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Psalm 73-77
Easy-to-Read Version
Psalm 73-77
Easy-to-Read Version
Book 3
(Psalms 73-89)
Asaph’s song of praise.
73 God is so good to Israel,
to those whose hearts are pure.
2 But I almost slipped and lost my balance.
I almost fell into sin.
3 I saw that wicked people were successful,
and I became jealous of those proud people.
4 They are healthy.
They don’t have to struggle to survive.[a]
5 They don’t suffer like the rest of us.
They don’t have troubles like other people.
6 So they are proud and hateful.
This is as easy to see as the jewels and fancy clothes they wear.
7 If they see something they like, they go and take it.
They do whatever they want.
8 They make fun of others and say cruel things about them.
In their pride they make plans to hurt people.
9 They think they are gods!
They think they are the rulers of the earth.
10 [b] Even God’s people turn to them
and do what they say.
11 Those evil people say, “God does not know what we are doing!
God Most High does not know!”
12 Those proud people are wicked,
but they are rich and getting richer.
13 Clearly, then, I gain nothing by keeping my thoughts pure!
What good is it to keep myself from sin?
14 God, I suffer all day long,
and you punish me every morning.
15 I wanted to tell others these things,
but that would have made me a traitor to your people.
16 I tried hard to understand all this,
but it was too hard for me.
17 But then, God, I went to your Temple,
and I understood what will happen to the wicked.
18 Clearly, you have put them in danger.
You make it easy for them to fall and be destroyed.
19 Trouble can come suddenly,
and they will be ruined.
Terrible things can happen to them,
and they will be finished.
20 Then they will be like a dream
that we forget when we wake up.
You will make them disappear
like the monsters in our dreams.
21-22 I was so stupid.
I thought about such people and became upset.
God, I was upset and angry with you!
I acted like a senseless animal.
23 But I am always with you.
You hold my hand.
24 You lead me and give me good advice,
and later you will lead me to glory.[c]
25 In heaven, God, I have only you.
And if I am with you, what on earth could I want?
26 Maybe my mind[d] and body will become weak,
but God is my source of strength.[e]
He is mine forever!
27 God, people who leave you will be lost.
You will destroy all who are not faithful to you.
28 As for me, all I need is to be close to God.
I have made the Lord God my place of safety.
And, God, I will tell about all that you have done.
A maskil of Asaph.
74 God, why have you turned away from us for so long?
Why are you still angry with us, your own flock?
2 Remember the people you bought so long ago.
You saved us, and we belong to you.
And remember Mount Zion, the place where you lived.
3 God, come walk through these ancient ruins.
Come back to the Holy Place that the enemy destroyed.
4 The enemy shouted their war cries in the Temple.
They put up their flags there to show they had won the war.
5 Their soldiers attacked the doors,
like workmen chopping down trees.
6 Using axes and hatchets,
they smashed the carved panels inside.
7 They burned down your Holy Place.
It was built to honor your name,
but they pulled it down to the ground.
8 The enemy decided to crush us completely.
They burned every holy place[f] in the country.
9 We do not see any of our signs.[g]
There are no more prophets.
And no one knows how long this will last.
10 God, how much longer will the enemy make fun of us?
Will you let them insult your name forever?
11 Why won’t you help us?
Use your power to defeat our enemies!
12 God, you have been our King for a long time.
You have saved us many times on this earth.
13 With your great power you split open the sea
and broke the heads of the sea monster.
14 Yes, you smashed the heads of Leviathan[h]
and left his body for animals to eat.
15 You make the springs and rivers flow,
and you make the rivers dry up.
16 You control the day and the night.
You made the sun and the moon.
17 You set the limits for everything on earth.
And you created summer and winter.
18 Lord, remember, the enemy insulted you!
Those foolish people hate your name!
19 Don’t give us like a helpless dove to those wild animals.
Never forget your poor, suffering people.
20 Remember the agreement you gave us,
because violence fills every dark place in this land.
21 Your people were treated badly.
Don’t let them be hurt anymore.
Let your poor, helpless people praise you.
22 God, get up and defend yourself!
Remember, those fools challenged you.
