Psalm 98

Praise for the Lord’s Victory

A psalm.

1Sing a new song to the Lord,

for he has done wonderful deeds.

His right hand has won a mighty victory;

his holy arm has shown his saving power!

2The Lord has announced his victory

and has revealed his righteousness to every nation!

3He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel.

The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

4Shout to the Lord, all the earth;

break out in praise and sing for joy!

5Sing your praise to the Lord with the harp,

with the harp and melodious song,

6with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn.

Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!

7Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!

Let the earth and all living things join in.

8Let the rivers clap their hands in glee!

Let the hills sing out their songs of joy

9before the Lord,

for he is coming to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with justice,

and the nations with fairness.

Psalm 78

Lessons from Israel’s History

A psalm*78: title Hebrew maskil. This may be a literary or musical term. of Asaph.

1O my people, listen to my instructions.

Open your ears to what I am saying,

2for I will speak to you in a parable.

I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—

3stories we have heard and known,

stories our ancestors handed down to us.

4We will not hide these truths from our children;

we will tell the next generation

about the glorious deeds of the Lord,

about his power and his mighty wonders.

5For he issued his laws to Jacob;

he gave his instructions to Israel.

He commanded our ancestors

to teach them to their children,

6so the next generation might know them—

even the children not yet born—

and they in turn will teach their own children.

7So each generation should set its hope anew on God,

not forgetting his glorious miracles

and obeying his commands.

8Then they will not be like their ancestors—

stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful,

refusing to give their hearts to God.

9The warriors of Ephraim, though armed with bows,

turned their backs and fled on the day of battle.

10They did not keep God’s covenant

and refused to live by his instructions.

11They forgot what he had done—

the great wonders he had shown them,

12the miracles he did for their ancestors

on the plain of Zoan in the land of Egypt.

13For he divided the sea and led them through,

making the water stand up like walls!

14In the daytime he led them by a cloud,

and all night by a pillar of fire.

15He split open the rocks in the wilderness

to give them water, as from a gushing spring.

16He made streams pour from the rock,

making the waters flow down like a river!

17Yet they kept on sinning against him,

rebelling against the Most High in the desert.

18They stubbornly tested God in their hearts,

demanding the foods they craved.

19They even spoke against God himself, saying,

“God can’t give us food in the wilderness.

20Yes, he can strike a rock so water gushes out,

but he can’t give his people bread and meat.”

21When the Lord heard them, he was furious.

The fire of his wrath burned against Jacob.

Yes, his anger rose against Israel,

22for they did not believe God

or trust him to care for them.

23But he commanded the skies to open;

he opened the doors of heaven.

24He rained down manna for them to eat;

he gave them bread from heaven.

25They ate the food of angels!

God gave them all they could hold.

26He released the east wind in the heavens

and guided the south wind by his mighty power.

27He rained down meat as thick as dust—

birds as plentiful as the sand on the seashore!

28He caused the birds to fall within their camp

and all around their tents.

29The people ate their fill.

He gave them what they craved.

30But before they satisfied their craving,

while the meat was yet in their mouths,

31the anger of God rose against them,

and he killed their strongest men.

He struck down the finest of Israel’s young men.

32But in spite of this, the people kept sinning.

Despite his wonders, they refused to trust him.

33So he ended their lives in failure,

their years in terror.

34When God began killing them,

they finally sought him.

They repented and took God seriously.

35Then they remembered that God was their rock,

that God Most High*78:35 Hebrew El-Elyon. was their redeemer.

36But all they gave him was lip service;

they lied to him with their tongues.

37Their hearts were not loyal to him.

They did not keep his covenant.

38Yet he was merciful and forgave their sins

and did not destroy them all.

Many times he held back his anger

and did not unleash his fury!

39For he remembered that they were merely mortal,

gone like a breath of wind that never returns.

40Oh, how often they rebelled against him in the wilderness

and grieved his heart in that dry wasteland.

41Again and again they tested God’s patience

and provoked the Holy One of Israel.

