For the music director; according to the gittith style; 2 by Asaph.
81:1 Shout for joy to God, our source of strength!
Shout out to the God of Jacob!
81:2 Sing 3 a song and play the tambourine,
the pleasant sounding harp, and the ten-stringed instrument!
81:3 Sound the ram’s horn on the day of the new moon, 4
and on the day of the full moon when our festival begins. 5
81:4 For observing the festival is a requirement for Israel; 6
it is an ordinance given by the God of Jacob.
81:5 He decreed it as a regulation in Joseph,
when he attacked the land of Egypt. 7
I heard a voice I did not recognize. 8
81:6 It said: 9 “I removed the burden from his shoulder;
his hands were released from holding the basket. 10
81:7 In your distress you called out and I rescued you.
I answered you from a dark thundercloud. 11
I tested you at the waters of Meribah. 12 (Selah)
81:8 I said, 13 ‘Listen, my people!
I will warn 14 you!
O Israel, if only you would obey me! 15
81:9 There must be 16 no other 17 god among you.
You must not worship a foreign god.
81:10 I am the Lord, your God,
the one who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it!’
81:11 But my people did not obey me; 18
Israel did not submit to me. 19
81:12 I gave them over to their stubborn desires; 20
they did what seemed right to them. 21
81:13 If only my people would obey me! 22
If only Israel would keep my commands! 23
81:14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies,
and attack 24 their adversaries.”
81:15 (May those who hate the Lord 25 cower in fear 26 before him!
May they be permanently humiliated!) 27
81:16 “I would feed Israel the best wheat, 28
and would satisfy your appetite 29 with honey from the rocky cliffs.” 30
A psalm of Asaph.
82:1 God stands in 32 the assembly of El; 33
in the midst of the gods 34 he renders judgment. 35
82:2 He says, 36 “How long will you make unjust legal decisions
and show favoritism to the wicked? 37 (Selah)
82:3 Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless! 38
Vindicate the oppressed and suffering!
82:4 Rescue the poor and needy!
Deliver them from the power 39 of the wicked!
82:5 They 40 neither know nor understand.
They stumble 41 around in the dark,
while all the foundations of the earth crumble. 42
82:6 I thought, 43 ‘You are gods;
all of you are sons of the Most High.’ 44
82:7 Yet you will die like mortals; 45
you will fall like all the other rulers.” 46
82:8 Rise up, O God, and execute judgment on the earth!
For you own 47 all the nations.
A song, a psalm of Asaph.
83:1 O God, do not be silent!
Do not ignore us! 49 Do not be inactive, O God!
83:2 For look, your enemies are making a commotion;
those who hate you are hostile. 50
83:3 They carefully plot 51 against your people,
and make plans to harm 52 the ones you cherish. 53
83:4 They say, “Come on, let’s annihilate them so they are no longer a nation! 54
Then the name of Israel will be remembered no more.”
83:5 Yes, 55 they devise a unified strategy; 56
they form an alliance 57 against you.
83:6 It includes 58 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites, 59
83:7 Gebal, 60 Ammon, and Amalek,
Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre. 61
83:8 Even Assyria has allied with them,
lending its strength to the descendants of Lot. 62 (Selah)
83:9 Do to them as you did to Midian 63 –
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River! 64
83:10 They were destroyed at Endor; 65
their corpses were like manure 66 on the ground.
83:11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, 67
and all their rulers like Zebah and Zalmunna, 68
83:12 who said, 69 “Let’s take over 70 the pastures of God!”
83:13 O my God, make them like dead thistles, 71
like dead weeds blown away by 72 the wind!
83:14 Like the fire that burns down the forest,
or the flames that consume the mountainsides, 73
83:15 chase them with your gale winds,
and terrify 74 them with your windstorm.
83:16 Cover 75 their faces with shame,
so they might seek 76 you, 77 O Lord.
83:17 May they be humiliated and continually terrified! 78
May they die in shame! 79
83:18 Then they will know 80 that you alone are the Lord, 81
the sovereign king 82 over all the earth.
For the music director; according to the gittith style; 84 written by the Korahites, a psalm.
84:1 How lovely is the place where you live, 85
O Lord who rules over all! 86
84:2 I desperately want to be 87
in the courts of the Lord’s temple. 88
My heart and my entire being 89 shout for joy
to the living God.
84:3 Even the birds find a home there,
and the swallow 90 builds a nest,
where she can protect her young 91
near your altars, O Lord who rules over all,
my king and my God.
