Psalms:73-89
Seeker Overlay ON
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Truly God is good to Israel ,
To such as are pure in heart .
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But as for me ,
my feet had almost stumbled ;
My steps had nearly slipped .
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For I was envious of the boastful ,
When I saw the prosperity of the wicked .
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For there are no pangs in their death ,
But their strength is firm .
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They are not in trouble as other men ,
Nor are they plagued like other men .
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Therefore pride serves as their necklace ;
Violence covers them like a garment .
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Their eyes bulge with abundance ;
They have more than heart could wish .
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They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression ;
They speak loftily .
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They set their mouth against the heavens ,
And their tongue walks through the earth .
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Therefore his people return here ,
And waters of a full cup are drained by them .
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And they say , "
How does God know ?
And is there knowledge in the Most High ?"
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Behold ,
these are the ungodly ,
Who are always at ease ;
They increase in riches .
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Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain ,
And washed my hands in innocence .
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For all day long I have been plagued ,
And chastened every morning .
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If I had said , "
I will speak thus ,"
Behold ,
I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children .
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When I thought how to understand this ,
It was too painful for me --
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Until I went into the sanctuary of God ;
Then I understood their end .
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Surely You set them in slippery places ;
You cast them down to destruction .
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Oh ,
how they are brought to desolation ,
as in a moment !
They are utterly consumed with terrors .
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As a dream when one awakes ,
So ,
Lord ,
when You awake ,
You shall despise their image .
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Thus my heart was grieved ,
And I was vexed in my mind .
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I was so foolish and ignorant ;
I was like a beast before You .
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Nevertheless I am continually with You ;
You hold me by my right hand .
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You will guide me with Your counsel ,
And afterward receive me to glory .
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Whom have I in heaven but You ?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You .
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My flesh and my heart fail ;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever .
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For indeed ,
those who are far from You shall perish ;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry .
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But it is good for me to draw near to God ;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD ,
That I may declare all Your works .
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O God ,
why have You cast us off forever ?
Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture ?
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Remember Your congregation ,
which You have purchased of old ,
The tribe of Your inheritance ,
which You have redeemed --
This Mount Zion where You have dwelt .
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Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations .
The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary .
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Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place ;
They set up their banners for signs .
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They seem like men who lift up Axes among the thick trees .
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And now they break down its carved work ,
all at once ,
With axes and hammers .
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They have set fire to Your sanctuary ;
They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground .
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They said in their hearts , "
Let us destroy them altogether ".
They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land .
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We do not see our signs ;
There is no longer any prophet ;
Nor is there any among us who knows how long .
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O God ,
how long will the adversary reproach ?
Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever ?
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Why do You withdraw Your hand ,
even Your right hand ?
Take it out of Your bosom and destroy them .
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For God is my King from of old ,
Working salvation in the midst of the earth .
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You divided the sea by Your strength ;
You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters .
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You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces ,
And gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness .
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You broke open the fountain and the flood ;
You dried up mighty rivers .
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The day is Yours ,
the night also is Yours ;
You have prepared the light and the sun .
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You have set all the borders of the earth ;
You have made summer and winter .
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Remember this ,
that the enemy has reproached ,
O LORD ,
And that a foolish people has blasphemed Your name .
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Oh ,
do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast !
Do not forget the life of Your poor forever .
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Have respect to the covenant ;
For the dark places of the earth are full of the haunts of cruelty .
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Oh ,
do not let the oppressed return ashamed !
Let the poor and needy praise Your name .
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Arise ,
O God ,
plead Your own cause ;
Remember how the foolish man reproaches You daily .
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Do not forget the voice of Your enemies ;
The tumult of those who rise up against You increases continually .
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We give thanks to You ,
O God ,
we give thanks !
For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near .
* "
When I choose the proper time ,
I will judge uprightly .
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The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved ;
I set up its pillars firmly .
Selah (
pause )
* "
I said to the boastful , "
Do not deal boastfully ,'
And to the wicked , "
Do not lift up the horn .
