Psalm 80

To the director.* To the tune “Lilies of the Agreement.” One of Asaph’s songs of praise.

¹Shepherd of Israel, please listen to me. You lead Joseph’s sheep (people). You sit as king on the Cherub angels.* Let us see you. ²Shepherd of Israel, show your greatness to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. Come and save us. ³God, accept us again. Accept us. Save us! ⁴Lord God All-Powerful, when will you listen to our prayers? Will you be angry at us forever? ⁵You have given tears as food to your people. You have given your people bowls filled with their tears. That was their water to drink. ⁶You let us become something for our neighbors to fight about. Our enemies laugh at us. ⁷God All-Powerful, accept us again. Accept us. Save us. ⁸{In the past, you treated us like a very important plant.} You brought your “vine” out of Egypt. You forced other people to leave this land, and you planted your “vine” here. ⁹You prepared the ground for the “vine.” You helped its roots to grow strong. Soon the “vine” spread throughout the land. ¹⁰It covered the mountains. Its leaves shaded even the giant cedar trees. ¹¹Its vines spread to the Mediterranean Sea. Its shoots spread to the Euphrates River. ¹²God, why did you pull down the walls that protect your “vine”? Now every person who passes by picks its grapes. ¹³Wild pigs come and walk on your “vine.” Wild animals come and eat the leaves. ¹⁴God All-Powerful, come back. Look down from heaven at your “vine” and protect it. ¹⁵God, look at the “vine” you planted with your own hands. Look at the young plant* you raised. ¹⁶Your “vine” was burned in the fire like dry dung. You were angry at it and destroyed it. ¹⁷God, reach out to the son who stood by your right side. Reach out to the son you raised. ¹⁸He will not leave you again. Let him live, and he will worship your name. ¹⁹Lord God All-Powerful, come back to us. Accept us. Save us.

director Or, “performer.” Cherub angels Special angels from God. Statues of these angels were on top of the Box of the Agreement. young plant Literally, “son.”

Psalm 81

To the director,* {accompanied} by the Gittith.* One of Asaph’s songs.

¹Be happy and sing to God our strength. Shout with joy to the God of Israel. ²Begin the music. Play the tambourines. Play the pleasant harps and lyres.* ³Blow the ram’s horn at the time of the new moon,* Blow the ram’s horn at the time of the full moon.* when our holiday begins. ⁴That is a law for the people of Israel. God gave that command to Jacob.* ⁵God made this Agreement with Joseph* when God took him out of Egypt. In Egypt we heard that language we didn’t understand. ⁶God says, “I took the load from your shoulder. I let you drop the worker’s basket. ⁷You people were in trouble. You called for help and I set you free. I was hidden in the storm clouds, and I answered you. I tested you by the water at Meribah.”* SELAH* ⁸“My people, listen to me, and I will give you my Agreement* Israel, please listen to me! ⁹Don’t worship any of the false gods that the foreigners worship. ¹⁰I, the Lord, am your God. I brought you out of Egypt. Israel, open your mouth, and I will feed you. ¹¹“But my people did not listen to me. Israel did not obey me. ¹²So I let them do what they wanted to do. Israel did anything they wanted to do. ¹³If my people would listen to me and live the way I want, ¹⁴then I would defeat their enemies. I would punish the people who bring troubles to Israel. ¹⁵The Lord’s enemies would shake with fear. They would be punished forever. ¹⁶God would give the best wheat to his people. The Rock* would give honey to his people until they were satisfied.

director Or, “performer.” by the Gittith Or, “on the Gittith.” This might be a type of instrument, or it might be a performer in the temple orchestra, possibly Obed Edom from Gath (the Gittite). lyres An instrument with several strings, like a harp. new moon The first day of the Hebrew month. There were special meetings on these days to worship God. full moon The middle of the Hebrew month. Many of the special meetings and holidays started at the time of a full moon. Jacob Another name for Israel. See Gen. 32:22–28. Joseph Here this means Joseph’s family, the people of Israel. Meribah See Ex. 17:1–7. SELAH This word is for the musicians. It probably means the singers should pause here or the music should be louder here. Agreement Literally, “Testimony, Proof.” The flat stones with the Ten Commandments written on them were proof of the Agreement between God and Israel. Rock A name for God to show he is a strong place of safety.

Psalm 82

One of Asaph’s songs of praise.

