The Texts of Psalms 86 to 95
with brief introductory comments
(Commentary in preparation and will be posted progressively)
Psalm 86
Prayer in time of trial
The spirituality of this psalm is post-exilic. It illustrates another aspect of the transformation and spirituality that took place during and after the exile. In pre-exilic Judah, as a polytheistic society, the gods were honoured culticly and they were supposed to help and aid those who faithfully carried out their cult. They would not, however, have had 'personal' relationships with their followers. I suspect that Jeremiah may have been a revolutionary in this as in other aspects, because in Jeremiah we see, in a new record directly from his mouth, his tempestuous personal relationship with God. That tradition is picked up by is Ezekiel (who would almost certainly have known and been influenced by Jeremiah).
Listen to me, Yahweh, answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
Guard me, for I am faithful,
save your servant who relies on you.
You are my God, take pity on me, Lord,
for to you I cry all the day.
Fill your servant's heart with joy,
Lord, for to you I raise up my heart.
Lord, you are kind and forgiving,
rich in faithful love for all who call upon you.
Yahweh, hear my prayer,
listen to the sound of my pleading.
In my day of distress I call upon you,
because you answer me, Lord;
among the gods there is none to compare with you,
no great deeds to compare with yours.
All nations will come and adore you, Lord,
and give glory to your name.
For you are great and do marvellous deeds,
you, God, and none other.
Teach me, Yahweh, your ways,
that I may not stray from your loyalty;
let my heart's one aim be to fear your name.
I thank you with all my heart, Lord my God,
I will glorify your name for ever,
for your faithful love for me is so great
that you have rescued me from the depths of Sheol.
Arrogant men, God, are rising up against me,
a brutal gang is after my life,
in their scheme of things you have no place.
But you, Lord, God of tenderness and mercy,
slow to anger, rich in faithful love and loyalty,
turn to me and pity me.
Give to your servant your strength,
to the child of your servant your saving help,
give me a sign of your kindness.
My enemies will see to their shame
that you, Yahweh, help and console me.
Psalm 87
When Jerusalem was rebuilt and the temple was re-established, at the end of the sixth century BC, the vision possessed the people that Yahweh was Lord of all the earth. Since the centre of the worship of God was in Jerusalem, this city was therefore the centre of the world and the 'mother city' of the whole of humanity.
With its foundations on the holy mountains,
Yahweh loves his city,
he prefers the gates of Zion
to any dwelling-place in Jacob.
He speaks of glory for you,
city of God.
'I number Rahab and Babylon
among those that acknowledge me;
look at Tyre, Philistia, Ethiopia,
so and so was born there.'
But of Zion it will be said,
'Every one was born there,'
her guarantee is the Most High.
Yahweh in his register of peoples
will note against each, 'Born there',
princes no less than native-born;
all make their home in you.
Psalm 88
Prayer in great distress
Yahweh, God of my salvation,
when I cry out to you in the night,
may my prayer reach your presence,
hear my cry for help.
For I am filled with misery,
my life is on the brink of Sheol;
already numbered among those who sink into oblivion,
I am as one bereft of strength,
left alone among the dead,
like the slaughtered lying in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
cut off as they are from your protection.
You have plunged me to the bottom of the grave,
in the darkness, in the depths;
weighted down by your anger,
kept low by your waves.
You have deprived me of my friends,
made me repulsive to them,
imprisoned, with no escape;
my eyes are worn out with suffering.
I call to you, Yahweh,
all day, I stretch out my hands to you.
Do you work wonders for the dead,
can shadows rise up to praise you?
Do they speak in the grave of your faithful love,
of your constancy in the place of perdition?
Are your wonders known in the darkness,
your saving justice in the land of oblivion?
But, for my part, I cry to you, Yahweh,
every morning my prayer comes before you;
why, Yahweh, do you rebuff me,
turn your face away from me?
Wretched and close to death since childhood,
I have borne your terrors -- I am finished!
Your anger has overwhelmed me,
your terrors annihilated me.
They flood around me all day long,
close in on me all at once.
You have deprived me of friends and companions,
and all that I know is the dark.
Psalm 89
Hymn and prayer to God the faithful
I shall sing the faithful love of Yahweh for ever,
from age to age my lips shall declare your constancy,
for you have said: love is built to last for ever,
you have fixed your constancy firm in the heavens.
'I have made a covenant with my Chosen One,
sworn an oath to my servant David:
I have made your dynasty firm for ever,
built your throne stable age after age.'
The heavens praise your wonders, Yahweh,
your constancy in the gathering of your faithful.
Who in the skies can compare with Yahweh?
Who among the sons of god can rival him?
God, awesome in the assembly of holy ones,
great and dreaded among all who surround him,
Yahweh, God Sabaoth, who is like you?
Mighty Yahweh, your constancy is all round you!