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Do not lift up your horn on high ;
Do not speak with a stiff neck ".'
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For exaltation comes neither from the east Nor from the west nor from the south .
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But God is the Judge :
He puts down one ,
And exalts another .
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For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup ,
And the wine is red ;
It is fully mixed ,
and He pours it out ;
Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth Drain and drink down .
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But I will declare forever ,
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob .
* "
All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off ,
But the horns of the righteous shall be exalted ".
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In Judah God is known ;
His name is great in Israel .
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In Salem also is His tabernacle ,
And His dwelling place in Zion .
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There He broke the arrows of the bow ,
The shield and sword of battle .
Selah (
pause )
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You are more glorious and excellent Than the mountains of prey .
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The stouthearted were plundered ;
They have sunk into their sleep ;
And none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands .
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At Your rebuke ,
O God of Jacob ,
Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep .
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You ,
Yourself ,
are to be feared ;
And who may stand in Your presence When once You are angry ?
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You caused judgment to be heard from heaven ;
The earth feared and was still ,
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When God arose to judgment ,
To deliver all the oppressed of the earth .
Selah (
pause )
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Surely the wrath of man shall praise You ;
With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself .
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Make vows to the LORD your God ,
and pay them ;
Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared .
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He shall cut off the spirit of princes ;
He is awesome to the kings of the earth .
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I cried out to God with my voice --
To God with my voice ;
And He gave ear to me .
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In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord ;
My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing ;
My soul refused to be comforted .
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I remembered God ,
and was troubled ;
I complained ,
and my spirit was overwhelmed .
Selah (
pause )
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You hold my eyelids open ;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak .
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I have considered the days of old ,
The years of ancient times .
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I call to remembrance my song in the night ;
I meditate within my heart ,
And my spirit makes diligent search .
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Will the Lord cast off forever ?
And will He be favorable no more ?
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Has His mercy ceased forever ?
Has His promise failed forevermore ?
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Has God forgotten to be gracious ?
Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies ?
Selah (
pause )
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And I said , "
This is my anguish ;
But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High ".
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I will remember the works of the LORD ;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old .
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I will also meditate on all Your work ,
And talk of Your deeds .
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Your way ,
O God ,
is in the sanctuary ;
Who is so great a God as our God ?
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You are the God who does wonders ;
You have declared Your strength among the peoples .
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You have with Your arm redeemed Your people ,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph .
Selah (
pause )
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The waters saw You ,
O God ;
The waters saw You ,
they were afraid ;
The depths also trembled .
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The clouds poured out water ;
The skies sent out a sound ;
Your arrows also flashed about .
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The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind ;
The lightnings lit up the world ;
The earth trembled and shook .
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Your way was in the sea ,
Your path in the great waters ,
And Your footsteps were not known .
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You led Your people like a flock By the hand of Moses and Aaron .
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Give ear ,
O my people ,
to my law ;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth .
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I will open my mouth in a parable ;
I will utter dark sayings of old ,
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Which we have heard and known ,
And our fathers have told us .
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We will not hide them from their children ,
Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD ,
And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done .
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For He established a testimony in Jacob ,
And appointed a law in Israel ,
Which He commanded our fathers ,
That they should make them known to their children ;
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That the generation to come might know them ,
The children who would be born ,
That they may arise and declare them to their children ,
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That they may set their hope in God ,
And not forget the works of God ,
But keep His commandments ;
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And may not be like their fathers ,
A stubborn and rebellious generation ,
A generation that did not set its heart aright ,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God .
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The children of Ephraim ,
being armed and carrying bows ,
Turned back in the day of battle .
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They did not keep the covenant of God ;
They refused to walk in His law ,
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And forgot His works And His wonders that He had shown them .
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Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers ,
In the land of Egypt ,
in the field of Zoan .
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He divided the sea and caused them to pass through ;
And He made the waters stand up like a heap .
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In the daytime also He led them with the cloud ,
And all the night with a light of fire .
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He split the rocks in the wilderness ,
And gave them drink in abundance like the depths .
