Psalms 69 | Prayer for Divine Help | A Psalm of David | Prayer

To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim

 A Psalm of David.

 Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.
 I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.

 I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.

They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.

O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.
 Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.
 Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.

 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children.
 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

 When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.

 I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.
 They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.

 But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.
 Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.

 Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.

 Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
 And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily.

 Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies.
 Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee.

 Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.

 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
 Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.

 Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake.
 Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.
 Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents.

 For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded.
 Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness.

 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.
 But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.

 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
 This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.

 The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.
 For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.

 Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein.
 For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession.

 The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein.
 (KJV)

A Prayer for Psalm 69 — Save Me, O God, for the Waters Have Come Unto My Soul

Heavenly Father, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, hear my cry, O Lord, and deliver me from the deep waters of affliction. When the floods of trouble rise against me, let not the waters overflow my soul, nor the depths of sorrow swallow me up.

O Lord, Thou knowest my reproach, my shame, and my adversaries. Deliver me from those who hate me without a cause, and let not those who seek Thee be ashamed because of my trials.

Father, draw nigh unto my soul and redeem it. Hear me according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies, and hide not Thy face from Thy servant. Let Thy salvation lift me above every affliction, and establish my heart in Thy righteousness.

Turn my mourning into praise, my sorrow into rejoicing, and my weakness into strength. Let my soul magnify Thy holy name, for Thou art the God who hears the poor and despises not His prisoners.

In the mighty and victorious name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen and Amen.

Psalms Seventy

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.

 Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD.

Psalms 70:2 Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.


Psalms 70:3 Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha.

Psalms 70:4 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.

Psalms 70:5 But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.
 (KJV)

Psalms Seventy-One

Psalms 71:1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.

Psalms 71:2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.

Psalms 71:3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.


Psalms 71:4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

Psalms 71:5 For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.

Psalms 71:6 By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.

Psalms 71:7 I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.

Psalms 71:8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.

Psalms 71:9 Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.

Psalms 71:10 For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,

Psalms 71:11 Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.

Psalms 71:12 O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.

Psalms 71:13 Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.

Psalms 71:14 But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.

Psalms 71:15 My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.

Psalms 71:16 I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.

Psalms 71:17
O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.

Psalms 71:18
Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come. {when...: Heb. unto old age and gray hairs} {thy strength: Heb. thine arm}

Psalms 71:19
Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!

Psalms 71:20
Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

Psalms 71:21
Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.

Psalms 71:22
I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. {the psaltery: Heb. the instrument of psaltery}

Psalms 71:23
My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.

Psalms 71:24
My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.
 (KJV)

Psalms 72 | Give Righteousness to the King's Son

A Psalm for Solomon.

Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness to the king's son.  He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.

 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.   He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.


 They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.   He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.  In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.

 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.  They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.  The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.   For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.  He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.

 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.

 There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.  His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed

 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.   And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.

 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
 (KJV)

Psalms Seventy-Three

Psalms 73:1<<A Psalm of Asaph.>> Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.

Psalms 73:2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.

Psalms 73:3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Psalms 73:4 For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.



Psalms 73:5 They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.

Psalms 73:6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.

Psalms 73:7 Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.

Psalms 73:8 They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.

Psalms 73:9 They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

Psalms 73:10 Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.

Psalms 73:11 And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?

Psalms 73:12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.

Psalms 73:13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.

Psalms 73:14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.

Psalms 73:15 If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.

Psalms 73:16 When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;

Psalms 73:17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.

Psalms 73:18 Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.

Psalms 73:19 How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.

Psalms 73:20 As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.

Psalms 73:21 Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.

Psalms 73:22 So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.

Psalms 73:23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.

Psalms 73:24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

Psalms 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

Psalms 73:26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

Psalms 73:27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.

Psalms 73:28 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 thy works.
 (KJV)

Psalms Seventy-four

Psalms 74:1 <<Maschil of Asaph.>> O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

Psalms 74:2 Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt.

Psalms 74:3 Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.

Psalms 74:4 Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs.

Psalms 74:5 A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees.

Psalms 74:6 But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.

Psalms 74:7 They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground.

Psalms 74:8 They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.

Psalms 74:9 We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.

Psalms 74:10 O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?

Psalms 74:11 Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck it out of thy bosom.

