Psaume (NAB) 70

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

70 1 For the leader; of David. For remembrance.
2
Graciously rescue me, God! Come quickly to help me, LORD!
3
Confound and put to shame those who seek my life. Turn back in disgrace those who desire my ruin.
4
Let those who say "Aha!" turn back in their shame.
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But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. May those who long for your help always say, "God be glorified!"
6
Here I am, afflicted and poor. God, come quickly! You are my help and deliverer. LORD, do not delay!


Prayer for Lifelong Protection and Help

71 1 I In you, LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.
2
In your justice rescue and deliver me; listen to me and save me!
3
Be my rock and refuge, my secure stronghold; for you are my rock and fortress.
4
My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked, from the clutches of the violent.
5
You are my hope, Lord; my trust, GOD, from my youth.
6
On you I depend since birth; from my mother's womb you are my strength; my hope in you never wavers.
7
I have become a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge!
8
My mouth shall be filled with your praise, shall sing your glory every day.
9
II Do not cast me aside in my old age; as my strength fails, do not forsake me.
10
For my enemies speak against me; they watch and plot against me.
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They say, "God has abandoned that one Pursue, seize the wretch! No one will come to the rescue!"
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God, do not stand far from me; my God, hasten to help me.
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Bring to a shameful end those who attack me; Cover with contempt and scorn those who seek my ruin.
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I will always hope in you and add to all your praise.
15
My mouth shall proclaim your just deeds, day after day your acts of deliverance, though I cannot number them all.
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I will speak of the mighty works of the Lord; O GOD, I will tell of your singular justice.
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III God, you have taught me from my youth; to this day I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
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Now that I am old and gray, do not forsake me, God, That I may proclaim your might to all generations yet to come, Your power
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and justice, God, to the highest heaven. You have done great things; O God, who is your equal?
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You have sent me many bitter afflictions, but once more revive me. From the watery depths of the earth once more raise me up.
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Restore my honor; turn and comfort me,
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That I may praise you with the lyre for your faithfulness, my God, And sing to you with the harp, O Holy One of Israel!
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My lips will shout for joy as I sing your praise; my soul, too, which you have redeemed.
24
Yes, my tongue shall recount your justice day by day. For those who sought my ruin will have been shamed and disgraced.


Prayer for Guidance and Support for the King

72 1 Of Solomon.
2
I O God, give your judgment to the king; your justice to the son of kings; That he may govern your people with justice, your oppressed with right judgment,
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That the mountains may yield their bounty for the people, and the hills great abundance,
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That he may defend the oppressed among the people, save the poor and crush the oppressor.
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II May he live as long as the sun endures, like the moon, through all generations.
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May he be like rain coming down upon the fields, like showers watering the earth,
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That abundance may flourish in his days, great bounty, till the moon be no more.
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III May he rule from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth.
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May his foes kneel before him, his enemies lick the dust.
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May the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute, the kings of Arabia and Seba offer gifts.
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May all kings bow before him, all nations serve him.
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For he rescues the poor when they cry out, the oppressed who have no one to help.
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He shows pity to the needy and the poor and saves the lives of the poor.
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From extortion and violence he frees them, for precious is their blood in his sight.
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IV Long may he live, receiving gold from Arabia, prayed for without cease, blessed day by day.
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May wheat abound in the land, flourish even on the mountain heights. May his fruit increase like Lebanon's, his wheat like the grasses of the land.
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May his name be blessed forever; as long as the sun, may his name endure. May the tribes of the earth give blessings with his name; may all the nations regard him as favored.
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Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wonderful deeds.
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Blessed be his glorious name forever; may all the earth be filled with the LORD'S glory. Amen and amen.
20
The end of the psalms of David, son of Jesse.


