Psalm 78-82

New American Standard Bible

God’s Guidance of His People in Spite of Their Unfaithfulness.

A ^[a]Maskil of Asaph.

78 ^(A)Listen, my people, to my ^[b]instruction;
^(B)Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
²I will ^(C)open my mouth in a parable;
I will tell ^(D)riddles of old,
³Which we have heard and known,
And ^(E)our fathers have told us.
⁴We will ^(F)not conceal them from their children,
But we will ^(G)tell the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His power and His ^(H)wondrous works that He has done.

⁵For He established a ^(I)testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a ^(J)law in Israel,
Which He ^(K)commanded our fathers
That they were to ^[c]^(L)teach them to their children,
⁶^(M)So that the generation to come would know, ^(N)the children yet to be born,
That they would arise and ^(O)tell them to their children,
⁷So that they would put their confidence in God
And ^(P)not forget the works of God,
But ^(Q)comply with His commandments,
⁸And ^(R)not be like their fathers,
A ^(S)stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that ^(T)did not ^[d]prepare its heart
And whose spirit was not ^(U)faithful to God.

⁹The sons of Ephraim ^[e]were ^(V)archers equipped with bows,
Yet ^(W)they turned back on the day of battle.
¹⁰They ^(X)did not keep the covenant of God
And refused to ^(Y)walk in His Law;
¹¹They ^(Z)forgot His deeds
And His ^[f]miracles that He had shown them.
¹²^(AA)He performed wonders before their fathers
In the land of Egypt, in the ^(AB)field of Zoan.
¹³He ^(AC)divided the sea and caused them to pass through,
And He made the waters stand ^(AD)up like a heap.
¹⁴Then He led them with the cloud by ^(AE)day
And all the night with a ^(AF)light of fire.
¹⁵He ^(AG)split the rocks in the wilderness
And gave them plenty to drink like the ocean depths.
¹⁶He ^(AH)brought forth streams from the rock
And made waters run down like rivers.

¹⁷Yet they still continued to sin against Him,
To ^(AI)rebel against the Most High in the desert.
¹⁸And in their heart they ^(AJ)put God to the test
By asking for ^(AK)food ^[g]that suited their taste.
¹⁹Then they spoke against God;
They said, “^(AL)Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
²⁰Behold, He ^(AM)struck the rock so that waters gushed out,
And streams were overflowing;
Can He also provide bread?
Will He prepare ^(AN)meat for His people?”

²¹Therefore the Lord heard and ^[h]was ^(AO)full of wrath;
And a fire was kindled against Jacob,
And anger also mounted against Israel,
²²Because they ^(AP)did not believe in God
And did not trust in His salvation.
²³Yet He commanded the clouds above
And ^(AQ)opened the doors of heaven;
²⁴He ^(AR)rained down manna upon them to eat,
And gave them ^[i]^(AS)food from heaven.
²⁵Man ate the bread of ^[j]angels;
He sent them ^[k]food ^[l]^(AT)in abundance.
²⁶He ^(AU)made the east wind blow in the sky
And by His ^[m]power He directed the south wind.
²⁷When He rained meat upon them like the dust,
Even ^(AV)winged fowl like the sand of the seas,
²⁸He let them fall in the midst of ^[n]their camp,
All around their dwellings.
²⁹So they ^(AW)ate and were well filled,
And He ^[o]satisfied their longing.
³⁰^[p]Yet before they had abandoned their longing,
^(AX)While their food was in their mouths,
³¹The ^(AY)anger of God rose against them
And killed ^[q]some of their ^(AZ)strongest ones,
And ^[r]subdued the choice men of Israel.
³²In spite of all this they ^(BA)still sinned
And ^(BB)did not believe in His wonderful works.
³³So He brought ^(BC)their days to an end in futility,
And their years to an end in sudden terror.

