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Psalm 88-92
New Life Version
Psalm 88-92
New Life Version
A Prayer to Be Saved from Death
88 O Lord, the God Who saves me, I have cried out before You day and night. 2 Let my prayer come to You. Listen to my cry. 3 For my soul is filled with troubles. And my life comes near the grave. 4 I am added among those who go down into the deep hole. I am like a man without strength. 5 I am left among the dead, like those who have been killed and lie in the grave, whom You remember no more. They are cut off from Your help. 6 You have put me in the deepest hole, in a dark and deep place. 7 Your anger has rested upon me. And You have troubled me with all Your waves. 8 You have taken my good friends far from me. You have made me hated by them. I am shut in and cannot go out. 9 My eyes have become weak because of trouble. I have called to You every day, O Lord. I have spread out my hands to You.
10 Will You show Your great works to the dead? Will the dead rise and praise You? 11 Will Your loving-kindness be told about in the grave, and how faithful You are in the place that destroys? 12 Will Your great works be known in the darkness, and Your right and good works in the land where all is forgotten?
13 But I have cried to You for help, O Lord. My prayer comes to You in the morning. 14 O Lord, why do You turn away from me? Why do You hide Your face from me? 15 I have been troubled and near death since I was young. I have suffered Your punishment. And I cannot win. 16 Your burning anger has passed over me. The punishment You have sent destroys me. 17 They gather around me like water all day long. Together they close in upon me. 18 You have taken my friend and loved one far from me. Friends that were near to me are in darkness.
God’s Promise to David
89 I will sing of the loving-kindness of the Lord forever. I will make known with my mouth how faithful You are to all people. 2 For I said, “Loving-kindness will be built up forever. You will make known how faithful You are in the heavens.”
3 You said, “I have made an agreement with My chosen one. I have promised to David, Your servant. 4 I will make your seed last forever. I will build up your throne for all the children-to-come.”
5 O Lord, the heavens will praise Your great works and how faithful You are in the meeting of the holy ones. 6 For who in the heavens is like the Lord? Who among the sons of the powerful is like the Lord? 7 God is honored with fear in the meeting of the holy ones. He is honored with fear more than all who are around Him. 8 Lord God of all, powerful Lord, who is like You? All around You we see how faithful You are. 9 You rule over the rising sea. When its waves rise, You quiet them. 10 You have crushed Rahab like one who is killed. You have destroyed those who hate You with Your powerful arm.
11 The heavens are Yours; and the earth is Yours. You have made the world and all that is in it. 12 You have made from nothing the north and the south. Tabor and Hermon call out for joy at Your name. 13 You have a strong arm. Your hand is powerful. Your right hand is honored. 14 Your throne stands on what is right and fair. Loving-kindness and truth go before You. 15 How happy are the people who know the sound of joy! They walk in the light of Your face, O Lord. 16 They are full of joy in Your name all day long. And by being right with You, they are honored. 17 For You are the shining-greatness of their strength. And our horn is lifted high by Your favor. 18 For our safe-covering belongs to the Lord. And our king belongs to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Once You spoke in a special dream to Your faithful ones, saying: “I have given help to a powerful one. I have honored a chosen one from among the people. 20 I have found David, Your servant. I have poured My holy oil upon him. 21 My hand will stay with him. And My arm will give him strength. 22 Those who hate him will not fool him. No sinful man will bring trouble to him. 23 But he will see Me crush those who fight against him. I will kill those who hate him. 24 I will be faithful and My loving-kindness will be with him. And in My name he will become great. 25 I will set his hand on the sea also, and his right hand on the rivers. 26 He will cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the rock that saves me.’ 27 I will make him My first-born also, the highest of the kings of the earth. 28 I will keep My loving-kindness for him forever. And My agreement with him will be made strong. 29 I will make his seed last forever. And his throne will last as long as heaven.
30 “If his sons leave My Law and do not do what I say, 31 and if they break My Laws and do not obey My Word, 32 then I will punish their sin with the stick, and their wrong-doing with the whip. 33 But I will not take my loving-kindness from him. I will always be faithful to him. 34 I will not break My agreement, or change what was spoken by My lips. 35 Once I have promised by My holy name, I will not lie to David. 36 His seed will last forever. And his throne will last before Me like the sun. 37 It will last forever like the moon, which may always be seen in the sky.”