Plea for Relief from Oppressors

73 1 A psalm of Asaph. How good God is to the upright, the Lord, to those who are clean of heart!
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I But, as for me, I lost my balance; my feet all but slipped,
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Because I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
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For they suffer no pain; their bodies are healthy and sleek.
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They are free of the burdens of life; they are not afflicted like others.
6
Thus pride adorns them as a necklace; violence clothes them as a robe.
7
Out of their stupidity comes sin; evil thoughts flood their hearts.
8
They scoff and spout their malice; from on high they utter threats.
9
They set their mouths against the heavens, their tongues roam the earth.
10
So my people turn to them and drink deeply of their words.
11
They say, "Does God really know?" "Does the Most High have any knowledge?"
12
Such, then, are the wicked, always carefree, increasing their wealth.
13
II Is it in vain that I have kept my heart clean, washed my hands in innocence?
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For I am afflicted day after day, chastised every morning.
15
Had I thought, "I will speak as they do," I would have betrayed your people.
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Though I tried to understand all this, it was too difficult for me,
17
Till I entered the sanctuary of God and came to understand their end.
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II You set them, indeed, on a slippery road; you hurl them down to ruin.
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How suddenly they are devastated; undone by disasters forever!
20
They are like a dream after waking, Lord, dismissed like shadows when you arise.
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IV Since my heart was embittered and my soul deeply wounded,
22
I was stupid and could not understand; I was like a brute beast in your presence.
23
Yet I am always with you; you take hold of my right hand.
24
With your counsel you guide me, and at the end receive me with honor.
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Whom else have I in the heavens? None beside you delights me on earth.
26
Though my flesh and my heart fail, God is the rock of my heart, my portion forever.
27
But those who are far from you perish; you destroy those unfaithful to you.
28
As for me, to be near God is my good, to make the Lord GOD my refuge. I shall declare all your works in the gates of daughter Zion.


Plea for Help in Time of National Humiliation

74 1 A maskil of Asaph. I Why, God, have you cast us off forever? Why does your anger burn against the sheep of your pasture?
2
Remember your flock that you gathered of old, the tribe you redeemed as your very own. Remember Mount Zion where you dwell.
3
Turn your steps toward the utter ruins, toward the sanctuary devastated by the enemy.
4
Your foes roared triumphantly in your shrine; they set up their own tokens of victory.
5
They hacked away like foresters gathering boughs, swinging their axes in a thicket of trees.
6
They smashed all your engraved work, pounded it with hammer and pick.
7
They set your sanctuary on fire; the abode of your name they razed and profaned.
8
They said in their hearts, "Destroy them all! Burn all the shrines of God in the land!"
9
Now we see no signs, we have no prophets, no one who knows how long.
10
How long, O God, shall the enemy jeer? Shall the foe revile your name forever?
11
Why draw back your right hand, why keep it idle beneath your cloak?
12
II Yet you, God, are my king from of old, winning victories throughout the earth.
13
You stirred up the sea in your might; you smashed the heads of the dragons on the waters.
14
You crushed the heads of Leviathan, tossed him for food to the sharks.
15
You opened up springs and torrents, brought dry land out of the primeval waters.
16
Yours the day and yours the night; you set the moon and sun in place.
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You fixed all the limits of the earth; summer and winter you made.
18
Remember how the enemy has jeered, O LORD, how a foolish people has reviled your name.
19
Do not surrender to beasts those who praise you; do not forget forever the life of your afflicted.
20
Look to your covenant, for the land is filled with gloom; the pastures, with violence.
21
Let not the oppressed turn back in shame; may the poor and needy praise your name.
22
Arise, God, defend your cause; remember the constant jeers of the fools.
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Do not ignore the clamor of your foes, the unceasing uproar of your enemies.


Thanksgiving for God's Wondrous Deeds

75 1 For the leader. Do not destroy! A psalm of Asaph; a song.
2
I We thank you, God, we give thanks; we call upon your name, declare your wonderful deeds. You said:
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"I will choose the time; I will judge fairly.
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The earth and all its inhabitants will quake, but I have firmly set its pillars." Selah
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II So I say to the boastful: "Do not boast!" to the wicked: "Do not raise your horns!
6
Do not raise your horns against heaven! Do not speak arrogantly against the Rock!"
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For judgment comes not from east or from west, not from the desert or from the mountains,
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But from God who decides, who brings some low and raises others high.
9
Yes, a cup is in the LORD'S hand, foaming wine, fully spiced. When God pours it out, they will drain it even to the dregs; all the wicked of the earth must drink.
10
But I will rejoice forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob,
11
Who has said: "I will break off all the horns of the wicked, but the horns of the just shall be lifted up."


