Month: February 2020

1-2 Clear my name, God; stick up for me

against these loveless, immoral people.

Get me out of here, away

from these lying degenerates.

I counted on you, God.

Why did you walk out on me?

Why am I pacing the floor, wringing my hands

over these outrageous people?

3-4 Give me your lantern and compass,

give me a map,

So I can find my way to the sacred mountain,

to the place of your presence,

To enter the place of worship,

meet my exuberant God,

Sing my thanks with a harp,

magnificent God, my God.

5 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?

Why are you crying the blues?

Fix my eyes on God—

soon I’ll be praising again.

He puts a smile on my face.

He’s my God.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/PSA/43-f1fdc128f1a2cc8fe647d032b5eee8e1.mp3?version_id=97—

A Psalm of the Sons of Korah

1-3 We’ve been hearing about this, God,

all our lives.

Our fathers told us the stories

their fathers told them,

How single-handedly you weeded out the godless

from the fields and planted us,

How you sent those people packing

but gave us a fresh start.

We didn’t fight for this land;

we didn’t work for it—it was a gift!

You gave it, smiling as you gave it,

delighting as you gave it.

4-8 You’re my King, O God—

command victories for Jacob!

With your help we’ll wipe out our enemies,

in your name we’ll stomp them to dust.

I don’t trust in weapons;

my sword won’t save me—

But it’s you, you who saved us from the enemy;

you made those who hate us lose face.

All day we parade God’s praise—

we thank you by name over and over.

9-12 But now you’ve walked off and left us,

you’ve disgraced us and won’t fight for us.

You made us turn tail and run;

those who hate us have cleaned us out.

You delivered us as sheep to the butcher,

you scattered us to the four winds.

You sold your people at a discount—

you made nothing on the sale.

13-16 You made people on the street,

urchins, poke fun and call us names.

You made us a joke among the godless,

a cheap joke among the rabble.

Every day I’m up against it,

my nose rubbed in my shame—

Gossip and ridicule fill the air,

people out to get me crowd the street.

17-19 All this came down on us,

and we’ve done nothing to deserve it.

We never betrayed your Covenant: our hearts

were never false, our feet never left your path.

Do we deserve torture in a den of jackals?

or lockup in a black hole?

20-22 If we had forgotten to pray to our God

or made fools of ourselves with store-bought gods,

Wouldn’t God have figured this out?

We can’t hide things from him.

No, you decided to make us martyrs,

lambs assigned for sacrifice each day.

23-26 Get up,God! Are you going to sleep all day?

Wake up! Don’t you care what happens to us?

Why do you bury your face in the pillow?

Why pretend things are just fine with us?

And here we are—flat on our faces in the dirt,

held down with a boot on our necks.

Get up and come to our rescue.

If you love us so much,Help us!

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/PSA/44-bf7dd6d2b623e875a34fc960c7b85462.mp3?version_id=97—

A Wedding Song of the Sons of Korah

1 My heart bursts its banks,

spilling beauty and goodness.

I pour it out in a poem to the king,

shaping the river into words:

2-4 “You’re the handsomest of men;

every word from your lips is sheer grace,

and God has blessed you, blessed you so much.

Strap your sword to your side, warrior!

Accept praise! Accept due honor!

Ride majestically! Ride triumphantly!

Ride on the side of truth!

Ride for the righteous meek!

4-5 “Your instructions are glow-in-the-dark;

you shoot sharp arrows

Into enemy hearts; the king’s

foes lie down in the dust, beaten.

6-7 “Your throne is God’s throne,

ever and always;

The scepter of your royal rule

measures right living.

You love the right

and hate the wrong.

And that is why God, your very own God,

poured fragrant oil on your head,

Marking you out as king

from among your dear companions.

8-9 “Your ozone-drenched garments

are fragrant with mountain breeze.

Chamber music—from the throne room—

makes you want to dance.

Kings’ daughters are maids in your court,

the Bride glittering with golden jewelry.

10-12 “Now listen, daughter, don’t miss a word:

forget your country, put your home behind you.

Behere—the king is wild for you.

Since he’s your lord, adore him.

Wedding gifts pour in from Tyre;

rich guests shower you with presents.”

13-15 (Her wedding dress is dazzling,

lined with gold by the weavers;

All her dresses and robes

are woven with gold.

She is led to the king,

followed by her virgin companions.

A procession of joy and laughter!

a grand entrance to the king’s palace!)

16-17 “Set your mind now on sons—

don’t dote on father and grandfather.

You’ll set your sons up as princes

all over the earth.