You control the pride of the ocean,
when its waves ride high you calm them.
You split Rahab in two like a corpse,
scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
Yours are the heavens and yours the earth,
the world and all it holds, you founded them;
you created the north and the south,
Tabor and Hermon hail your name with joy.
Yours is a strong arm,
mighty your hand, your right hand raised high;
Saving Justice and Fair Judgement the foundations of your throne,
Faithful Love and Constancy march before you.
How blessed the nation that learns to acclaim you!
They will live, Yahweh, in the light of your presence.
In your name they rejoice all day long,
by your saving justice they are raised up.
You are the flower of their strength,
by your favour our strength is triumphant;
for to Yahweh belongs our shield,
to the Holy One of Israel our king.
Once you spoke in a vision,
to your faithful you said:
'I have given strength to a warrior,
I have raised up a man chosen from my people.
'I have found David my servant,
and anointed him with my holy oil.
My hand will always be with him,
my arm will make him strong.
'No enemy will be able to outwit him,
no wicked man overcome him;
I shall crush his enemies before him,
strike his opponents dead.
'My constancy and faithful love will be with him,
in my name his strength will be triumphant.
I shall establish his power over the sea,
his dominion over the rivers.
'He will cry to me, "You are my father,
my God, the rock of my salvation!"
So I shall make him my first-born,
the highest of earthly kings.
'I shall maintain my faithful love for him always,
my covenant with him will stay firm.
I have established his dynasty for ever,
his throne to be as lasting as the heavens.
'Should his descendants desert my law,
and not keep to my rulings,
should they violate my statutes,
and not observe my commandments,
'then I shall punish their offences with the rod,
their guilt with the whip,
but I shall never withdraw from him my faithful love,
I shall not belie my constancy.
'I shall not violate my covenant,
I shall not withdraw the word once spoken.
I have sworn by my holiness, once and for all,
never will I break faith with David.
'His dynasty shall endure for ever,
his throne like the sun before me,
as the moon is established for ever,
a faithful witness in the skies.'
Yet you yourself -- you have spurned and rejected,
and have vented your wrath on your anointed,
you have repudiated the covenant with your servant,
dishonoured his crown in the dust.
You have pierced all his defences,
and laid his strongholds in ruins,
everyone passing by plunders him,
he has become the butt of his neighbours.
You have raised high the right hand of his opponents,
have made all his enemies happy;
you have snapped off his sword on a rock,
and failed to support him in battle.
You have stripped him of his splendid sceptre,
and toppled his throne to the ground.
You have aged him before his time,
enveloped him in shame.
How long, Yahweh, will you remain hidden? For ever?
Is your anger to go on smouldering like a fire?
Remember me; how long have I left?
For what pointless end did you create all the children of Adam?
Who can live and never see death?
Who can save himself from the clutches of Sheol?
Lord, what of those pledges of your faithful love?
You made an oath to David by your constancy.
Do not forget the insults to your servant;
I take to heart the taunts of the nations,
which your enemies have levelled, Yahweh,
have levelled at the footsteps of your anointed!
Blessed be Yahweh for ever.
Amen, Amen.
Psalm 90
On human frailty
Lord, you have been our refuge
from age to age.
Before the mountains were born,
before the earth and the world came to birth,
from eternity to eternity you are God.
You bring human beings to the dust,
by saying, 'Return, children of Adam.'
A thousand years are to you
like a yesterday which has passed,
like a watch of the night.
You flood them with sleep
-- in the morning they will be like growing grass:
in the morning it is blossoming and growing,
by evening it is withered and dry.
For we have been destroyed by your wrath,
dismayed by your anger.
You have taken note of our guilty deeds,
our secrets in the full light of your presence.
All our days pass under your wrath,
our lives are over like a sigh.
The span of our life is seventy years
-- eighty for those who are strong --
but their whole extent is anxiety and trouble,
they are over in a moment and we are gone.
Who feels the power of your anger,
or who that fears you, your wrath?
Teach us to count up the days that are ours,
and we shall come to the heart of wisdom.
Come back, Yahweh! How long must we wait?
Take pity on your servants.
Each morning fill us with your faithful love,
we shall sing and be happy all our days;
let our joy be as long as the time that you afflicted us,
the years when we experienced disaster.
Show your servants the deeds you do,
let their children enjoy your splendour!
May the sweetness of the Lord be upon us,
to confirm the work we have done!
Psalm 91
Under God’s protection
You who live in the secret place of Elyon,
spend your nights in the shelter of Shaddai,
saying to Yahweh, 'My refuge, my fortress,
my God in whom I trust!'
He rescues you from the snare
of the fowler set on destruction;
he covers you with his pinions,
you find shelter under his wings.
His constancy is shield and protection.
