Psalm 73-89

The Voice

⁴ For they seem to live carefree lives, free of suffering;
    their bodies are strong and healthy.
⁵ They don’t know trouble as we do;
    they are not plagued with problems as the rest of us are.
⁶ They’ve got pearls of pride strung around their necks;
    they clothe their bodies with violence.
⁷ They have so much more than enough.
    Their eyes bulge because they are so fat with possessions.
    They have more than their hearts could have ever imagined.
⁸ There is nothing sacred, and no one is safe.
    Vicious sarcasm drips from their lips;
    they bully and threaten to crush their enemies.
⁹ They even mock God as if He were not above;
    their arrogant tongues boast throughout the earth; they feel invincible.

¹⁰ Even God’s people turn and are carried away by them;
    they watch and listen, yet find no fault in them.
¹¹ You will hear them say, “How can the True God possibly know anyway? He’s not even here.
    So how can the Most High have any knowledge of what happens here?”
¹² Let me tell you what I know about the wicked:
    they are comfortably at rest while their wealth is growing and growing.
¹³ Oh, let this not be me! It seems I have scrubbed my heart to keep it clean
    and washed my hands in innocence.
    And for what? Nothing.
¹⁴ For all day long, I am being punished,
    each day awakening to stern chastisement.

¹⁵ If I had said to others these kinds of things about the plight of God’s good people,
    then I know I would have betrayed the next generation.
¹⁶ Trying to solve this mystery on my own exhausted me;
    I couldn’t bear to look at it any further.
¹⁷ So I took my questions to the True God,
    and in His sanctuary I realized something so chilling and final: their lives have a deadly end.
¹⁸ Because You have certainly set the wicked upon a slippery slope,
    You’ve set them up to slide to their destruction.
¹⁹ And they won’t see it coming. It will happen so fast:
    first, a flash of terror, and then desolation.
²⁰ It is like a dream from which someone awakes.
    You will wake up, Lord, and loathe what has become of them.
²¹ You see, my heart overflowed with bitterness and cynicism;
    I felt as if someone stabbed me in the back.
²² But I didn’t know the truth;
    I have been acting like a stupid animal toward You.
²³ But look at this: You are still holding my right hand;
    You have been all along.
²⁴ Even though I was angry and hard-hearted, You gave me good advice;
    when it’s all over, You will receive me into Your glory.
²⁵ For all my wanting, I don’t have anyone but You in heaven.
    There is nothing on earth that I desire other than You.
²⁶ I admit how broken I am in body and spirit,
    but God is my strength, and He will be mine forever.

²⁷ It will happen: whoever shuns You will be silenced forever;
    You will bring an end to all who refuse to be true to You.
²⁸ But the closer I am to You, my God, the better because life with You is good.
    O Lord, the Eternal, You keep me safe—
    I will tell everyone what You have done.

¹ O True God, why have You turned Your back on us and abandoned us forever?
    Why is Your anger seething and Your wrath smoldering against the sheep of Your pasture?
² Remember the congregation of people You acquired long ago,
    the tribe which You redeemed to be Your very own.
    Remember Mount Zion, where You have chosen to live!
³ Come, direct Your attention to Your sanctuary;
    our enemy has demolished everything and left it in complete ruin.

⁴ Your enemies roared like lions in Your sacred chamber;
    they have claimed it with their own standards as signs.
⁵ They acted like lumberjacks swinging their axes
    to cut down a stand of trees.
⁶ They hacked up all the beautifully carved items,
    smashed them to splinters with their axes and hammers.
⁷ They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground;
    they have desecrated the place where Your holy name lived in honor;
⁸ They have plotted in their hearts, “We will crush them and bring them to their knees!”
    Then they scorched all of the places in the land where the True God met His people.

⁹ We no longer receive signs,
    there are no more prophets who remain,
    and not one of us knows how long this situation will last.
¹⁰ O True God, how much longer will the enemy mock us?
    Will this insult continue against You forever?
¹¹ Why do You stand by and do nothing?
    Unleash Your power and finish them off!

¹² Even so, the True God is my King from long ago,
    bringing salvation to His people throughout the land.
¹³ You have divided the sea with Your power;
    You shattered the skulls of the creatures of the sea;
¹⁴ You smashed the heads of Leviathan
    and fed his remains to the people of the desert.
¹⁵ You broke open the earth and springs burst forth and streams filled the crevices;
    You dried up the great rivers.
¹⁶ The day and the night are both Yours—
    You fashioned the sun, moon, and all the lights that pierce the darkness.
¹⁷ You have arranged the earth, set all its boundaries;
    You are the Architect of the seasons: summer and winter.