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He also brought streams out of the rock ,
And caused waters to run down like rivers .
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But they sinned even more against Him By rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness .
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And they tested God in their heart By asking for the food of their fancy .
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Yes ,
they spoke against God :
They said , "
Can God prepare a table in the wilderness ?
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Behold ,
He struck the rock ,
So that the waters gushed out ,
And the streams overflowed .
Can He give bread also ?
Can He provide meat for His people ?
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Therefore the LORD heard this and was furious ;
So a fire was kindled against Jacob ,
And anger also came up against Israel ,
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Because they did not believe in God ,
And did not trust in His salvation .
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Yet He had commanded the clouds above ,
And opened the doors of heaven ,
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Had rained down manna on them to eat ,
And given them of the bread of heaven .
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Men ate angels '
food ;
He sent them food to the full .
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He caused an east wind to blow in the heavens ;
And by His power He brought in the south wind .
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He also rained meat on them like the dust ,
Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas ;
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And He let them fall in the midst of their camp ,
All around their dwellings .
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So they ate and were well filled ,
For He gave them their own desire .
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They were not deprived of their craving ;
But while their food was still in their mouths ,
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The wrath of God came against them ,
And slew the stoutest of them ,
And struck down the choice men of Israel .
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In spite of this they still sinned ,
And did not believe in His wondrous works .
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Therefore their days He consumed in futility ,
And their years in fear .
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When He slew them ,
then they sought Him ;
And they returned and sought earnestly for God .
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Then they remembered that God was their rock ,
And the Most High God their Redeemer .
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Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth ,
And they lied to Him with their tongue ;
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For their heart was not steadfast with Him ,
Nor were they faithful in His covenant .
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But He ,
being full of compassion ,
forgave their iniquity ,
And did not destroy them .
Yes ,
many a time He turned His anger away ,
And did not stir up all His wrath ;
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For He remembered that they were but flesh ,
A breath that passes away and does not come again .
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How often they provoked Him in the wilderness ,
And grieved Him in the desert !
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Yes ,
again and again they tempted God ,
And limited the Holy One of Israel .
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They did not remember His power :
The day when He redeemed them from the enemy ,
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When He worked His signs in Egypt ,
And His wonders in the field of Zoan ;
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Turned their rivers into blood ,
And their streams ,
that they could not drink .
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He sent swarms of flies among them ,
which devoured them ,
And frogs ,
which destroyed them .
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He also gave their crops to the caterpillar ,
And their labor to the locust .
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He destroyed their vines with hail ,
And their sycamore trees with frost .
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He also gave up their cattle to the hail ,
And their flocks to fiery lightning .
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He cast on them the fierceness of His anger ,
Wrath ,
indignation ,
and trouble ,
By sending angels of destruction among them .
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He made a path for His anger ;
He did not spare their soul from death ,
But gave their life over to the plague ,
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And destroyed all the firstborn in Egypt ,
The first of their strength in the tents of Ham .
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But He made His own people go forth like sheep ,
And guided them in the wilderness like a flock ;
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And He led them on safely ,
so that they did not fear ;
But the sea overwhelmed their enemies .
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And He brought them to His holy border ,
This mountain which His right hand had acquired .
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He also drove out the nations before them ,
Allotted them an inheritance by survey ,
And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents .
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Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God ,
And did not keep His testimonies ,
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But turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers ;
They were turned aside like a deceitful bow .
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For they provoked Him to anger with their high places ,
And moved Him to jealousy with their carved images .
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When God heard this ,
He was furious ,
And greatly abhorred Israel ,
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So that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh ,
The tent He had placed among men ,
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And delivered His strength into captivity ,
And His glory into the enemy '
s hand .
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He also gave His people over to the sword ,
And was furious with His inheritance .
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The fire consumed their young men ,
And their maidens were not given in marriage .
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Their priests fell by the sword ,
And their widows made no lamentation .
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Then the Lord awoke as from sleep ,
Like a mighty man who shouts because of wine .
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And He beat back His enemies ;
He put them to a perpetual reproach .
