< Psalms 80 >
1 To him that excelleth on Shoshannim Eduth. A Psalme committed to Asaph. Heare, O thou Shepheard of Israel, thou that leadest Ioseph like sheepe: shewe thy brightnes, thou that sittest betweene the Cherubims.
[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 Before Ephraim and Beniamin and Manasseh stirre vp thy strength, and come to helpe vs.
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 Turne vs againe, O God, and cause thy face to shine that we may be saued.
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 O Lord God of hostes, how long wilt thou be angrie against the prayer of thy people?
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 Thou hast fedde them with the bread of teares, and giuen them teares to drinke with great measure.
[It is as though] the only food and drink that you have given us is a cup full of our tears!
6 Thou hast made vs a strife vnto our neighbours, and our enemies laugh at vs among themselues.
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 Turne vs againe, O God of hostes: cause thy face to shine, and we shalbe saued.
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 Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
[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 Thou madest roume for it, and didest cause it to take roote, and it filled the land.
[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 The mountaines were couered with the shadowe of it, and the boughes thereof were like the goodly cedars.
[Like huge] grapevines cover the hills with their shade and their branches are taller than big cedar [trees] [MET, HYP],
11 Shee stretched out her branches vnto the Sea, and her boughes vnto the Riuer.
[your people ruled all of Canaan], from the [Mediterranean] Sea [in the west] to the [Euphrates] River [in the east].
12 Why hast thou then broken downe her hedges, so that all they, which passe by the way, haue plucked her?
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 The wilde bore out of the wood hath destroyed it, and the wilde beastes of the fielde haue eaten it vp.
and wild pigs [can] trample [the vines], and wild animals [can also] eat [the grapes].
14 Returne we beseech thee, O God of hostes: looke downe from heauen and beholde and visite this vine,
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 And the vineyard, that thy right hand hath planted, and the young vine, which thou madest strong for thy selfe.
who are [like] the young vine that you [SYN] planted and caused to grow!
16 It is burnt with fire and cut downe: and they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
Our enemies have torn down and burned everything in our land; look at them angrily and get rid of them!
17 Let thine hande be vpon the man of thy right hande, and vpon the sonne of man, whome thou madest strong for thine owne selfe.
But strengthen [us] people whom you have chosen [IDM], [us] Israeli people whom you [previously] caused to be very strong.
18 So will not we goe backe from thee: reuiue thou vs, and we shall call vpon thy Name.
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 Turne vs againe, O Lord God of hostes: cause thy face to shine and we shalbe saued.
Yahweh, commander of the armies of heaven, restore us; be kind to us in order that we may be rescued [from our enemies]!