Psalms 85

1 For the chief musician. A psalm of the sons of Korah. Yahweh, you have showed favor to your land; you have restored the well-being 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 sin 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3 You have withdrawn all your wrath; you have turned back from your hot anger.

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

4 Restore us, God of our salvation, and let go of your displeasure with us.

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 remain angry throughout future generations?

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

6 Will you not revive us again? Then your people will 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 covenant faithfulness, Yahweh, grant us your salvation.

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

8 I will listen to what Yahweh God says, for he will make peace with his people, his faithful followers. Yet they must not turn again to foolish ways.

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 to those who fear him; then glory will remain 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 Covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness have met 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 Trustworthiness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky.

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 his good blessings, and our land will yield its crops.

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

13 Righteousness will go before him and make a way for his footsteps.

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