Israel's God -- Judge of All the Earth

76 1 For the leader; a psalm with stringed instruments. A song of Asaph.
2
I Renowned in Judah is God, whose name is great in Israel.
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On Salem is God's tent, a shelter on Zion.
4
There the flashing arrows were shattered, shield, sword, and weapons of war. Selah
5
II Terrible and awesome are you, stronger than the ancient mountains.
6
Despoiled are the bold warriors; they sleep their final sleep; the hands of all the mighty have failed.
7
At your roar, O God of Jacob, chariots and steeds lay still.
8
So terrible and awesome are you; who can stand before you and your great anger?
9
From the heavens you pronounced sentence; the earth was terrified and reduced to silence,
10
When you arose, O God, for judgment to deliver the afflicted of the land. Selah
11
Even wrathful Edom praises you; the remnant of Hamath keeps your feast.
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III Make and keep vows to the LORD your God. May all present bring gifts to this awesome God,
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Who checks the pride of princes, inspires awe among the kings of earth.


God's Mighty Deeds Recalled

77 1 For the leader; al Jeduthun. A psalm of Asaph.
2
I I cry aloud to God, cry to God to hear me.
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On the day of my distress I seek the Lord; by night my hands are raised unceasingly; I refuse to be consoled.
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When I think of God, I groan; as I ponder, my spirit grows faint. Selah
5
My eyes cannot close in sleep; I am troubled and cannot speak.
6
I consider the days of old; the years long past
7
I remember. In the night I meditate in my heart; I ponder and my spirit broods:
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"Will the Lord reject us forever, never again show favor?
9
Has God's love ceased forever? Has the promise failed for all ages?
10
Has God forgotten mercy, in anger withheld compassion?" Selah
11
I conclude: "My sorrow is this, the right hand of the Most High has left us."
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II I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, your wonders of old I will remember.
13
I will recite all your works; your exploits I will tell.
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Your way, O God, is holy; what god is as great as our God?
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You alone are the God who did wonders; among the peoples you revealed your might.
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With your arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
17
The waters saw you, God; the waters saw you and lashed about, trembled even to their depths.
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The clouds poured down their rains; the thunderheads rumbled; your arrows flashed back and forth.
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The thunder of your chariot wheels resounded; your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.
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Through the sea was your path; your way, through the mighty waters, though your footsteps were unseen.
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You led your people like a flock under the care of Moses and Aaron.