Psalms 74:12 For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.

Psalms 74:13 Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.

Psalms 74:14 Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

Psalms 74:15 Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.

Psalms 74:16 The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

Psalms 74:17 Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.

Psalms 74:18 Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.

Psalms 74:19 O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.

Psalms 74:20 Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.

Psalms 74:21 O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name.

Psalms 74:22 Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.

Psalms 74:23 Forget not the voice of thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually.
 (KJV)

Psalms Seventy-Five

Psalms 75:1 <<To the chief Musician, Altaschith, A Psalm or Song of Asaph.>> Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.

Psalms 75:2 When I shall receive the congregation I will judge uprightly.

Psalms 75:3The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it. Selah.

Psalms 75:4 I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn:

Psalms 75:5 Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck.

Psalms 75:6 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.

Psalms 75:7 But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

Psalms 75:8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.

Psalms 75:9 But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

Psalms 75:10 All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.
 (KJV)

Psalms Seventy-Seven

Psalms 77:1<<To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of Asaph.>> I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.

Psalms 77:2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.

Psalms 77:3 I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.

Psalms 77:4 Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

Psalms 77:5 I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.

Psalms 77:6 I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.

Psalms 77:7 Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more?

Psalms 77:8 Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore?

Psalms 77:9 Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.

Psalms 77:10 And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.

Psalms 77:11 I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.

Psalms 77:12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.

Psalms 77:13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?

Psalms 77:14 Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.

Psalms 77:15 Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

Psalms 77:16 The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.

Psalms 77:17 The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad.

Psalms 77:18 The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.

Psalms 77:19 Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.

Psalms 77:20 Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

 (KJV)

Psalms Seventy-Six

Psalms 76:1 <<To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song of Asaph.>> In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.

Psalms 76:2 In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.

Psalms 76:3 There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.

Psalms 76:4 Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.

Psalms 76:5 The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands.

Psalms 76:6 At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.

Psalms 76:7 Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?

Psalms 76:8 Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still,

Psalms 76:9 When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.

Psalms 76:10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.

Psalms 76:11 Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.

Psalms 76:12 He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.
 (KJV)

Psalms Seventy-Eight

Psalms 78:1<<Maschil of Asaph.>> Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

Psalms 78:2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:

Psalms 78:3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

Psalms 78:4 We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.

Psalms 78:5 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:

Psalms 78:6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:

Psalms 78:7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

Psalms 78:8 And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God. {that...: Heb. that prepared not their heart}

Psalms 78:9 The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle

Psalms 78:10 They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;

Psalms 78:11 And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.

Psalms 78:12 Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

Psalms 78:13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.

Psalms 78:14 In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.

Psalms 78:15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.

Psalms 78:16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

Psalms 78:17 And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.

Psalms 78:18 And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.

Psalms 78:19 Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

Psalms 78:20 Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?

Psalms 78:21 Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;

Psalms 78:22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:

Psalms 78:23 Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,

Psalms 78:24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.

Psalms 78:25 Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full.

Psalms 78:26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.

Psalms 78:27 He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:

Psalms 78:28 And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.

Psalms 78:29 So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;

Psalms 78:30 They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,

Psalms 78:31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

Psalms 78:32 For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.

Psalms 78:33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.

Psalms 78:34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.

Psalms 78:35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.

Psalms 78:36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.

Psalms 78:37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.

Psalms 78:38 But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.

Psalms 78:39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

Psalms 78:40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

Psalms 78:41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

Psalms 78:42 They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.

Psalms 78:43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:

Psalms 78:44 And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.

Psalms 78:45 He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

Psalms 78:46 He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.

Psalms 78:47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.

Psalms 78:48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

Psalms 78:49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.

Psalms 78:50 He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;

Psalms 78:51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:

Psalms 78:52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

Psalms 78:53 And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

Psalms 78:54 And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.

Psalms 78:55 He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

Psalms 78:56 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:

Psalms 78:57 But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

Psalms 78:58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.

Psalms 78:59 When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:

Psalms 78:60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;

Psalms 78:61 And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand.

Psalms 78:62 He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.

Psalms 78:63 The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.

Psalms 78:64 Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.

Psalms 78:65 Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.

Psalms 78:66 And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.