¹⁸ Eternal One, do not forget that the enemy has taunted You
    and a company of fools has rejected Your name.
¹⁹ We are Your precious turtledoves;
    don’t surrender our souls to the wild beasts.
    Do not forget the lives of Your poor, afflicted, and brokenhearted ones forever.

²⁰ Be mindful of Your covenant with us,
    for the dark corners of the land are filled with pockets of violence.
²¹ Do not allow the persecuted to return without honor;
    may the poor, wounded, and needy sing praises to You;
    may they bring glory to Your name!
²² O True God, rise up and defend Your cause;
    remember how the foolish man insults You every hour of the day.
²³ Do not forget the voices of Your enemies,
    the commotion and chaos of Your foes, which continually grow.

² You say, “At the time that I choose,
    I will judge and do so fairly.
³ When the earth and everyone living upon it spin into chaos,
    I am the One who stabilizes and supports it.”^[c]

[pause]^[d]

⁴ “I discipline the arrogant by telling them, ‘No more bragging.’
    I discipline the wicked by saying, ‘Do not raise your horn to demonstrate your power.^[e]
5 Do not thrust your horn into the air, issuing a challenge,
    and never speak with insolence when you address Me.’”

⁶ There is no one on earth who can raise up another to grant honor,
    not from the east or the west, not from the desert.
There is no one. God is the only One.
⁷ God is the only Judge.
    He is the only One who can ruin or redeem a man.
⁸ For the Eternal holds a full cup of wine in His hand—
    a chalice well stirred and foaming full of wrath.
He pours the cup out,
    and all wicked people of the earth drink it up—every drop of it!
⁹ But I will tell of His great deeds forever.
    I will sing praises to Jacob’s True God.

¹⁰ I will cut off the horns of strength raised by the wicked,
    but I will lift up the horns of strength of the righteous.

¹ The One known in Judah is the True God;
    in Israel, His name is great.
² He has made Salem^[f] His home;
    indeed, He rests in Zion.
³ There He destroyed the instruments of war:
    flaming arrows, shields, and swords.

[pause]^[g]

⁴ You rise and shine like the dawn.
    You are more majestic than the mountains where game runs wild.
⁵ The strong-hearted enemies were plundered;
    they were buried in slumber.
Even the noble warriors
    could not raise a hand to stop You.
⁶ O True God of Jacob, with just Your rebuke
    both horse and rider fell into a deep sleep.

⁷ You are feared; yes, You.
    And who can stand before You when Your anger flares?
⁸ You decreed judgment from the heavens.
    The earth heard it and was petrified with fear, completely still,
⁹ When the True God arose for judgment
    to deliver all the meek of the earth.

[pause]

¹⁰ For the wrath of man will end in praise of You,
    and whatever wrath is left You will wrap around Yourself like a belt.
¹¹ Make vows to the Eternal your God,
    and do all you promised;
Let all the nations around you bring gifts
    to the God who arouses fear and awe.
¹² He squashes the arrogant spirit of the rulers
    and inspires fear in the hearts of the kings of the earth.

[pause]^[h]

⁴ You hold my eyes wide open.
    I am troubled beyond words.
⁵ My mind drifts to thoughts of yesterdays
    and yesteryears.
⁶ I call to mind my music; it keeps me company at night.
    Together with my heart I contemplate;
    my spirit searches, wondering, questioning:
⁷ “What will the Lord do? Reject us for good?
    Will He never show us His favor again?
⁸ Has His loyal love finally worn down?
    Have His promises reached an end?
⁹ Has the True God forgotten how to be gracious?
    In His anger, has He withdrawn His compassion?”

[pause]

¹⁰ “I can’t help but be distraught,” I said,
    “for the power of the Most High that was once for us is now against us.”

¹¹ I will remember the actions the Eternal has taken,
    reminisce on Your ancient wonders.
¹² I will reflect on all of Your work;
    indeed, I will study all You have performed.
¹³ O God, Your way is so different, so distinct, so divine.
    No other god compares with our God.
¹⁴ You, God, and Your works evoke wonder.
    You have proved Your strength to the nations.
¹⁵ You used Your great power to release Your people:
    with a strong arm, You freed Jacob’s children, and Joseph’s.

