Psalm 60-87

Contemporary English Version

⁴ You gave a signal to those
    who worship you,
so they could escape
    from enemy arrows.^[c]
5 Answer our prayers, God!
Use your powerful arm
    and give us victory.
Then the people you love
    will be safe.

⁶ Our God, you solemnly promised,
“I would gladly divide up
    the city of Shechem
and give away Succoth Valley
    piece by piece.
⁷ The lands of Gilead
    and Manasseh are mine.
Ephraim is my war helmet,
and Judah is the symbol
    of my royal power.
⁸ Moab is merely my washbasin.
    Edom belongs to me,
and I shout in triumph
    over the Philistines.”

⁹ Our God, who will bring me
to the fortress,
    or lead me to Edom?
¹⁰ Have you rejected us
    and deserted our armies?
¹¹ Help us defeat our enemies!
    No one else can rescue us.
¹² You will give us victory
    and crush our enemies.

Lead me to the mighty rock^[d]
    high above me.
³ You are a strong tower,
where I am safe
    from my enemies.

⁴ Let me live with you forever
and find protection
    under your wings, my God.
⁵ You heard my promises,
    and you have blessed me,
just as you bless everyone
    who worships you.

⁶ Let the king have a long
    and healthy life.
⁷ May he always rule
    with you, God, at his side;
may your love and loyalty
    watch over him.

⁸ I will sing your praises
forever, God, and will always
    keep my promises.

³ I feel like a shaky fence
    or a sagging wall.
How long will all of you
    attack and assault me?
⁴ You want to bring me down
    from my place of honor.
You love to tell lies,
and when your words are kind,
    hatred hides in your heart.

⁵ Only God gives inward peace,
    and I depend on him.
⁶ God alone is the mighty rock
    that keeps me safe,
and he is the fortress
    where I feel secure.
⁷ God saves me and honors me.
He is that mighty rock
    where I find safety.

⁸ Trust God, my friends,
    and always tell him
each of your concerns.
    God is our place of safety.

⁹ We humans are only a breath;
    none of us are truly great.
All of us together weigh less
    than a puff of air.
¹⁰ Don't trust in violence
or depend on dishonesty
    or rely on great wealth.

¹¹ I heard God say two things:
“I am powerful,
^{12     (B)} and I am very kind.”
The Lord rewards each of us
    according to what we do.

² I have seen your power
and your glory
    in the place of worship.
³ Your love means more
than life to me,
    and I praise you.
⁴ As long as I live,
    I will pray to you.
⁵ I will sing joyful praises
and be filled with excitement
    like a guest at a banquet.

⁶ I think about you, God,
    before I go to sleep,
and my thoughts turn to you
    during the night.
⁷ You have helped me,
and I sing happy songs
    in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ I stay close to you,
and your powerful arm
    supports me.

⁹ All who want to kill me
    will end up in the ground.
¹⁰ Swords will run them through,
    and wild dogs will eat them.

¹¹ Because of you, our God,
    the king will celebrate
with your faithful followers,
    but liars will be silent.

⁵ They are determined to do evil,
    and they tell themselves,
“Let's set traps!
    No one can see us.”^[g]
6 They make evil plans and say,
“We'll commit a perfect crime.
    No one knows our thoughts.”^[h]

⁷ But God will shoot his arrows
    and quickly wound them.
⁸ They will be destroyed
    by their own words,
and everyone who sees them
    will tremble with fear.^[i]
9 They will be afraid and say,
“Look at what God has done
    and keep it all in mind.”

¹⁰ May the Lord bless his people
with peace and happiness
    and let them celebrate.

⁵ Our God, you save us,
and your fearsome deeds answer
    our prayers for justice!
You give hope to people
everywhere on earth,
    even those across the sea.
⁶ You are strong,
and your mighty power
    put the mountains in place.
⁷ You silence the roaring waves
and the noisy shouts
    of the nations.
⁸ People far away marvel
    at your fearsome deeds,
and all who live under the sun
celebrate and sing
    because of you.

⁹ You take care of the earth
and send rain to help the soil
    grow all kinds of crops.
Your rivers never run dry,
and you prepare the earth
    to produce abundant grain.
¹⁰ You water all its fields
    and level the lumpy ground.
You send showers of rain
to soften the soil
    and help the plants sprout.
¹¹ Wherever your footsteps
touch the earth,
    a rich harvest is gathered.
¹² Desert pastures blossom,
    and mountains celebrate.
¹³ Meadows are filled
    with sheep and goats;
valleys overflow with grain
    and echo with joyful songs.

