued.

⁶Therefore hath pride encircled them, Violence covereth them as a dress.

⁷Their eye hath come out from fat. The imaginations of the heart transgressed;

⁸They do corruptly, And they speak in the wickedness of oppression, From on high they speak.

⁹They have set in the heavens their mouth, And their tongue walketh in the earth.

¹⁰Therefore do His people return hither, And waters of fulness are wrung out to them.

¹¹And they have said, ‘How hath God known? And is there knowledge in the Most High?’

¹²Lo, these are the wicked and easy ones of the age, They have increased strength.

¹³Only—a vain thing! I have purified my heart, And I wash in innocency my hands,

¹⁴And I am plagued all the day, And my reproof is every morning.

¹⁵If I have said, ‘I recount thus,’ Lo, a generation of Thy sons I have deceived.

¹⁶And I think to know this, Perverseness it is in mine eyes,

¹⁷Till I come in to the sanctuaries of God, I attend to their latter end.

¹⁸Only, in slippery places Thou dost set them, Thou hast caused them to fall to desolations.

¹⁹How have they become a desolation as in a moment, They have been ended—consumed from terrors.

²⁰As a dream from awakening, O Lord, In awaking, their image Thou despisest.

²¹For my heart doth show itself violent, And my reins prick themselves,

²²And I am brutish, and do not know. A beast I have been with Thee.

²³And I am continually with Thee, Thou hast laid hold on my right hand.

²⁴With Thy counsel Thou dost lead me, And after honour dost receive me.

²⁵Whom have I in the heavens? And with Thee none I have desired in earth.

²⁶Consumed hath been my flesh and my heart, The rock of my heart and my portion is God to the age.

²⁷For, lo, those far from Thee do perish, Thou hast cut off every one, Who is going a whoring from Thee.

²⁸And I—nearness of God to me is good, I have placed in the Lord Jehovah my refuge, To recount all Thy works!

Psalm 74

¹An Instruction of Asaph. Why, O God, hast Thou cast off for ever? Thine anger smoketh against the flock of Thy pasture.

²Remember Thy company. Thou didst purchase of old, Thou didst redeem the rod of Thy inheritance, This mount Zion—Thou didst dwell in it.

³Lift up Thy steps to the perpetual desolations, Everything the enemy did wickedly in the sanctuary.

⁴Roared have thine adversaries, In the midst of Thy meeting-places, They have set their ensigns as ensigns.

⁵He is known as one bringing in on high Against a thicket of wood—axes.

⁶And now, its carvings together With axe and hatchet they break down,

⁷They have sent into fire Thy sanctuary, to the earth they polluted the tabernacle of Thy name,

⁸They said in their hearts, ‘Let us oppress them together,’ They did burn all the meeting-places of God in the land.

⁹Our ensigns we have not seen, There is no more a prophet, Nor with us is one knowing how long.

¹⁰Till when, O God, doth an adversary reproach? Doth an enemy despise thy name for ever?

¹¹Why dost Thou turn back Thy hand, Even Thy right hand? From the midst of Thy bosom remove it.

¹²And God is my king of old, Working salvation in the midst of the earth.

¹³Thou hast broken by Thy strength a sea -monster, Thou hast shivered Heads of dragons by the waters,

¹⁴Thou hast broken the heads of leviathan, Thou makest him food, For the people of the dry places.

¹⁵Thou hast cleaved a fountain and a stream, Thou hast dried up perennial flowings.

¹⁶Thine is the day, also Thine is the night, Thou hast prepared a light giver—the sun.

¹⁷Thou hast set up all the borders of earth, Summer and winter Thou hast formed them.

¹⁸Remember this—an enemy reproached Jehovah, And a foolish people have despised Thy name.

¹⁹Give not up to a company, The soul of Thy turtle-dove, The company of Thy poor ones forget not for ever.

²⁰Look attentively to the covenant, For the dark places of earth, Have been full of habitations of violence.

²¹Let not the oppressed turn back ashamed, Let the poor and needy praise Thy name,

²²Arise, O God, plead Thy plea, Remember Thy reproach from a fool all the day.

²³Forget not the voice of Thine adversaries, The noise of Thy withstanders is going up continually!

Psalm 75

¹To the Overseer.—‘Destroy not.’—A Psalm of Asaph.—A Song. We have given thanks to Thee, O God, We have given thanks, and near is Thy name, They have recounted Thy wonders.

²When I receive an appointment, I—I do judge uprightly.

³Melted is the earth and all its inhabitants, I—I have pondered its pillars. Selah.

⁴I have said to the boastful, ‘Be not boastful,’ And to the wicked, ‘Raise not up a horn.’

⁵Raise not up on high your horn, (Ye speak with a stiff neck.)

⁶For not from the east, or from the west, Nor from the wilderness—is elevation.

⁷But God is judge, This He maketh low—and this He lifteth up.