³⁴When He killed them, then they ^(BD)sought Him,
And they returned and searched ^(BE)diligently for God;
³⁵And they remembered that God was their ^(BF)rock,
And the Most High God their ^(BG)Redeemer.
³⁶But they ^(BH)flattered Him with their mouth
And ^(BI)lied to Him with their tongue.
³⁷For their heart was not ^(BJ)steadfast toward Him,
Nor were they faithful with His covenant.
³⁸But He, being ^(BK)compassionate, ^[s]^(BL)forgave their wrongdoing and did not destroy them;
And often He ^[t]^(BM)restrained His anger
And did not stir up all His wrath.
³⁹So ^(BN)He remembered that they were only ^(BO)flesh,
A ^[u]^(BP)wind that passes and does not return.

⁴⁰How often they ^(BQ)rebelled against Him in the wilderness
And ^(BR)grieved Him in the ^(BS)desert!
⁴¹Again and again they ^[v]^(BT)tempted God,
And pained the ^(BU)Holy One of Israel.
⁴²They ^(BV)did not remember ^(BW)His ^[w]power,
The day when He ^(BX)redeemed them from the enemy,
⁴³When He performed His ^(BY)signs in Egypt
And His ^(BZ)marvels in the field of Zoan,
⁴⁴And ^(CA)turned their rivers to blood,
And their streams, so that they could not drink.
⁴⁵He sent swarms of ^(CB)flies among them that devoured them,
And ^(CC)frogs that destroyed them.
⁴⁶He also gave their crops to the ^(CD)grasshopper
And the product of their labor to the ^(CE)locust.
⁴⁷He ^[x]destroyed their vines with ^(CF)hailstones
And their sycamore trees with frost.
⁴⁸He also turned their ^(CG)cattle over to the hailstones,
And their herds to bolts of lightning.
⁴⁹He ^(CH)sent His burning anger upon them,
Fury and indignation and trouble,
A band of ^[y]destroying angels.
⁵⁰He leveled a path for His anger;
He did not spare their souls from death,
But ^(CI)turned their lives over to the plague,
⁵¹And ^(CJ)struck all the firstborn in Egypt,
The ^(CK)first and best of their vigor in the tents of ^(CL)Ham.
⁵²But He ^(CM)led His own people out like sheep,
And guided them in the wilderness ^(CN)like a flock;
⁵³He led them ^(CO)safely, so that they did not fear;
But ^(CP)the sea engulfed their enemies.

⁵⁴So ^(CQ)He brought them to His holy ^[z]land,
To this ^[aa]^(CR)hill country ^(CS)which His right hand had gained.
⁵⁵He also ^(CT)drove out the nations from them
And ^(CU)apportioned them as an inheritance by measurement,
And had the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.
⁵⁶Yet they ^[ab]^(CV)tempted and ^(CW)rebelled against the Most High God
And did not keep His testimonies,
⁵⁷But turned back and ^(CX)acted treacherously like their fathers;
They ^(CY)turned aside like a treacherous bow.
⁵⁸For they ^(CZ)provoked Him with their ^(DA)high places
And ^(DB)moved Him to jealousy with their ^(DC)carved images.
⁵⁹When God heard them, He ^[ac]was filled with ^(DD)wrath
And He utterly ^(DE)rejected Israel;
⁶⁰So that He ^(DF)abandoned the ^(DG)dwelling place at Shiloh,
The tent ^[ad]which He had pitched among people,
⁶¹And He gave up His ^(DH)strength to captivity
And His glory ^(DI)into the hand of the enemy.
⁶²He also ^(DJ)turned His people over to the sword,
And ^[ae]was filled with wrath at His inheritance.
⁶³^(DK)Fire devoured ^[af]His young men,
And ^[ag]His ^(DL)virgins had no wedding songs.
⁶⁴^[ah]His ^(DM)priests fell by the sword,
And ^[ai]His ^(DN)widows could not weep.