⁵ Come and see the fearsome things
    our God has done!
^6 (D) When God made the sea dry up,
    our people walked across,
and because of him,
    we celebrated there.
⁷ His mighty power rules forever,
    and nothing the nations do
can be hidden from him.
    So don't turn against God.

⁸ All of you people,
come praise our God!
    Let his praises be heard.
⁹ God protects us from death
    and keeps us steady.

¹⁰ Our God, you tested us,
    just as silver is tested.
¹¹ You trapped us in a net
    and gave us heavy burdens.
¹² You sent war chariots
    to crush our skulls.
We traveled through fire
    and through floods,
but you brought us
    to a land of plenty.

¹³ I will bring sacrifices
    into your house, my God,
and I will do what I promised
¹⁴     when I was in trouble.
¹⁵ I will sacrifice my best sheep
and offer bulls and goats
    on your altar.

¹⁶ All who worship God,
    come here and listen;
I will tell you everything
    God has done for me.
¹⁷ I prayed to the Lord,
    and I praised him.
¹⁸ If my thoughts had been sinful,
he would have refused
    to hear me.
¹⁹ But God did listen
    and answered my prayer.
²⁰ Let's praise God!
He listened when I prayed,
    and he is always kind.

³ Make everyone praise you
    and shout your praises.
⁴ Let the nations celebrate
    with joyful songs,
because you judge fairly
    and guide all nations.
⁵ Make everyone praise you, God,
    and shout your praises.

⁶ Our God has blessed the earth
    with a wonderful harvest!
⁷ Pray for his blessings
    to continue
and for everyone on earth
    to worship our God.

⁴ Our God, you are the one
who rides on the clouds,^[k]
    and we praise you.
Your name is the Lord,
and we celebrate
    as we worship you.

⁵ Our God, from your sacred home
you take care of orphans
    and protect widows.
⁶ You find families
    for those who are lonely.
You set prisoners free
    and let them prosper,^[l]
but all who rebel will live
    in a scorching desert.

⁷ You set your people free,
and you led them
    through the desert.
^8 (E) God of Israel,
the earth trembled,
    and rain poured down.
You alone are the God
    who rules from Mount Sinai.
⁹ When your land was thirsty,
you sent showers
    to refresh it.
¹⁰ Your people settled there,
and you were generous
    to everyone in need.

¹¹ You gave the command, Lord,
and a chorus of women told
    what had happened:
¹² “Kings and their armies
    retreated and ran,
and everything they left
    is now being divided.
¹³ And for those who stayed back
    to guard the sheep,
there are metal doves
with silver-coated wings
    and shiny gold feathers.”

¹⁴ God All-Powerful, you scattered
the kings like snow falling
    on Mount Zalmon.^[m]

¹⁵ Our Lord and our God,
Bashan is a mighty mountain
    covered with peaks.
¹⁶ Why is it jealous of Zion,
the mountain you chose
    as your home forever?

¹⁷ When you, Lord God, appeared
    to your people^[n] at Sinai,
you came with thousands
    of mighty chariots.
^18 (F) When you climbed
    the high mountain,
you took prisoners with you
    and were given gifts.
Your enemies didn't want you
to live there,
    but they gave you gifts.

¹⁹ We praise you, Lord God!
You treat us with kindness
    day after day,
    and you rescue us.
²⁰ You always protect us
    and save us from death.

²¹ Our Lord and our God,
your terrible enemies
    are ready for war,^[o]
but you will crush
    their skulls.
²² You promised to bring them
from Bashan
    and from the deepest sea.
²³ Then we could wash our feet
    in their blood,
and our dogs could chew
    on their bones.

²⁴ We have seen crowds marching
to your place of worship,
    our God and King.
²⁵ Singers come first,
    and then the musicians,
surrounded by young women
    playing tambourines.
²⁶ They come shouting,
“People of Israel,
    praise the Lord God!”
²⁷ The small tribe of Benjamin
    leads the way,
followed by the leaders
    from Judah.
Then come the leaders
    from Zebulun and Naphtali.

²⁸ Our God, show your strength!
    Show us once again.
²⁹ Then kings will bring gifts
to your temple
    in Jerusalem.^[p]

³⁰ Punish that animal
    that lives in the swamp!^[q]
Punish that nation
whose leaders and people
    are like wild bulls.
Make them come crawling
    with gifts of silver.
Scatter those nations
    that enjoy making war.^[r]
31 Force the Egyptians to bring
    gifts of bronze;
make the Ethiopians^[s] hurry
    to offer presents.^[t]

³² Now sing praises to God!
Every kingdom on earth,
    sing to the Lord!
³³ Praise the one who rides
    across the ancient skies;
listen as he speaks
    with a mighty voice.

