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Psalm 88-92
Easy-to-Read Version
Psalm 88-92
Easy-to-Read Version
A song from the Korah family. To the director: About a painful sickness. A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.
88 Lord God, you are my Savior.
I have been praying to you day and night.
2 Please pay attention to my prayers.
Listen to my prayers for mercy.
3 My soul has had enough of this pain!
I am ready to die.
4 People already treat me like a dead man,
like someone too weak to live.
5 Look for me among the dead,
like a body in the grave.
I am one of those you have forgotten,
cut off from you and your care.
6 You put me in that hole in the ground.
Yes, you put me in that dark place.
7 Your anger presses down on me like a heavy weight.
It’s like one wave after another pounding against me. Selah
8 You made my friends leave me.
They all avoid me like someone no one wants to touch.
Like a prisoner in my house, I cannot go out.
9 My eyes hurt from crying.
Lord, I pray to you constantly!
I lift my arms in prayer to you.
10 Do you do miracles for the dead?
Do ghosts rise up and praise you? No! Selah
11 The dead in their graves cannot talk about your faithful love.
People in the world of the dead[a] cannot talk about your faithfulness.
12 The dead who lie in darkness cannot see the amazing things you do.
Those in the world of the forgotten cannot talk about your goodness.
13 Lord, I am asking you to help me!
Early each morning I pray to you.
14 Lord, why have you abandoned me?
Why do you refuse to listen to me?
15 I have been sick and weak since I was young.
I have suffered your anger, and I am helpless.
16 Your anger covers me like a flood.
Your attacks are killing me.
17 They surround me on every side.
I feel like a drowning man.
18 You caused my friends and loved ones to leave me.
Now darkness is my closest friend.
A maskil from Ethan the Ezrahite.
89 I will sing forever about the Lord’s love.
I will sing about his faithfulness forever and ever!
2 I will say, “Your faithful love will last forever.
Your loyalty is like the sky—there is no end to it!”
3 You said, “I made an agreement with my chosen king.
I made this promise to my servant David:
4 ‘There will always be someone from your family to rule.
I will make your kingdom continue forever and ever.’” Selah
5 Lord, the heavens praise you for the amazing things you do.
The assembly of holy ones sings about your loyalty.
6 No one in heaven is equal to the Lord.
None of the “gods” can compare to the Lord.
7 When God’s holy ones—the angels around his throne—meet together,
they fear and respect him;
he is more awesome than all those around him.
8 Lord God All-Powerful, there is no one like you.
You are strong, Lord, and always faithful.
9 You rule the stormy sea.
You can calm its angry waves.
10 You defeated Rahab.
You scattered your enemies with your own powerful arm.
11 Everything in heaven and earth belongs to you.
You made the world and everything in it.
12 You created everything north and south.
Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon sing praises to your name.
13 You have the power!
Your power is great!
Victory is yours!
14 Your kingdom is built on truth and justice.
Love and faithfulness are servants before your throne.
15 Lord, your loyal followers are happy.
They live in the light of your kindness.
16 Your name always makes them happy.
They praise your goodness.
17 You are their amazing strength.
Their power comes from you.
18 The king, our protector, belongs to the Lord,
who is the Holy One of Israel.
19 Lord, you once spoke in a vision to your followers:
“I have made a young soldier strong.
From among my people I chose him for an important position.
20 I have found my servant David
and anointed him as king with my special oil.
21 I will support him with my right hand,
and my arm will make him strong.
22 So no enemy will ever control him.
The wicked will never defeat him.
23 I will destroy his enemies before his eyes.
I will defeat those who hate him.
24 I will always love and support him.
I will always make him strong.
25 I will put him in charge of the sea.
He will control the rivers.
26 He will say to me, ‘You are my father.
You are my God, my Rock, my Savior.’
27 And I will make him my firstborn son.
He will be the great king on earth.
28 My love will protect him forever.
My agreement with him will never end.
29 I will make his family continue forever.
His kingdom will last as long as the skies.
30 If his descendants stop following my law
and stop obeying my commands,
31 if they break my laws
and ignore my commands,
32 I will punish them severely
for their sins and wrongs.
33 But I will never take my love from him.
I will never stop being loyal to him.
34 I will not break my agreement with David.
I will never change what I said.
35 By my holiness, I made a promise to him,
and I would not lie to David.
36 His family will continue forever.
His kingdom will last as long as the sun.
37 Like the moon, it will continue forever.
The sky is a witness to the agreement that can be trusted.” Selah
38 But now, Lord, you have become angry with your chosen king,[b]
and you have left him all alone.
39 You ended the agreement you made with your servant.
You threw the king’s crown into the dirt.