38 But You have thrown off and turned away from Your chosen one. You have been full of anger against him. 39 You have hated the agreement with Your servant. You have made his crown dirty in the dust. 40 You have broken down all his walls. You have destroyed his strong places. 41 All who pass on the road rob him. He has become a shame to his neighbors. 42 You have honored the right hand of those who fight against him. You have made all who hate him glad. 43 You have turned away the sharp part of his sword. And You have not made him stand in a fight. 44 You have put an end to what shows of his greatness, and have thrown his throne to the ground. 45 You have made him old before his time, and have covered him with shame.
46 How long, O Lord? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your anger burn like fire? 47 Remember how fast my life is passing. You have made all men for nothing. 48 What man can live and not see death? Can he save himself from the power of the grave?
49 O Lord, where is the loving-kindness You used to have, that You promised in faith to David? 50 O Lord, remember the shame of those who work for You. Remember how I carry near my heart the shame of all the nations. 51 Those who hate You have put us to shame, O Lord. They have put to shame the footsteps of Your chosen one.
52 Praise the Lord forever! Let it be so.
God Is Forever—Man’s Short Life
90 Lord, You have been the place of comfort for all people of all time. 2 Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth and the world, forever and ever, You are God.
3 You change man into dust again, and say, “Return, O children of men.” 4 For a thousand years in Your eyes are like yesterday when it passes by, or like the hours of the night. 5 You carry men away as with a flood. They fall asleep. In the morning they are like the new grass that grows. 6 It grows well in the morning, but dries up and dies by evening.
7 For we are burned up by Your anger. By Your anger we are troubled and afraid. 8 You have set our wrong-doing before You, our secret sins in the light of Your face. 9 For all our days pass away in Your anger. We finish our years with a quiet cry. 10 The days of our life are seventy years, or eighty if we have the strength. Yet the best of them are only hard work and sorrow. For they are soon gone and we fly away. 11 Who understands the power of Your anger? Your anger is as great as the fear that we should have for You. 12 Teach us to understand how many days we have. Then we will have a heart of wisdom to give You.
13 Return, O Lord. How long will it be? Have pity upon those who work for You. 14 Fill us in the morning with Your loving-kindness. Let us sing for joy and be glad all our days. 15 Make us glad for as many days as You have made us suffer, and for the years we have seen trouble. 16 Let Your work be shown to Your servants. And let Your wonderful greatness be shown to their children. 17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us. And make the work of our hands stand strong. Yes, make the work of our hands stand strong.
The Lord—the One We Trust
91 He who lives in the safe place of the Most High will be in the shadow of the All-powerful. 2 I will say to the Lord, “You are my safe and strong place, my God, in Whom I trust.” 3 For it is He Who takes you away from the trap, and from the killing sickness. 4 He will cover you with His wings. And under His wings you will be safe. He is faithful like a safe-covering and a strong wall.
5 You will not be afraid of trouble at night, or of the arrow that flies by day. 6 You will not be afraid of the sickness that walks in darkness, or of the trouble that destroys at noon. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand. But it will not come near you. 8 You will only look on with your eyes, and see how the sinful are punished. 9 Because you have made the Lord your safe place, and the Most High the place where you live, 10 nothing will hurt you. No trouble will come near your tent.
11 For He will tell His angels to care for you and keep you in all your ways. 12 They will hold you up in their hands. So your foot will not hit against a stone. 13 You will walk upon the lion and the snake. You will crush under your feet the young lion and the snake.
14 Because he has loved Me, I will bring him out of trouble. I will set him in a safe place on high, because he has known My name. 15 He will call upon Me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will take him out of trouble and honor him. 16 I will please him with a long life. And I will show him My saving power.
A Song of Praise
92 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and sing praises to Your name, O Most High. 2 It is good to tell of Your loving-kindness in the morning, and of how faithful You are at night, 3 with harps, and with music of praise. 4 For You have made me glad by what You have done, O Lord. I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.
5 How great are Your works, O Lord! How deep are Your thoughts! 6 A man who cannot reason does not have much learning. A fool does not understand this. 7 Even if the sinful grow up like grass and all goes well with wrong-doers, they will be destroyed forever. 8 But You, O Lord, rule from Your high place forever. 9 For, look, those who hate You will be lost from You forever, O Lord. All those who do wrong will be destroyed.
10 But You have lifted up my horn like that of a wild bull. New oil has been poured upon me. 11 My eyes have seen those who wait to hurt me. My ears hear the bad men who rise up against me. 12 The man who is right and good will grow like the palm tree. He will grow like a tall tree in Lebanon. 13 Planted in the house of the Lord, they will grow well in the home of our God. 14 They will still give fruit when they are old. They will be full of life and strength. 15 And they will show that the Lord is faithful. He is my rock. There is nothing in Him that is not right and good.
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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