[pause]

¹⁶ The waters saw You, O True God.
    The seas saw You and swelled in sorrow.
    Even the deep trembled.
¹⁷ Water poured from the clouds,
    and the sky boomed out in response
    as Your arrows of lightning flashed this way and that.
¹⁸ The sound of Your thunder whirled within the wind
    as Your lightning lit up the world.
    Yes, the whole earth trembled and shook.
¹⁹ Your way ran through the sea,
    Your path cut through great waters,
    and still no one can spot Your footprints.
²⁰ You led Your people as a flock
    tended by the hands of Moses and Aaron.

⁵ He gave His holy law to Jacob,
    His teaching to the people of Israel,
Which He instructed our fathers
    to pass down to their children
⁶ So that the coming generation would know them by heart,
    even the children who are not yet born,
So that they might one day stand up and teach them to their children,
⁷     tell them to put their confidence and hope in God,
And never forget the wondrous things He has done.
    They should obey His commandments always
⁸ And avoid following in the footsteps of their parents,
    a hard-headed and rebellious generation—
A generation of uncultivated hearts,
    whose spirits were unfaithful to God.

⁹ The sons of Ephraim were master archers, armed with all the necessary equipment,
    yet when the battle hour arrived, they ran away.
¹⁰ They were not loyal to their covenant with God;
    they turned away and refused to walk in it;
¹¹ They did not remember all the wondrous things He had done,
    even the great miracles He had revealed to them.
¹² He did miraculous things in the presence of their ancestors
    as they made their way out of Egypt, through the fields of Zoan.
¹³ He split the sea and made them pass through it;
    He made the waters to rise, forming a wall of water.
¹⁴ Every day He led them with a cloud;
    every night, with a fiery light.
¹⁵ He cracked open rocks in the wilderness
    and provided them with all the water they needed, as plentiful as the depths of the ocean.
¹⁶ He caused streams to burst forth from the rock,
    waters to rush in like a river.

¹⁷ Even after witnessing all of these miracles, they still chose to sin against God,
    to act against the will of the Most High in the desert!
¹⁸ They tested God in their stubborn hearts
    by demanding whatever food they happened to be craving.
¹⁹ Then they challenged God:
    “Can God fill a table with food in the middle of the desert?
²⁰ He split open the rock, and water gushed out;
    streams and rivers were overflowing!
But can He also provide us with bread?
    Can He supply meat to His sons and daughters?”

²¹ When the Eternal heard these words, He was furious;
    His fiery anger erupted against Jacob;
    His wrath grew against Israel.
²² This all happened because they did not trust God;
    they did not have faith in His power to save them.
²³ Nevertheless, He gave instructions to the clouds in the sky
    and swung open heaven’s doors;
²⁴ He showered them with manna to soothe their hungry bellies
    and provided them with the bread of heaven.
²⁵ (In that day mortals ate the bread of heavenly messengers.)
    God provided them with plenty of food.
²⁶ He stirred up the east wind and blew it through the sky.
    With His might, He whipped the south wind into a storm;
²⁷ Like dust from the sky, He caused meat to fall on them.
    Birds, like sand on the seashore, fell to the earth.
²⁸ They landed all about the camp,
    all around their tents.
²⁹ God’s people feasted on the food-blessings, and their stomachs were filled;
    He gave them exactly what they desired.
³⁰ But before their bellies were soothed,
    while their mouths were still full of food,
³¹ God’s wrath came at them like a tidal wave
    and swallowed some of the bravest, strongest among them
    and quieted the youth of Israel.