¹God stands in the assembly of the gods.* He is the judge in that meeting of the gods. ²God says, “How long will you judge people unfairly? How long will you let wicked people go free without punishment?” SELAH* ³“Defend the poor people and orphans.* Protect the rights of those poor people. ⁴Help those poor, helpless people. Save them from evil people. ⁵“They* don’t know what is happening. They don’t understand! They don’t know what they are doing, Their world is falling down around them!” ⁶I (God) say, “You are gods. You are sons of God Most-High. ⁷But you will die the same as all people must die. You will die the same as all the other leaders.” ⁸Get up, God! You be the judge! God, you be the leader over all the nations!

assembly of the gods Other nations taught that El (God) and the other gods met together to decide what to do with the people on earth. But many times kings and leaders were also called “gods.” So this psalm may be God’s warning to the leaders of Israel. orphan(s) Children whose parents are dead. Often these children have no one to care for them. They This might mean the poor people don’t understand what is happening. Or it might mean that the “gods” don’t understand that they are ruining the world by not being fair and by not doing what is right.

Psalm 83

One of Asaph’s songs of praise.

¹God, don’t keep quiet! Don’t close your ears! Please say something, God. ²God, your enemies make plans against you, and they will soon attack. ³They make secret plans against your people. Your enemies are discussing plans against the people you love. ⁴The enemies are saying, “Come, let us destroy them completely. Then no person will ever again remember the name ‘Israel’.” ⁵God, all those people joined together to fight against you and the Agreement* you made with us. ^6–7Those enemies joined together to fight us: Edom, the Ishmaelite people, Moab and Hagar’s descendants,* Byblos, Ammon, the Amalekite people, the Philistine people, and the people living in Tyre. All those people joined together to fight us. ⁸Even the Assyrians joined those people. They made Lot’s descendants* very powerful. SELAH* ⁹God, defeat the enemy like you defeated Midian, like you defeated Sisera and Jabin near the Kishon River. ¹⁰You defeated them at En-Dor. And their bodies rotted on the ground. ¹¹God, defeat the enemy’s leaders. Do what you did to Oreb and Zeeb. Do what you did to Zebah and Zalmunna. ¹²God, those people wanted to force us to leave your land! ¹³Make those people like a tumbleweed* blown by the wind. Scatter those people like the wind scatters straw. ¹⁴Destroy the enemy like a fire destroys a forest, like a wild fire that burns the hills. ¹⁵God, chase those people away like {dust blown} by a storm. Shake them {and blow them away} like a tornado. ¹⁶God, teach those people so they may learn that they are really weak. Then they will want to worship your name! ¹⁷God, scare those people and make them ashamed forever. Disgrace them and destroy them. ¹⁸Then they will know that you are God. They will know your name is YAHWEH. They will know that you, God Most-High, are the God of the whole world!

Agreement Literally, “Proof.” The flat stones with the Ten Commandments written on them were proof of the Agreement between God and Israel. descendants A person’s children and their future families. SELAH This word is for the musicians. It probably means the singers should pause here or the music should be louder here. tumbleweed A large weed with short roots. When a strong wind blows, the dry weed is pulled loose and blown away.

Psalm 84

To the director,* {accompanied} by the Gittith.* A song of praise from the Korah family.

¹Lord All-Powerful, your temple* is really lovely. ²Lord, I can’t wait to enter your temple. I'm so excited! Every part of me wants to be with the Living God. ³Lord All-Powerful, my King, my God, even the birds have found a home in your temple. They make their nests near your altar. And there they have their babies. ⁴People living at your temple are very fortunate. They are still praising you. SELAH* ⁵People coming to the temple with songs in their heart are very happy! ⁶They travel through Baca Valley which God has made like a spring. Autumn rains form pools of water.* ⁷The people travel from town to town,* on their way to Zion, where they will meet with God. ⁸Lord God All-Powerful, listen to my prayer. God of Jacob,* listen to me. SELAH* ⁹God, protect our protector.* Be kind to your chosen king.* ¹⁰One day in your temple is better than a thousand days in any other place. Standing at the gate of my God’s house is better than living in the house of a wicked man. ¹¹The Lord is our protector and glorious king.* God blesses us with kindness and glory. The Lord gives every good thing to people who follow and obey him. ¹²Lord All-Powerful, people who trust you are truly happy!

director Or, “performer.” by the Gittith Or, “on the Gittith.” This might be a type of instrument, or it might be a performer in the temple orchestra, possibly Obed Edom from Gath (the Gittite). temple Or, “dwellings.” SELAH This word is for the musicians. It probably means the singers should pause here or the music should be louder here. Autumn rains forming pools of water Or “The Teacher gives blessings.” This might be a different way to say that God is our teacher and that he gives us many blessings. town to town Or, “wall to wall.” Jacob Another name for Israel. See Gen. 32:22–28. protector Literally, “shield.” This probably means the king. This might also be “God, our Shield, look!” chosen king Literally, “anointed person.” protector and glorious king Literally, “sun and shield.”