Psalms 78:67 Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:

Psalms 78:68 But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.

Psalms 78:69 And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.

Psalms 78:70 He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:

Psalms 78:71 From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

Psalms 78:72 So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
 (KJV)

Psalms Seventy-Nine

Psalms 79:1<<A Psalm of Asaph.>> O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.

Psalms 79:2 The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.




Psalms 79:3 Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them.

Psalms 79:4 We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us.

Psalms 79:5 How long, LORD? wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire?

Psalms 79:6 Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.

Psalms 79:7 For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place.

Psalms 79:8 O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low.

Psalms 79:9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake.

Psalms 79:10 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed.

Psalms 79:11 Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die;

Psalms 79:12 And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.

Psalms 79:1 So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations.
 (KJV)

Psalms Eighty

Psalms 80:1<<To the chief Musician upon Shoshannimeduth, A Psalm of Asaph.>> Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.

Psalms 80:2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.

Psalms 80:3 Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

Psalms 80:4 O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?

Psalms 80:5 Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.

Psalms 80:6 Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.

Psalms 80:7 Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

Psalms 80:8 Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.

Psalms 80:9 Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.

Psalms 80:10 The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.

Psalms 80:11 She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.

Psalms 80:12 Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?

Psalms 80:13 The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.

Psalms 80:14 Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;

Psalms 80:15 And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.

Psalms 80:16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.

Psalms 80:17
Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.

Psalms 80:18
So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.

Psalms 80:19
Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
 (KJV)

Psalms Eighty-One

Psalms 81:1<<To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph.>> Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

Psalms 81:2 Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.

Psalms 81:3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.

Psalms 81:4 For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.

Psalms 81:5 This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.

Psalms 81:6 I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.

Psalms 81:7 Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.

Psalms 81:8 Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;

Psalms 81:9 There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.

Psalms 81:10 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.

Psalms 81:11 But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.

Psalms 81:12 So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.

Psalms 81:13 Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!

Psalms 81:14 I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.

Psalms 81:15 The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.

Psalms 81:16 He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.
 (KJV)

Psalms Eighty-Two

Psalms 82:1 <<A Psalm of Asaph.>> God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.

Psalms 82:2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.

Psalms 82:3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.


Psalms 82:4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.

Psalms 82:5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.

Psalms 82:6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

Psalms 82:7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.

Psalms 82:8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.
 (KJV)

Psalms Eighty-Three

Psalms 83:1 <<A Song or Psalm of Asaph.>> Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.

Psalms 83:2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.

Psalms 83:3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.




Psalms 83:4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.

Psalms 83:5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:

Psalms 83:6 The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;

Psalms 83:7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;

Psalms 83:8 Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.

Psalms 83:9 Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:

Psalms 83:10 Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.

Psalms 83:11Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:

Psalms 83:12 Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.

Psalms 83:13 O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.

Psalms 83:14 As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;

Psalms 83:15 So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.

Psalms 83:16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.

Psalms 83:17 Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:

Psalms 83:18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.
 (KJV)

-Psalms for the Soul-Psalms Eighty-four

Psalms 84:1<<To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.>> How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!

Psalms 84:2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

Psalms 84:3 Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.

Psalms 84:4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.

Psalms 84:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.

Psalms 84:6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.

Psalms 84:7 They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.

Psalms 84:8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.

Psalms 84:9 Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.

Psalms 84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Psalms 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Psalms 84:12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
 (KJV)

Psalms Eighty-five

   Psalms 85:1 <<To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.>> LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.

Psalms 85:2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.

Psalms 85:3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.

Psalms 85:4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.

Psalms 85:5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?

Psalms 85:6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?

Psalms 85:7 Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.

Psalms 85:8 I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

Psalms 85:9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.

Psalms 85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Psalms 85:11 Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

Psalms 85:12 Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.

Psalms 85:13 Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.
 (KJV)

Psalms Eighty-Six

Psalms 86:1 <<A Prayer of David.>> Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy.

Psalms 86:2 Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.

Psalms 86:3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.


Psalms 86:4 Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

Psalms 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

Psalms 86:6 Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.

Psalms 86:7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

Psalms 86:8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.

Psalms 86:9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.

Psalms 86:10 For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.

Psalms 86:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

Psalms 86:12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

Psalms 86:13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

Psalms 86:14 O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.