³² Even after all this, they continued to sin
    and still did not trust in Him
    or in the incredible things He did.
³³ So He abruptly ended their time; they vanished like a breath;
    He ended their years suddenly, with terror.
³⁴ After He took some of their lives,
    those left turned back and sought God wholeheartedly.
³⁵ After all they had endured, they remembered that God, the Most High,
    was their Rock, their Redeemer,
³⁶ But even then they tried to deceive Him with their words
    and fool Him with a web of lies.
³⁷ They were not consistently faithful to Him,
    and they were untrue to their covenant with Him.
³⁸ Yet by His great compassion,
    He forgave them
    and decided not to put an end to them.
Most of the time, He held back His anger
    and did not unleash His wrath against them.
³⁹ He was mindful that they were human, frail and fleeting,
    like a wind that touches one’s skin for a moment, then vanishes.
⁴⁰ Oh, how often they disobeyed Him in the wilderness
    and frustrated Him during their time in the desert!
⁴¹ Over and over again, they tested God’s patience
    and caused great pain for Israel’s Holy One.
⁴² They failed to be mindful of His great strength.
    They forgot all about the day He saved them from the enemy,
⁴³ When He displayed all sorts of signs and wonders in Egypt,
    and all the amazing things He did in the region of Zoan^[j]
44 When He transformed their rivers into blood
    so that they could not drink from their streams.
⁴⁵ He sent armies of flies to bite and torment them
    and hordes of frogs to ruin and devastate them;
⁴⁶ He handed over all of their crops to grasshoppers
    and the fruit of all their labor to locusts;
⁴⁷ He sent violent hailstorms, which smashed all their vines,
    and ruined their sycamore-fig trees with biting frost.
⁴⁸ He handed over all of their cattle to the hailstorms as well
    and struck all their herds with lightning.
⁴⁹ He poured His burning wrath upon them—
    anger, resentment, and trouble—
    sending a company of heavenly warriors to destroy them.
⁵⁰ He carved out a road for His wrath;
    He did not spare any from the sting of death
    but handed them over to the fangs of the plague.
⁵¹ He killed all the firstborn of Egypt,
    the first products of their manhood in the tents of Ham, the Egyptians’ ancestor.
⁵² But then He guided His people like sheep to safety
    and led them like a flock into the desert to freedom;
⁵³ He took them on a safe route so that they would not be afraid,
    and He allowed the hungry sea to swallow all of their enemies.
⁵⁴ He led them to His sacred land—
    to this holy hill, which He had won by the power of His right hand.
⁵⁵ He forced out the other nations which were living there before them,
    and He redistributed the lands as an inheritance to His people;
    He settled the tribes and families of Israel peaceably in their tents.

⁵⁶ Even after all this, they disobeyed the Most High God
    and tested His patience
    and did not live by His commands.
⁵⁷ Rather, they regressed to their fathers’ ways and lived faithlessly—disloyal traitors!
    They were as undependable and untrustworthy as a defective bow,
⁵⁸ For they triggered His wrath by setting up high places,
    altars to strange gods in His land;
    they aroused His jealousy by bowing down to idols in the shadow of His presence.
⁵⁹ God boiled with wrath when He witnessed what they were doing;
    He totally rejected Israel.
⁶⁰ He deserted His own sanctuary at Shiloh,
    the tent where He had lived in the midst of His people.
⁶¹ He handed His strength over to captivity;
    He put His splendor under the enemy’s control.
⁶² He handed His people over to the sword,
    and He was filled with anger toward His chosen ones;
    He was burning with wrath!
⁶³ A great fire consumed all the young men,
    and the virgin girls were without the joy of their wedding songs.
⁶⁴ Priests met their doom by the blade of a sword,
    and widows had no tears to cry;
    they could not weep.
⁶⁵ Then the Lord awoke like a man who has been asleep,
    like a warrior who has been overcome with wine.
⁶⁶ He forced all His enemies back;
    He defeated them, weighing them down with everlasting disgrace.

⁶⁷ He even rejected the tent of Joseph as His home
    and showed no favor toward the tribe of Ephraim.
⁶⁸ Instead, He favored the tribe of Judah—
    Mount Zion, the place He adored.
⁶⁹ He built His sanctuary like the mountain heights;
    like the earth, He created it to last forever.
⁷⁰ He chose His servant David,
    and called Him out of the sheep pastures.
⁷¹ From caring for the ewes, who gently nurse their young,
    He called him to shepherd His people Jacob
    and to look after Israel, His inheritance.
⁷² David shepherded them with the honor and integrity of his heart;
    he led them in wisdom with strong and skillful hands.

⁵ How long can this go on, O Eternal One?
    Will You stay angry at us forever?
    Your jealousy burning like wildfire?
⁶ Flood these outsiders with Your wrath—
    they have no knowledge of You!
Drown the kingdoms of this world
    that call on false gods and not on Your name.
⁷ For these nations devoured Jacob, consumed him,
    and turned his home into a wasteland.

