The Old Hymns (Psalms) Book 3

Book 3


73 [1-6] A Hymn of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, to Your people who have clean hearts. But as for me, my feet had almost fallen; my steps had nearly slipped. I was jealous of stupid people, when I saw how well those sinful ones were doing. For death doesn’t keep them out of trouble; their strength outlasts it. They don’t suffer as other people; nor are they troubled as others are. So pride binds them like a chain and violence covers them like clothes.

[7-12] They keep getting more, even though they have more than a heart could hope for already. They’re evil, talking proudly, and cruelly keep others down. They even speak against the heavens, as they walk through the earth. So their people return here, and take all their punishment for them. And they ask, “How does God know?” and, “Does the Most High know it?” See, these are the ungodly people that prosper in the world, which get more and more riches.

[13-20] Truthfully, I’ve cleansed my heart for no reason, and washed my hands in innocence. I’ve been troubled all day long, and disciplined every morning. If I say, I’ll speak this; I would offend the whole generation of Your children. And when I knew this, it was too upsetting for me, until I went into the House of Yahweh God and understood what would happen to them in the end. Surely You put them in devious places, throwing them into ruin. In a moment, they’re brought into misery! They’re all together consumed with horror. As a nightmare when a person awakes; so, my God, when You awake, You hate what you see.

[21-28] So my heart was grieved, and I was torn in my mind. I was so stupid and ignorant, like a dumb animal before You. Yet I stay with You, because You’ve held me by my hand. You’ll guide me with Your wisdom, and afterward receive me up to heaven. Who have I in heaven but You? And there’s no one on earth that I long for but You, God. My body and my heart fails, but You, God are the strength of my spirit, and my fortune forever. See, those that are far from You die: You destroy all those that are unfaithful to You. But it’s good for me to draw near to God: I’ve put my trust in the Savior God, so that I can tell everyone of all Your acts.

74 [1-3] A Poem of Teaching of Asaph. Oh God, why have You left us forever? Why does Your anger burn against Your children? Remember Your people, which You’ve bought back long ago; the strength of Your inheritance, which You’ve freed; this mount Zion, where You’ve always been. Lift up Your feet from where You sleep and awake to see we’re continually destroyed; See all the evil that the enemy has done in the House of God.

[4-8] Your enemies shout in the midst of Your congregations, setting up their flags for signs. People were famous if they had axed down thick trees, but now they break down the carved works of it at once with axes and hammers. They’ve thrown fire into Your House of God, defiling it by burning the resting place of Your Name, Yahweh, down to the ground. They said in their hearts, “Let’s destroy them”, while burning up all the Houses of God in the land.

[9-12] We don’t see our signs: there’s not a preacher any more: nor are there any among us that knows how long. Oh God, how long will the enemy accuse us? Yahweh, will the enemy curse Your Name forever? Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your strong hand? Take it out of Your lap. For You, God, are my Eternal Savior, bringing Your saving grace in the midst of the earth.

[13-17] You divided the sea by Your strength: You broke the heads of the sea dragons in the oceans. You broke the heads of leviathan, the great dinosaur of the sea, in pieces, and gave them for meat to the people living in the wilderness. You opened up the sources of water and the flood and dried up mighty rivers. The day is Yours; the night is Yours also; You made the sun and the moon. You set all the boundaries of the earth and made every season.

[18-23] Remember this, that the enemy has accused, oh Yahweh, and that stupid people have cursed Your Name. Oh don’t give the soul of Your beloved to all the sinful people: Don’t forget the poor of Your people forever. Keep Your promise: for the secret places of the earth are full of cruel territories. Don’t let those who are kept down come back ashamed: let the poor and needy praise Your Name, Yahweh. Awake, oh God, plead Your own case: remember how stupid people accuse You daily. Don’t forget the voice of Your enemies; the uproar of those that stand up against You keeps getting louder.