42They did not remember his power

and how he rescued them from their enemies.

43They did not remember his miraculous signs in Egypt,

his wonders on the plain of Zoan.

44For he turned their rivers into blood,

so no one could drink from the streams.

45He sent vast swarms of flies to consume them

and hordes of frogs to ruin them.

46He gave their crops to caterpillars;

their harvest was consumed by locusts.

47He destroyed their grapevines with hail

and shattered their sycamore-figs with sleet.

48He abandoned their cattle to the hail,

their livestock to bolts of lightning.

49He loosed on them his fierce anger—

all his fury, rage, and hostility.

He dispatched against them

a band of destroying angels.

50He turned his anger against them;

he did not spare the Egyptians’ lives

but ravaged them with the plague.

51He killed the oldest son in each Egyptian family,

the flower of youth throughout the land of Egypt.*78:51 Hebrew in the tents of Ham.

52But he led his own people like a flock of sheep,

guiding them safely through the wilderness.

53He kept them safe so they were not afraid;

but the sea covered their enemies.

54He brought them to the border of his holy land,

to this land of hills he had won for them.

55He drove out the nations before them;

he gave them their inheritance by lot.

He settled the tribes of Israel into their homes.

56But they kept testing and rebelling against God Most High.

They did not obey his laws.

57They turned back and were as faithless as their parents.

They were as undependable as a crooked bow.

58They angered God by building shrines to other gods;

they made him jealous with their idols.

59When God heard them, he was very angry,

and he completely rejected Israel.

60Then he abandoned his dwelling at Shiloh,

the Tabernacle where he had lived among the people.

61He allowed the Ark of his might to be captured;

he surrendered his glory into enemy hands.

62He gave his people over to be butchered by the sword,

because he was so angry with his own people—his special possession.

63Their young men were killed by fire;

their young women died before singing their wedding songs.

64Their priests were slaughtered,

and their widows could not mourn their deaths.

65Then the Lord rose up as though waking from sleep,

like a warrior aroused from a drunken stupor.

66He routed his enemies

and sent them to eternal shame.

67But he rejected Joseph’s descendants;

he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.

68He chose instead the tribe of Judah,

and Mount Zion, which he loved.

69There he built his sanctuary as high as the heavens,

as solid and enduring as the earth.

70He chose his servant David,

calling him from the sheep pens.

71He took David from tending the ewes and lambs

and made him the shepherd of Jacob’s descendants—

God’s own people, Israel.

72He cared for them with a true heart

and led them with skillful hands.

Yodh

73You made me; you created me.

Now give me the sense to follow your commands.

74May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy,

for I have put my hope in your word.

75I know, O Lord, that your regulations are fair;

you disciplined me because I needed it.

76Now let your unfailing love comfort me,

just as you promised me, your servant.

77Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live,

for your instructions are my delight.

78Bring disgrace upon the arrogant people who lied about me;

meanwhile, I will concentrate on your commandments.

79Let me be united with all who fear you,

with those who know your laws.

80May I be blameless in keeping your decrees;

then I will never be ashamed.

Psalm 77

A Lament over Unanswered Prayer

For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of Asaph.

1I cry out to God; yes, I shout.

Oh, that God would listen to me!

2When I was in deep trouble,

I searched for the Lord.

All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven,

but my soul was not comforted.

3I think of God, and I moan,

overwhelmed with longing for his help.

Interlude

4You don’t let me sleep.

I am too distressed even to pray!

5I think of the good old days,

long since ended,

6when my nights were filled with joyful songs.

I search my soul and ponder the difference now.

7Has the Lord rejected me forever?

Will he never again be kind to me?

8Is his unfailing love gone forever?

Have his promises permanently failed?

9Has God forgotten to be gracious?

Has he slammed the door on his compassion?

Interlude

10And I said, “This is my fate;

the Most High has turned his hand against me.”

11But then I recall all you have done, O Lord;

I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.

12They are constantly in my thoughts.

I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.

13O God, your ways are holy.

Is there any god as mighty as you?