³⁴ Tell about God's power!
He is honored in Israel,
    and he rules the skies.
³⁵ The God of Israel is fearsome
    in his temple,
and he makes us strong.
    Let's praise our God!

^4 (G) There are more people
    who hate me for no reason
than there are hairs
    on my head.
Many terrible enemies
    want to destroy me, God.
Am I supposed to give back
    something I didn't steal?
⁵ You know my foolish sins.
    Not one is hidden from you.

⁶ Lord God All-Powerful,
    ruler of Israel,
don't let me embarrass anyone
    who trusts and worships you.
⁷ It is for your sake alone
that I am insulted
    and blush with shame.
⁸ I am like a stranger
    to my relatives
and like a foreigner
    to my own family.

^9 (H) My love for your house
    burns in me like a fire,
and when others insult you,
    they insulted me as well.
¹⁰ I cried and went without food,^[u]
    but they still insulted me.
¹¹ They sneered at me
for wearing sackcloth^[v]
    to show my sorrow.
¹² Rulers and judges gossip
    about me,
and drunkards make up songs
    to mock me.

¹³ But I pray to you, Lord.
    So when the time is right,
answer me and help me
    with your wonderful love.
¹⁴ Don't let me sink in the mud,
but save me from my enemies
    and from the deep water.
¹⁵ Don't let me be
    swept away by a flood
    or drowned in the ocean
    or swallowed by death.

¹⁶ Answer me, Lord!
    You are kind and good.
Pay attention to me!
    You are truly merciful.
¹⁷ Don't turn away from me.
I am your servant,
    and I am in trouble.
Please hurry and help!
¹⁸ Come and save me
    from my enemies.

¹⁹ You know how I am insulted,
    mocked, and disgraced;
you know every one
    of my enemies.
²⁰ I am crushed by insults,
    and I feel sick.
I had hoped for mercy and pity,
    but there was none.
^21 (I) Enemies poisoned my food,
and when I was thirsty,
    they gave me vinegar.

^22 (J) Make their table a trap
    for them and their friends.
²³ Blind them with darkness
    and make them tremble.
²⁴ Show them how angry you are!
    Be furious and catch them.
^25 (K) Destroy their camp
and don't let anyone live
    in their tents.

²⁶ They cause trouble for people
    you have already punished;
their gossip hurts those
    you have wounded.
²⁷ Make them guiltier than ever
    and don't forgive them.
^28 (L) Wipe their names from the book
    of the living;
remove them from the list
    of the innocent.
²⁹ I am mistreated and in pain.
Protect me, God,
    and keep me safe!

³⁰ I will praise the Lord God
with a song
    and a thankful heart.
³¹ This will please the Lord
better than offering an ox
    or a full-grown bull.
³² When those in need see this,
    they will be happy,
and the Lord's worshipers
    will be encouraged.
³³ The Lord will listen
    when the homeless cry out,
and he will never forget
    his people in prison.

³⁴ Heaven and earth
    will praise our God,
and so will the oceans
    and everything in them.
³⁵ God will rescue Jerusalem,
and he will rebuild
    the towns of Judah.
His people will live there
    on their own land,
³⁶ and when the time comes,
their children will inherit
    the land.
Then everyone who loves God
    will also settle there.

⁴ Let your worshipers celebrate
    and be glad because of you.
They love your saving power,
so let them always say,
    “God is wonderful!”
⁵ I am poor and needy,
but you, the Lord God,
    care about me.

You are the one who saves me.
    Please hurry and help!

⁴ Come and save me, Lord God,
from vicious and cruel
    and brutal enemies!
⁵ I depend on you,
and I have trusted you
    since I was young.
⁶ I have relied on you^[x]
    from the day I was born.
You brought me safely
through birth,
    and I always praise you.

⁷ Many people think of me
    as something evil.
But you are my mighty protector,
⁸ and I praise and honor you
    all day long.
⁹ Don't throw me aside
    when I am old;
don't desert me
    when my strength is gone.
¹⁰ My enemies are plotting
    because they want me dead.
¹¹ They say, “Now we'll catch you!
God has deserted you,
    and no one can save you.”
¹² Come closer, God!
    Please hurry and help.
¹³ Embarrass and destroy
    all who want me dead;
disgrace and confuse
    all who want to hurt me.
¹⁴ I will never give up hope
    or stop praising you.
¹⁵ All day long I will tell
the wonderful things you do
    to save your people.
But you have done much more
    than I could possibly know.
¹⁶ I will praise you, Lord God,
for your mighty deeds
    and your power to save.