God's Goodness and Israel's Ingratitude

78 1 A maskil of Asaph. I Attend, my people, to my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.
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I will open my mouth in story, drawing lessons from of old.
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We have heard them, we know them; our ancestors have recited them to us.
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We do not keep them from our children; we recite them to the next generation, The praiseworthy and mighty deeds of the LORD, the wonders that he performed.
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God set up a decree in Jacob, established a law in Israel: What he commanded our ancestors, they were to teach their children;
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That the next generation might come to know, children yet to be born. In turn they were to recite them to their children,
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that they too might put their trust in God, And not forget the works of God, keeping his commandments.
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They were not to be like their ancestors, a rebellious and defiant generation, A generation whose heart was not constant, whose spirit was not faithful to God,
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Like the ranks of Ephraimite archers, who retreated on the day of battle.
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They did not keep God's covenant; they refused to walk by his law.
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They forgot his works, the wondrous deeds he had shown them.
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II In the sight of their ancestors God did wonders, in the land of Egypt, the plain of Zoan.
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He split the sea and led them across, piling up the waters rigid as walls.
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God led them with a cloud by day, all night with the light of fire.
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He split rock in the desert, gave water to drink, abounding as the deep.
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He made streams flow from crags, drew out rivers of water.
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But they went on sinning against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
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They tested God in their hearts, demanding the food they craved.
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They spoke against God, and said, "Can God spread a table in the desert?
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True, when he struck the rock, water gushed forth, the wadis flooded. But can he also provide bread, give meat to his people?"
21
The LORD heard and grew angry; fire blazed up against Jacob; anger flared up against Israel.
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For they did not believe in God, did not trust in his saving power.
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So he commanded the skies above; the doors of heaven he opened.
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God rained manna upon them for food; bread from heaven he gave them.
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All ate a meal fit for heroes; food he sent in abundance.
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He stirred up the east wind in the heavens; by his power God brought on the south wind.
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He rained meat upon them like dust, winged fowl like the sands of the sea,
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Brought them down in the midst of the camp, round about their tents.
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They ate and were well filled; he gave them what they had craved.
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But while they still wanted more, and the food was still in their mouths,
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God's anger attacked them, killed their best warriors, laid low the youth of Israel.
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In spite of all this they went on sinning, they did not believe in his wonders.
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God ended their days abruptly, their years in sudden death.
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When he slew them, they began to seek him; they again inquired of their God.
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They remembered that God was their rock, God Most High, their redeemer.
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But they deceived him with their mouths, lied to him with their tongues.
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Their hearts were not constant toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.
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But God is merciful and forgave their sin; he did not utterly destroy them. Time and again he turned back his anger, unwilling to unleash all his rage.
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He was mindful that they were flesh, a breath that passes and does not return.
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III How often they rebelled against God in the desert, grieved him in the wasteland.
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Again and again they tested God, provoked the Holy One of Israel.
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They did not remember his power, the day he redeemed them from the foe,
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When he displayed his wonders in Egypt, his marvels in the plain of Zoan.
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God changed their rivers to blood; their streams they could not drink.
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He sent insects that devoured them, frogs that destroyed them.
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He gave their harvest to the caterpillar, the fruits of their labor to the locust.
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He killed their vines with hail, their sycamores with frost.
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He exposed their flocks to deadly hail, their cattle to lightning.
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He unleashed against them his fiery breath, roar, fury, and distress, storming messengers of death.
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He cleared a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death; he delivered their beasts to the plague.
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He struck all the firstborn of Egypt, love's first child in the tents of Ham.
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God led forth his people like sheep; he guided them through the desert like a flock.
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He led them on secure and unafraid, but the sea enveloped their enemies.
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He brought them to his holy land, the mountain his right hand had won.
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God drove out the nations before them, apportioned them a heritage by lot, settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
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But they tested, rebelled against God Most High, his decrees they did not observe.
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They turned back, deceitful like their ancestors; they proved false like a bow with no tension.
58
They enraged him with their high places; with their idols they goaded him.
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God heard and grew angry; he rejected Israel completely.
60
He forsook the shrine at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt with humans.
61
He gave up his might into captivity, his glorious ark into the hands of the foe.
62
God abandoned his people to the sword; he was enraged against his heritage.
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Fire consumed their young men; their young women heard no wedding songs.
64
Their priests fell by the sword; their widows made no lamentation.
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Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a warrior from the effects of wine.
66
He put his enemies to flight; everlasting shame he dealt them.
67
He rejected the tent of Joseph, chose not the tribe of Ephraim.
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God chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which he favored.
69
He built his shrine like the heavens, like the earth which he founded forever.
70
He chose David his servant, took him from the sheepfold.
71
From tending sheep God brought him, to shepherd Jacob, his people, Israel, his heritage.
72
He shepherded them with a pure heart; with skilled hands he guided them.


Plea for Mercy for Jerusalem

79 1 A psalm of Asaph. I O God, the nations have invaded your heritage; they have defiled your holy temple, have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2
They have left the corpses of your servants as food for the birds of the heavens, the flesh of your faithful for the beasts of the earth.
3
They have spilled their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and no one is left to bury them.
4
We have become the reproach of our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us.
5
II How long, LORD? Will you be angry forever? Will your rage keep burning like fire?
6
Pour out your wrath on nations that reject you, on kingdoms that do not call on your name,
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For they have devoured Jacob, laid waste his home.
8
Do not hold past iniquities against us; may your compassion come quickly, for we have been brought very low.
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III Help us, God our savior, for the glory of your name. Deliver us, pardon our sins for your name's sake.
10
Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Before our eyes make clear to the nations that you avenge the blood of your servants.
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IV Let the groans of prisoners come before you; by your great power free those doomed to death.
12
Lord, inflict on our neighbors seven fold the disgrace they inflicted on you.
13
Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; through all ages we will declare your praise.