75 [1-5] To the first musician, you must not destroy, A Hymn or Song of Asaph. To You, oh God, we give thanks, to You we give thanks, for Your wondrous creations tell us that You are near. When I lead God’s people I’ll judge matters fairly. The earth and all of its people are broken, but I’ll support it. Selah! I said to stupid people, “Don’t be stupid,” and to the sinful, “Don’t be proud, lifting up your pride to heaven, and don’t speak stubbornly.”

[6-10] Promotion comes neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south, but God is the judge, putting down one, and setting up another. For in the hand of Yahweh there’s a penalty, and the wine of wrath is blood red; full of mixture; and God pours it out, but all the sinful of the earth will drink it, and even drink the sediment of it, as well. But I’ll speak out forever; I’ll sing praises to the God of Israel. All the strength of the sinful will be taken away; but the strength of godly people will be uplifted.

76 [1-7] To the first musician on the stringed instrument, A Hymn or Song of Asaph. God is known in Judah: Your Name is great in Israel. Your House of God is in Salem and Your resting place is in Jerusalem also. There You break the bows and arrows, the shields, the blades, and the whole battle. Selah! You are more glorious and excellent than the mountains full of prey. The tough-hearted are spoiled, they’ve gotten their sleep, and none of the strong have found their strength. At Your teaching, oh God of Israel, both the driver and the horse are still. You, Oh God, are to be feared, and who can stand in Your sight when You are angry?

[8-12] You, God, heard judgment from heaven; the earth feared, and stood still, when You arose to judgment, to save those of the earth with humility. Selah! Surely the people’s anger will turn to praise You, and what’s left of their anger You’ll restrain. Vow, and pay what’s due to Yahweh, Your God; let everyone around bring offerings to the One that ought to be respected. God will remove the spirit of the rulers: You are awful to the rulers of the earth.

77 [1-6] To the first musician, to Laudatory, A Hymn of Asaph. I cried aloud to God, to God with my own voice; and You listened to me. In the day of my trouble, when I ached all night with pain, which never stopped, and my soul refused to be comforted, I sought the Savior. I was troubled when I remembered God and complained, but my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah! You keep me awake: I’m so troubled that I can’t even speak. I’ve thought about the past, the years long ago. I remembered my song in the night as I thought about it in my heart, my spirit carefully searching for it.

[7-12] I asked, “Will the Savior throw me off forever? And will God be gracious no more? Is Your mercy completely gone forever? Will Your promises fail forever? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Have You shut up Your tender mercies in anger?” Selah! And then I said, “This is only what I deserved, but I remember the years the Most High was at my side.” I’ll remember the acts of Yahweh: surely I’ll remember Your wonders from the past. I’ll think about all Your creations, and talk also of what You have done.

[13-20] Your way, oh Yahweh, is in the House of God: Who is as great as our God? You are the God that does wonders, showing Your strength among the people. You’ve bought back Israel, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah! The waters felt You, oh God, the waters felt You upset them and the depths were troubled as well. The clouds poured rain, the skies thundered, and Your lightening flashed also. The sound of Your thunder was in the heavens: the lightning lit up the world and the earth trembled and shook. Your way is in the sea; Your path is in the great oceans, and no one knows where You go. You led Israel like a heard of animals by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

78 [1-11] A Poem of Teaching of Asaph. Listen, oh my people, to my word: listen to the words of my mouth and I’ll tell you a story, speaking of mysterious sayings of the past, which we have heard and known, and our parents have told us. We won’t hide them from our children, and will show the praises of Yahweh to the next generation, along with the strength of God, and the wonderful things that God has done. For You left a testimony in Jacob, and made a law in Israel, which You told our parents to make them known to their children, so the generation to come would know them; And even their children that will be born to them to tell it to their children, so that they would put their hope in God, and not forget the acts of God, but keep Your commandments; and not be as their parents, who were a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that refused to change their hearts, and whose spirits weren’t committed to God, as the children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying weapons, turned back in the day of battle. They didn’t keep the Promise of God, and refused to walk in Your Word, forgetting the acts of God, and the wonders that You had shown them.