¹⁷ You have taught me
    since I was a child,
and I never stop telling about
    your marvelous deeds.
¹⁸ Don't leave me when I am old
    and my hair turns gray.
Let me tell future generations
    about your mighty power.
¹⁹ Your deeds of kindness
are known in the heavens.
    No one is like you!

²⁰ You made me suffer a lot,
    but you will bring me
back from this deep pit
    and give me new life.
²¹ You will make me truly great
    and take my sorrow away.

²² I will praise you, God,
the Holy One of Israel.
    You are faithful.
I will play the harp
    and sing your praises.
²³ You have rescued me!
    I will celebrate and shout,
singing praises to you
    with all my heart.
²⁴ All day long I will announce
    your power to save.
I will tell how you disgraced
and disappointed those
    who wanted to hurt me.

^8 (M) Let his kingdom reach
    from sea to sea,
from the Euphrates River
    across all the earth.
⁹ Force the desert tribes
    to accept his rule,
and make his enemies
    crawl in the dirt.
¹⁰ Force the rulers of Tarshish^[z]
and of the islands
    to pay taxes to him.
Make the kings of Sheba
    and of Seba^[aa] bring gifts.
¹¹ Make other rulers bow down
    and all nations serve him.

¹² Do this because the king
rescues the homeless
    when they cry out,
and he helps everyone
    who is poor and in need.
¹³ The king has pity
on the weak and the helpless
    and protects those in need.
¹⁴ He cares when they hurt,
and he saves them from cruel
    and violent deaths.

¹⁵ Long live the king!
    Give him gold from Sheba.
Always pray for the king
    and praise him each day.
¹⁶ Let cities overflow with food
and hills be covered with grain,
    just like Mount Lebanon.
Let the people in the cities
    prosper like wild flowers.
¹⁷ May the glory of the king
shine brightly forever
    like the sun in the sky.
Let him make nations prosper
    and learn to praise him.

¹⁸ Lord God of Israel,
we praise you.
    Only you can work miracles.
¹⁹ We will always praise
    your glorious name.
Let your glory be seen
everywhere on earth.
    Amen and amen.

²⁰ This ends the prayers
    of David, the son of Jesse.

⁶ Their pride is like a necklace,
and they commit sin more often
    than they dress themselves.
⁷ Their eyes bulge with fat,
and their minds are flooded
    with foolish thoughts.
⁸ They sneer and say cruel things,
and because of their pride,
    they make violent threats.
⁹ They dare to speak against God
    and to order others around.

¹⁰ God will bring his people back,
and they will drink the water
    he so freely gives.^[ad]

¹¹ Only evil people would say,
“God Most High cannot
    know everything!”
¹² Yet all goes well for them,
    and they live in peace.
¹³ What good did it do me
to keep my thoughts pure
    and refuse to do wrong?
¹⁴ I am sick all day,
and I am punished
    each morning.
¹⁵ If I had said evil things,
I would not have been loyal
    to your people.

¹⁶ It was hard for me
    to understand all this!
¹⁷ Then I went to your temple,
    and there I understood
what will happen
    to my enemies.
¹⁸ You will make them stumble,
    never to get up again.
¹⁹ They will be terrified,
suddenly swept away
    and no longer there.
²⁰ They will disappear, Lord,
despised like a bad dream
    the morning after.

²¹ Once I was bitter
    and brokenhearted.
²² I was stupid and ignorant,
and I treated you
    as a wild animal would.
²³ But I never really left you,
    and you hold my right hand.
²⁴ Your advice has been my guide,
and later you will welcome me
    in glory.^[ae]
25 In heaven I have only you,
and on this earth
    you are all I want.
²⁶ My body and mind may fail,
but you are my strength
    and my choice forever.

²⁷ All-Powerful Lord God,
those who stay far from you
    will be lost,
and you will destroy those
    who are unfaithful.
²⁸ It is good for me
    to be near you.
I choose you as my protector,
and I will tell about
    your wonderful deeds.

Think of Mount Zion,
    your home;
³ walk over to the temple
left in ruins forever
    by those who hate us.

⁴ Your enemies roared like lions
    in your holy temple,
and they have placed
    their banners there.
⁵ It looks like a forest
    chopped to pieces.^[af]
6 They used axes and hatchets
    to smash the carvings.
⁷ They burned down your temple
    and badly disgraced it.
⁸ They said to themselves,
    “We'll crush them!”
Then they burned every one
of your meeting places
    all over the country.
⁹ There are no more miracles
    and no more prophets.
Who knows how long
    it will be like this?

¹⁰ Our God, how much longer
    will our enemies sneer?
Won't they ever stop
    insulting you?
¹¹ Why don't you punish them?
    Why are you holding back?