⁸ Do not hold the sins of our ancestors against us,
    but send Your compassion to meet us quickly, God.
    We are in deep despair.
⁹ Help us, O God who saves us,
    to the honor and glory of Your name.
Pull us up, deliver us, and forgive our sins,
    for Your name’s sake.
¹⁰ Don’t give these people any reason to ask,
    “Where is their God?”
Avenge the blood spilled by Your servants.
    Put it on display among the nations before our very eyes.

¹¹ May the deep groans and wistful sighs of the prisoners reach You,
    and by Your great power, save those condemned to die.
¹² Pay back each of our invaders personally, seven times
    for the shame they heaped on You, O Lord!
¹³ Then we, Your people, the sheep of Your pasture,
    will pause and give You thanks forever;
    Your praise will be told by our generation to the next.

¹ Turn Your ear toward us, Shepherd of Israel,
    You who lead the children of Joseph like a flock.
You who sit enthroned above heaven’s winged creatures,^[l]
    radiate Your light!
² In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
    arouse Your strength and power,
    and save us!

³ Bring us back to You, God.
    Turn the light of Your face upon us so that we will be rescued from this sea of darkness.

⁴ O Eternal God, Commander of heaven’s armies,
    how long will You remain angry at the prayers of Your sons and daughters?
⁵ You have given them tears for food;
    You have given them an abundance of tears to drink.
⁶ You have made us a source of trouble for our neighbors—
    our enemies laugh to each other behind our backs.
⁷ O God, Commander of heaven’s armies, bring us back to You.
    Turn the light of Your face upon us so that we will be rescued from this sea of darkness.

⁸ You took us like a grapevine dug from the soil of Egypt;
    You forced out the nations and transplanted it in Your land.
⁹ You groomed the ground around it,
    planted it so it would root deep into the earth, and it covered all the land.
¹⁰ As it grew, the mountains were blanketed by its shadow;
    the mighty cedars were covered by its branches.
¹¹ The plant extended its branches to the Mediterranean Sea,
    and spread its shoots all the way to the Euphrates River.
¹² God, why have You pulled down the wall that protected it
    so that everyone who wanders by can pick its sweet grapes?
¹³ The wild boar of the forest eats it all,
    and the creatures of the field feast upon it.

¹⁴ O God, Commander of heaven’s armies, come back to us.
    Gaze down from heaven and see what has happened.
Keep watch over this vine, and nourish it.
¹⁵ Look after the saplings which You planted with Your own right hand,
    the child whom You have raised and nurtured for Yourself.
¹⁶ Your enemies have chopped it down and burned it with fire;
    may they be destroyed by the sight of Your rebuke.
¹⁷ Let Your protective hand rest on the one who is at Your right hand,
    the child of man whom You have raised and nurtured for Yourself.
¹⁸ Then we will not turn away from You.
    Bring us back to life! And we will call out for You!

¹⁹ O Eternal God, Commander of heaven’s armies, bring us back to You.
    Turn the light of Your face upon us so that we will be rescued from this sea of darkness.

¹ Sing with joy to God, our strength, our fortress.
    Raise your voices to the True God of Jacob.
² Sing and strike up a melody;
    sound the tambourine,
    strum the sweet lyre and the harp.
³ Blow the trumpet to announce the new moon,
    the full moon, the day of our feast.^[n]
4 For this is prescribed for Israel,
    a rule ordained by the True God of Jacob.
⁵ A precept established by God in Joseph
    during His journey in Egypt.

I hear it said in a language foreign to me:
⁶ “I removed the burden from your shoulders;
    I removed heavy baskets from your hands.
⁷ You cried out to Me, I heard your distress, and I delivered you;
    I answered you from the secret place, where clouds of thunder roll.
    I tested you at the waters of Meribah.

[pause]^[o]

⁸ “O My people, hear Me; I will rebuke you.
    Israel, Israel! If you would only listen to Me.
⁹ Do not surround yourselves with other gods
    or bow down to strange gods.
¹⁰ I am the Eternal, your True God.
    I liberated you from slavery, led you out from the land of Egypt.
    If you open your mouth wide, I will fill it.

¹¹ “But My own people did not hear My voice!
    Israel refused to obey Me.
¹² So I freed them to follow their hard hearts,
    to do what they thought was best.
¹³ If only My people would hear My voice
    and Israel would follow My direction!
¹⁴ Then I would not hesitate to humble their enemies
    and defeat their opposition Myself.
¹⁵ Those who hate the Eternal will cower in His presence, pretending to submit;
    they secretly loathe Him, yet their doom is forever.
¹⁶ But you—I will feed you the best wheat
    and satisfy you with honey out of the rock.”