[12-20] You did marvelous things in the sight of their parents, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. You divided the Red Sea, and allowed them to pass through it; making the waters to stand up as a mountain pass. You also led them with a cloud in the daytime, and through the night with the light of fire. You split the rock in the wilderness, and gave them water to drink from a deep source. You, God brought streams of water out of the rock also, causing it to run down like rivers. And they sinned all the more against You by provoking the Most High God in the wilderness. They tempted God in their hearts by asking for meat to satisfy their appetites. Yes, they even spoke against God and said, "Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Look, God split the rock, so that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; Can God give us food also? Can God provide meat for the people as well?”

[21-33] Yahweh heard this, and was angry: so a fiery anger was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel, because they didn’t believed God, and didn’t trust in Your saving grace, though You had told the clouds from above to open the doors of heaven, and had rained down manna on them to eat, and had given them of the grain of heaven. People ate the food of angels, and You, God, sent them enough meat to fill them. You caused an east wind to blow in the heavens, and powerfully brought in the south wind, raining meat on them as dust, and quail like the sand of the sea, and let them fall right in the middle of their camp, all around their tents. So they ate and were well filled, because You gave them what they wanted. They weren’t kept from their appetites, but while their meat was yet in their mouths, the anger of God came down on them, and killed the fattest of them, and brought down the chosen people of Israel. For all this they still sinned, and didn’t believe the wondrous acts of God, so You consumed their days with emptiness, and their years in trouble.

[34-39] But when You killed them, then they sought God, and they returned and soon asked for God. And they remembered that God was their Rock, the Most High God, their Savior. Yet they flattered You with their mouths, but lied to You with their words. Their hearts weren’t right with God, nor were they committed to Your Promise with them. But You, God, being full of compassion, forgave their sin, and didn’t destroy them all: yes, many times You put aside Your anger, never stirring it up. For You remembered that they were only human; like a wind that passes away, and doesn’t come again.

[40-51] How often they provoked You in the wilderness, and grieved You in the desert! Yes, they turned back and tempted God, and limited what You, the Holy One of Israel, would do in their midst. They didn’t remember God’s hand, or the day when You freed them from the enemy. How God had made signs in Egypt, and wonders in the field of Zoan, turning their rivers into blood, making it so that they couldn’t drink it. You sent different sorts of flies among them, which ate at them; and frogs, which destroyed them, giving their crops to the caterpillar, and their work to the locust also; destroying their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with frost; destroying their cattle also in the hail, and their flocks with hot lightening bolts; casting on them the fierceness of Your anger, all Your rage, righteous anger, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them; making way for Your anger; not sparing their soul from death, but giving their lives over to the deadly diseases; and striking all the firstborn in Egypt, their strongest rulers, in the Houses of Ham.

[52-61] But You made Your own people go forward like animals, guiding them in the wilderness like a heard, leading them safely on, so that they weren’t afraid, while the sea overwhelmed their enemies. You brought them to the border of Your House of God, even to this mountain, which the hand of God had bought. You also threw out the ungodly before them, and divided to them an inheritance by their families, and made the people of Israel to stay in their houses. Yet they tempted and provoked the Most High God, and didn’t keep Your words, but unfaithfully turned back, doing just like their parents, who dishonestly turned away. They provoked God to anger with their places of worship, and made You jealous because of their worship of other things. When You, oh God, heard this, You were angry, and greatly hated Israel; so much that You forsook the House of God of Shiloh, the tent which You placed among the people, and allowed the Ark of the Promise to be taken into captivity, and the glory of God fell into the enemy's hand.

[62-66] You gave the people of God over to war; being angry with Your inheritance. The fire consumed their young people, even before they were married. Their preachers fell in war; and their survivors weren’t allowed to mourn. Then the Savior awaked as one out of sleep, and like a drunk person who shouts, struck the rear of the enemy, and made them greatly ashamed.