You need not fear the terrors of night,
the arrow that flies in the daytime,
the plague that stalks in the darkness,
the scourge that wreaks havoc at high noon.
Though a thousand fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
you yourself will remain unscathed.
You have only to keep your eyes open
to see how the wicked are repaid,
you who say, 'Yahweh my refuge!'
and make Elyon your fortress.
No disaster can overtake you,
no plague come near your tent;
he has given his angels orders about you
to guard you wherever you go.
They will carry you in their arms
in case you trip over a stone.
You will walk upon wild beast and adder,
you will trample young lions and snakes.
'Since they cling to me I rescue them,
I raise them high, since they acknowledge my name.
They call to me and I answer them:
in distress I am at their side,
I rescue them and bring them honour.
I shall satisfy them with long life,
and grant them to see my salvation.'
Psalm 92
The song of the upright
It is good to give thanks to Yahweh,
to make music for your name, Most High,
to proclaim your faithful love at daybreak,
and your constancy all through the night,
on the lyre, the ten-stringed lyre,
to the murmur of the harp.
You have brought me joy, Yahweh, by your deeds,
at the work of your hands I cry out,
'How great are your works, Yahweh,
immensely deep your thoughts!'
Stupid people cannot realise this,
fools do not grasp it.
The wicked may sprout like weeds,
and every evil-doer flourish,
but only to be eternally destroyed;
whereas you are supreme for ever, Yahweh.
Look how your enemies perish,
how all evil-doers are scattered!
You give me the strength of the wild ox,
you anoint me with fresh oil;
I caught sight of the ambush against me,
overheard the plans of the wicked.
The upright will flourish like the palm tree,
will grow like a cedar of Lebanon.
Planted in the house of Yahweh,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
In old age they will still bear fruit,
will remain fresh and green,
to proclaim Yahweh's integrity;
my rock, in whom no fault can be found.
Psalm 93
The majesty of God
Yahweh is king, robed in majesty,
robed is Yahweh and girded with power.
The world is indeed set firm, it can never be shaken;
your throne is set firm from of old,
from all eternity you exist.
The rivers lift up, Yahweh,
the rivers lift up their voices,
the rivers lift up their thunder.
Greater than the voice of many waters,
more majestic than the breakers of the sea,
Yahweh is majestic in the heights.
Your decrees stand firm, unshakeable,
holiness is the beauty of your house,
Yahweh, for all time to come.
Psalm 94
The God of justice
God of vengeance, Yahweh,
God of vengeance, shine forth!
Arise, judge of the world,
give back the proud what they deserve!
How long are the wicked, Yahweh,
how long are the wicked to triumph?
They bluster and boast,
they flaunt themselves, all the evil-doers.
They crush your people, Yahweh,
they oppress your heritage,
they murder the widow and the stranger,
bring the orphan to a violent death.
They say, 'Yahweh is not looking,
the God of Jacob is taking no notice.'
Take notice yourselves, you coarsest of people!
Fools, when will you learn some sense?
Shall he who implanted the ear not hear,
he who fashioned the eye not see?
Shall he who instructs nations not punish?
Yahweh, the teacher of all people,
knows human plans and how insipid they are.
How blessed are those you instruct, Yahweh,
whom you teach by means of your law,
to give them respite in evil times,
till a pit is dug for the wicked.
Yahweh will not abandon his people,
he will not desert his heritage;
for judgement will again become saving justice,
and in its wake all upright hearts will follow.
Who rises up on my side against the wicked?
Who stands firm on my side against all evil-doers?
If Yahweh did not come to my help,
I should soon find myself dwelling in the silence.
I need only say, 'I am slipping,'
for your faithful love, Yahweh, to support me;
however great the anxiety of my heart,
your consolations soothe me.
Are you partner to a destructive court,
that gives disorder the status of law?
They make an attack on the life of the upright,
and condemn innocent blood.
No! Yahweh is a stronghold to me,
my God is my rock of refuge.
He turns back their guilt on themselves,
annihilates them for their wickedness,
he annihilates them, Yahweh our God.
Psalm 95
Invitation to praise
Come, let us cry out with joy to Yahweh,
acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving,
acclaim him with music.
For Yahweh is a great God,
a king greater than all the gods.
In his power are the depths of the earth,
the peaks of the mountains are his;
the sea belongs to him, for he made it,
and the dry land, moulded by his hands.
Come, let us bow low and do reverence;
kneel before Yahweh who made us!
For he is our God,
and we the people of his sheepfold,
the flock of his hand.
If only you would listen to him today!
Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,
as at the time of Massah in the desert,
when your ancestors challenged me,
put me to the test, and saw what I could do!
For forty years that generation sickened me,
and I said, 'Always fickle hearts;
they cannot grasp my ways.'
Then in my anger I swore
they would never enter my place of rest.
Page Load: 866 msec