¹² Our God and King,
you have ruled
    since ancient times;
you have won victories
    everywhere on this earth.
^13 (N) By your power you made a path
    through the sea,
and you smashed the heads
    of sea monsters.
^14 (O) You crushed the heads
    of the monster Leviathan,^[ag]
then fed him to wild creatures
    in the desert.
¹⁵ You opened the ground
for streams and springs
    and dried up mighty rivers.
¹⁶ You rule the day and the night,
and you put the moon
    and the sun in place.
¹⁷ You made summer and winter
    and gave them to the earth.^[ah]

¹⁸ Remember your enemies, Lord!
They foolishly sneer
    and won't respect you.
¹⁹ You treat us like pet doves,
    but they mistreat us.
Don't keep forgetting us
and letting us be fed
    to those wild animals.
²⁰ Remember the agreement
    you made with us.
Violent enemies are hiding
in every dark corner
    of the earth.
²¹ Don't disappoint those in need
    or make them turn from you,
but help the poor and homeless
    to shout your praises.
²² Do something, God!
    Defend yourself.
Remember how those fools
    sneer at you all day long.
²³ Don't forget the loud shouts
    of your enemies.

² You have set a time
    to judge with fairness.
³ The earth trembles,
    and its people shake;
you alone keep
    its foundations firm.
⁴ You tell every bragger,
    “Stop bragging!”
And to the wicked you say,
    “Don't boast of your power!
⁵ Stop bragging! Quit telling me
    how great you are.”

⁶ Our Lord and our God,
    victory doesn't come
from the east or the west
    or from the desert.
⁷ You are the one who judges.
You can take away power
    and give it to others.
⁸ You hold in your hand
a cup filled with wine,^[aj]
    strong and foaming.
You will pour out some
for every sinful person
    on this earth,
and they will have to drink
    until it is gone.
⁹ But I will always tell about
you, the God of Jacob,
    and I will sing your praise.

¹⁰ Our Lord, you will destroy
    the power of evil people,
but you will give strength
    to those who are good.

⁴ You are more glorious than
    the eternal mountains.^[ak]
5 Brave warriors were robbed
    of what they had taken,
and now they lie dead,
    unable to lift an arm.
⁶ God of Jacob, when you roar,
enemy chariots and horses
    drop dead in their tracks.

⁷ Our God, you are fearsome,
and no one can oppose you
    when you are angry.
⁸ From heaven you announced
    your decisions as judge!
And all who live on this earth
    were terrified and silent
⁹ when you took over as judge,
ready to rescue
    everyone in need.
¹⁰ Even the most angry people
will praise you
    when you are furious.^[al]

¹¹ Everyone, make your promises
to the Lord your God
    and do what you promise.
The Lord is fearsome,
and all his servants
    should bring him gifts.
¹² God destroys the courage
of rulers and kings
    and makes cowards of them.

⁴ Because of you, Lord God,
    I can't sleep.
I am restless
    and can't even talk.
⁵ I think of times gone by,
    of those years long ago.
⁶ Each night my mind
    is flooded with questions:^[am]
7 “Have you rejected me forever?
    Won't you be kind again?
⁸ Is this the end of your love
    and your promises?
⁹ Have you forgotten
    how to have pity?
Do you refuse to show mercy
    because of your anger?”
¹⁰ Then I said, “God Most High,
    what hurts me most
is that you no longer help us
    with your mighty arm.”

¹¹ Our Lord, I will remember
the things you have done,
    your miracles of long ago.
¹² I will think about each one
    of your mighty deeds.
¹³ Everything you do is right,
and no other god
    compares with you.
¹⁴ You alone work miracles,
and you have let nations
    see your mighty power.
¹⁵ With your own arm you rescued
your people, the descendants
    of Jacob and Joseph.

¹⁶ The ocean looked at you, God,
and it trembled deep down
    with fear.
¹⁷ Water flowed from the clouds.
    Thunder was heard above
as your arrows of lightning
    flashed about.
¹⁸ Your thunder roared
    like chariot wheels.
The world was made bright
by lightning,
    and all the earth trembled.

¹⁹ You walked through the water
    of the mighty sea,
but your footprints
    were never seen.
²⁰ You guided your people
    like a flock of sheep,
and you chose Moses and Aaron
    to be their leaders.

⁵ God gave his Law
to Jacob's descendants,
    the people of Israel.
And he told our ancestors
    to teach their children,
⁶ so that each new generation
would know his Law
    and tell it to the next.
⁷ Then they would trust God
    and obey his teachings,
without forgetting anything
    God had done.
⁸ They would be different
    from their ancestors,
who were stubborn, rebellious,
    and unfaithful to God.