[67-72] Moreover You refused the family of Joseph, and didn’t choose the family of Ephraim, but chose instead the tribe of Judah, mount Zion, which God loved. And built Yahweh’s House of God like high mansions, like the earth which You settled forever. You chose David also, who was Your worker, oh God, taking him from caring for the animals, and from following those that were pregnant with young, to feed Jacob, Your people, and Israel, Your inheritance. So David led them with a true heart; and guided them with skilful hands.

79 [1-5] A Hymn of Asaph. Oh God, the ungodly have come into Your inheritance, defiling Your holy House of God, and Jerusalem is in heaps. The dead bodies of Your children they have given for food to the birds of heaven, the bodies of Your saints to the wild animals of the earth. They have shed their blood like water around Jerusalem; and there was no one to bury them. We have become a curse to our neighbors, a mockery and the ridicule of those around us. How long, oh Yahweh? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire?

[6-9] Pour out Your anger on the ungodly that haven’t known You, Yahweh, and on the nations that haven’t called on Your Name, for they’ve destroyed Israel, and their homes. Oh don’t remember our former sins: let Your tender mercies quickly stop us: for we’re very humiliated. Help us, Yahweh, the God who saves us, for the glory of Your Name; save us and take away our sins, for Your Name's sake.

[10-13] Why should the ungodly say, “Where is their God?” Let God be known among the ungodly in our sight, by the avenging of the shed blood of Your people. Let the sighing of the captive come before You; according to the greatness of Your power save those that are about to die; and give to our neighbors seven times into their lap the blame, which they’ve accused You with, my God. So we, Your people and the sheep of Your pasture, will give You thanks forever: We’ll show Your praise to all generations.

80 [1-6] To the first musician on the trumpet of the people, A Hymn of Asaph. Listen, oh Shepherd of Israel, who leads the people of Joseph like a flock; You, oh God who stays between the angelic creatures, shine forward. Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, let Your strength rise up to come and save us. Return us to You, oh God, and cause Your face to shine on us; and we’ll be saved. Oh Yahweh, God of heavenly hosts, how long will You be angry against the prayer of Israel? You feed them with the bread of sorrow; and give them many tears to drink. You make us a trouble to our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves.

[7-11] Return us to You, oh God of heavenly hosts, and cause Your face to shine on us; and we’ll be saved. You’ve brought a vine out of Egypt: You’ve thrown out the ungodly, and planted it. You made room for it, and caused it to take root deeply, and it filled the land. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and its branches were like the good cedars. They sent them out to the sea, their branches to the river.

[12-19] Why have You then broken down their boundaries, so that all those which pass by pick on them? The wild boars in the woods waste it, and wild animals eat it. Return, we beg You, oh God of heavenly hosts: look down from heaven, and see; visit this vine and the vineyard which Your hand has planted, and the branch that You made strong for Yourself. It’s burned with fire and cut down, wilting at the look of Your face. Let Your hand be on Your chosen people, on the children of those that You made strong for Yourself. Revive us, so we won’t turn away from You: and we’ll call on Your Name. Return us to our former state, oh Yahweh, God of heavenly hosts, cause Your face to shine on us; and we’ll be saved.

81 [1-5] To the first musician on harp, a Hymn of Asaph. Sing aloud to God, who is our strength, and make a joyful sound to the God of Israel. Take a hymn, and bring the tambourine, and the pleasant sounding harp, along with all the other instruments. Sound the trumpet at the new moon, in the time set aside for our formal holiday. For this was a decree for Israel, a law of the God of Israel. This was ordained by God for a testimony in Joseph, when God went out through the land of Egypt, where I heard a language that I didn’t understand.

[6-10] I took the load from your shoulders and your hands were freed from the work. When you called in trouble, and I freed you; I answered you in the refuge of thunder: I proved you at the waters of Meribah. Selah! Listen, My people, and I’ll testify to you: Israel, if you’ll only listen to me; You will have no idols; nor are you to worship anything else but Me. I’m Yahweh, your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt: open your mouth wide and I’ll fill it.