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Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph ,
And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim ,
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But chose the tribe of Judah ,
Mount Zion which He loved .
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And He built His sanctuary like the heights ,
Like the earth which He has established forever .
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He also chose David His servant ,
And took him from the sheepfolds ;
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From following the ewes that had young He brought him ,
To shepherd Jacob His people ,
And Israel His inheritance .
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So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart ,
And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands .
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O God ,
the nations have come into Your inheritance ;
Your holy temple they have defiled ;
They have laid Jerusalem in heaps .
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The dead bodies of Your servants They have given as food for the birds of the heavens ,
The flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth .
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Their blood they have shed like water all around Jerusalem ,
And there was no one to bury them .
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We have become a reproach to our neighbors ,
A scorn and derision to those who are around us .
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How long ,
LORD ?
Will You be angry forever ?
Will Your jealousy burn like fire ?
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Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You ,
And on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name .
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For they have devoured Jacob ,
And laid waste his dwelling place .
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Oh ,
do not remember former iniquities against us !
Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us ,
For we have been brought very low .
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Help us ,
O God of our salvation ,
For the glory of Your name ;
And deliver us ,
and provide atonement for our sins ,
For Your name '
s sake !
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Why should the nations say , "
Where is their God ?"
Let there be known among the nations in our sight The avenging of the blood of Your servants which has been shed .
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Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You ;
According to the greatness of Your power Preserve those who are appointed to die ;
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And return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom Their reproach with which they have reproached You ,
O Lord .
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So we ,
Your people and sheep of Your pasture ,
Will give You thanks forever ;
We will show forth Your praise to all generations .
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Give ear ,
O Shepherd of Israel ,
You who lead Joseph like a flock ;
You who dwell between the cherubim ,
shine forth !
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Before Ephraim ,
Benjamin ,
and Manasseh ,
Stir up Your strength ,
And come and save us !
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Restore us ,
O God ;
Cause Your face to shine ,
And we shall be saved !
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O LORD God of hosts ,
How long will You be angry Against the prayer of Your people ?
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You have fed them with the bread of tears ,
And given them tears to drink in great measure .
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You have made us a strife to our neighbors ,
And our enemies laugh among themselves .
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Restore us ,
O God of hosts ;
Cause Your face to shine ,
And we shall be saved !
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You have brought a vine out of Egypt ;
You have cast out the nations ,
and planted it .
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You prepared room for it ,
And caused it to take deep root ,
And it filled the land .
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The hills were covered with its shadow ,
And the mighty cedars with its boughs .
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She sent out her boughs to the Sea ,
And her branches to the River .
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Why have You broken down her hedges ,
So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit ?
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The boar out of the woods uproots it ,
And the wild beast of the field devours it .
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Return ,
we beseech You ,
O God of hosts ;
Look down from heaven and see ,
And visit this vine
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And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted ,
And the branch that You made strong for Yourself .
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It is burned with fire ,
it is cut down ;
They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance .
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Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand ,
Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself .
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Then we will not turn back from You ;
Revive us ,
and we will call upon Your name .
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Restore us ,
O LORD God of hosts ;
Cause Your face to shine ,
And we shall be saved !
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Sing aloud to God our strength ;
Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob .
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Raise a song and strike the timbrel ,
The pleasant harp with the lute .
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Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon ,
At the full moon ,
on our solemn feast day .
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For this is a statute for Israel ,
A law of the God of Jacob .
*
This He established in Joseph as a testimony ,
When He went throughout the land of Egypt ,
Where I heard a language I did not understand .
* "
I removed his shoulder from the burden ;
His hands were freed from the baskets .
*
You called in trouble ,
and I delivered you ;
I answered you in the secret place of thunder ;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah .
Selah (
pause )
* "
Hear ,
O My people ,
and I will admonish you !
O Israel ,
if you will listen to Me !
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There shall be no foreign god among you ;
Nor shall you worship any foreign god .
*
I am the LORD your God ,
Who brought you out of the land of Egypt ;
Open your mouth wide ,
and I will fill it .
