BOOK III
(Psalms 73–89)

Psalm 73

God’s Ways Vindicated

A psalm of Asaph.(A)

God is indeed good to Israel,
to the pure in heart.(B)
But as for me, my feet almost slipped;
my steps nearly went astray.(C)
For I envied the arrogant;
I saw the prosperity of the wicked.(D)

They have an easy time until they die,[a]
and their bodies are well fed.[b](E)
They are not in trouble like others;
they are not afflicted like most people.(F)
Therefore, pride is their necklace,
and violence covers them like a garment.(G)
Their eyes bulge out from fatness;
the imaginations of their hearts run wild.(H)
They mock, and they speak maliciously;
they arrogantly threaten oppression.(I)
They set their mouths against heaven,
and their tongues strut across the earth.(J)
10 Therefore His people turn to them[c]
and drink in their overflowing words.[d](K)
11 The wicked say, “How can God know?
Does the Most High know everything?”(L)
12 Look at them—the wicked!
They are always at ease,
and they increase their wealth.(M)

13 Did I purify my heart
and wash my hands in innocence for nothing?(N)
14 For I am afflicted all day long
and punished every morning.(O)
15 If I had decided to say these things aloud,
I would have betrayed Your people.[e](P)
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it seemed hopeless[f](Q)
17 until I entered God’s sanctuary.
Then I understood their destiny.(R)
18 Indeed, You put them in slippery places;
You make them fall into ruin.(S)
19 How suddenly they become a desolation!
They come to an end, swept away by terrors.(T)
20 Like one waking from a dream,
Lord, when arising, You will despise their image.(U)

21 When I became embittered
and my innermost being[g] was wounded,(V)
22 I was stupid and didn’t understand;
I was an unthinking animal toward You.(W)
23 Yet I am always with You;
You hold my right hand.(X)
24 You guide me with Your counsel,
and afterward You will take me up in glory.[h](Y)
25 Who do I have in heaven but You?
And I desire nothing on earth but You.(Z)
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength[i] of my heart,
my portion forever.(AA)
27 Those far from You will certainly perish;
You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.(AB)
28 But 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.(AC)

Psalm 74

Prayer for Israel

A Maskil of Asaph.(AD)

Why have You rejected us forever, God?
Why does Your anger burn
against the sheep of Your pasture?(AE)
Remember Your congregation,
which You purchased long ago
and redeemed as the tribe for Your own possession.(AF)
Remember Mount Zion where You dwell.(AG)
Make Your way[j] to the everlasting ruins,
to all that the enemy has destroyed in the sanctuary.(AH)
Your adversaries roared in the meeting place
where You met with us.[k]
They set up their emblems as signs.(AI)
It was like men in a thicket of trees,
wielding axes,(AJ)
then smashing all the carvings
with hatchets and picks.(AK)
They set Your sanctuary on fire;
they utterly[l] desecrated
the dwelling place of Your name.(AL)
They said in their hearts,
“Let us oppress them relentlessly.”
They burned down every place throughout the land
where God met with us.[m](AM)
There are no signs for us to see.
There is no longer a prophet.
And none of us knows how long this will last.(AN)
10 God, how long will the enemy mock?
Will the foe insult Your name forever?(AO)
11 Why do You hold back Your hand?
Stretch out[n] Your right hand and destroy them!(AP)

12 God my King is from ancient times,
performing saving acts on the earth.(AQ)
13 You divided the sea with Your strength;
You smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the waters;(AR)
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan;
You fed him to the creatures of the desert.(AS)
15 You opened up springs and streams;(AT)
You dried up ever-flowing rivers.(AU)
16 The day is Yours, also the night;
You established the moon and the sun.(AV)
17 You set all the boundaries of the earth;
You made summer and winter.(AW)

18 Remember this: the enemy has mocked Yahweh,
and a foolish people has insulted Your name.(AX)
19 Do not give the life of Your dove to beasts;[o]
do not forget the lives of Your poor people forever.(AY)
20 Consider the covenant,(AZ)
for the dark places of the land are full of violence.(BA)
21 Do not let the oppressed turn away in shame;
let the poor and needy praise Your name.(BB)
22 Rise up, God, defend Your cause!(BC)
Remember the insults
that fools bring against You all day long.(BD)
23 Do not forget the clamor of Your adversaries,
the tumult of Your opponents that goes up constantly.(BE)

Psalm 75

God Judges the Wicked

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.”[p] A psalm of Asaph.(BF) A song.