[11-16] But My people wouldn’t listen to My voice; and Israel wouldn’t have Me. So I gave them up to what they themselves wanted, and they walked in their own ways. Oh that My people would have listened to me, and Israel would have walked in My ways! I would have quickly held back their enemies, and turned My strength against their enemies. Those who hate Yahweh should have submitted to Me: you shouldn’t have quit. I would have fed you with the finest of the wheat also, and I would have satisfied you with honey out of the rock face.

82 [1-4] A Hymn of Asaph. God stands in the assembly of the mighty; God judges among the great ones. How long will you judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the sinful? Selah! Defend the poor and the survivors’ children and do justice to the abused and needy. Deliver the poor and needy, removing them from the power of the sinful.

[5-8] They don’t know or understand, walking on in darkness; and all the foundations of the earth are off course. I’ve said, “You are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High God. But you’ll die as mere humans, and fall like one of the nobles. Awake, oh God, judge the earth: for You’ll inherit all the people of the nations.

83 [1-4] A Song or Hymn of Asaph. Don’t keep silence, oh God: Don’t hold Your peace, and don’t be still, oh God. See, Your enemies are in an uproar, and those that hate You have proudly put themselves in high places. They’ve craftily counseled against Israel, and consulted against Your mysterious ones. They’ve said, “Come and let’s destroy their nation so that the name of Israel will be forgotten.”

[5-12] For with one consent they’ve consulted together and are allied against You: These worshipers of Edom, the Ishmaelites, Moabites, and the Hagarenes, the people of Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek, and the Philistines along with the people of Tyre; The people of Assur also joined with them, who helped the descendents of Lot. Selah! Do to them as You did to the Midianites; and to Sisera, and as to Jabin, who died at Endor at the creek of Kison, and became as manure for the earth. Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb: yes, all their rulers as Zebah and as Zalmunna, who said, Let’s take possession of the houses of God for ourselves.

[13-18] Oh my God, make them like the sagebrush; rolling as the stubble before the wind. As the fire burns through a forest, and as the flames set the mountains on fire; abuse them with Your tempest, and let Your storm make them afraid. Fill them with shame; so that they’ll look for Your Name, oh Yahweh. Let them be confused and troubled forever; yes, let them be ashamed and die, so that people can know that You alone, whose Name is Yahweh, are the Most High God over the whole earth.

84 [1-5] To the first musician on harp, A Hymn for the children of Korah. How agreeable are Your Houses of God, oh Yahweh, God of heavenly hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the House of Yahweh, my heart and strength crying out for the living God. Yes, the sparrow and the swallow have found nests for themselves, where they can lay their eggs, even on Your altars, oh Yahweh, God of heavenly hosts, my Savior and my God. Blessed are those that stay in Your House of God and are still praising You. Selah! Blessed are the people whose strength is in You, in whose heart are their ways known.

[6-12] You, Who passing through the valley of Baca, make it spring up; with the rain filling the pools also. They go from one strength to another, every one of them in Jerusalem appearing before God. Oh Yahweh, God of heavenly hosts, hear my prayer; Listen, oh God of Israel. Selah! See, oh God, our defense, and look on the face of Your anointed. For a day in Your house is better than a thousand anywhere else. I had rather be a caretaker in the House of my God, than to stay in the house of evil. For Yahweh, my God, who gives grace and glory, is a light and a defense: no good thing will God withhold from those who do what’s right. Oh Yahweh, God of heavenly hosts, the people that trust in You are truly blessed.

85 [1-4] To the first musician, A Hymn for the children of Korah. Yahweh, You’ve been gracious to Your nation, Israel: You’ve given us back our freedom. You’ve forgiven the sin of Your people, covering them all. Selah! You’ve taken Your anger away, turning from all its fierceness. Turn us back to You, oh God who saves us, and let Your anger toward us come to an end.