23 Don’t forget the shouts of your enemies.
They insulted you again and again.
To the director: To the tune “Don’t Destroy.” One of Asaph’s songs of praise.
75 We praise you, God!
We praise you because you[i] are near to us.
We tell about the amazing things you have done.
2 God says, “I have chosen a time for judgment,
and I will judge fairly.
3 The earth and all its people may shake,
but I am the one who keeps it steady. Selah
4 “To those who are proud I say, ‘Stop your boasting.’
I warn the wicked, ‘Don’t brag about how strong you are.
5 Don’t be so sure that you will win.
Don’t boast that victory is yours!’”
6 There is no power on earth
that can make a person important.[j]
7 God is the judge.
He decides who will be important.
He lifts one person up and brings another down.
8 The Lord has a cup in his hand.
It is filled with the poisoned wine of his anger.
He will pour out this wine,
and the wicked will drink it to the last drop.
9 I will always tell people how great God is.
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.
10 God says, “I will take away any power the wicked have
and give it to those who are good.”
To the director: With instruments. One of Asaph’s songs of praise.
76 People in Judah know God.
People in Israel respect his name.
2 His Temple is in Salem.[k]
His house is on Mount Zion.
3 There he shattered the arrows,
shields, swords, and other weapons of war. Selah
4 God, you are glorious coming back
from the hills where you defeated your enemies.
5 They thought they were strong, but now they lie dead in the fields.
Their bodies are stripped of all they owned.
They could not defend themselves.[l]
6 The God of Jacob shouted at them,
and their army of chariots and horses fell dead.
7 God, you are awesome!
No one can stand against you when you are angry.
8-9 You stood as judge and announced your decision.
You saved the humble people of the land.
From heaven you gave the decision,
and the whole earth was silent and afraid.
10 Even human anger can bring you honor
when you use it to punish your enemies.[m]
11 People, you made promises to the Lord your God.
Now give him what you promised.
People everywhere fear and respect God,
and they will bring gifts to him.
12 God defeats great leaders;
all the kings on earth fear him.
To the director, Jeduthun.[n] One of Asaph’s songs.
77 I cry out to God for help.
I cry out to you, God; listen to me!
2 My Lord, in my time of trouble I came to you.
I reached out for you all night long.
My soul refused to be comforted.
3 I thought about you, God,
and tried to tell you how I felt, but I could not.
4 You would not let me sleep.
I tried to say something, but I was too upset.
5 I kept thinking about the past,
about things that happened long ago.
6 During the night, I thought about my songs.
I talked to myself, trying to understand what is happening.
7 I wondered, “Has our Lord rejected us forever?
Will he ever accept us again?
8 Is his love gone forever?
Will he never again speak to us?
9 Has God forgotten what mercy is?
Has his compassion changed to anger?” Selah
10 Then I said to myself, “What bothers me most is the thought
that God Most High has lost his power.”
11 Lord, I remember what you have done.
I remember the amazing things you did long ago.
12 I think about those things.
I think about them all the time.
13 God, all that you do is holy.
No god is as great as you are.
14 You are the God who does amazing things.
You showed the nations your great power.
15 By your power you saved your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16 God, the water saw you and became afraid.
The deep water shook with fear.
17 The thick clouds dropped their water.
Thunder roared in the sky above.
Your arrows of lightning flashed through the clouds.
18 There were loud claps of thunder.
Lightning lit up the world.
The earth shook and trembled.
19 You walked through the water and crossed the deep sea,
but you left no footprints.
20 You led your people like sheep,
using Moses and Aaron to guide them.
Footnotes
- Psalm 73:4 Literally, “They have no bonds to their death.”
- Psalm 73:10 The Hebrew text here is hard to understand.
- Psalm 73:24 lead me to glory Or “receive me in honor.”
- Psalm 73:26 mind Literally, “heart.”
- Psalm 73:26 my … strength Literally, “the Rock of my heart.”
- Psalm 74:8 holy place Or “El meeting place.” This means every place where people went to meet with God.
- Psalm 74:9 signs These were probably signal fires that people burned as a way of passing messages from one town to the next. In war, this was a way people showed other towns that the enemy had not yet destroyed their own town.