I’ll make you famous for generations;

you’ll be the talk of the town

for a long, long time.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/PSA/45-57e3d04108d2f2d18a7a437a94859d4f.mp3?version_id=97—

A Song of the Sons of Korah

1-3 God is a safe place to hide,

ready to help when we need him.

We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,

courageous in seastorm and earthquake,

Before the rush and roar of oceans,

the tremors that shift mountains.

Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,

God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

4-6 River fountains splash joy, cooling God’s city,

this sacred haunt of the Most High.

God lives here, the streets are safe,

God at your service from crack of dawn.

Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten,

but Earth does anything he says.

7 Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,

God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

8-10 Attention, all! See the marvels ofGod!

He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,

Bans war from pole to pole,

breaks all the weapons across his knee.

“Step out of the traffic! Take a long,

loving look at me, your High God,

above politics, above everything.”

11 Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,

God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/PSA/46-b4990a4ea45d6575bda24e38969a3677.mp3?version_id=97—

A Psalm of the Sons of Korah

1-9 Applause, everyone. Bravo, bravissimo!

Shout God-songs at the top of your lungs!

GodMost High is stunning,

astride land and ocean.

He crushes hostile people,

puts nations at our feet.

He set us at the head of the line,

prize-winning Jacob, his favorite.

Loud cheers as God climbs the mountain,

a ram’s horn blast at the summit.

Sing songs to God, sing out!

Sing to our King, sing praise!

He’s Lord over earth,

so sing your best songs to God.

God is Lord of godless nations—

sovereign, he’s King of the mountain.

Princes from all over are gathered,

people of Abraham’s God.

The powers of earth are God’s—

he soars over all.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/PSA/47-1b3233beb6d88e9b5201d2c70005a3c6.mp3?version_id=97—

A Psalm of the Sons of Korah

1-3 Godmajestic,

praise abounds in our God-city!

His sacred mountain,

breathtaking in its heights—earth’s joy.

Zion Mountain looms in the North,

city of the world-King.

God in his citadel peaks

impregnable.

4-6 The kings got together,

they united and came.

They took one look and shook their heads,

they scattered and ran away.

They doubled up in pain

like a woman having a baby.

7-8 You smashed the ships of Tarshish

with a storm out of the East.

We heard about it, then we saw it

with our eyes—

InGod’s city of Angel Armies,

in the city our God

Set on firm foundations,

firm forever.

9-10 We pondered your love-in-action, God,

waiting in your temple:

Your name, God, evokes a train

of Hallelujahs wherever

It is spoken, near and far;

your arms are heaped with goodness-in-action.

11 Be glad, Zion Mountain;

Dance, Judah’s daughters!

He does what he said he’d do!

12-14 Circle Zion, take her measure,

count her fortress peaks,

Gaze long at her sloping bulwark,

climb her citadel heights—

Then you can tell the next generation

detail by detail the story of God,

Our God forever,

who guides us till the end of time.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/PSA/48-2e00e53076153733768e12c5b22d6de7.mp3?version_id=97—

A Psalm of the Sons of Korah

1-2 Listen, everyone, listen—

earth-dwellers, don’t miss this.

All you haves

and have-nots,

All together now: listen.

3-4 I set plainspoken wisdom before you,

my heart-seasoned understandings of life.

I fine-tuned my ear to the sayings of the wise,

I solve life’s riddle with the help of a harp.

5-6 So why should I fear in bad times,

hemmed in by enemy malice,

Shoved around by bullies,

demeaned by the arrogant rich?

7-9 Really! There’s no such thing as self-rescue,

pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.

The cost of rescue is beyond our means,

and even then it doesn’t guarantee

Life forever, or insurance

against the Black Hole.

10-11 Anyone can see that the brightest and best die,

wiped out right along with fools and dunces.

They leave all their prowess behind,

move into their new home, The Coffin,

The cemetery their permanent address.

And to think they named counties after themselves!

12 We aren’t immortal. We don’t last long.

Like our dogs, we age and weaken. And die.

13-15 This is what happens to those who live for the moment,

who only look out for themselves:

Death herds them like sheep straight to hell;

they disappear down the gullet of the grave;

They waste away to nothing—

nothing left but a marker in a cemetery.

But me? God snatches me from the clutch of death,

he reaches down and grabs me.

16-19 So don’t be impressed with those who get rich

and pile up fame and fortune.

They can’t take it with them;

fame and fortune all get left behind.

Just when they think they’ve arrived

and folks praise them because they’ve made good,

They enter the family burial plot

where they’ll never see sunshine again.