¹ The True God stands to preside over the heavenly council.
    He pronounces judgment on the so-called gods.
² He asks: “How long will you judge dishonestly
    and be partial to the wicked?”

[pause]^[p]

³ “Stand up for the poor and the orphan;
    advocate for the rights of the afflicted and those in need.
⁴ Deliver the poor and the needy;
    rescue them from their evil oppressors.”

⁵ These bullies are ignorant; they have no understanding of My ways.
    So as they walk in darkness,
    the foundations of the earth tremble.

⁶ I said, “Though you are gods^[q]
    and children of the Most High,
⁷ You will die no differently than any mortal;
    you will fall like one of the princes.”

⁸ Rise up, O True God; judge the rulers of the earth,
    for all the nations are Yours.

[pause]^[r]

⁹ Do to these nations what You did to Midian,
    to Sisera and Jabin at the raging waters of Kishon.
¹⁰ They were destroyed at En-dor;
    they became like dung, fertilizer for the ground.
¹¹ Make their rulers like Oreb and Zeeb,
    all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
¹² Who schemed, “We should own the meadows of the True God,
    let’s take them!”

¹³ O my God, blow them away like a tumbleweed,
    scatter them like dust in a whirlwind.
¹⁴ As a wildfire charges through the forest
    or a flame sprints up the mountainside,
¹⁵ Send Your raging winds to chase them, hunt them down,
    and terrify them with Your storm.
¹⁶ Redden their faces in shame
    so that they will turn and seek Your holy name, Eternal One.
¹⁷ May they face disappointment and anxiety forever;
    may they be ashamed and die.
¹⁸ May they know that You and You alone,
    whose name is the Eternal,
    are the Most High, the Supreme Ruler over all the earth.

[pause]^[t]

⁵ Blessed are those who make You their strength,
    for they treasure every step of the journey [to Zion].^[u]
6 On their way through the valley of Baca,
    they stop and dig wells to collect the refreshing spring water,
    and the early rains fill the pools.
⁷ They journey from place to place, gaining strength along the way;
    until they meet God in Zion.

⁸ O Eternal God, Commander of heaven’s armies, listen to my prayer.
    O please listen, God of Jacob.

[pause]

⁹ O True God, look at our shield, our protector,
    see the face of Your anointed king, and defend our defender.

¹⁰ Just one day in the courts of Your temple is greater
    than a thousand anywhere else.
I would rather serve as a porter at my God’s doorstep
    than live in luxury in the house of the wicked.
¹¹ For the Eternal God is a sun and a shield.
    The Eternal grants favor and glory;
He doesn’t deny any good thing
    to those who live with integrity.
¹² O Eternal One, Commander of heaven’s armies,
    how fortunate are those who trust You.

[pause]^[v]

³ There was a time when You restrained all of Your fierce wrath,
    when You cooled Your hot anger.

⁴ O God of our salvation, bring us back again—as You did before—
    and put away Your anger toward us.
⁵ Will You be mad at us forever?
    Will You continue to be angry with our children and theirs?
⁶ Will You not bring us back to life once more
    so that we, Your people, will find joy and pleasure in You?
⁷ O Eternal One, show us Your unfailing love;
    give us what we truly need: Your salvation.

⁸ I will hear what the True God—the Eternal—will say,
    for He will speak peace over His people,
    peace over those who faithfully follow Him, [but do not let them abuse His gift and return to foolish ways].^[w]
9 Without a doubt, His salvation is near for those who revere Him
    so that He will be with us again and all His glory will fill this land.

¹⁰ Unfailing love and truth have met on their way;
    righteousness and peace have kissed one another.
¹¹ Truth will spring from the earth like a plant,
    and justice will look down from the sky.
¹² Yes, the Eternal will plant goodness in the earth,
    and our land will yield great abundance.
¹³ Justice will come before Him,
    marking out a path, setting a way for His feet.

⁸ O Lord, You stand alone among the other gods;
    nothing they have done compares to Your wonderful works.
⁹ O Lord, all the peoples of earth—every nation You established—
    will come to You, bowing low to worship,
    and rightly honor Your great name.
¹⁰ For You are great, and Your works are wondrous;
    You are the one True God.
¹¹ O Eternal One, guide me along Your path
    so that I will live in Your truth.
Unite my divided heart so that I will fear Your great name.
¹² O Lord, my God! I praise You with all that I am.
    I will rightly honor Your great name forever.
¹³ For Your loyal love for me is so great it is beyond comparison.
    You have rescued my soul from the depths of the grave.