Psalms 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

Psalms 86:16 O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.

Psalms 86:17 Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.
 (KJV)

Psalm 87:1–7 — Zion, the City of God and the Gathering of the Nations

Psalm 87 celebrates Zion as the city God has chosen and established. Its remarkable message reaches beyond Jerusalem’s boundaries: nations once associated with hostility toward Israel are pictured among
those who know God.

The Psalm moves from God’s love for Zion to His recognition of people from many nations, ending with joyful praise. Their belonging rests upon His acknowledgment, and their joy flows from Him.

The heading identifies this as “A Psalm or Song for the sons of Korah,” a group associated with worship in Israel.

Verse 1 — A foundation established in holiness

Psalm 87:1 (KJV)

“His foundation is in the holy mountains.”

The opening directs attention to the foundation of God’s city. Jerusalem stood within a mountainous landscape, and Zion became closely associated with the LORD’s dwelling among His people.

The mountains are called holy because of their relationship to God’s chosen dwelling. Their significance comes from His presence and purpose.

The verse begins with what God has established. Before describing the city’s inhabitants or their praise, the psalm places its foundation before us.

The lesson: God’s people depend upon what He establishes. Their security cannot rest solely upon human strength, impressive buildings, or religious reputation.

Verse 2 — The LORD’s particular love for Zion

Psalm 87:2 (KJV)

“The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.”

“The dwellings of Jacob” refers to the habitations of Israel. Among them, Zion holds a special place as the center of the sanctuary and the gathering of worshippers.

The gates represent the city’s entrances and public life. Through them, people entered the place associated with the LORD’s worship.

This special love for Zion does not mean God lacked concern for Israelites living elsewhere. The verse celebrates the distinctive place Jerusalem occupied in His dealings with His people.

Nor did God’s choice excuse wrongdoing within the city. The prophets repeatedly called Jerusalem to repentance. Being associated with a holy place never removes the responsibility to live faithfully before God.

Verse 3 — The glorious calling of God’s city

Psalm 87:3 (KJV)

“Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.”

Zion’s glory comes from its relationship to God. It is “the city of God,” the place associated with His dwelling, worship, and promises.

Its greatest distinction is therefore theological: the LORD has made Himself known there.

“Selah” is an ancient musical or liturgical notation whose precise meaning is uncertain. Here, it marks a moment within the song after the declaration of Zion’s glory.

For reflection, we can pause over the question: What makes the people of God glorious? Their deepest honor comes from belonging to Him and displaying His character.

Verse 4 — Former outsiders among those who know God

Psalm 87:4 (KJV)

“I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.”

The scope of the psalm now widens dramatically.

The nations named represent different peoples and places:

Name in the verse	Identification and significance
Rahab	A poetic name for Egypt here, distinct from Rahab the woman in Joshua.
Babylon	A major foreign power, elsewhere associated with hostility toward God’s people.
Philistia	The territory of the Philistines, frequently Israel’s opponents.
Tyre	A prominent coastal city known for commerce.
Ethiopia	The KJV rendering of Cush, associated with the region south of Egypt, especially ancient Nubia. It should not be mapped exclusively onto the borders of modern Ethiopia.

The inclusion of Egypt and Babylon is particularly striking. These are not merely neighboring communities with friendly relationships to Israel. The psalm envisions a belonging that crosses deeply established boundaries.

The wording “to them that know me” connects the nations with the knowledge of God. Knowing Him means more than recognizing His name; in biblical usage, it can express acknowledgment, relationship, and allegiance.

“This man was born there” introduces the psalm’s central image of birth and belonging. Read alongside verses 5–6, it portrays people from the nations as recognized in relation to Zion.

The lesson: A person’s national origin does not place that person beyond God’s ability to receive them. The psalm’s hope reaches across ethnic and political boundaries.

Verse 5 — Belonging recognized in Zion

Psalm 87:5 (KJV)

“And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.”

“This and that man” gives the picture an individual character. God’s gathering concerns actual people, each acknowledged as belonging.

The birth language portrays a secure identity within the city. Those associated with distant nations are spoken of as Zion’s own.

The psalm does not explain the mechanism of this belonging in detail. Its emphasis is the recognition itself: God can acknowledge people from the nations as members of His city.