Prayer for Israel's Restoration

80 1 For the leader; according to "Lilies." Eduth. A psalm of Asaph.
2
I Shepherd of Israel, listen, guide of the flock of Joseph! From your throne upon the cherubim reveal yourself
3
to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. Stir up your power, come to save us.
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O LORD of hosts, restore us; Let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
5
II LORD of hosts, how long will you burn with anger while your people pray?
6
You have fed them the bread of tears, made them drink tears in abundance.
7
You have left us to be fought over by our neighbors; our enemies deride us.
8
O LORD of hosts, restore us; let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
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III You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove away the nations and planted it.
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You cleared the ground; it took root and filled the land.
11
The mountains were covered by its shadow, the cedars of God by its branches.
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It sent out boughs as far as the sea, shoots as far as the river.
13
Why have you broken down the walls, so that all who pass by pluck its fruit?
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The boar from the forest strips the vine; the beast of the field feeds upon it.
15
Turn again, LORD of hosts; look down from heaven and see; Attend to this vine,
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the shoot your right hand has planted.
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Those who would burn or cut it down-- may they perish at your rebuke.
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May your help be with the man at your right hand, with the one whom you once made strong.
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Then we will not withdraw from you; revive us, and we will call on your name.
20
LORD of hosts, restore us; let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.


God's Appeal to Stubborn Israel

81 1 For the leader; "upon the gittith." Of Asaph.
2
I Sing joyfully to God our strength; shout in triumph to the God of Jacob!
3
Take up a melody, sound the timbrel, the sweet-sounding harp and lyre.
4
Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our solemn feast.
5
For this is a law in Israel, an edict of the God of Jacob,
6
Who made it a decree for Joseph when he came out of the land of Egypt. II I hear a new oracle:
7
"I relieved their shoulders of the burden; their hands put down the basket.
8
In distress you called and I rescued you; unseen, I spoke to you in thunder; At the waters of Meribah I tested you and said: Selah
9
'Listen, my people, I give you warning! If only you will obey me, Israel!
10
There must be no foreign god among you; you must not worship an alien god.
11
I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. Open wide your mouth that I may fill it.'
12
But my people did not listen to my words; Israel did not obey me.
13
So I gave them over to hardness of heart; they followed their own designs.
14
But even now if my people would listen, if Israel would walk in my paths,
15
In a moment I would subdue their foes, against their enemies unleash my hand.
16
Those who hate the LORD would tremble, their doom sealed forever.
17
But Israel I would feed with the finest wheat, satisfy them with honey from the rock."


A Plea for Justice

82 1 A psalm of Asaph. I God rises in the divine council, gives judgment in the midst of the gods.
2
"How long will you judge unjustly and favor the cause of the wicked? Selah
3
Defend the lowly and fatherless; render justice to the afflicted and needy.
4
Rescue the lowly and poor; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."
5
II The gods neither know nor understand, wandering about in darkness, and all the world's foundations shake.
6
I declare: "Gods though you be, offspring of the Most High all of you,
7
Yet like any mortal you shall die; like any prince you shall fall."
8
Arise, O God, judge the earth, for yours are all the nations.


Prayer for Judgment on Israel's Foes

83 1 A song; a psalm of Asaph.
2
I God, do not be silent; God, be not still and unmoved!
3
See how your enemies rage; your foes proudly raise their heads.
4
They conspire against your people, plot against those you protect.
5
They say, "Come, let us wipe out their nation; let Israel's name be mentioned no more!"
6
They scheme with one mind, in league against you:
7
The tents of Ishmael and Edom, the people of Moab and Hagar,
8
Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre.
9
Assyria, too, in league with them gives aid to the descendants of Lot. Selah
10
II Deal with them as with Midian; as with Sisera and Jabin at the torrent Kishon,
11
Those destroyed at Endor, who became dung for the ground.
12
Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
13
Who made a plan together, "Let us seize the pastures of God."
14
My God, turn them into withered grass, into chaff flying before the wind.
15
As a fire raging through a forest, a flame setting mountains ablaze,
16
Pursue them with your tempest; terrify them with your storm.
17
Cover their faces with shame, till they pay you homage, LORD.
18
Let them be dismayed and shamed forever; let them perish in disgrace.
19
Show them you alone are the LORD, the Most High over all the earth.