We give thanks to You, God;
we give thanks to You, for Your name is near.
People tell about Your wonderful works.(BG)

“When I choose a time,
I will judge fairly.(BH)
When the earth and all its inhabitants shake,
I am the One who steadies its pillars.(BI)Selah
I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn.(BJ)
Do not lift up your horn against heaven
or speak arrogantly.’”(BK)

Exaltation does not come
from the east, the west, or the desert,
for God is the Judge:
He brings down one and exalts another.(BL)
For 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.(BM)

As for me, I will tell about Him forever;
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.(BN)

10 “I will cut off all the horns of the wicked,(BO)
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”(BP)

Psalm 76

God, the Powerful Judge

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph.(BQ) A song.

God is known in Judah;
His name is great in Israel.(BR)
His tent is in Salem,[q]
His dwelling place in Zion.(BS)
There He shatters the bow’s flaming arrows,
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.(BT)Selah

You are resplendent and majestic
coming down from the mountains of prey.(BU)
The brave-hearted have been plundered;
they have slipped into their final sleep.
None of the warriors was able to lift a hand.(BV)
At Your rebuke, God of Jacob,
both chariot and horse lay still.(BW)

And You—You are to be feared.[r]
When You are angry,
who can stand before You?(BX)
From heaven You pronounced judgment.
The earth feared and grew quiet(BY)
when God rose up to judge
and to save all the lowly of the earth.(BZ)Selah
10 Even human wrath will praise You;
You will clothe Yourself
with their remaining wrath.[s](CA)

11 Make and keep your vows
to the Lord your God;(CB)
let all who are around Him bring tribute
to the awe-inspiring One.[t](CC)
12 He humbles the spirit of leaders;
He is feared by the kings of the earth.(CD)

Psalm 77

Confidence in a Time of Crisis

For the choir director: according to Jeduthun. Of Asaph.(CE) A psalm.

I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and He will hear me.(CF)
I sought the Lord in my day of trouble.
My hands were continually lifted up
all night long;
I refused to be comforted.(CG)
I think of God; I groan;
I meditate; my spirit becomes weak.(CH)Selah

You have kept me from closing my eyes;
I am troubled and cannot speak.(CI)
I consider days of old,
years long past.(CJ)
At night I remember my music;
I meditate in my heart, and my spirit ponders.(CK)

“Will the Lord reject forever
and never again show favor?(CL)
Has His faithful love ceased forever?
Is His promise at an end for all generations?(CM)
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has He in anger withheld His compassion?”(CN)Selah

10 So I say, “I am grieved[u]
that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”(CO)
11 I will remember the Lord’s works;
yes, I will remember Your ancient wonders.(CP)
12 I will reflect on all You have done
and meditate on Your actions.(CQ)

13 God, Your way is holy.
What god is great like God?(CR)
14 You are the God who works wonders;
You revealed Your strength among the peoples.(CS)
15 With power You redeemed Your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.(CT)Selah

16 The waters saw You, God.
The waters saw You; they trembled.
Even the depths shook.(CU)
17 The clouds poured down water.
The storm clouds thundered;
Your arrows flashed back and forth.(CV)
18 The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
lightning lit up the world.(CW)
The earth shook and quaked.(CX)
19 Your way went through the sea
and Your path through the great waters,
but Your footprints were unseen.(CY)
20 You led Your people like a flock(CZ)
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.(DA)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 73:4 Lit For there are no pangs to their death
  2. Psalm 73:4 Lit fat
  3. Psalm 73:10 Lit turn here
  4. Psalm 73:10 Lit and waters of fullness are drained by them
  5. Psalm 73:15 Lit betrayed the generation of Your sons
  6. Psalm 73:16 Lit it was trouble in my eyes
  7. Psalm 73:21 Lit my kidneys
  8. Psalm 73:24 Or will receive me with honor
  9. Psalm 73:26 Lit rock
  10. Psalm 74:3 Lit Lift up Your steps
  11. Psalm 74:4 Lit in Your meeting place
  12. Psalm 74:7 Lit they to the ground
  13. Psalm 74:8 Lit every meeting place of God in the land
  14. Psalm 74:11 Lit From Your bosom
  15. Psalm 74:19 One Hb ms, LXX, Syr read Do not hand over to beasts a soul that praises You
  16. Psalm 75:1 Possibly a tune
  17. Psalm 76:2 = Jerusalem
  18. Psalm 76:7 Or are awe-inspiring
  19. Psalm 76:10 Hb obscure
  20. Psalm 76:11 Or tribute with awe
  21. Psalm 77:10 Lit “My piercing

Bible Gateway Recommends