“The highest himself shall establish her” identifies the source of Zion’s stability. The Most High establishes the city and its place in His purpose.

This is especially meaningful because the psalm’s vision is larger than what human political arrangements could guarantee. Its fulfillment depends upon God.

Verse 6 — The LORD records His people

Psalm 87:6 (KJV)

“The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah.”

The imagery resembles a register of inhabitants. The LORD Himself counts and records the people.

This gives the declaration of belonging its authority. Acceptance is not finally determined by human prestige, ancestry, or the judgment of hostile neighbors. God acknowledges the person.

The repeated words “this man was born there” reinforce the point: those received are recognized as belonging, with the standing conveyed by birth in the city.

The verse is not explicitly an explanation of the New Testament book of life. Nevertheless, both images emphasize the importance of divine recognition.

The lesson: The most important testimony concerning our identity is God’s acknowledgment. Our response should be faithfulness to Him, rather than dependence upon human approval.

Verse 7 — Worship and the springs of life

Psalm 87:7 (KJV)

“As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee.”

The psalm concludes with music and celebration. Those who belong to God’s city respond with praise.

“All my springs are in thee” uses the image of springs as sources of refreshment and life. In the poem, the words are addressed to Zion. Zion is celebrated as the place where God’s presence and blessing are encountered.

The city does not possess life independently of Him. Its significance comes from the God who dwells among His people.

The closing confession gathers the psalm’s themes into one expression: here are the sources of my joy, belonging, and refreshment.

Praise is therefore a fitting conclusion. God establishes His city, recognizes its people, and gives them reason to rejoice.

The connection with the New Testament

Psalm 87’s vision of people from the nations belonging to God’s city finds a meaningful connection with the New Testament’s teaching about Gentile believers.

Ephesians 2:19 (KJV)

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”

Paul teaches that through Christ, those once far off are brought near. They receive a shared place within God’s household.

Hebrews also uses Zion language:

Hebrews 12:22 (KJV)

“But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels.”

These passages deepen the biblical theme of belonging to God’s city. Psalm 87 should first be heard in its own setting, celebrating Zion and the nations. The New Testament then shows how shared citizenship and access to God are realized through Christ.

The psalm’s birth language should not automatically be equated with every detail of Jesus’ teaching about being born again. The connection is thematic: God grants belonging, and His people include those drawn from many nations.

Personal application

• Receive your identity from God. Let His truth shape your understanding of belonging and worth.
• Reject ethnic superiority. The nations named in this psalm remind us that God’s purposes extend beyond one people’s assumptions.
• Welcome those whom God receives. Former outsiders must not be treated as permanently inferior members of His household.
• Seek refreshment in God’s presence. Religious activity cannot replace fellowship with the One who gives life.
• Respond with worship. Recognition of God’s grace should produce gratitude and praise.

Reflection questions

1. What does God’s love for Zion teach me about the value of His presence?
2. Why is the inclusion of Egypt and Babylon so remarkable?
3. Do I allow someone’s background to influence whether I consider them capable of belonging among God’s people?
4. How does the LORD’s personal recognition of His people strengthen my faith?
5. What sources am I relying upon for spiritual refreshment?

Closing prayer

Father, thank You for establishing Your people and receiving those who come to You. Remove pride, prejudice, and fear from our hearts. Teach us to welcome one another faithfully and to find our identity in Your truth. Let Your presence be our refreshment and Your grace the reason for our praise. Thank You for bringing us near through Jesus Christ. In His name, Amen.

Psalm 88:1–18 — A Cry to God from the Depths of Darkness

Psalm 88 is one of Scripture’s most solemn prayers. The writer describes prolonged suffering, isolation,

fear of death, and the painful sense that God has hidden His face. Unlike many psalms of lament, it ends without an explicit declaration that relief has arrived.

Yet the writer continues to address the LORD as “God of my salvation.” His circumstances are dark, but he still brings his anguish before God.

This psalm teaches us that faithful prayer can include grief, unanswered questions, and words spoken from profound distress. The absence of immediate relief does not make the prayer meaningless or the suffering person faithless.

