Psalm 83-87

New American Standard Bible

God Implored to Confound His Enemies.

A Song, a Psalm of Asaph.

83 God, ^(A)do not remain quiet;
^(B)Do not be silent and, God, do not be still.
²For behold, Your enemies ^(C)make an uproar,
And ^(D)those who hate You have ^[a]^(E)exalted themselves.
³They ^(F)make shrewd plans against Your people,
And ^[b]conspire together against ^(G)Your ^[c]treasured ones.
⁴They have said, “Come, and ^(H)let’s wipe them out ^[d]as a nation,
So that the ^(I)name of Israel will no longer be remembered.”
⁵For they have ^[e]^(J)conspired together with one mind;
They make a covenant against You:
⁶The tents of ^(K)Edom and the ^(L)Ishmaelites,
^(M)Moab and the ^(N)Hagrites;
⁷^(O)Gebal, ^(P)Ammon, and ^(Q)Amalek,
^(R)Philistia with the inhabitants of ^(S)Tyre;
⁸^(T)Assyria also has joined them;
They have become ^[f]a help to the ^(U)children of Lot. Selah

⁹Deal with them ^(V)as with Midian,
As ^(W)with Sisera and Jabin at the river of Kishon,
¹⁰Who were destroyed at En-dor,
Who ^(X)became like dung for the ground.
¹¹Make their nobles like ^(Y)Oreb and Zeeb,
And all their leaders like ^(Z)Zebah and Zalmunna,
¹²Who said, “^(AA)Let’s possess for ourselves
The ^(AB)pastures of God.”

¹³My God, make them like the ^[g]^(AC)whirling dust,
Like ^(AD)chaff before the wind.
¹⁴Like ^(AE)fire that burns the forest,
And like a flame that ^(AF)sets the mountains on fire,
¹⁵So pursue them ^(AG)with Your heavy gale,
And terrify them with Your storm.
¹⁶^(AH)Fill their faces with dishonor,
So that they will seek Your name, Lord.
¹⁷May they be ^(AI)ashamed and dismayed forever,
And may they be humiliated and perish,
¹⁸So that they will ^(AJ)know that ^(AK)You alone, whose name is the Lord,
Are the ^(AL)Most High over all the earth.

Longing for the Temple Worship.

For the music director; ^[h]on the Gittith. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

84 How lovely are Your ^(AM)dwelling places,
Lord of armies!
²My ^(AN)soul longed and even yearned for the courtyards of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the ^(AO)living God.
³The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may put her young:
Your ^(AP)altars, Lord of armies,
^(AQ)My King and my God.
⁴^(AR)Blessed are those who dwell in Your house!
They are ^(AS)ever praising You. Selah

⁵Blessed is the person whose ^(AT)strength is in You,
In ^[i]whose heart are the ^(AU)roads to Zion!
⁶Passing through the Valley of ^[j]Baca they make it a ^[k]spring;
The ^(AV)early rain also covers it with blessings.
⁷They ^(AW)go from strength to strength,
^[l]Every one of them ^(AX)appears before God in Zion.

⁸^(AY)Lord God of armies, hear my prayer;
Listen, ^(AZ)God of Jacob! Selah
⁹See our ^(BA)shield, God,
And look at the face of ^(BB)Your anointed.
¹⁰For ^(BC)a day in Your courtyards is better than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than live in the tents of wickedness.
¹¹For the Lord God is ^(BD)a sun and ^(BE)shield;
The Lord gives grace and ^(BF)glory;
^(BG)He withholds no good thing ^[m]from those who walk with integrity.
¹²Lord of armies,
^(BH)Blessed is the person who trusts in You!

Prayer for God’s Mercy upon the Nation.

For the music director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

85 Lord, You showed ^(BI)favor to Your land;
You ^(BJ)restored the fortunes of Jacob.
²You ^(BK)forgave the guilt of Your people;
You ^(BL)covered all their sin. Selah
³You ^(BM)withdrew all Your fury;
You ^(BN)turned away from Your burning anger.

⁴^(BO)Restore us, God of our salvation,
And ^(BP)cause Your indignation toward us to cease.
⁵Will ^(BQ)You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger to ^[n]all generations?
⁶Will You not ^[o]^(BR)revive us again,
So that Your people may ^(BS)rejoice in You?
⁷Show us Your mercy, Lord,
And ^(BT)grant us Your salvation.