* "
But My people would not heed My voice ,
And Israel would have none of Me .
*
So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart ,
To walk in their own counsels .
* "
Oh ,
that My people would listen to Me ,
That Israel would walk in My ways !
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I would soon subdue their enemies ,
And turn My hand against their adversaries .
*
The haters of the LORD would pretend submission to Him ,
But their fate would endure forever .
*
He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat ;
And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you ".
*
God stands in the congregation of the mighty ;
He judges among the gods .
*
How long will you judge unjustly ,
And show partiality to the wicked ?
Selah (
pause )
*
Defend the poor and fatherless ;
Do justice to the afflicted and needy .
*
Deliver the poor and needy ;
Free them from the hand of the wicked .
*
They do not know ,
nor do they understand ;
They walk about in darkness ;
All the foundations of the earth are unstable .
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I said , "
You are gods ,
And all of you are children of the Most High .
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But you shall die like men ,
And fall like one of the princes ".
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Arise ,
O God ,
judge the earth ;
For You shall inherit all nations .
*
Do not keep silent ,
O God !
Do not hold Your peace ,
And do not be still ,
O God !
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For behold ,
Your enemies make a tumult ;
And those who hate You have lifted up their head .
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They have taken crafty counsel against Your people ,
And consulted together against Your sheltered ones .
*
They have said , "
Come ,
and let us cut them off from being a nation ,
That the name of Israel may be remembered no more ".
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For they have consulted together with one consent ;
They form a confederacy against You :
*
The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites ;
Moab and the Hagrites ;
*
Gebal ,
Ammon ,
and Amalek ;
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre ;
*
Assyria also has joined with them ;
They have helped the children of Lot .
Selah (
pause )
*
Deal with them as with Midian ,
As with Sisera ,
As with Jabin at the Brook Kishon ,
*
Who perished at En Dor ,
Who became as refuse on the earth .
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Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb ,
Yes ,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna ,
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Who said , "
Let us take for ourselves The pastures of God for a possession ".
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O my God ,
make them like the whirling dust ,
Like the chaff before the wind !
*
As the fire burns the woods ,
And as the flame sets the mountains on fire ,
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So pursue them with Your tempest ,
And frighten them with Your storm .
*
Fill their faces with shame ,
That they may seek Your name ,
O LORD .
*
Let them be confounded and dismayed forever ;
Yes ,
let them be put to shame and perish ,
*
That they may know that You ,
whose name alone is the LORD ,
Are the Most High over all the earth .
*
How lovely is Your tabernacle ,
O LORD of hosts !
*
My soul longs ,
yes ,
even faints For the courts of the LORD ;
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God .
*
Even the sparrow has found a home ,
And the swallow a nest for herself ,
Where she may lay her young --
Even Your altars ,
O LORD of hosts ,
My King and my God .
*
Blessed are those who dwell in Your house ;
They will still be praising You .
Selah (
pause )
*
Blessed is the man whose strength is in You ,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage .
*
As they pass through the Valley of Baca ,
They make it a spring ;
The rain also covers it with pools .
*
They go from strength to strength ;
Each one appears before God in Zion .
*
O LORD God of hosts ,
hear my prayer ;
Give ear ,
O God of Jacob !
Selah (
pause )
*
O God ,
behold our shield ,
And look upon the face of Your anointed .
*
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand .
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness .
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For the LORD God is a sun and shield ;
The LORD will give grace and glory ;
No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly .
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O LORD of hosts ,
Blessed is the man who trusts in You !
*
LORD ,
You have been favorable to Your land ;
You have brought back the captivity of Jacob .
*
You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people ;
You have covered all their sin .
Selah (
pause )
*
You have taken away all Your wrath ;
You have turned from the fierceness of Your anger .
*
Restore us ,
O God of our salvation ,
And cause Your anger toward us to cease .
*
Will You be angry with us forever ?
Will You prolong Your anger to all generations ?
*
Will You not revive us again ,
That Your people may rejoice in You ?
*
Show us Your mercy ,
LORD ,
And grant us Your salvation .