40 You pulled down the walls of his city.
You destroyed all his fortresses.
41 Everyone passing by steals from him.
His neighbors laugh at him.
42 You made all the king’s enemies happy
and let his enemies win the war.
43 You helped them defend themselves.
You did not help your king win the battle.
44 You did not let him win.
You threw his throne to the ground.
45 You cut his life short.
You shamed him. Selah
46 Lord, how long will this continue?
Will you ignore us forever?
Will your anger burn like a fire forever?
47 Remember how short my life is.
You created us to live a short life and then die.
48 Is there anyone alive who will never die?
Will anyone escape the grave? Selah
49 Lord, where is the love you showed in the past?
You promised David that you would be loyal to his family.
50-51 My Lord, please remember how people insulted your servant.
Lord, I had to listen to all the insults from your enemies.
They insulted your chosen king wherever he went.
52 Praise the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen!
Book 4
(Psalms 90-106)
The prayer of Moses, the man of God.
90 My Lord, you have been our home forever and ever.
2 You were God before the mountains were born,
before the earth and the world were made.
You have always been and will always be God!
3 You bring people into this world,
and you change them into dust again.
4 To you, a thousand years is like yesterday,
like a few hours in the night.
5 Our life is like a dream that ends when morning comes.
We are like grass
6 that grows and looks so fresh in the morning,
but in the evening it is dry and dying.
7 Your anger could destroy us.
Your anger frightens us!
8 You know about all our sins.
You see every one of our secret sins.
9 Your anger can end our life.
Our lives fade away like a whisper.
10 We live about 70 years
or, if we are strong, 80 years.
But most of them are filled with hard work and pain.
Then, suddenly, the years are gone, and we fly away.
11 No one really knows the full power of your anger,
but our fear and respect for you is as great as your anger.
12 Teach us how short our lives are
so that we can become wise.
13 Lord, come back to us.
Be kind to your servants.
14 Fill us with your love every morning.
Let us be happy and enjoy our lives.
15 For years you have made life hard for us and have given us many troubles.
Now make us happy for just as long.
16 Let your servants see the wonderful things you can do for them.
And let their children see your glory.
17 Lord, our God, be kind to us.
Make everything we do successful.
Yes, make it all successful.
91 You can go to God Most High to hide.
You can go to God All-Powerful for protection.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my place of safety, my fortress.
My God, I trust in you.”
3 God will save you from hidden dangers
and from deadly diseases.
4 You can go to him for protection.
He will cover you like a bird spreading its wings over its babies.
You can trust him to surround and protect you like a shield.
5 You will have nothing to fear at night
and no need to be afraid of enemy arrows during the day.
6 You will have no fear of diseases that come in the dark
or terrible suffering that comes at noon.
7 A thousand people may fall dead at your side
or ten thousand right beside you,
but nothing bad will happen to you!
8 All you will have to do is watch,
and you will see that the wicked are punished.
9 You trust in the Lord for protection.
You have made God Most High your place of safety.
10 So nothing bad will happen to you.
No diseases will come near your home.
11 He will command his angels to protect you wherever you go.
12 Their hands will catch you
so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.
13 You will have power to trample on lions
and poisonous snakes.
14 The Lord says, “If someone trusts me, I will save them.
I will protect my followers who call to me for help.
15 When my followers call to me, I will answer them.
I will be with them when they are in trouble.
I will rescue them and honor them.
16 I will give my followers a long life
and show them my power to save.”
A song of praise for the Sabbath.
92 It is good to praise the Lord.
God Most High, it is good to praise your name.
2 It is good to sing about your love in the morning
and about your faithfulness at night.
3 It is good to play for you on the ten-stringed instrument and lyre
and to add the soft sounds of the harp to my praise.
4 Lord, you make us very happy because of what you did.
I gladly sing about it.
5 Lord, you did such great things.
Your thoughts are too hard for us to understand.
6 Stupid people don’t know this.
Fools don’t understand.
7 The wicked may sprout like grass,
and those who do evil may blossom like flowers,
but they will be destroyed, never to be seen again.
8 But, Lord, you will be honored forever.
9 Lord, all your enemies will be destroyed,
and all who do evil will be scattered.
10 But you have made me as strong as a wild ox.
You have given me your blessing.[c]
11 My eyes will see the defeat of those waiting to attack me.
My ears will hear the cries of my evil enemies.
12 Good people are like budding palm trees.
They grow strong like the cedar trees of Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house[d] of the Lord.
They grow strong there in the courtyards of our God.
14 Even when they are old,
they will continue producing fruit like young, healthy trees.