The setting of the psalm

The heading connects Psalm 88 with the sons of Korah and identifies it as a Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite. “Maschil” is commonly associated with an instructive or contemplative composition, although its precise function as a musical heading is uncertain.

The psalm itself does not identify the illness, event, or circumstances behind the suffering. We should therefore resist assigning a diagnosis or reconstructing a history that the text does not provide.

What it clearly presents is the prayer of someone whose distress has become overwhelming.

Verses 1–2 — Prayer begins with the God of salvation

“O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:

Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry.”
— Psalm 88:1–2, KJV

The first words establish the relationship within which the lament takes place. The writer calls upon the LORD, the covenant God of His people, and acknowledges Him as the source of salvation.

“I have cried day and night” describes persistent prayer. His suffering has not been brief, and his petitions have not been occasional.

“Let my prayer come before thee” expresses his longing to be heard. He asks God to incline His ear—to attend personally to his cry.

The opening confession matters throughout the psalm: the sufferer directs his questions toward the One he still recognizes as his hope.

Verses 3–5 — Overwhelmed and approaching the grave

“For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.

I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:

Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.”
— Psalm 88:3–5, KJV

“My soul is full of troubles” describes suffering that reaches the whole person. He has no sense of inward space or relief.

His life draws near to the grave. Whether death is immediately approaching or the language expresses the severity of his condition, he experiences himself as belonging among those descending into the pit.

“I am as a man that hath no strength” reveals exhaustion. He cannot simply summon enough resolve to escape his distress.

“Free among the dead” is a bleak expression: he pictures himself released from the activities and relationships of living people, lying among the slain.

“Whom thou rememberest no more” expresses his perceived condition. In biblical prayer, asking God to remember commonly means asking Him to act on someone’s behalf. The writer fears that he has been excluded from God’s active help.

These words should be read as lament, not as a complete statement that the dead lie beyond God’s knowledge or authority. The speaker describes how abandonment feels from within his suffering.

Verses 6–7 — Darkness experienced as divine affliction

“Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.

Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.”
— Psalm 88:6–7, KJV

The imagery descends further: the lowest pit, darkness, and deep waters.

The sufferer addresses God directly: “Thou hast laid me.” He understands his life as remaining under God’s authority, even when he cannot understand what God is doing.

“Thy wrath lieth hard upon me” expresses his experience of crushing divine displeasure. However, the psalm names no particular sin that explains his condition. We should not conclude that severe suffering always proves God is punishing someone.

“All thy waves” pictures distress arriving with overwhelming force. Like someone submerged beneath repeated waves, he cannot find secure footing.

The language invites compassionate attention. A suffering person may experience God as distant or severe while continuing to seek Him.

Verses 8–9 — Isolation and continued prayer

“Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.

Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.”
— Psalm 88:8–9, KJV

His distress includes broken human fellowship. Acquaintances have withdrawn, and he feels repulsive to them.

“I am shut up, and I cannot come forth” describes confinement or the experience of being trapped. The verse does not specify its cause.

His eyes bear the effects of affliction, yet he continues calling upon God. Stretching out his hands is a posture of pleading and dependence.

His prayer persists alongside his pain. We should not require a suffering believer to sound cheerful before recognizing that persistence as faith.

These verses also challenge the community around the sufferer. When someone feels abandoned, faithful companionship can become an important expression of care.

Verses 10–12 — An urgent plea for life

“Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.

Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?

Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?”
— Psalm 88:10–12, KJV

These questions form the center of the writer’s appeal.

He longs to remain among the living, where he can experience God’s wonders and declare His lovingkindness, faithfulness, and righteousness.

The grave is portrayed as darkness and the “land of forgetfulness.” The focus is the loss of participation in the visible life and worship of the community.

We should not treat these poetic questions as a systematic denial of resurrection. They express the urgency of someone pleading for deliverance before death.

The writer’s appeal also reveals what he values. He wants more than the end of discomfort: he wants to witness and proclaim God’s goodness.

Even while questioning God’s actions, he appeals to God’s lovingkindness and faithfulness.

Verses 13–14 — Morning prayer and the question “Why?”

“But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.

LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?”
— Psalm 88:13–14, KJV

“But unto thee” renews his determination to pray.

In the KJV, “prevent” here means to come before or meet beforehand. His prayer comes before God in the morning; it does not mean that he intends to obstruct God.