*
I will hear what God the LORD will speak ,
For He will speak peace To His people and to His saints ;
But let them not turn back to folly .
*
Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him ,
That glory may dwell in our land .
*
Mercy and truth have met together ;
Righteousness and peace have kissed .
*
Truth shall spring out of the earth ,
And righteousness shall look down from heaven .
*
Yes ,
the LORD will give what is good ;
And our land will yield its increase .
*
Righteousness will go before Him ,
And shall make His footsteps our pathway .
*
Bow down Your ear ,
O LORD ,
hear me ;
For I am poor and needy .
*
Preserve my life ,
for I am holy ;
You are my God ;
Save Your servant who trusts in You !
*
Be merciful to me ,
O Lord ,
For I cry to You all day long .
*
Rejoice the soul of Your servant ,
For to You ,
O Lord ,
I lift up my soul .
*
For You ,
Lord ,
are good ,
and ready to forgive ,
And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You .
*
Give ear ,
O LORD ,
to my prayer ;
And attend to the voice of my supplications .
*
In the day of my trouble I will call upon You ,
For You will answer me .
*
Among the gods there is none like You ,
O Lord ;
Nor are there any works like Your works .
*
All nations whom You have made Shall come and worship before You ,
O Lord ,
And shall glorify Your name .
*
For You are great ,
and do wondrous things ;
You alone are God .
*
Teach me Your way ,
O LORD ;
I will walk in Your truth ;
Unite my heart to fear Your name .
*
I will praise You ,
O Lord my God ,
with all my heart ,
And I will glorify Your name forevermore .
*
For great is Your mercy toward me ,
And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol .
*
O God ,
the proud have risen against me ,
And a mob of violent men have sought my life ,
And have not set You before them .
*
But You ,
O Lord ,
are a God full of compassion ,
and gracious ,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth .
*
Oh ,
turn to me ,
and have mercy on me !
Give Your strength to Your servant ,
And save the son of Your maidservant .
*
Show me a sign for good ,
That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed ,
Because You ,
LORD ,
have helped me and comforted me .
*
His foundation is in the holy mountains .
*
The LORD loves the gates of Zion More than all the dwellings of Jacob .
*
Glorious things are spoken of you ,
O city of God !
Selah (
pause )
* "
I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me ;
Behold ,
O Philistia and Tyre ,
with Ethiopia : "
This one was born there .'
*
And of Zion it will be said , "
This one and that one were born in her ;
And the Most High Himself shall establish her ".
*
The LORD will record ,
When He registers the peoples : "
This one was born there ".
Selah (
pause )
*
Both the singers and the players on instruments say , "
All my springs are in you ".
*
O LORD ,
God of my salvation ,
I have cried out day and night before You .
*
Let my prayer come before You ;
Incline Your ear to my cry .
*
For my soul is full of troubles ,
And my life draws near to the grave .
*
I am counted with those who go down to the pit ;
I am like a man who has no strength ,
*
Adrift among the dead ,
Like the slain who lie in the grave ,
Whom You remember no more ,
And who are cut off from Your hand .
*
You have laid me in the lowest pit ,
In darkness ,
in the depths .
*
Your wrath lies heavy upon me ,
And You have afflicted me with all Your waves .
Selah (
pause )
*
You have put away my acquaintances far from me ;
You have made me an abomination to them ;
I am shut up ,
and I cannot get out ;
*
My eye wastes away because of affliction .
LORD ,
I have called daily upon You ;
I have stretched out my hands to You .
*
Will You work wonders for the dead ?
Shall the dead arise and praise You ?
Selah (
pause )
*
Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave ?
Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction ?
*
Shall Your wonders be known in the dark ?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness ?
*
But to You I have cried out ,
O LORD ,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You .
*
LORD ,
why do You cast off my soul ?
Why do You hide Your face from me ?
*
I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth ;
I suffer Your terrors ;
I am distraught .
*
Your fierce wrath has gone over me ;
Your terrors have cut me off .
*
They came around me all day long like water ;
They engulfed me altogether .