84:4 How blessed 92 are those who live in your temple
and praise you continually! (Selah)
84:5 How blessed are those who 93 find their strength in you,
and long to travel the roads that lead to your temple! 94
84:6 As they pass through the Baca Valley, 95
he provides a spring for them. 96
The rain 97 even covers it with pools of water. 98
84:7 They are sustained as they travel along; 99
each one appears 100 before God in Zion.
84:8 O Lord, sovereign God, 101
hear my prayer!
Listen, O God of Jacob! (Selah)
84:9 O God, take notice of our shield! 102
Show concern for your chosen king! 103
84:10 Certainly 104 spending just one day in your temple courts is better
than spending a thousand elsewhere. 105
I would rather stand at the entrance 106 to the temple of my God
than live 107 in the tents of the wicked.
84:11 For the Lord God is our sovereign protector. 108
The Lord bestows favor 109 and honor;
he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity. 110
84:12 O Lord who rules over all, 111
how blessed are those who trust in you! 112
For the music director; written by the Korahites, a psalm.
85:1 O Lord, you showed favor to your land;
you restored the well-being of Jacob. 114
85:2 You pardoned 115 the wrongdoing of your people;
you forgave 116 all their sin. (Selah)
85:3 You withdrew all your fury;
you turned back from your raging anger. 117
85:4 Restore us, O God our deliverer!
Do not be displeased with us! 118
85:5 Will you stay mad at us forever?
Will you remain angry throughout future generations? 119
85:6 Will you not revive us once more?
Then your people will rejoice in you!
85:7 O Lord, show us your loyal love!
Bestow on us your deliverance!
85:8 I will listen to what God the Lord says. 120
For he will make 121 peace with his people, his faithful followers. 122
Yet they must not 123 return to their foolish ways.
85:9 Certainly his loyal followers will soon experience his deliverance; 124
then his splendor will again appear in our land. 125
85:10 Loyal love and faithfulness meet; 126
deliverance and peace greet each other with a kiss. 127
85:11 Faithfulness grows from the ground,
and deliverance looks down from the sky. 128
85:12 Yes, the Lord will bestow his good blessings, 129
and our land will yield 130 its crops.
85:13 Deliverance goes 131 before him,
and prepares 132 a pathway for him. 133
A prayer of David.
86:1 Listen 135 O Lord! Answer me!
For I am oppressed and needy.
86:2 Protect me, 136 for I am loyal!
O my God, deliver your servant, who trusts in you!
86:3 Have mercy on me, 137 O Lord,
for I cry out to you all day long!
86:4 Make your servant 138 glad,
for to you, O Lord, I pray! 139
86:5 Certainly 140 O Lord, you are kind 141 and forgiving,
and show great faithfulness to all who cry out to you.
86:6 O Lord, hear my prayer!
Pay attention to my plea for mercy!
86:7 In my time of trouble I cry out to you,
for you will answer me.
86:8 None can compare to you among the gods, O Lord!
Your exploits are incomparable! 142
86:9 All the nations, whom you created,
will come and worship you, 143 O Lord.
They will honor your name.
86:10 For you are great and do amazing things.
You alone are God.
86:11 O Lord, teach me how you want me to live! 144
Then I will obey your commands. 145
Make me wholeheartedly committed to you! 146
86:12 O Lord, my God, I will give you thanks with my whole heart!
I will honor your name continually! 147
86:13 For you will extend your great loyal love to me, 148
and will deliver my life 149 from the depths of Sheol. 150
86:14 O God, arrogant men attack me; 151
a gang 152 of ruthless men, who do not respect you, seek my life. 153
86:15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and merciful God.
You are patient 154 and demonstrate great loyal love and faithfulness. 155
86:16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me!
Give your servant your strength!
Deliver your slave! 156
86:17 Show me evidence of your favor! 157
Then those who hate me will see it and be ashamed, 158
for you, O Lord, will help me and comfort me. 159
Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song.
87:1 The Lord’s city is in the holy hills. 161
87:2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
87:3 People say wonderful things about you, 162
O city of God. (Selah)
87:4 I mention Rahab 163 and Babylon to my followers. 164
Here are 165 Philistia and Tyre, 166 along with Ethiopia. 167
It is said of them, “This one was born there.” 168
87:5 But it is said of Zion’s residents, 169
“Each one of these 170 was born in her,
and the sovereign One 171 makes her secure.” 172
87:6 The Lord writes in the census book of the nations, 173
“This one was born there.” 174 (Selah)
87:7 As for the singers, as well as the pipers –
all of them sing within your walls. 175