[5-9] Will You be angry with us forever? Will You extend Your anger to all generations? Revive us again and let Your people celebrate in You! Show us Your mercy, oh Yahweh, and grant us Your saving grace. I’ll hear what Yahweh God will speak, for You’ll speak peace to Your people, to the saints of God, but don’t let them turn again to stupidity. Surely the salvation of God is near those that respect You; so that You’ll stay well-known in our land.

[10-13] Mercy and truth have come together; goodness and peace have greeted each other with a kiss. Truth will spring out of the earth; and goodness will look down from heaven. Yes, Yahweh will give that which is good; and our land will produce its increase. Goodness will go before You; and will put us in the path of Your steps.

86 [1-5] A Prayer of David. Listen, oh Yahweh, listen to me; for I’m poor and needy. Save my soul; for I’m dedicated to You, oh my God; save me, the one who trusts in You. Be merciful to me, oh my God, for I cry to You daily. Let my soul celebrate: for I lift up my soul to You, oh my God. For You, my God, are good, and ready to forgive; and have great mercy to all those that call on You.

[6-10] Listen, oh Yahweh, to my prayer; and pay attention to the voice of my request. In the day of my trouble I’ll call on You: for You’ll answer me. Among the great ones there’s none like You, oh my God; nor is there anything like Your creations. All the nations that You’ve made will come and worship before You, oh my God; and will glorify Your Name. For You are great, and do wonderful things: You, alone, are God.

[11-17] Teach me Your way, oh Yahweh, and I’ll walk in Your truth: unify my heart to fully respect Your Name. I’ll praise You, oh Savior, my God, with all my heart, and I’ll glorify Your Name forever. For great is Your mercy toward me; You’ve freed my soul from the depths of hell. Oh God, people who think they are better than me come against me, and violent gangs look for my soul; and haven’t respected You. But You, oh my God, are a God full of compassion, gracious, patient, and You have plenty of mercy and truth. Oh turn to me, and have mercy on me; give me Your strength, and save the child of one of Your people. Show me a token for good; that those who hate me can see it, and be ashamed: because You, oh Yahweh, have helped me, and comforted me.

87 [1-7] A Hymn or Song for the children of Korah. Yahweh, Your foundation is in the holy mountains. Yahweh, You love the gates of Jerusalem more than all the homes of Israel. Glorious things are spoken of the city of God. Selah! I’ll make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those that know me, or Philistia, or Tyre, or Ethiopia; and they’ll reply, “I was born there.” But of Jerusalem it’ll be said, “This one and that one was born there, and the Most High God will establish it.” Yahweh will count, when writing up its citizens, that I was born there. Selah! The singers as well as the players of instruments will be there: all my heart is in Jerusalem.

88 [1-6] A Song or Hymn for the children of Korah, to the first musician, to The Sickness, to sing loudly, a poem of teaching of Heman, the Ezrahite. Oh Yahweh, God who saved me, I’ve cried day and night before You: Let my prayer come before You; listen to my cry; For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to death. I’m counted as dead: I have no more strength: I’m released among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, that You remember no more, and they’re removed from Your hand. You’ve laid me in the grave, in the depths of darkness.

[7-12] Your anger is hard on me, and You’ve tormented me with all Your pressure. Selah! You’ve put my acquaintances far away from me; You’ve made me an insult to them: I’m hiding, and I cannot come out. My eyes cry because of my misery: Yahweh, I’ve called on You daily, I’ve stretched out my hands to You. Will You show wonders to the dead? Will the dead awake and praise You? Selah! Shall Your love be told in the grave; or Your faithfulness in destruction? Shall Your wonders be known in the dark and Your goodness in the land of forgetfulness?

[13-18] But to You I’ve cried, oh Yahweh; and in the morning my prayer will stop You. Yahweh, why do You throw off my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me? I’ve been abused and wanted to die from my childhood up, worrying and afraid from all my suffering. Your fierce anger overwhelms me; Your terrors have all but finished me. They came around me daily like water; together they overtook me. You put lover and friend, and even all my acquaintances far away from me where I can’t even see them.