⁸^[p]I will hear what God the Lord will say;
For He will ^(BU)speak peace to His people, to His godly ones;
And may they not ^(BV)turn back to ^[q]foolishness.
⁹Certainly ^(BW)His salvation is near to those who ^[r]fear Him,
That ^(BX)glory may dwell in our land.
¹⁰^(BY)Graciousness and ^[s]truth have met together;
^(BZ)Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
¹¹^[t]Truth ^(CA)sprouts from the earth,
And righteousness looks down from heaven.
¹²Indeed, ^(CB)the Lord will give what is good,
And our ^(CC)land will yield its produce.
¹³^(CD)Righteousness will go before Him
And will make His footsteps into a way.

Pleading and Trust.

A Prayer of David.

86 ^(CE)Incline Your ear, Lord, and answer me;
For I am ^(CF)afflicted and needy.
²^(CG)Protect my ^[u]soul, for I am ^(CH)godly;
You my God, save Your servant who ^(CI)trusts in You.
³Be ^(CJ)gracious to me, Lord,
For ^(CK)I call upon You all day long.
⁴Make the soul of Your servant joyful,
For to You, Lord, ^(CL)I lift up my soul.
⁵For You, Lord, are ^(CM)good, and ^(CN)ready to forgive,
And ^(CO)abundant in mercy to all who call upon You.
⁶^(CP)Listen, Lord, to my prayer;
And give Your attention to the sound of my pleading!
⁷On ^(CQ)the day of my trouble I will call upon You,
For ^(CR)You will answer me.
⁸There is ^(CS)no one like You among the gods, Lord,
Nor are there any works ^(CT)like Yours.
⁹^(CU)All nations whom You have made will come and worship before You, Lord,
And they will glorify Your name.
¹⁰For You are ^(CV)great, and you ^(CW)do ^[v]wondrous deeds;
You alone ^(CX)are God.

¹¹^(CY)Teach me Your way, Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
^(CZ)Unite my heart to fear Your name.
¹²I will ^(DA)give thanks to You, Lord my God, with all my heart,
And I will glorify Your name forever.
¹³For Your graciousness toward me is great,
And You have ^(DB)saved my soul from the ^[w]depths of ^[x]Sheol.

¹⁴God, arrogant men have ^(DC)risen up against me,
And a gang of violent men have sought my ^[y]life,
And they have not set You before them.
¹⁵But You, Lord, are a ^(DD)compassionate and gracious God,
Slow to anger and abundant in mercy and ^[z]truth.
¹⁶^(DE)Turn to me, and be gracious to me;
^(DF)Grant Your strength to Your servant,
And save the ^(DG)son of Your maidservant.
¹⁷^(DH)Show me a sign of good,
That those who hate me may ^(DI)see it and be ashamed,
Because You, Lord, ^(DJ)have helped me and comforted me.

The Privileges of Citizenship in Zion.

A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song.

87 His ^(DK)foundation is in the holy mountains.
²The Lord ^(DL)loves the gates of Zion
More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.
³^(DM)Glorious things are spoken of you,
^(DN)City of God. Selah
⁴“I shall mention ^[aa]^(DO)Rahab and Babylon ^[ab]among those who know Me;
Behold, Philistia and ^(DP)Tyre with ^[ac]^(DQ)Cush:
‘This one was born there.’”
⁵But of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her”;
And the Most High Himself will ^(DR)establish her.
⁶The Lord will count when He ^(DS)registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah
⁷Then those who ^(DT)sing as well as those who ^[ad]^(DU)play the flutes will say,
“All my ^(DV)springs of joy are in you.”

Footnotes

Psalm 83:2 Lit lifted up the head
Psalm 83:3 Or consult
Psalm 83:3 Or hidden ones
Psalm 83:4 Lit from
Psalm 83:5 Or consulted
Psalm 83:8 Lit an arm
Psalm 83:13 Or tumbleweed
Psalm 84 Title Or according to
Psalm 84:5 Lit their
Psalm 84:6 Prob. Weeping; or Balsam-shrubs
Psalm 84:6 Or place of springs
Psalm 84:7 Some ancient versions The God of gods will be seen in Zion
Psalm 84:11 Lit with regard to
Psalm 85:5 Lit generation and generation
Psalm 85:6 Or bring to life
Psalm 85:8 Or Let me hear
Psalm 85:8 I.e., foolish self-confidence
Psalm 85:9 Or revere
Psalm 85:10 Or faithfulness
Psalm 85:11 Or Faithfulness
Psalm 86:2 Or life
Psalm 86:10 Or miracles
Psalm 86:13 Lit lowest Sheol
Psalm 86:13 I.e., the netherworld
Psalm 86:14 Lit soul
Psalm 86:15 Or faithfulness
Psalm 87:4 I.e., Egypt, as a sea monster; not to be confused with Rahab in Joshua 2
Psalm 87:4 Or as
Psalm 87:4 Or Ethiopia
Psalm 87:7 Or dance