15 They are there to show everyone that the Lord is good.[e]
He is my Rock, and he does no wrong.[f]
Footnotes
- Psalm 88:11 the world of the dead Or “Abaddon,” a Hebrew name meaning “death” or “destruction.” See Rev. 9:11.
- Psalm 89:38 chosen king Literally, “anointed one.”
- Psalm 92:10 You … blessing Or “You poured your refreshing oil over me.”
- Psalm 92:13 house Or “Temple.” See “Temple” in the Word List.
- Psalm 92:15 good This is a wordplay. The Hebrew word means “straight” (like the trees) and “good” or “honest.”
- Psalm 92:15 he … wrong Or “there is no crookedness in him.”
Psalm 88-92
New International Version
Psalm 88-92
New International Version
Psalm 88[a]
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth.[b] A maskil[c] of Heman the Ezrahite.
1 Lord, you are the God who saves me;(A)
day and night I cry out(B) to you.
2 May my prayer come before you;
turn your ear to my cry.
3 I am overwhelmed with troubles(C)
and my life draws near to death.(D)
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;(E)
I am like one without strength.(F)
5 I am set apart with the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
who are cut off(G) from your care.
6 You have put me in the lowest pit,
in the darkest depths.(H)
7 Your wrath(I) lies heavily on me;
you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.[d](J)
8 You have taken from me my closest friends(K)
and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined(L) and cannot escape;(M)
9 my eyes(N) are dim with grief.
I call(O) to you, Lord, every day;
I spread out my hands(P) to you.
10 Do you show your wonders to the dead?
Do their spirits rise up and praise you?(Q)
11 Is your love declared in the grave,
your faithfulness(R) in Destruction[e]?
12 Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
13 But I cry to you for help,(S) Lord;
in the morning(T) my prayer comes before you.(U)
14 Why, Lord, do you reject(V) me
and hide your face(W) from me?
15 From my youth(X) I have suffered(Y) and been close to death;
I have borne your terrors(Z) and am in despair.(AA)
16 Your wrath(AB) has swept over me;
your terrors(AC) have destroyed me.
17 All day long they surround me like a flood;(AD)
they have completely engulfed me.
18 You have taken from me friend(AE) and neighbor—
darkness is my closest friend.
Psalm 89[f]
A maskil[g] of Ethan the Ezrahite.
1 I will sing(AF) of the Lord’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known(AG)
through all generations.
2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.(AH)
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 ‘I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.’”[h](AI)
5 The heavens(AJ) praise your wonders, Lord,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly(AK) of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?(AL)
7 In the council(AM) of the holy ones(AN) God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.(AO)
8 Who is like you,(AP) Lord God Almighty?(AQ)
You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule over the surging sea;
when its waves mount up, you still them.(AR)
10 You crushed Rahab(AS) like one of the slain;
with your strong arm you scattered(AT) your enemies.
11 The heavens are yours,(AU) and yours also the earth;(AV)
you founded the world and all that is in it.(AW)
12 You created the north and the south;
Tabor(AX) and Hermon(AY) sing for joy(AZ) at your name.
13 Your arm is endowed with power;
your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.(BA)
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;(BB)
love and faithfulness go before you.(BC)
15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk(BD) in the light(BE) of your presence, Lord.
16 They rejoice in your name(BF) all day long;
they celebrate your righteousness.
17 For you are their glory and strength,(BG)
and by your favor you exalt our horn.[i](BH)
18 Indeed, our shield[j](BI) belongs to the Lord,
our king(BJ) to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Once you spoke in a vision,
to your faithful people you said:
“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
I have raised up a young man from among the people.
20 I have found David(BK) my servant;(BL)
with my sacred oil(BM) I have anointed(BN) him.
21 My hand will sustain him;
surely my arm will strengthen him.(BO)
22 The enemy will not get the better of him;(BP)
the wicked will not oppress(BQ) him.
23 I will crush his foes before him(BR)
and strike down his adversaries.(BS)
24 My faithful love will be with him,(BT)
and through my name his horn[k] will be exalted.
25 I will set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.(BU)
26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,(BV)
my God, the Rock(BW) my Savior.’(BX)
27 And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,(BY)
the most exalted(BZ) of the kings(CA) of the earth.
28 I will maintain my love to him forever,
and my covenant with him will never fail.(CB)
29 I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.(CC)
30 “If his sons forsake my law
and do not follow my statutes,
31 if they violate my decrees
and fail to keep my commands,
32 I will punish their sin with the rod,
their iniquity with flogging;(CD)
33 but I will not take my love from him,(CE)
nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant
or alter what my lips have uttered.(CF)
35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie to David—
36 that his line will continue forever
and his throne endure before me like the sun;(CG)
37 it will be established forever like the moon,
the faithful witness in the sky.”(CH)
38 But you have rejected,(CI) you have spurned,
you have been very angry with your anointed one.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant
and have defiled his crown in the dust.(CJ)
40 You have broken through all his walls(CK)
and reduced his strongholds(CL) to ruins.