89 [1-4] A poem of teaching of Ethan the Ezrahite. I’ll sing of the mercies of Yahweh forever, making known Your faithfulness to all generations. For I’ve said, “Mercy will be settled forever: Your faithfulness will be honored even in heaven.” As You’ve said, “I’ve made a Promise with my chosen ones, I’ve sworn to David, who serves Me, I’ll establish your descendents forever, and build up your reign in every generation.” Selah!

[5-10] And the angels of heaven will praise Your wonders, oh Yahweh: Your faithfulness will be praised in the people of God, also. For who in heaven can be compared to Yahweh? Who among the children of the great ones can be likened to Yahweh? You are greatly respected among the people of God, and held in respect by all those that come to You. Oh Yahweh, God of the heavenly hosts, who is strong like You? Or who else has the faithfulness which surrounds You? You rule the raging sea and when its waves are upset, You still them. You’ve divided the pride of Egypt in pieces as a dead one; You’ve scattered Your enemies with Your strength.

[11-14] The heavens and the earth are Yours, and the whole universe: You settled them all. You’ve created the north and the south: The mountains of Tabor and Hermon will celebrate, Your Name is written upon them. You are strong and mighty: Your hand is lifted high. Justice and judgment are the signs of Your reign: mercy and truth are with You.

[15-18] Blessed are those that know the joyful announcement of Your presence: They walk in the light of Your face, oh Yahweh. They celebrate all day in Your Name, and they’re uplifted in Your goodness. For You are the glory of our strength, and our instruments sound out by Your grace. For Yahweh is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our ruler.

[19-26] Then in a vision You spoke to Your preacher, and said, “I’ll send help by a mighty one; I’ve lifted up a chosen one from the people. I’ve set up David, who serves Me; who I’ve anointed with My holy oil; and who I’ll establish and strengthen. Who won’t be threatened by the enemy; nor be troubled by the offspring of evil. And I’ll put down his enemies before his face, and plague those that hate him. But My faithfulness and My mercy will be with him, and in My Name will the trumpet call be raised. I’ll give him dominion in the sea, and in the rivers. And he will cry to Me, ‘You are My Creator, My God, and the Rock, who saves me.’

[27-37] I’ll make him as My Firstborn, higher than rulers on the earth. My mercy will keep him forever, and My Promise will stay with him. Also I’ll make his descendents to last forever; and their reign as the eternal days of heaven. If their children give up on My word, and don’t walk in My judgments; If they break My decrees, and don’t keep My commandments; Then I’ll visit their sins with punishment and defeat. Yet I won’t take My love from them all together, nor let My faithfulness fail them. I won’t break My Promise, nor change what has gone out of My mouth. Once I swore by My holiness that I wouldn’t lie to David. His descendents will last forever, and their reign as the sunlight. It’ll be settled forever as the moon, as a faithful witness in heaven.” Selah!

[38-44] But You’ve hated me and thrown me away, being angry with Your anointed. You’ve voided the Promise with me: You’ve undermined my reign, tossing my crown to the ground. You’ve broken down all my boundaries; You’ve brought my strongholds to ruin. All that pass by the way defeat me: my neighbors bring accusations against me. You’ve given strength to my enemies; You’ve made all my enemies celebrate. You’ve disabled my defenses, and haven’t given me any victory. You’ve brought my glory to an end, and undermined my reign.

[45-52] You’ve shortened my childhood, covering me with shame. Selah! How long will You hide Yourself, oh Yahweh? Will Your anger burn like fire forever? Remember how short my time is. Have You made us all for nothing? Who is it that will stay, and not see death? Will God save any soul from the power of the grave? Selah! My God, where is Your former kindheartedness, which You swore to David in Your truth? Remember, my God, the accusations against me; how I bear in my heart the blame of all the great people, in which Your enemies have accused, oh Yahweh; in which they’ve blamed the ways of Your anointed. May Yahweh be blessed forever. Amen and Amen.