¹⁴ O True God, arrogant people are after me.
    A violent gang wants to kill me;
    they have no interest in You or Your ways.
¹⁵ But Lord, You are a God full of compassion, generous in grace,
    slow to anger, and boundless in loyal love and truth.
¹⁶ Look at me, and grant me Your favor.
    Invest Your strength in me, Your servant,
    and rescue me, Your handmaiden’s child.
¹⁷ Give me a sign so I may know Your goodness rests on me
    and so those who hate me will be red with shame at the sight of it.
    For You, O Eternal One, have come to my aid and offered me relief.

[pause]^[x]

⁴ God says, “I tell of some who know Me in Egypt^[y] and Babylon;
    behold, My people are in Philistia, Tyre, and Ethiopia^[z] too:
    ‘This person was born there.’”

⁵ It is said of Zion,
    “This person and that person were born in her.”
    The Most High God has established that city and makes her strong.
⁶ When keeping track of His people, the Eternal surely notices,
    “This one was born in Zion.”

[pause]

⁷ Those who sing and those who dance will say together,
    “All my fountains of joy are in You.”

¹ O Eternal One! O True God my Savior!
    I cry out to You all the time, under the sun and the moon.
² Let my voice reach You!
    Please listen to my prayers!

³ My soul is deeply troubled,
    and my heart can’t bear the weight of this sorrow. I feel so close to death.
⁴ I’m like the poor and helpless who die alone,
    left for dead, as good as the unknowable sea of souls lying under our feet,
^5-6 Forsaken by Him and cut off from His hand,
    abandoned among the dead who rest in their graves.
And You have sent me to be forgotten with them,
    in the lowest pits of the earth,
    in the darkest canyons of the ocean.
⁷ You crush me with Your anger.
    You crash against me like the relentless, angry sea.

[pause]^[ac]

⁸ Those whom I have known, who have been with me,
    You have gathered like sheaves and cast to the four winds.
They can’t bear to look me in the eye, and they are horrified when they think of me.
    I am in a trap and cannot be free.
⁹ My eyes grow dim, weakened by this sickness;
    it is taking my strength from me.
Like a worn cloth, my hands are unfolded before You daily, O Eternal One.
¹⁰ Are You the miracle-worker for the dead?
    Will they rise from the dark shadows to worship You again?

[pause]

¹¹ Will Your great love be proclaimed in the grave
    or Your faithfulness be remembered in whispers like mists throughout the place of ruin?^[ad]
12 Are Your wonders known in the dominion of darkness,
    or is Your righteousness recognized in a land where all is forgotten?

¹³ But I am calling out to You, Eternal One.
    My prayers rise before You with every new sun!
¹⁴ Why do You turn Your head
    and brush me aside, O Eternal One?
    Why are You avoiding me?
¹⁵ Since the days of my youth, I have been sick and close to death.
    My helpless soul has suffered Your silent horrors;
    now I am desperate.
¹⁶ Your rage spills over me like rivers of fire;
    Your assaults have all but destroyed me.
¹⁷ They surround me like a flood, rising throughout the day,
    closing in from every direction.
¹⁸ You have taken from me the one I love and my friend;
    even the light of my acquaintances are darkness.

¹ I will sing of Your unfailing love, Eternal One, forever.
    I will speak of Your faithfulness to all generations.
² I will tell how Your unfailing love will always stand strong;
    and how Your faithfulness is established in the heavens above.
³ You said, “I have made a covenant with My chosen one.
    I made My servant, David, this promise:
⁴ ‘I will establish your dynasty
    so that you and your descendants will always be secure.
    Your rule will continue for generations to come.’”