Morning often suggests a fresh beginning, but the psalm does not say that his sorrow has lifted. He begins another day by seeking the LORD.

Then he asks why God casts him off and hides His face.

The questions are direct and painful. Scripture preserves them as prayer. They show that bringing confusion honestly before God can be part of our relationship with Him.

The writer’s sense of rejection is real, but his feeling does not establish that God has permanently rejected him.

Verses 15–17 — Long suffering and overwhelming fear

“I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.

Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.

They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.”
— Psalm 88:15–17, KJV

“From my youth up” suggests suffering that has marked a significant portion of his life.

“I am distracted” describes severe distress and disorientation. We should hear the weight of his anguish without imposing a modern clinical diagnosis upon the verse.

Again, he describes his suffering as God’s terrors and wrath. These are the words of his experience; the psalm supplies no explanation that enables us to judge why he suffers.

The water imagery returns. His troubles surround him daily, leaving no apparent route of escape.

This portion of the psalm teaches us to take prolonged suffering seriously. Repeated pain can exhaust a person’s strength, cloud their thoughts, and deepen their loneliness.

Verse 18 — A lament that ends in darkness

“Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.”
— Psalm 88:18, KJV

The final verse returns to the loss of companionship. Loved ones, friends, and acquaintances appear far away.

There is no explicit report of rescue. The song closes with darkness.

We must allow that ending to retain its force. Adding an imagined happy resolution would obscure something Scripture has chosen to preserve: a prayer can reach its final words while the suffering remains unresolved.

Nevertheless, the whole psalm has been spoken to God. Its darkness has been brought into His presence through prayer.

What Psalm 88 teaches us

Psalm 88 gives suffering believers words when they cannot produce confident explanations or joyful declarations.

It teaches us that:

• Honest lament belongs in worship. God’s people can bring anguish and questions before Him.
• Persistent suffering does not automatically indicate deficient faith. This writer calls upon God day and night.
• We should not presume to explain another person’s pain. The psalm identifies distress without supplying its cause.
• Companionship matters. Isolation repeatedly intensifies the writer’s sorrow.
• Unresolved prayer still has a place in Scripture. Immediate relief is not the only setting in which faith speaks.

A connection with Christ

Psalm 88 is not explicitly presented here as a direct prediction of Jesus’ suffering. Yet its language of anguish, isolation, and approaching death has meaningful connections with His passion.

Jesus knew the desertion of His disciples and cried from the cross:

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
— Matthew 27:46, KJV

Hebrews 5:7 also describes His prayers with “strong crying and tears.”

These passages assure believers that Christ understands suffering. His resurrection provides a hope beyond death, while His compassion allows us to bring our present anguish to Him without disguise.

Personal application

When darkness persists, begin where the psalm begins: address the LORD as the God of your salvation. Tell Him what you are experiencing, including the questions you cannot resolve.

If you are supporting someone in distress, listen patiently. Offer practical help and steady companionship. Avoid making cheerful speech a condition of your care.

Praying Psalm 88 does not require pretending that its darkness has already passed. It allows you to place that darkness before God and seek Him within it.

Reflection questions

1. What does the writer’s continued prayer reveal about his relationship with God?
2. Have I mistaken someone’s grief or questions for a lack of faith?
3. Which expressions in this psalm help me pray honestly?
4. How can I offer companionship to someone who feels forgotten?
5. What changes when I distinguish feeling abandoned from knowing that God has abandoned me?

Closing prayer

O LORD, God of my salvation, hear me when my heart is overwhelmed. Help me bring my grief and unanswered questions honestly before You. Sustain me when relief seems far away, and surround those who suffer with patient, compassionate care. Teach us to listen without judgment and to help without careless explanations. Thank You that Jesus understands our sorrow and gives us hope beyond death. In His name, Amen.

Psalms Eighty-Nine -I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever:

Psalms 89:1 Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

Psalms 89:2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.

Psalms 89:3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,

Psalms 89:4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.

Psalms 89:5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.

Psalms 89:6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?

Psalms 89:7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.

Psalms 89:8 O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?

Psalms 89:9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.

Psalms 89:10 Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.

Psalms 89:11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.

Psalms 89:12 The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.