⁶⁵Then the Lord ^(DO)awoke as if from sleep,
Like a ^(DP)warrior ^[aj]overcome by wine.
⁶⁶He ^[ak]^(DQ)drove His adversaries backward;
He put on them an everlasting disgrace.
⁶⁷He also ^(DR)rejected the tent of Joseph,
And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
⁶⁸But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount ^(DS)Zion, which He loved.
⁶⁹And He ^(DT)built His sanctuary like the heights,
Like the earth which He has established forever.
⁷⁰He also ^(DU)chose His servant David
And took him from the sheepfolds;
⁷¹From ^[al]^(DV)the care of the ^[am]ewes ^(DW)with nursing lambs He brought him
To ^(DX)shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel ^(DY)His inheritance.
⁷²So he shepherded them according to the ^(DZ)integrity of his heart,
And guided them with his skillful hands.

Grieving over the Destruction of Jerusalem, and Prayer for Help.

A Psalm of Asaph.

79 God, the ^(EA)nations have ^[an]invaded ^(EB)Your inheritance;
They have defiled Your ^(EC)holy temple;
They have ^(ED)laid Jerusalem in ruins.
²They have given the ^(EE)dead bodies of Your servants to the birds of the sky as food,
The flesh of Your godly ones to the animals of the earth.
³They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem;
And there was ^(EF)no one to bury them.
⁴We have become a ^(EG)disgrace before our neighbors,
An object of derision and ridicule to those around us.
⁵^(EH)How long, Lord? Will You be angry forever?
Will Your ^(EI)jealousy ^(EJ)burn like fire?
⁶^(EK)Pour out Your wrath upon the nations which ^(EL)do not know You,
And upon the kingdoms which ^(EM)do not call upon Your name.
⁷For they have ^(EN)devoured Jacob
And ^(EO)laid waste his ^[ao]settlement.

⁸^(EP)Do not ^[ap]hold us responsible for ^[aq]the guilty deeds of our forefathers;
Let Your compassion come quickly to ^(EQ)meet us,
For we have ^(ER)become very low.
⁹^(ES)Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of ^(ET)Your name;
And save us and ^[ar]^(EU)forgive our sins ^(EV)for the sake of Your name.
¹⁰^(EW)Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
Let ^(EX)vengeance for the blood of Your servants which has been shed
Be known among the nations in our sight.
¹¹Let ^(EY)the groaning of the prisoner come before You;
According to the greatness of Your ^[as]power, let ^[at]those who are ^(EZ)doomed to die remain.
¹²And return to our neighbors ^(FA)seven times as much ^(FB)into their lap
Their ^(FC)taunts with which they have taunted You, Lord.
¹³So we Your people and the ^(FD)sheep of Your ^[au]pasture
Will ^(FE)give thanks to You forever;
To all generations we will ^(FF)tell of Your praise.

God Implored to Rescue His People from Their Calamities.

For the music director; set to ^[av]El Shoshannim; ^[aw]Eduth. A Psalm of Asaph.

80 Listen, ^(FG)Shepherd of Israel,
Who leads ^(FH)Joseph like a flock;
You who ^(FI)are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!
²Before ^(FJ)Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, ^(FK)awaken Your power,
And come to save us!
³God, ^(FL)restore us
And ^(FM)make Your face shine upon us, ^[ax]and we will be saved.

⁴^(FN)Lord God of armies,
^(FO)How long will You ^[ay]be angry with the prayer of Your people?
⁵You have fed them with the ^(FP)bread of tears,
And You have made them drink tears in ^[az]large measure.
⁶You make us ^[ba]an object of contention ^(FQ)to our neighbors,
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
⁷God of armies, restore us
And make Your face shine upon us, ^[bb]and we will be saved.