⁹ The warriors from Ephraim
    were armed with arrows,
but they ran away
    when the battle began.
¹⁰ They broke their agreement
    with God,
and they turned their backs
    on his teaching.
¹¹ They forgot all he had done,
    even the mighty miracles
^12 (Q)(R) he did for their ancestors
    near Zoan^[an] in Egypt.

^13 (S) God made a path in the sea
and piled up the water
    as he led them across.
^14 (T) He guided them during the day
    with a cloud,
and each night he led them
    with a flaming fire.
^15 (U) God made water flow
from rocks he split open
    in the desert,
and his people drank freely,
    as though from a lake.
¹⁶ He made streams gush out
    like rivers from rocks.

¹⁷ But in the desert,
the people of God Most High
    kept sinning and rebelling.
^18 (V) They stubbornly tested God
and demanded from him
    what they wanted to eat.
¹⁹ They challenged God by saying,
“Can God provide food
    out here in the desert?
²⁰ It's true God struck the rock
and water gushed out
    like a river,
but can he give his people
    bread and meat?”

²¹ When the Lord heard this,
    he was angry and furious
with Jacob's descendants,
    the people of Israel.
²² They had refused to trust him,
and they had doubted
    his saving power.

²³ But God gave a command
    to the clouds,
and he opened the doors
    in the skies.
^24 (W) From heaven he sent grain
    that they called manna.^[ao]
25 He gave them more than enough,
and each one of them ate
    this special food.

²⁶ God's mighty power
sent a strong wind
    from the southeast,
²⁷ and it brought birds
that covered the ground,
    like sand on the beach.
²⁸ Then God made the birds fall
in the camp of his people
    near their tents.

²⁹ God gave his people
    all they wanted,
and each of them ate
    until they were full.
³⁰ But before they had swallowed
    the last bite,
³¹ God became angry and killed
the strongest and best
    from the families of Israel.

³² But the rest kept on sinning
and would not trust
    God's miracles.
³³ So he cut their lives short
    and made them terrified.
³⁴ After he killed some of them,
the others turned to him
    with all their hearts.
³⁵ They remembered God Most High,
the mighty rock^[ap]
    that kept them safe.
³⁶ But they tried to flatter God,
    and they told him lies;
^37 (X) they were unfaithful
    and broke their promises.

³⁸ Yet God was kind.
He kept forgiving their sins
    and didn't destroy them.
He often became angry,
    but never lost his temper.
³⁹ God remembered that they
    were made of flesh
and were like a wind
that blows once
    and then dies down.

⁴⁰ While they were in the desert,
they often rebelled
    and made God sad.
⁴¹ They kept testing him
and caused terrible pain
    for the Holy One of Israel.
⁴² They forgot about his power
and how he had rescued them
    from their enemies.

⁴³ God showed them all kinds
of wonderful miracles
    near Zoan^[aq] in Egypt.
^44 (Y) He turned the rivers of Egypt
    into blood,
and no one could drink
    from the streams.
^45 (Z) He sent swarms of flies
    to pester the Egyptians,
and he sent frogs
    to cause them trouble.

^46 (AA) God let worms and grasshoppers
    eat their crops.
^47 (AB) He destroyed their grapevines
and their fig trees
    with hail and floods.^[ar]
48 Then he killed their cattle
    with hail
and their other animals
    with lightning.

⁴⁹ God was so angry and furious
    that he went into a rage
and caused them great trouble
by sending swarms
    of destroying angels.
⁵⁰ God released his anger
and slaughtered them
    in a terrible way.
^51 (AC) He killed the first-born son
    of each Egyptian family.

^52 (AD) Then God led his people
    out of Egypt
and guided them in the desert
    like a flock of sheep.
^53 (AE) He led them safely along,
    and they were not afraid,
but their enemies drowned
    in the sea.

^54 (AF) God brought his people
    to the sacred mountain
that he had taken
    by his own power.
^55 (AG) He made nations run
    from the tribes of Israel,
and he let the tribes
    take over their land.

^56 (AH) But the people tested
    God Most High,
and they refused
    to obey his laws.
⁵⁷ They were as unfaithful
    as their ancestors,
and they were as crooked
    as a twisted arrow.
⁵⁸ God demanded all their love,
but they made him angry
    by worshiping idols.

⁵⁹ So God became furious
and completely rejected
    the people of Israel.
^60 (AI) Then he deserted his home
at Shiloh, where he lived
    here on earth.
^61 (AJ) He let enemies capture
the sacred chest^[as]
    and let them dishonor him.