- Psalm 74:14 sea monster … Leviathan These were creatures from ancient stories. People believed that they kept the world from being a safe, orderly place. So this verse means that God controls every part of the world and everything in it.
- Psalm 75:1 you Literally, “your name.”
- Psalm 75:6 Literally, “Not from the east or the west and not from the desert mountains.”
- Psalm 76:2 Salem Another name for Jerusalem. This name means “Peace.”
- Psalm 76:5 They … themselves Literally, “The warriors could not find their hands.”
- Psalm 76:10 The Hebrew text here is hard to understand.
- Psalm 77:1 Psalm 77 Jeduthun Or “and to Jeduthun,” one of the three main temple musicians. See 1 Chron. 9:16; 16:38-42.
Psalm 73-77
New International Version
Psalm 73-77
New International Version
BOOK III
Psalms 73–89
Psalm 73
A psalm of Asaph.
1 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.(A)
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;(B)
I had nearly lost my foothold.(C)
3 For I envied(D) the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.(E)
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.[a]
5 They are free(F) from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride(G) is their necklace;(H)
they clothe themselves with violence.(I)
7 From their callous hearts(J) comes iniquity[b];
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;(K)
with arrogance(L) they threaten oppression.(M)
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.[c]
11 They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”
13 Surely in vain(P) I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.(Q)
14 All day long I have been afflicted,(R)
and every morning brings new punishments.
15 If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand(S) all this,
it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary(T) of God;
then I understood their final destiny.(U)
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;(V)
you cast them down to ruin.(W)
19 How suddenly(X) are they destroyed,
completely swept away(Y) by terrors!
20 They are like a dream(Z) when one awakes;(AA)
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.(AB)
21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless(AC) and ignorant;
I was a brute beast(AD) before you.
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.(AE)
24 You guide(AF) me with your counsel,(AG)
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?(AH)
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.(AI)
26 My flesh and my heart(AJ) may fail,(AK)
but God is the strength(AL) of my heart
and my portion(AM) forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;(AN)
you destroy all who are unfaithful(AO) to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.(AP)
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;(AQ)
I will tell of all your deeds.(AR)
Psalm 74
A maskil[d] of Asaph.
1 O God, why have you rejected(AS) us forever?(AT)
Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?(AU)
2 Remember the nation you purchased(AV) long ago,(AW)
the people of your inheritance,(AX) whom you redeemed(AY)—
Mount Zion,(AZ) where you dwelt.(BA)
3 Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,(BB)
all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.
4 Your foes roared(BC) in the place where you met with us;
they set up their standards(BD) as signs.
5 They behaved like men wielding axes
to cut through a thicket of trees.(BE)
6 They smashed all the carved(BF) paneling
with their axes and hatchets.
7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground;
they defiled(BG) the dwelling place(BH) of your Name.(BI)
8 They said in their hearts, “We will crush(BJ) them completely!”
They burned(BK) every place where God was worshiped in the land.
9 We are given no signs from God;(BL)
no prophets(BM) are left,
and none of us knows how long this will be.
10 How long(BN) will the enemy mock(BO) you, God?
Will the foe revile(BP) your name forever?
11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?(BQ)
Take it from the folds of your garment(BR) and destroy them!
13 It was you who split open the sea(BU) by your power;
you broke the heads of the monster(BV) in the waters.
14 It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan(BW)
and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.(BX)
15 It was you who opened up springs(BY) and streams;
you dried up(BZ) the ever-flowing rivers.
16 The day is yours, and yours also the night;
you established the sun and moon.(CA)
17 It was you who set all the boundaries(CB) of the earth;
you made both summer and winter.(CC)
18 Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord,
how foolish people(CD) have reviled your name.
19 Do not hand over the life of your dove(CE) to wild beasts;
do not forget the lives of your afflicted(CF) people forever.
20 Have regard for your covenant,(CG)
because haunts of violence fill the dark places(CH) of the land.
21 Do not let the oppressed(CI) retreat in disgrace;
may the poor and needy(CJ) praise your name.
22 Rise up,(CK) O God, and defend your cause;
remember how fools(CL) mock you all day long.