⁸You removed a ^(FR)vine from Egypt;
You ^(FS)drove out the ^[bc]nations and ^(FT)planted it.
⁹You ^(FU)cleared the ground before it,
And it ^(FV)took deep root and filled the land.
¹⁰The mountains were covered with its shadow,
And ^[bd]the cedars of God with its ^(FW)branches.
¹¹It was sending out its branches ^(FX)to the sea
And its shoots to the Euphrates River.
¹²Why have You ^(FY)broken down its ^[be]hedges,
So that all who pass that way pick its fruit?
¹³A boar from the forest ^(FZ)eats it away,
And whatever moves in the field feeds on it.

¹⁴God of armies, do ^(GA)turn back;
^(GB)Look down from heaven and see, and take care of this vine,
¹⁵The ^[bf]^(GC)shoot which Your right hand has planted,
And of the ^[bg]son whom You have ^[bh]strengthened for Yourself.
¹⁶It is ^(GD)burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish from the ^(GE)rebuke of Your face.
¹⁷Let ^(GF)Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You ^(GG)made strong for Yourself.
¹⁸Then we will not ^(GH)turn back from You;
^(GI)Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.
¹⁹Lord God of armies, ^(GJ)restore us;
Make Your face shine upon us, ^[bi]and we will be saved.

God’s Goodness and Israel’s Waywardness.

For the music director; ^[bj]on the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.

81 ^(GK)Sing for joy to God our ^(GL)strength;
Shout ^(GM)joyfully to the ^(GN)God of Jacob.
²Raise a song, strike ^(GO)the tambourine,
The sweet sounding ^(GP)lyre with the ^(GQ)harp.
³Blow the trumpet at the ^(GR)new moon,
At the full moon, on our ^(GS)feast day.
⁴For it is a statute for Israel,
An ordinance of the God of Jacob.
⁵He established it as a testimony in Joseph
When he ^[bk]^(GT)went throughout the land of Egypt.
I heard a ^(GU)language I did not know:

⁶“I ^[bl]^(GV)relieved his shoulder of the burden,
His hands were freed from the ^[bm]basket.
⁷You ^(GW)called in trouble and I rescued you;
I ^(GX)answered you in the hiding place of thunder;
I put you to the test at the ^(GY)waters of Meribah. Selah
⁸^(GZ)Hear, My people, and I will admonish you;
Israel, if you ^(HA)would listen to Me!
⁹There shall be no ^(HB)strange god among you;
Nor shall you worship a foreign god.
¹⁰^(HC)I, the Lord, am your God,
Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;
^(HD)Open your mouth wide and I will ^(HE)fill it.

¹¹“But My people ^(HF)did not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not ^[bn]obey Me.
¹²So I ^(HG)gave ^[bo]them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk by their own plans.
¹³Oh that My people ^(HH)would listen to Me,
That Israel would ^(HI)walk in My ways!
¹⁴I would quickly ^(HJ)subdue their enemies
And ^(HK)turn My hand against their adversaries.
¹⁵^(HL)Those who hate the Lord would ^(HM)pretend to obey Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.
¹⁶^[bp]But I would feed you with the ^[bq]^(HN)finest of the wheat,
And with ^(HO)honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Unjust Judgments Rebuked.

A Psalm of Asaph.

82 God takes His ^(HP)position in ^[br]His assembly;
He ^(HQ)judges in the midst of the ^(HR)gods.
²How long will you ^(HS)judge unjustly
And ^(HT)show partiality to the wicked? Selah
³^(HU)Vindicate the weak and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.
⁴^(HV)Rescue the weak and needy;
Save them from the hand of the wicked.

⁵They ^(HW)do not know nor do they understand;
They ^(HX)walk around in darkness;
All the ^(HY)foundations of the earth are shaken.
⁶^[bs]I ^(HZ)said, “You are gods,
And all of you are ^(IA)sons of the Most High.
⁷Nevertheless ^(IB)you will die like men,
And fall like ^(IC)one of the princes.”
⁸^(ID)Arise, God, ^(IE)judge the earth!
For You ^(IF)possess all the nations.