⁶² God took out his anger
    on his chosen ones
and let them be killed
    by enemy swords.
⁶³ Fire destroyed the young men,
and the young women were left
    with no one to marry.
⁶⁴ Priests died violent deaths,
but their widows
    were not allowed to mourn.

⁶⁵ Finally the Lord woke up,
like a soldier
    startled from a drunken sleep.
⁶⁶ God scattered his enemies
and made them ashamed
    forever.

⁶⁷ Then the Lord decided
    not to make his home
with Joseph's descendants
    in Ephraim.^[at]
68 Instead he chose the tribe
    of Judah,
and he chose Mount Zion,
    the place he loves.
⁶⁹ There he built his temple
as lofty as the mountains
and as solid as the earth
he made to last forever.

^70 (AK) The Lord God chose David
to be his servant and took him
    from tending sheep
⁷¹     and from caring for lambs.
Then God made him the leader
    of Israel, his own nation.
⁷² David treated the people fairly
    and guided them with wisdom.

⁵ Our Lord, will you keep on
    being angry?
Will your angry feelings
    keep flaming up like fire?
⁶ Get angry with those nations
that don't know you
    and won't worship you!
⁷ They have gobbled up
Jacob's descendants
    and left the land in ruins.

^8 (AM) Don't make us pay for the sins
    of our ancestors.
Have pity and come quickly!
    We are completely helpless.
⁹ Our God, you keep us safe.
    Now help us! Rescue us.
Forgive our sins
    and bring honor to yourself.

¹⁰ Why should nations ask us,
    “Where is your God?”
Let us and the other nations
    see you take revenge
for your servants who died
    a violent death.

¹¹ Listen to the prisoners groan!
Let your mighty power save all
    who are sentenced to die.
¹² Each of those nations sneered
    at you, our Lord.
Now let others sneer at them,
    seven times as much.
¹³ Then we, your people,
    will always thank you.
We are like sheep
    with you as our shepherd,
and all generations
    will hear us praise you.

³ Our God, make us strong again!
    Smile on us and save us.

⁴ Lord God All-Powerful,
    how much longer
will the prayers of your people
    make you angry?
⁵ You gave us tears for food,
and you made us drink them
    by the bowlful.
⁶ Because of you,
our enemies who live nearby
    laugh and joke about us.
⁷ Our God, make us strong again!
    Smile on us and save us.

⁸ We were like a grapevine
    you brought out of Egypt.
You chased other nations away
    and planted us here.
⁹ Then you cleared the ground,
and we put our roots deep,
    spreading over the land.
¹⁰ Shade from this vine covered
    the mountains.
Its branches climbed
the mighty cedars
¹¹     and stretched to the sea;
its new growth reached
    to the river.^[av]

¹² Our Lord, why have you
torn down the wall
    from around the vineyard?
You let everyone who walks by
    pick the grapes.
¹³ Now the vine is gobbled up
by pigs from the forest
    and other wild animals.

¹⁴ God All-Powerful,
    please do something!
Look down from heaven
and see what's happening
    to this vine.
¹⁵ With your own hands
    you planted its roots,
and you raised it
    as your very own.

¹⁶ Enemies chopped the vine down
    and set it on fire.
Now show your anger
    and destroy them.
¹⁷ But help the one who sits
    at your right side,^[aw]
the one you raised
    to be your very own.
¹⁸ Then we will never turn away.
Put new life into us,
    and we will worship you.

¹⁹ Lord God All-Powerful,
make us strong again!
    Smile on us and save us.

In a voice unknown to me,
    I heard someone say:
⁶ “I lifted the burden
    from your shoulder
and took the heavy basket
    from your hands.
^7 (AP) When you were in trouble,
    I rescued you,
and from the thunderclouds,
    I answered your prayers.
Later I tested you
    at Meribah Spring.^[az]

⁸ “Listen, my people,
while I, the Lord,
    correct you!
Israel, if you would only
    pay attention to me!
^9 (AQ) Don't worship foreign gods
or bow down to gods
    you know nothing about.
¹⁰ I am the Lord your God.
    I rescued you from Egypt.
Just ask, and I will give you
    whatever you need.

¹¹ “But, my people, Israel,
    you refused to listen,
and you would have nothing
    to do with me!
¹² So I let you be stubborn
and keep on following
    your own advice.

¹³ “My people, Israel,
if only you would listen
    and do as I say!
¹⁴ I, the Lord, would quickly
defeat your enemies
    with my mighty power.
¹⁵ Everyone who hates me
    would come crawling,
and that would be the end
    of them.
¹⁶ But I would feed you
    with the finest bread
and with the best honey^[ba]
    until you were full.”

