< Psalms 80 >

1 [Yahweh], you [who lead us like] a shepherd leads his flock [of sheep], listen to us Israeli people. You sit on your throne [in the Very Holy Place in the temple], above the [carvings of] winged creatures. 2 Show yourself to [the people of the tribes of] Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh! Show us that you are powerful and come and rescue us! 3 God, cause our nation to be strong like it was before; be kind to us [IDM] in order that we may be saved [from our enemies.] 4 Yahweh, you who are the commander of the armies of heaven, how long will you be angry with us, your people, when we pray to you? 5 [It is as though] the only food and drink that you have given us is a cup full of our tears! 6 You have allowed the people-groups that surround us to fight with [each other to decide which part of our land each of them will take]; our enemies laugh at us. 7 God, commander of the armies of heaven, cause our nation to be strong like it was before! Be kind to us in order that we may be saved! 8 [Our ancestors were like] a grapevine [MET] that you brought out of Egypt; you expelled the other people-groups [from this land], and you put your people in their land. 9 [Like people] clear ground to plant a grapevine [MET], [you cleared out the people who were living in this land for us to live in it]. [Like] the roots of a grapevine go deep down into the ground and spread [MET], [you enabled our ancestors to prosper and start living in towns all over this land]. 10 [Like huge] grapevines cover the hills with their shade and their branches are taller than big cedar [trees] [MET, HYP], 11 [your people ruled all of Canaan], from the [Mediterranean] Sea [in the west] to the [Euphrates] River [in the east]. 12 So why have you abandoned us and [allowed our enemies to] tear down our walls [RHQ]? [You are like] someone who tears down the fences [around his vineyard], with the result that all [the people] who pass by [can] steal the grapes, 13 and wild pigs [can] trample [the vines], and wild animals [can also] eat [the grapes]. 14 You who are the commander of the armies of heaven, (turn to/stop abandoning) us! Look down from heaven and see [what is happening to] us! Come and rescue [us who are like] [MET] your grapevine, 15 who are [like] the young vine that you [SYN] planted and caused to grow! 16 Our enemies have torn down and burned everything in our land; look at them angrily and get rid of them! 17 But strengthen [us] people whom you have chosen [IDM], [us] Israeli people whom you [previously] caused to be very strong. 18 When you do that, we will never turn away from you again; (revive us/cause us to be again like we were previously), and [then] we will praise/worship you. 19 Yahweh, commander of the armies of heaven, restore us; be kind to us in order that we may be rescued [from our enemies]!

< Psalms 80 >