20 We aren’t immortal. We don’t last long.

Like our dogs, we age and weaken. And die.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/PSA/49-a129b7149fd3d58c31781c62aa052b4b.mp3?version_id=97—

An Asaph Psalm

1-3 The God of gods—it’sGod!—speaks out, shouts, “Earth!”

welcomes the sun in the east,

farewells the disappearing sun in the west.

From the dazzle of Zion,

God blazes into view.

Our God makes his entrance,

he’s not shy in his coming.

Starbursts of fireworks precede him.

4-5 He summons heaven and earth as a jury,

he’s taking his people to court:

“Round up my saints who swore

on the Bible their loyalty to me.”

6 The whole cosmos attests to the fairness of this court,

that hereGodis judge.

7-15 “Are you listening, dear people? I’m getting ready to speak;

Israel, I’m about ready to bring you to trial.

This is God, your God,

speaking to you.

I don’t find fault with your acts of worship,

the frequent burnt sacrifices you offer.

But why should I want your blue-ribbon bull,

or more and more goats from your herds?

Every creature in the forest is mine,

the wild animals on all the mountains.

I know every mountain bird by name;

the scampering field mice are my friends.

If I get hungry, do you think I’d tell you?

All creation and its bounty are mine.

Do you think I feast on venison?

or drink draughts of goats’ blood?

Spread for me a banquet of praise,

serve High God a feast of kept promises,

And call for help when you’re in trouble—

I’ll help you, and you’ll honor me.”

16-21 Next, God calls up the wicked:

“What are you up to, quoting my laws,

talking like we are good friends?

You never answer the door when I call;

you treat my words like garbage.

If you find a thief, you make him your buddy;

adulterers are your friends of choice.

Your mouth drools filth;

lying is a serious art form with you.

You stab your own brother in the back,

rip off your little sister.

I kept a quiet patience while you did these things;

you thought I went along with your game.

I’m calling you on the carpet,now,

laying your wickedness out in plain sight.

22-23 “Time’s up for playing fast and

loose with me.

I’m ready to pass sentence,

and there’s no help in sight!

It’s the praising life that honors me.

As soon as you set your foot on the Way,

I’ll show you my salvation.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/PSA/50-b3441440d3161a03ecc5bbbd63221766.mp3?version_id=97—

A David Psalm, After He Was Confronted by Nathan About the Affair with Bathsheba

1-3 Generous in love—God, give grace!

Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.

Scrub away my guilt,

soak out my sins in your laundry.

I know how bad I’ve been;

my sins are staring me down.

4-6 You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen

it all, seen the full extent of my evil.

You have all the facts before you;

whatever you decide about me is fair.

I’ve been out of step with you for a long time,

in the wrong since before I was born.

What you’re after is truth from the inside out.

Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

7-15 Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean,

scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.

Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,

set these once-broken bones to dancing.

Don’t look too close for blemishes,

give me a clean bill of health.

God, make a fresh start in me,

shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.

Don’t throw me out with the trash,

or fail to breathe holiness in me.

Bring me back from gray exile,

put a fresh wind in my sails!

Give me a job teaching rebels your ways

so the lost can find their way home.

Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,

and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.

Unbutton my lips, dear God;

I’ll let loose with your praise.

16-17 Going through the motions doesn’t please you,

a flawless performance is nothing to you.

I learned God-worship

when my pride was shattered.

Heart-shattered lives ready for love

don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.

18-19 Make Zion the place you delight in,

repair Jerusalem’s broken-down walls.

Then you’ll get real worship from us,

acts of worship small and large,

Including all the bulls

they can heave onto your altar!

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/PSA/51-f53a43fb5ef1de3ef27b30df1ef20da2.mp3?version_id=97—

A David Psalm, When Doeg the Edomite Reported to Saul, “David’s at Ahimelech’s House”

1-4 Why do you brag of evil, “Big Man”?

God’s mercy carries the day.

You scheme catastrophe;

your tongue cuts razor-sharp,

artisan in lies.

You love evil more than good,

you call black white.

You love malicious gossip,

you foul-mouth.

5 God will tear you limb from limb,

sweep you up and throw you out,

Pull you up by the roots

from the land of life.

6-7 Good people will watch and

worship. They’ll laugh in relief:

“Big Man bet on the wrong horse,

trusted in big money,

made his living from catastrophe.”

8 And I’m an olive tree,

growing green in God’s house.

I trusted in the generous mercy

of God then and now.

9 I thank you always

that you went into action.

And I’ll stay right here,

your good name my hope,

in company with your faithful friends.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/PSA/52-8beb90c9e5d44eedd50fd22eaf00d7fd.mp3?version_id=97—