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(A psalm by Asaph.)

Have Pity on Jerusalem

(A) Our God, foreign nations
    have taken your land,
    disgraced your temple,
    and left Jerusalem in ruins.
They have fed the bodies
of your servants
    to flesh-eating birds;
your loyal people are food
    for savage animals.
All Jerusalem is covered
    with their blood,
and there is no one left
    to bury them.
Every nation around us
    sneers and makes fun.

Our Lord, will you keep on
    being angry?
Will your angry feelings
    keep flaming up like fire?
Get angry with those nations
that don't know you
    and won't worship you!
They have gobbled up
Jacob's descendants
    and left the land in ruins.

(B) Don't make us pay for the sins
    of our ancestors.
Have pity and come quickly!
    We are completely helpless.
Our God, you keep us safe.
    Now help us! Rescue us.
Forgive our sins
    and bring honor to yourself.

10 Why should nations ask us,
    “Where is your God?”
Let us and the other nations
    see you take revenge
for your servants who died
    a violent death.

11 Listen to the prisoners groan!
Let your mighty power save all
    who are sentenced to die.
12 Each of those nations sneered
    at you, our Lord.
Now let others sneer at them,
    seven times as much.
13 Then we, your people,
    will always thank you.
We are like sheep
    with you as our shepherd,
and all generations
    will hear us praise you.

(A psalm by Asaph for the music leader. To the tune “Lilies of the Agreement.”)

Help Our Nation

(C) Shepherd of Israel, you lead
    the descendants of Joseph,
and you sit on your throne
    above the winged creatures.[a]
Listen to our prayer
    and let your light shine
for the tribes of Ephraim,
Benjamin, and Manasseh.
    Save us by your power.

Our God, make us strong again!
    Smile on us and save us.

Lord God All-Powerful,
    how much longer
will the prayers of your people
    make you angry?
You gave us tears for food,
and you made us drink them
    by the bowlful.
Because of you,
our enemies who live nearby
    laugh and joke about us.
Our God, make us strong again!
    Smile on us and save us.

We were like a grapevine
    you brought out of Egypt.
You chased other nations away
    and planted us here.
Then you cleared the ground,
and we put our roots deep,
    spreading over the land.
10 Shade from this vine covered
    the mountains.
Its branches climbed
the mighty cedars
11     and stretched to the sea;
its new growth reached
    to the river.[b]

12 Our Lord, why have you
torn down the wall
    from around the vineyard?
You let everyone who walks by
    pick the grapes.
13 Now the vine is gobbled up
by pigs from the forest
    and other wild animals.

14 God All-Powerful,
    please do something!
Look down from heaven
and see what's happening
    to this vine.
15 With your own hands
    you planted its roots,
and you raised it
    as your very own.

16 Enemies chopped the vine down
    and set it on fire.
Now show your anger
    and destroy them.
17 But help the one who sits
    at your right side,[c]
the one you raised
    to be your very own.
18 Then we will never turn away.
Put new life into us,
    and we will worship you.

19 Lord God All-Powerful,
make us strong again!
    Smile on us and save us.

(By Asaph for the music leader.[d])

God Makes Us Strong

Be happy and shout to God
    who makes us strong!
Shout praises to the God
    of Jacob.
Sing as you play tambourines
and the lovely sounding
    stringed instruments.
(D) Sound the trumpets and start
    the New Moon Festival.[e]
We must also celebrate
    when the moon is full.
This is the law in Israel,
and it was given to us
    by the God of Jacob.
The descendants of Joseph
    were told to obey it,
when God led them out
    from the land of Egypt.

In a voice unknown to me,
    I heard someone say:
“I lifted the burden
    from your shoulder
and took the heavy basket
    from your hands.
(E) When you were in trouble,
    I rescued you,
and from the thunderclouds,
    I answered your prayers.
Later I tested you
    at Meribah Spring.[f]

“Listen, my people,
while I, the Lord,
    correct you!
Israel, if you would only
    pay attention to me!
(F) Don't worship foreign gods
or bow down to gods
    you know nothing about.
10 I am the Lord your God.
    I rescued you from Egypt.
Just ask, and I will give you
    whatever you need.

11 “But, my people, Israel,
    you refused to listen,
and you would have nothing
    to do with me!
12 So I let you be stubborn
and keep on following
    your own advice.

13 “My people, Israel,
if only you would listen
    and do as I say!
14 I, the Lord, would quickly
defeat your enemies
    with my mighty power.
15 Everyone who hates me
    would come crawling,
and that would be the end
    of them.
16 But I would feed you
    with the finest bread
and with the best honey[g]
    until you were full.”

Footnotes

  1. 80.1 winged creatures: Two winged creatures made of gold were on the top of the sacred chest and were symbols of the Lord's throne on earth (see Exodus 25.18).
  2. 80.11 the sea … the river: The Mediterranean Sea and the Euphrates River were part of the ideal boundaries for Israel.
  3. 80.17 right side: See the note at 16.11.
  4. Psalm 81 leader: See the note at Psalm 8.
  5. 81.3 New Moon Festival: Celebrated on the first day of each new moon, which was the beginning of the month. But this may refer to either the New Year celebration or the Harvest Festival. “The moon is full” suggests a festival in the middle of the month.
  6. 81.7 Meribah Spring: When the people of Israel complained to Moses about the need for water, God commanded Moses to strike a rock with his walking stick, and water came out. The place was then named Massah (“test”) and Meribah (“complaining”).
  7. 81.16 the best honey: The Hebrew text has “honey from rocks,” referring to honey taken from beehives in holes or cracks in large rocks.

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