The Joy of Worship in the Temple

84 1 For the leader; "upon the gittith." A psalm of the Korahites.
2
I How lovely your dwelling, O LORD of hosts!
3
My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the LORD. My heart and flesh cry out for the living God.
4
As the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest to settle her young, My home is by your altars, LORD of hosts, my king and my God!
5
Happy are those who dwell in your house! They never cease to praise you. Selah
6
II Happy are those who find refuge in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrim roads.
7
As they pass through the Baca valley, they find spring water to drink. Also from pools the Lord provides water for those who lose their way.
8
They pass through outer and inner wall and see the God of gods on Zion.
9
III LORD of hosts, hear my prayer; listen, God of Jacob. Selah
10
O God, look kindly on our shield; look upon the face of your anointed.
11
IV Better one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. Better the threshold of the house of my God than a home in the tents of the wicked.
12
For a sun and shield is the LORD God, bestowing all grace and glory. The LORD withholds no good thing from those who walk without reproach.
13
O LORD of hosts, happy are those who trust in you!


Prayer for the Restoration of God's Favor

85 1 For the leader. A psalm of the Korahites.
2
I You once favored, LORD, your land, restored the good fortune of Jacob.
3
You forgave the guilt of your people, pardoned all their sins. Selah
4
You withdrew all your wrath, turned back your burning anger.
5
II Restore us once more, God our savior; abandon your wrath against us.
6
Will you be angry with us forever, drag out your anger for all generations?
7
Please give us life again, that your people may rejoice in you.
8
Show us, LORD, your love; grant us your salvation.
9
III I will listen for the word of God; surely the LORD will proclaim peace To his people, to the faithful, to those who trust in him.
10
Near indeed is salvation for the loyal; prosperity will fill our land.
11
Love and truth will meet; justice and peace will kiss.
12
Truth will spring from the earth; justice will look down from heaven.
13
The LORD will surely grant abundance; our land will yield its increase.
14
Prosperity will march before the Lord, and good fortune will follow behind.


Supplication for Help against Enemies

86 1 A prayer of David. I Hear me, LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and oppressed.
2
Preserve my life, for I am loyal; save your servant who trusts in you.
3
You are my God; pity me, Lord; to you I call all the day.
4
Gladden the soul of your servant; to you, Lord, I lift up my soul.
5
Lord, you are kind and forgiving, most loving to all who call on you.
6
LORD, hear my prayer; listen to my cry for help.
7
In this time of trouble I call, for you will answer me.
8
II None among the gods can equal you, O Lord; nor can their deeds compare to yours.
9
All the nations you have made shall come to bow before you, Lord, and give honor to your name.
10
For you are great and do wondrous deeds; and you alone are God.
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III Teach me, LORD, your way that I may walk in your truth, single-hearted and revering your name.
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I will praise you with all my heart, glorify your name forever, Lord my God.
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Your love for me is great; you have rescued me from the depths of Sheol.
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O God, the arrogant have risen against me; a ruthless band has sought my life; to you they pay no heed.
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But you, Lord, are a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, most loving and true.
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Turn to me, have pity on me; give your strength to your servant; save this child of your handmaid.
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Give me a sign of your favor: make my enemies see, to their confusion, that you, LORD, help and comfort me.


The Joy of Living in Zion

87 1 A psalm of the Korahites. A song. I The LORD loves the city founded on holy mountains,
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Loves the gates of Zion more than any dwelling in Jacob.
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Glorious things are said of you, O city of God! Selah
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II From Babylon and Egypt I count those who acknowledge the LORD. Philistia, Ethiopia, Tyre, of them it can be said: "This one was born there."
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But of Zion it must be said: "They all were born here." The Most High confirms this;
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the Lord notes in the register of the peoples: "This one was born here." Selah
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So all sing in their festive dance: "Within you is my true home."