⁸For a cup is in the hand of Jehovah, And the wine hath foamed, It is full of mixture, and He poureth out of it, Only its dregs wring out, and drink, Do all the wicked of the earth,

⁹And I—I declare it to the age, I sing praise to the God of Jacob.

¹⁰And all horns of the wicked I cut off, Exalted are the horns of the righteous!

Psalm 76

¹To the Overseer with stringed instruments.—A Psalm of Asaph.—A Song. In Judah is God known, in Israel His name is great.

²And His tabernacle is in Salem, And His habitation in Zion.

³There he hath shivered arrows of a bow, Shield, and sword, and battle. Selah.

⁴Bright art Thou, honourable above hills of prey.

⁵Spoiled themselves have the mighty of heart, They have slept their sleep, And none of the men of might found their hands.

⁶From Thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, Both rider and horse have been fast asleep.

⁷Thou, fearful art Thou, And who doth stand before Thee, Since Thou hast been angry!

⁸From heaven Thou hast sounded judgment, Earth hath feared, and hath been still,

⁹In the rising of God to judgment, To save all the humble of earth. Selah.

¹⁰For the fierceness of man praiseth Thee, The remnant of fierceness Thou girdest on.

¹¹Vow and complete to Jehovah your God, All ye surrounding him. They bring presents to the Fearful One.

¹²He doth gather the spirit of leaders, Fearful to the kings of earth!

Psalm 77

¹To the Overseer, for Jeduthun.—A Psalm of Asaph. My voice is to God, and I cry, my voice is to God, And He hath given ear unto me.

²In a day of my distress the Lord I sought, My hand by night hath been spread out, And it doth not cease, My soul hath refused to be comforted.

³I remember God, and make a noise, I meditate, and feeble is my spirit. Selah.

⁴Thou hast taken hold of the watches of mine eyes, I have been moved, and I speak not.

⁵I have reckoned the days of old, The years of the ages.

⁶I remember my music in the night, With my heart I meditate, and my spirit doth search diligently:

⁷To the ages doth the Lord cast off? Doth He add to be pleased no more?

⁸Hath His kindness ceased for ever? The saying failed to all generations?

⁹Hath God forgotten His favours? Hath He shut up in anger His mercies? Selah.

¹⁰And I say: ‘My weakness is, The changes of the right hand of the Most High.’

¹¹I mention the doings of Jah, For I remember of old Thy wonders,

¹²And I have meditated on all Thy working, And I talk concerning Thy doings.

¹³O God, in holiness is Thy way, Who is a great god like God?

¹⁴Thou art the God doing wonders. Thou hast made known among the peoples Thy strength,

¹⁵Thou hast redeemed with strength Thy people, The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

¹⁶The waters have seen Thee, O God, The waters have seen Thee, They are afraid—also depths are troubled.

¹⁷Poured out waters have thick clouds, The skies have given forth a noise, Also—Thine arrows go up and down.

¹⁸The voice of Thy thunder is in the spheres, Lightnings have lightened the world, The earth hath trembled, yea, it shaketh.

¹⁹In the sea is Thy way, And Thy paths are in many waters, And Thy tracks have not been known.

²⁰Thou hast led as a flock Thy people, By the hand of Moses and Aaron!

Psalm 78

¹An Instruction of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings of my mouth.

²I open with a simile my mouth, I bring forth hidden things of old,

³That we have heard and do know, And our fathers have recounted to us.

⁴We do not hide from their sons, To a later generation recounting praises of Jehovah, And His strength, and His wonders that He hath done.

⁵And He raiseth up a testimony in Jacob, And a law hath placed in Israel, That He commanded our fathers, To make them known to their sons.

⁶So that a later generation doth know, Sons who are born, do rise and recount to their sons,

⁷And place in God their confidence, And forget not the doings of God, But keep His commands.

⁸And they are not like their fathers, A generation apostate and rebellious, A generation! it hath not prepared its heart, Nor stedfast with God is its spirit.

⁹Sons of Ephraim—armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.

¹⁰They have not kept the covenant of God, And in His law they have refused to walk,

¹¹And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He shewed them.

¹²Before their fathers He hath done wonders, In the land of Egypt—the field of Zoan.

¹³He cleft a sea, and causeth them to pass over, Yea, He causeth waters to stand as a heap.

¹⁴And leadeth them with a cloud by day, And all the night with a light of fire.

¹⁵He cleaveth rocks in a wilderness, And giveth drink—as the great deep.

¹⁶And bringeth out streams from a rock, And causeth waters to come down as rivers.

¹⁷And they add still to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.

¹⁸And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.

¹⁹And they speak against God—they said: ‘Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?’

²⁰Lo, He hath smitten a rock, And waters flow, yea, streams overflow. ‘Also—bread is He able to give? Doth He prepare flesh for His…