[pause]^[af]

⁵ Let the heavens join in praising the wonderful works of the Eternal.
    The holy ones have gathered, singing of Your faithfulness.
⁶ For there is no one above who compares to the Eternal,
    not one of heaven’s creatures is like Him in the least.
⁷ In the council of holy ones, God is lifted high and feared;
    His presence overwhelms all who are near Him.
⁸ O Eternal God, Commander of heaven’s armies,
    who is mighty like You?
    You are completely faithful; that’s why we trust You.
⁹ The ocean waters are at Your command.
    When violent waves rise up, You still them.
¹⁰ You defeated Rahab, that ancient monster of chaos,
    and left it lifeless.
    You routed Your enemies and scattered them by Your great arm of power.
¹¹ Everything in the sky above and the earth below are Yours.
    The world and all it contains are Yours, for You created them all.
¹² Everything was created by You—the north, the south—
    the mountains of Tabor and Hermon echo joyously the song of Your name.
¹³ Your arm is strong.
    Your grip is powerful.
    Your right hand is raised up high.
¹⁴ Your rule is rooted deeply in justice and righteousness—
    unfailing love and truth lead from the way ahead of You.
¹⁵ How happy are those who have learned how to praise You;
    those who journey through life by the light of Your face.
¹⁶ Every hour of the day, they rejoice at the sound of Your name.
    They are lifted up and encouraged by Your righteousness.
¹⁷ For You are the beauty of their strength.
    On account of Your favor, our strength, our horn, is increased.
¹⁸ For our shield of protection comes from the Eternal,
    and the Holy One of Israel has given us our king.

¹⁹ Long ago You spoke through a vision to Your faithful followers, saying,
    “I have given help to a warrior;
    I have chosen a hero from among My people.
²⁰ I have found David, My servant.
    With My holy oil, I have anointed him king.
²¹ My strong hand will stay with him and sustain him, regardless of trial or foe.
    My mighty arm will be his strength and shield.
²² The deceit of his enemies will not outwit him.
    The wicked will not defeat him.
²³ I will pound his enemies right in front of him.
    I will strike down all those who hate him.
²⁴ My faithfulness and unfailing love will never leave him;
    through My name, strength and power will be his.
²⁵ I will extend his rule over the oceans,
    his right hand will control the rivers.
²⁶ He will cry out to Me, ‘You are my Father,
    my God, and the Rock of my salvation!’
²⁷ I will make him My firstborn;
    no earthly king shall be greater.
²⁸ My unfailing love will always be with him, protecting him;
    My covenant with him will never be broken.
²⁹ I will ensure his family’s future forever;
    his dynasty will last as long as the heavens.
³⁰ If his children turn away from Me and forsake My law,
    if they refuse to walk according to My judgments,
³¹ If they disobey My instructions
    and ignore My commandments,
³² Then I will use the rod to punish their sins
    and stripes to deal with their iniquity.
³³ And yet My unfailing love of him will remain steadfast and strong.
    I will not be unfaithful to My promise.
³⁴ I will not violate My covenant,
    nor will I alter even one word of what My lips have spoken.
³⁵ These words I have pledged in My holiness once and for all,
    and I will not lie to David.
³⁶ As long as the sun lights the day before Me, his descendants will continue to rule.
    His kingdom will last forever.
³⁷ His dynasty will stand firm for all time like the moon,
    the faithful witness that stands watch in the night sky.”

[pause]

³⁸ But what now? You have turned Your back and walked away!
    Your full fury burns against Your anointed king.
³⁹ You made a covenant with Your servant, then renounced it,
    casting his sacred crown into the dust.
⁴⁰ You have broken down the walls that protected Your servant;
    his defenses are reduced to a pile of rubble.
⁴¹ Strangers now plunder all that he has left;
    he has become a laughingstock among his neighbors.
⁴² You have made his adversaries strong.
    His enemies celebrate their victory.
⁴³ You have dulled the blade of his sword,
    and You have not helped him stand strong in the battle.
⁴⁴ You have brought his days of splendor to an abrupt end;
    You have toppled his throne;
    it sits in the dust.
⁴⁵ You have cut short the days of his youth
    and have covered him with shame and despair.

[pause]

⁴⁶ How long must we endure, O Eternal One?
    Will You hide Yourself forever?
    How long will Your wrath burn like fire?
⁴⁷ Remember my days are numbered.
    Have You created the children of Adam to live futile lives?
⁴⁸ Death waits at the gate; who can escape and live?
    Does the grave hold exceptions for any of us?
    Who can deliver us from the power of the grave?

[pause]

⁴⁹ O Lord, where is the unfailing love You showed in times past?
    And where is the proof of Your faithfulness to David?
⁵⁰ Remember how Your servants are ridiculed, O Lord;
    how I carry within me the insults of so many peoples.
⁵¹ Your enemies are mocking me, O Eternal One,
    mocking every step Your anointed one made.

⁵² Praise the Eternal always. Amen. Amen.