Prayer for Help in Despondency

88 1 A song; a psalm of the Korahites. For the leader; according to Mahalath. For singing; a maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.
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I LORD, my God, I call out by day; at night I cry aloud in your presence.
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Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry.
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For my soul is filled with troubles; my life draws near to Sheol.
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I am reckoned with those who go down to the pit; I am weak, without strength.
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My couch is among the dead, with the slain who lie in the grave. You remember them no more; they are cut off from your care.
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You plunged me into the bottom of the pit, into the darkness of the abyss.
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Your wrath lies heavy upon me; all your waves crash over me. Selah
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Because of you my friends shun me; you make me loathsome to them; Caged in, I cannot escape;
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my eyes grow dim from trouble. II All day I call on you, LORD; I stretch out my hands to you.
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Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the shades arise and praise you? Selah
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Is your love proclaimed in the grave, your fidelity in the tomb?
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Are your marvels declared in the darkness, your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
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III But I cry out to you, LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
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Why do you reject me, LORD? Why hide your face from me?
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I am mortally afflicted since youth; lifeless, I suffer your terrible blows.
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Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have reduced me to silence.
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All the day they surge round like a flood; from every side they close in on me.
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Because of you companions shun me; my only friend is darkness.


God's Covenant with David

89 1 A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
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I The promises of the LORD I will sing forever, proclaim your loyalty through all ages.
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For you said, "My love is established forever; my loyalty will stand as long as the heavens.
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I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant:
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I will make your dynasty stand forever and establish your throne through all ages." Selah
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II The heavens praise your marvels, LORD, your loyalty in the assembly of the holy ones.
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Who in the skies ranks with the LORD? Who is like the LORD among the gods?
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A God dreaded in the council of the holy ones, greater and more awesome than all who sit there!
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LORD, God of hosts, who is like you? Mighty LORD, your loyalty is always present.
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You rule the raging sea; you still its swelling waves.
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You crushed Rahab with a mortal blow; your strong arm scattered your foes.
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Yours are the heavens, yours the earth; you founded the world and everything in it.
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Zaphon and Amanus you created; Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.
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Mighty your arm, strong your hand, your right hand is ever exalted.
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Justice and judgment are the foundation of your throne; love and loyalty march before you.
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Happy the people who know you, LORD, who walk in the radiance of your face.
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In your name they sing joyfully all the day; at your victory they raise the festal shout.
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You are their majestic strength; by your favor our horn is exalted.
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Truly the LORD is our shield, the Holy One of Israel, our king!
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III Once you spoke in vision; to your faithful ones you said: "I have set a leader over the warriors; I have raised up a hero from the army.
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I have chosen David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him.
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My hand will be with him; my arm will make him strong.
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No enemy shall outwit him, nor shall the wicked defeat him.
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I will crush his foes before him, strike down those who hate him.
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My loyalty and love will be with him; through my name his horn will be exalted.
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I will set his hand upon the sea, his right hand upon the rivers.
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He shall cry to me,'You are my father, my God, the Rock that brings me victory!'
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I myself make him firstborn, Most High over the kings of the earth.
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Forever I will maintain my love for him; my covenant with him stands firm.
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I will establish his dynasty forever, his throne as the days of the heavens.
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If his descendants forsake my law, do not follow my decrees,
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If they fail to observe my statutes, do not keep my commandments,
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I will punish their crime with a rod and their guilt with lashes.
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But I will not take my love from him, nor will I betray my bond of loyalty.
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I will not violate my covenant; the promise of my lips I will not alter.
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By my holiness I swore once for all: I will never be false to David.
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His dynasty will continue forever, his throne, like the sun before me.
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Like the moon it will stand eternal, forever firm like the sky!" Selah
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IV But now you have rejected and spurned, been enraged at your anointed.
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You renounced the covenant with your servant, defiled his crown in the dust.
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You broke down all his defenses, left his strongholds in ruins.
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All who pass through seize plunder; his neighbors deride him.
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You have exalted the right hand of his foes, have gladdened all his enemies.
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You turned back his sharp sword, did not support him in battle.
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You brought to an end his splendor, hurled his throne to the ground.
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You cut short the days of his youth, covered him with shame. Selah
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How long, LORD? Will you stay hidden forever? Must your wrath smolder like fire?
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Remember how brief is my life, how frail the race you created!
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What mortal can live and not see death? Who can escape the power of Sheol? Selah
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Where are your promises of old, Lord, the loyalty sworn to David?
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Remember, Lord, the insults to your servants, how I bear all the slanders of the nations.
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Your enemies, LORD, insult your anointed; they insult my every endeavor.
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Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and amen!



Psaume (NAB) 70