Psalms 85

1 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by the sons of Korah. Yahweh, you have been favorable to your land. You have restored the fortunes of Jacob.

Yahweh, you have been kind to [us people who live in] this land; you have enabled [us] Israeli people to become prosperous again.

2 You have forgiven the iniquity of your people. You have covered all their sin. (Selah)

You forgave [us], your people, for the sins that we had committed; you pardoned [us] for all our sins [DOU].

3 You have taken away all your wrath. You have turned from the fierceness of your anger.

You stopped being angry [with us] and turned away from severely punishing [us].

4 Turn us, God of our salvation, and cause your indignation toward us to cease.

Now, God, the one who saves/rescues us, (restore us/make us prosperous again) and stop being angry with us!

5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you draw out your anger to all generations?

(Will you continue to be angry with us forever?/Please do not continue to be angry with us forever.) [DOU, RHQ]

6 Won’t you revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?

Please enable us [RHQ] to prosper again in order that [we], your people, will rejoice about what you [have done for us].

7 Show us your loving kindness, Yahweh. Grant us your salvation.

Yahweh, by rescuing us [from our troubles/difficulties], show us that you faithfully love us.

8 I will hear what God, Yahweh, will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, his saints; but let them not turn again to folly.

I want to listen to what Yahweh [our] God says, because he promises/says that he will enable [us], his people, to live peacefully, if we do not return to doing foolish things.

9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.

He is surely ready to save/rescue those who revere him, in order that [his] glory/splendor will be seen in our land.

10 Mercy and truth meet together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

[When that happens], he will both faithfully love us and faithfully [do for us what he promised to do] [PRS]; and we will act/behave righteously, and he will give us peace, which will be like a kiss that he gives us.

11 Truth springs out of the earth. Righteousness has looked down from heaven.

Here on earth, we will (be loyal to/continually believe in) God, and from heaven, God will act justly/fairly [toward us].

12 Yes, Yahweh will give that which is good. Our land will yield its increase.

Yes, Yahweh will do good things [for us], and there will be great harvests in our land.

13 Righteousness goes before him, and prepares the way for his steps.

[Yahweh always acts] righteously [PRS, MET]; he acts righteously wherever he goes.