喬碩諾爸碎碎念

Bible reading note

Psalm 76

「God is honored in Judah; his name is great in Israel. Jerusalem is where he lives; Mount Zion is his home. Our boldest enemies have been plundered. They lie before us in the sleep of death. No warrior could lift a hand against us. From heaven you sentenced your enemies; the earth trembled and stood silent before you. Make vows to the Lord your God, and keep them. Let everyone bring tribute to the Awesome One.」

Psalm 77

「I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me! When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted. I think of the good old days, long since ended, Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he slammed the door on his compassion? Interlude But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works. The clouds poured down rain; the thunder rumbled in the sky. Your arrows of lightning flashed. You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep, with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds.」

Psalm 78

「O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying, for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past— We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders. So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands. The warriors of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned their backs and fled on the day of battle. For he divided the sea and led them through, making the water stand up like walls! He made streams pour from the rock, making the waters flow down like a river! They even spoke against God himself, saying, “God can’t give us food in the wilderness. When the Lord heard them, he was furious. The fire of his wrath burned against Jacob. Yes, his anger rose against Israel, He rained down meat as thick as dust— birds as plentiful as the sand on the seashore! the anger of God rose against them, and he killed their strongest men. He struck down the finest of Israel’s young men. Then they remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their redeemer. Oh, how often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved his heart in that dry wasteland. For he turned their rivers into blood, so no one could drink from the streams. He abandoned their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning. He killed the oldest son in each Egyptian family, the flower of youth throughout the land of Egypt. He drove out the nations before them; he gave them their inheritance by lot. He settled the tribes of Israel into their homes. When God heard them, he was very angry, and he completely rejected Israel. Their young men were killed by fire; their young women died before singing their wedding songs. He chose his servant David, calling him from the sheep pens.」

Psalm 79

「O God, pagan nations have conquered your land, your special possession. They have defiled your holy Temple and made Jerusalem a heap of ruins. They have left the bodies of your servants as food for the birds of heaven. The flesh of your godly ones has become food for the wild animals. O Lord, how long will you be angry with us? Forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire? Help us, O God of our salvation! Help us for the glory of your name. Save us and forgive our sins for the honor of your name. O Lord, pay back our neighbors seven times for the scorn they have hurled at you.」

Psalm 80

「Please listen, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph’s descendants like a flock. O God, enthroned above the cherubim, display your radiant glory to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. Show us your mighty power. Come to rescue us! You have fed us with sorrow and made us drink tears by the bucketful. You brought us from Egypt like a grapevine; you drove away the pagan nations and transplanted us into your land. But now, why have you broken down our walls so that all who pass by may steal our fruit? For we are chopped up and burned by our enemies. May they perish at the sight of your frown. Turn us again to yourself, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.」

Psalm 81

「Sing praises to God, our strength. Sing to the God of Jacob. Sing! Beat the tambourine. Play the sweet lyre and the harp. He made it a law for Israel when he attacked Egypt to set us free. I heard an unknown voice say, You must never have a foreign god; you must not bow down before a false god. “But no, my people wouldn’t listen. Israel did not want me around. Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him; they would be doomed forever. But I would feed you with the finest wheat. I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.”」

Psalm 82

「God presides over heaven’s court; he pronounces judgment on the heavenly beings: “How long will you hand down unjust decisions by favoring the wicked? Interlude Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people. Rise up, O God, and judge the earth, for all the nations belong to you.」

Psalm 83

「O God, do not be silent! Do not be deaf. Do not be quiet, O God. Don’t you hear the uproar of your enemies? Don’t you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up? “Come,” they say, “let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence.” Do to them as you did to the Midianites and as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River. As a fire burns a forest and as a flame sets mountains ablaze, Then they will learn that you alone are called the Lord, that you alone are the Most High, supreme over all the earth.」

Psalm 84

「How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God! When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings. A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, what joy for those who trust in you.」

Psalm 85

「Lord, you poured out blessings on your land! You restored the fortunes of Israel. You forgave the guilt of your people— yes, you covered all their sins. Interlude Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath to all generations? I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways. Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven.」

Psalm 86

「Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you. I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble, and you will answer me. For you are great and perform wonderful deeds. You alone are God. for your love for me is very great. You have rescued me from the depths of death. But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. Send me a sign of your favor. Then those who hate me will be put to shame, for you, O Lord, help and comfort me.」

Psalm 87

「On the holy mountain stands the city founded by the Lord. He loves the city of Jerusalem more than any other city in Israel. I will count Egypt and Babylon among those who know me— also Philistia and Tyre, and even distant Ethiopia. They have all become citizens of Jerusalem! When the Lord registers the nations, he will say, “They have all become citizens of Jerusalem.” Interlude」

Psalm 88

「O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to you by day. I come to you at night. Now hear my prayer; listen to my cry. They have left me among the dead, and I lie like a corpse in a grave. I am forgotten, cut off from your care. Your anger weighs me down; with wave after wave you have engulfed me. Interlude Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead? Do the dead rise up and praise you? Interlude Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds? Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness? I have been sick and close to death since my youth. I stand helpless and desperate before your terrors. You have taken away my companions and loved ones. Darkness is my closest friend.」

Psalm 89

「I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness. Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens. All heaven will praise your great wonders, Lord; myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness. O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord? You are entirely faithful. The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours—you created it all. They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation. They exult in your righteousness. Long ago you spoke in a vision to your faithful people. You said, “I have raised up a warrior. I have selected him from the common people to be king. My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him, and by my authority he will grow in power. I will preserve an heir for him; his throne will be as endless as the days of heaven. I have sworn an oath to David, and in my holiness I cannot lie: Everyone who comes along has robbed him, and he has become a joke to his neighbors. O Lord, how long will this go on? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your anger burn like fire? Lord, where is your unfailing love? You promised it to David with a faithful pledge. Praise the Lord forever! Amen and amen!」

Psalm 90

「Lord, through all the generations you have been our home! Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God. You sweep people away like dreams that disappear. They are like grass that springs up in the morning. You spread out our sins before you— our secret sins—and you see them all. Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away. Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives. And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!」