Psalms 89:13 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.

Psalms 89:14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.

Psalms 89:15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.

Psalms 89:16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.

Psalms 89:17 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.

Psalms 89:18 For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.

Psalms 89:19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.

Psalms 89:20 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:

Psalms 89:21 With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.

Psalms 89:22 The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him.

Psalms 89:23 And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.

Psalms 89:24 But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.

Psalms 89:25 I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.

Psalms 89:26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

Psalms 89:27 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.

Psalms 89:28 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.

Psalms 89:29 His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.

Psalms 89:30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;

Psalms 89:31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;

Psalms 89:32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.

Psalms 89:33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.

Psalms 89:34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.

Psalms 89:35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.

Psalms 89:36 His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.

Psalms 89:37 It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.

Psalms 89:38 But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.

Psalms 89:39 Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.

Psalms 89:40 Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast brought his strong holds to ruin.

Psalms 89:41 All that pass by the way spoil him: he is a reproach to his neighbours.

Psalms 89:42 Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries; thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.

Psalms 89:43 Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle.

Psalms 89:44 Thou hast made his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground.

Psalms 89:45 The days of his youth hast thou shortened: thou hast covered him with shame. Selah.

Psalms 89:46 How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?

Psalms 89:47 Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?

Psalms 89:48 What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.

Psalms 89:49 Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?

Psalms 89:50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people;

Psalms 89:51 Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O LORD; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.

Psalms 89:52 Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen.
 (KJV)

Psalms Ninety - A Prayer of Moses the man of God

Psalms 90:1 A Prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations

Psalms 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.



Psalms 90:3 Thou turn man to destruction; and say, Return, ye children of men.

Psalms 90:4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

Psalms 90:5 You carry them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.

Psalms 90:6 In the morning it flourishes, and grow up; in the evening it is cut down, and withers.

Psalms 90:7 For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.

Psalms 90:8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.

Psalms 90:9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.

Psalms 90:10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

Psalms 90:11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.

Psalms 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Psalms 90:13 Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.

Psalms 90:14 O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Psalms 90:15 Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.

Psalms 90:16 Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.

Psalms 90:17 And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
 (KJV)

Psalms Sixty-six | Psalms for the Soul

To the chief Musician, A Song or Psalm.

 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:

Psalms 66:2 Sing forth the honor of his name: make his praise glorious.

Psalms 66:3 Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.

Psalms 66:4 All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.

Psalms 66:5 Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.

Psalms 66:6 He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.

Psalms 66:7 He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

Psalms 66:8 O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:

Psalms 66:9 Which hold our soul in life, and suffer not our feet to be moved.

Psalms 66:10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.

Psalms 66:11 Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.

Psalms 66:12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

Psalms 66:13 I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,

Psalms 66:14 Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.

Psalms 66:15 I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.

Psalms 66:16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.

Psalms 66:17 I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.

Psalms 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

Psalms 66:19 But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.

Psalms 66:20 Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.
 (KJV)

Psalms Sixty-Eight - Let God Arise

To the chief Musician, A Psalm or Song of David

.

Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.

Psalms 68:2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

Psalms 68:3 But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.

Psalms 68:4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.

Psalms 68:5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.

Psalms 68:6 God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

Psalms 68:7 O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:

Psalms 68:8 The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

Psalms 68:9 Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.

Psalms 68:10 Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.

Psalms 68:11 The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.

Psalms 68:12 Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil.

Psalms 68:13 Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.

Psalms 68:14 When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon.

Psalms 68:15 The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan.

Psalms 68:16 Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell in it for ever.

Psalms 68:17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.

Psalms 68:18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.

Psalms 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

Psalms 68:20 He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.

Psalms 68:21 But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.

Psalms 68:22 The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea:

Psalms 68:23 That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.

Psalms 68:24 They have seen thy goings, O God; even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.

Psalms 68:25 The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.

Psalms 68:26 Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel.

Psalms 68:27 There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes of Judah and their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.

Psalms 68:28 Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.

Psalms 68:29 Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee.

Psalms 68:30 Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war.

Psalms 68:31 Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.

Psalms 68:32 Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah:

Psalms 68:33 To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.

Psalms 68:34
Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds. {clouds: or, heavens}

Psalms 68:35
O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.
 (KJV)