*
Loved one and friend You have put far from me ,
And my acquaintances into darkness .
*
I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever ;
With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations .
*
For I have said , "
Mercy shall be built up forever ;
Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens ".
* "
I have made a covenant with My chosen ,
I have sworn to My servant David :
* "
Your seed I will establish forever ,
And build up your throne to all generations ".'
Selah (
pause )
*
And the heavens will praise Your wonders ,
O LORD ;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints .
*
For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD ?
Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD ?
*
God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints ,
And to be held in reverence by all those around Him .
*
O LORD God of hosts ,
Who is mighty like You ,
O LORD ?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You .
*
You rule the raging of the sea ;
When its waves rise ,
You still them .
*
You have broken Rahab in pieces ,
as one who is slain ;
You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm .
*
The heavens are Yours ,
the earth also is Yours ;
The world and all its fullness ,
You have founded them .
*
The north and the south ,
You have created them ;
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name .
*
You have a mighty arm ;
Strong is Your hand ,
and high is Your right hand .
*
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne ;
Mercy and truth go before Your face .
*
Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound !
They walk ,
O LORD ,
in the light of Your countenance .
*
In Your name they rejoice all day long ,
And in Your righteousness they are exalted .
*
For You are the glory of their strength ,
And in Your favor our horn is exalted .
*
For our shield belongs to the LORD ,
And our king to the Holy One of Israel .
*
Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one ,
And said : "
I have given help to one who is mighty ;
I have exalted one chosen from the people .
*
I have found My servant David ;
With My holy oil I have anointed him ,
*
With whom My hand shall be established ;
Also My arm shall strengthen him .
*
The enemy shall not outwit him ,
Nor the son of wickedness afflict him .
*
I will beat down his foes before his face ,
And plague those who hate him .
* "
But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him ,
And in My name his horn shall be exalted .
*
Also I will set his hand over the sea ,
And his right hand over the rivers .
*
He shall cry to Me , "
You are my Father ,
My God ,
and the rock of my salvation .'
*
Also I will make him My firstborn ,
The highest of the kings of the earth .
*
My mercy I will keep for him forever ,
And My covenant shall stand firm with him .
*
His seed also I will make to endure forever ,
And his throne as the days of heaven .
* "
If his sons forsake My law And do not walk in My judgments ,
*
If they break My statutes And do not keep My commandments ,
*
Then I will punish their transgression with the rod ,
And their iniquity with stripes .
*
Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him ,
Nor allow My faithfulness to fail .
*
My covenant I will not break ,
Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips .
*
Once I have sworn by My holiness ;
I will not lie to David :
*
His seed shall endure forever ,
And his throne as the sun before Me ;
*
It shall be established forever like the moon ,
Even like the faithful witness in the sky ".
Selah (
pause )
*
But You have cast off and abhorred ,
You have been furious with Your anointed .
*
You have renounced the covenant of Your servant ;
You have profaned his crown by casting it to the ground .
*
You have broken down all his hedges ;
You have brought his strongholds to ruin .
*
All who pass by the way plunder him ;
He is a reproach to his neighbors .
*
You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries ;
You have made all his enemies rejoice .
*
You have also turned back the edge of his sword ,
And have not sustained him in the battle .
*
You have made his glory cease ,
And cast his throne down to the ground .
*
The days of his youth You have shortened ;
You have covered him with shame .
Selah (
pause )
*
How long ,
LORD ?
Will You hide Yourself forever ?
Will Your wrath burn like fire ?
*
Remember how short my time is ;
For what futility have You created all the children of men ?
*
What man can live and not see death ?
Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave ?
Selah (
pause )
*
Lord ,
where are Your former lovingkindnesses ,
Which You swore to David in Your truth ?
*
Remember ,
Lord ,
the reproach of Your servants --
How I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many peoples ,
*
With which Your enemies have reproached ,
O LORD ,
With which they have reproached the footsteps of Your anointed .
*
Blessed be the LORD forevermore !
Amen and Amen .
*
Lord ,
You have been our dwelling place in all generations .