41 All who pass by have plundered(CM) him;
he has become the scorn of his neighbors.(CN)
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.(CO)
43 Indeed, you have turned back the edge of his sword
and have not supported him in battle.(CP)
44 You have put an end to his splendor
and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short(CQ) the days of his youth;
you have covered him with a mantle of shame.(CR)
46 How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?(CS)
47 Remember how fleeting is my life.(CT)
For what futility you have created all humanity!
48 Who can live and not see death,
or who can escape the power of the grave?(CU)
49 Lord, where is your former great love,
which in your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, Lord, how your servant has[l] been mocked,(CV)
how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,
51 the taunts with which your enemies, Lord, have mocked,
with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.(CW)
52 Praise be to the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.(CX)
BOOK IV
Psalms 90–106
Psalm 90
A prayer of Moses the man of God.
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place(CY)
throughout all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born(CZ)
or you brought forth the whole world,
from everlasting to everlasting(DA) you are God.(DB)
3 You turn people back to dust,
saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”(DC)
4 A thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.(DD)
5 Yet you sweep people away(DE) in the sleep of death—
they are like the new grass of the morning:
6 In the morning it springs up new,
but by evening it is dry and withered.(DF)
7 We are consumed by your anger
and terrified by your indignation.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins(DG) in the light of your presence.(DH)
9 All our days pass away under your wrath;
we finish our years with a moan.(DI)
10 Our days may come to seventy years,(DJ)
or eighty,(DK) if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,(DL)
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.(DM)
11 If only we knew the power of your anger!
Your wrath(DN) is as great as the fear that is your due.(DO)
12 Teach us to number our days,(DP)
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.(DQ)
13 Relent, Lord! How long(DR) will it be?
Have compassion on your servants.(DS)
14 Satisfy(DT) us in the morning with your unfailing love,(DU)
that we may sing for joy(DV) and be glad all our days.(DW)
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.
16 May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendor to their children.(DX)
17 May the favor[m] of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.(DY)
Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter(DZ) of the Most High
will rest in the shadow(EA) of the Almighty.[n]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge(EB) and my fortress,(EC)
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare(ED)
and from the deadly pestilence.(EE)
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;(EF)
his faithfulness will be your shield(EG) and rampart.
5 You will not fear(EH) the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.(EI)
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm(EJ) will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels(EK) concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;(EL)
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.(EM)
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.(EN)
14 “Because he[o] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.(EO)
16 With long life(EP) I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.(EQ)”
Psalm 92[p]
A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.
1 It is good to praise the Lord
and make music(ER) to your name,(ES) O Most High,(ET)
2 proclaiming your love in the morning(EU)
and your faithfulness at night,
3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre(EV)
and the melody of the harp.(EW)
4 For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;
I sing for joy(EX) at what your hands have done.(EY)
5 How great are your works,(EZ) Lord,
how profound your thoughts!(FA)
6 Senseless people(FB) do not know,
fools do not understand,
7 that though the wicked spring up like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they will be destroyed forever.(FC)
8 But you, Lord, are forever exalted.
9 For surely your enemies(FD), Lord,
surely your enemies will perish;
all evildoers will be scattered.(FE)
10 You have exalted my horn[q](FF) like that of a wild ox;(FG)
fine oils(FH) have been poured on me.
11 My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;
my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.(FI)
12 The righteous will flourish(FJ) like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;(FK)
13 planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.(FL)
14 They will still bear fruit(FM) in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.(FN)”
Footnotes
- Psalm 88:1 In Hebrew texts 88:1-18 is numbered 88:2-19.
- Psalm 88:1 Title: Possibly a tune, “The Suffering of Affliction”
- Psalm 88:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 88:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 10.
- Psalm 88:11 Hebrew Abaddon
- Psalm 89:1 In Hebrew texts 89:1-52 is numbered 89:2-53.
- Psalm 89:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 89:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 37, 45 and 48.
- Psalm 89:17 Horn here symbolizes strong one.
- Psalm 89:18 Or sovereign
- Psalm 89:24 Horn here symbolizes strength.
- Psalm 89:50 Or your servants have
- Psalm 90:17 Or beauty
- Psalm 91:1 Hebrew Shaddai
- Psalm 91:14 That is, probably the king
- Psalm 92:1 In Hebrew texts 92:1-15 is numbered 92:2-16.
- Psalm 92:10 Horn here symbolizes strength.
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