⁵ “None of you know
    or understand a thing.
You live in darkness,
while the foundations
    of the earth tremble.^[bc]

^6 (AR) “I, the Most High God, say
that all of you are gods^[bd]
    and also my own children.
⁷ But you will die,
just like everyone else,
    including powerful rulers.”

⁸ Do something, God!
Judge the nations of the earth;
    they belong to you.

⁵ All of them fully agree
in their plans against you,
    and among them are
⁶ Edom and the Ishmaelites;
    Moab and the Hagrites;
⁷ Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
    Philistia and Phoenicia.^[be]
8 Even Assyria has joined forces
    with Moab and Ammon.^[bf]

^9 (AS) Our Lord, punish all of them
    as you punished Midian.
Destroy them, as you destroyed
    Sisera and Jabin
at Kishon Creek ¹⁰ near Endor,
    and let their bodies rot.
^11 (AT) Treat their leaders as you did
    Oreb and Zeeb,
    Zebah and Zalmunna.
¹² All of them said, “We'll take
    God's valuable land!”

¹³ Our God, scatter them around
    like dust in a whirlwind.
¹⁴ Just as flames destroy forests
    on the mountains,
¹⁵ pursue and terrify them
    with storms of your own.
¹⁶ Make them blush with shame,
until they turn and worship
    you, our Lord.
¹⁷ Let them be forever ashamed
and confused.
    Let them die in disgrace.
¹⁸ Make them realize that you
are the Lord Most High,
    the only ruler of earth!

³ Lord God All-Powerful,
    my King and my God,
sparrows find a home
    near your altars;
swallows build nests there
    to raise their young.

⁴ You bless everyone
who lives in your house,
    and they sing your praises.
⁵ You bless all who depend
    on you for their strength
and all who deeply desire
    to visit your temple.
⁶ When they reach Dry Valley,^[bh]
    springs start flowing,
and the autumn rain fills it
    with pools of water.^[bi]
7 Your people grow stronger,
and you, the God of gods,
    will be seen in Zion.

⁸ Lord God All-Powerful,
the God of Jacob,
    please answer my prayer!
⁹ You are the shield
    that protects your people,
and I am your chosen one.
    Won't you smile on me?

¹⁰ One day in your temple
is better than a thousand
    anywhere else.
I would rather serve
    in your house,
than live in the homes
    of the wicked.

¹¹ Our Lord and our God,
you are like the sun
    and also like a shield.
You treat us with kindness
    and with honor,
never denying any good thing
    to those who live right.

¹² Lord God All-Powerful,
you bless everyone
    who trusts you.

⁴ Our Lord and our God,
    you save us!
Please bring us back home
    and don't be angry.
⁵ Will you always be angry
    with us and our families?
⁶ Won't you give us fresh life
and let your people be glad
    because of you?
⁷ Show us your love
    and save us!

⁸ I will listen to you, Lord God,
    because you promise peace
to those who are faithful
    and no longer foolish.
⁹ You are ready to rescue
    everyone who worships you,
so that you will live with us
    in all your glory.

¹⁰ Love and loyalty
    will come together;
goodness and peace
    will unite.
¹¹ Loyalty will sprout
    from the ground;
justice will look down
    from the sky above.

¹² Our Lord, you will bless us;
our land will produce
    wonderful crops.
¹³ Justice will march in front,
making a path
    for you to follow.

⁸ No other gods are like you;
    only you work miracles.
^9 (AU) You created each nation,
and they will all bow down
    to worship and honor you.
¹⁰ You perform great wonders
    because you alone are God.

¹¹ Teach me to follow you,
and I will obey your truth.
    Always keep me faithful.
¹² With all my heart I thank you.
    I praise you, Lord God.
¹³ Your love for me is so great
that you protected me
    from death and the grave.

¹⁴ Proud and violent enemies,
    who don't care about you,
have ganged up to attack
    and kill me.
¹⁵ But you, the Lord God,
    are kind and merciful.
You don't easily get angry,
and your love
    can always be trusted.
¹⁶ I serve you, Lord,
and I am the child
    of one of your servants.
Look on me with kindness.
    Make me strong and save me.
¹⁷ Show that you approve of me!
Then my hateful enemies
    will feel like fools,
because you have helped
    and comforted me.

⁴ Egypt,^[bj] Babylonia, Philistia,
    Phoenicia,^[bk] and Ethiopia^[bl]
are some of those nations
    that know you,
and their people all say,
    “I was born in Zion.”

⁵ God Most High will strengthen
    the city of Zion.
Then everyone will say,
    “We were born here too.”
⁶ The Lord will make a list
    of his people,
and all who were born here
    will be included.