14You are the God of great wonders!

You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations.

15By your strong arm, you redeemed your people,

the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

Interlude

16When the Red Sea*77:16 Hebrew the waters. saw you, O God,

its waters looked and trembled!

The sea quaked to its very depths.

17The clouds poured down rain;

the thunder rumbled in the sky.

Your arrows of lightning flashed.

18Your thunder roared from the whirlwind;

the lightning lit up the world!

The earth trembled and shook.

19Your road led through the sea,

your pathway through the mighty waters—

a pathway no one knew was there!

20You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep,

with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds.

Psalm 39

A Plea for Mercy Since Life Is Short

For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David.

1I said to myself, “I will watch what I do

and not sin in what I say.

I will hold my tongue

when the ungodly are around me.”

2But as I stood there in silence—

not even speaking of good things—

the turmoil within me grew worse.

3The more I thought about it,

the hotter I got,

igniting a fire of words:

4“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.

Remind me that my days are numbered—

how fleeting my life is.

5You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.

My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;

at best, each of us is but a breath.”

Interlude

6We are merely moving shadows,

and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.

We heap up wealth,

not knowing who will spend it.

7And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?

My only hope is in you.

8Rescue me from my rebellion.

Do not let fools mock me.

9I am silent before you; I won’t say a word,

for my punishment is from you.

10But please stop striking me!

I am exhausted by the blows from your hand.

11When you discipline us for our sins,

you consume like a moth what is precious to us.

Each of us is but a breath.

Interlude

12Hear my prayer, O Lord!

Listen to my cries for help!

Don’t ignore my tears.

For I am your guest—

a traveler passing through,

as my ancestors were before me.

13Leave me alone so I can smile again

before I am gone and exist no more.

Psalm 94

A Plea for Judgment on Oppressors

1O Lord, the God of vengeance,

O God of vengeance, let your glorious justice shine forth!

2Arise, O Judge of the earth.

Give the proud what they deserve.

3How long, O Lord?

How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat?

4How long will they speak with arrogance?

How long will these evil people boast?

5They crush your people, Lord,

hurting those you claim as your own.

6They kill widows and foreigners

and murder orphans.

7“The Lord isn’t looking,” they say,

“and besides, the God of Israel*94:7 Hebrew of Jacob. See note on 44:4. doesn’t care.”

8Think again, you fools!

When will you finally catch on?

9Is he deaf—the one who made your ears?

Is he blind—the one who formed your eyes?

10He punishes the nations—won’t he also punish you?

He knows everything—doesn’t he also know what you are doing?

11The Lord knows people’s thoughts;

he knows they are worthless!

12Joyful are those you discipline, Lord,

those you teach with your instructions.

13You give them relief from troubled times

until a pit is dug to capture the wicked.

14The Lord will not reject his people;

he will not abandon his special possession.

15Judgment will again be founded on justice,

and those with virtuous hearts will pursue it.

16Who will protect me from the wicked?

Who will stand up for me against evildoers?

17Unless the Lord had helped me,

I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave.

18I cried out, “I am slipping!”

but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me.

19When doubts filled my mind,

your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.

20Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side—

leaders whose decrees permit injustice?

21They gang up against the righteous

and condemn the innocent to death.

22But the Lord is my fortress;

my God is the mighty rock where I hide.

23God will turn the sins of evil people back on them.

He will destroy them for their sins.

The Lord our God will destroy them.

Kaph

81I am worn out waiting for your rescue,

but I have put my hope in your word.

82My eyes are straining to see your promises come true.

When will you comfort me?

83I am shriveled like a wineskin in the smoke,

but I have not forgotten to obey your decrees.

84How long must I wait?

When will you punish those who persecute me?

85These arrogant people who hate your instructions

have dug deep pits to trap me.

86All your commands are trustworthy.

Protect me from those who hunt me down without cause.

87They almost finished me off,

but I refused to abandon your commandments.

88In your unfailing love, spare my life;

then I can continue to obey your laws.