23 Do not ignore the clamor(CM) of your adversaries,(CN)
the uproar(CO) of your enemies,(CP) which rises continually.
Psalm 75[e]
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A psalm of Asaph. A song.
1 We praise you, God,
we praise you, for your Name is near;(CQ)
people tell of your wonderful deeds.(CR)
2 You say, “I choose the appointed time;(CS)
it is I who judge with equity.(CT)
3 When the earth and all its people quake,(CU)
it is I who hold its pillars(CV) firm.[f]
4 To the arrogant(CW) I say, ‘Boast no more,’(CX)
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.[g](CY)
5 Do not lift your horns against heaven;
do not speak so defiantly.(CZ)’”
6 No one from the east or the west
or from the desert can exalt themselves.
7 It is God who judges:(DA)
He brings one down, he exalts another.(DB)
8 In the hand of the Lord is a cup
full of foaming wine mixed(DC) with spices;
he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth
drink it down to its very dregs.(DD)
9 As for me, I will declare(DE) this forever;
I will sing(DF) praise to the God of Jacob,(DG)
10 who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”(DH)
Psalm 76[h]
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.
1 God is renowned in Judah;
in Israel his name is great.(DI)
2 His tent is in Salem,(DJ)
his dwelling place in Zion.(DK)
3 There he broke the flashing arrows,(DL)
the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.[i](DM)
4 You are radiant with light,(DN)
more majestic than mountains rich with game.
5 The valiant(DO) lie plundered,
they sleep their last sleep;(DP)
not one of the warriors
can lift his hands.
6 At your rebuke,(DQ) God of Jacob,
both horse and chariot(DR) lie still.
7 It is you alone who are to be feared.(DS)
Who can stand(DT) before you when you are angry?(DU)
8 From heaven you pronounced judgment,
and the land feared(DV) and was quiet—
9 when you, God, rose up to judge,(DW)
to save all the afflicted(DX) of the land.
10 Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise,(DY)
and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.[j]
11 Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them;(DZ)
let all the neighboring lands
bring gifts(EA) to the One to be feared.
12 He breaks the spirit of rulers;
he is feared by the kings of the earth.
Psalm 77[k]
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.
1 I cried out to God(EB) for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
2 When I was in distress,(EC) I sought the Lord;
at night(ED) I stretched out untiring hands,(EE)
and I would not be comforted.(EF)
3 I remembered(EG) you, God, and I groaned;(EH)
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.[l](EI)
4 You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.(EJ)
5 I thought about the former days,(EK)
the years of long ago;
6 I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart meditated and my spirit asked:
7 “Will the Lord reject forever?(EL)
Will he never show his favor(EM) again?
8 Has his unfailing love(EN) vanished forever?
Has his promise(EO) failed for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?(EP)
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?(EQ)”
10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.(ER)
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles(ES) of long ago.
12 I will consider(ET) all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”(EU)
13 Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?(EV)
14 You are the God who performs miracles;(EW)
you display your power among the peoples.
15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,(EX)
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
16 The waters(EY) saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;(EZ)
the very depths were convulsed.
17 The clouds poured down water,(FA)
the heavens resounded with thunder;(FB)
your arrows(FC) flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,(FD)
your lightning(FE) lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.(FF)
19 Your path(FG) led through the sea,(FH)
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
Footnotes
- Psalm 73:4 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text struggles at their death; / their bodies are healthy
- Psalm 73:7 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew Their eyes bulge with fat
- Psalm 73:10 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
- Psalm 74:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 75:1 In Hebrew texts 75:1-10 is numbered 75:2-11.
- Psalm 75:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
- Psalm 75:4 Horns here symbolize strength; also in verses 5 and 10.
- Psalm 76:1 In Hebrew texts 76:1-12 is numbered 76:2-13.
- Psalm 76:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 9.
- Psalm 76:10 Or Surely the wrath of mankind brings you praise, / and with the remainder of wrath you arm yourself
- Psalm 77:1 In Hebrew texts 77:1-20 is numbered 77:2-21.
- Psalm 77:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 9 and 15.
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
New International Version (NIV) 
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