Psalm 85

1  LORD, YOU have [at last] been favorable and have dealt graciously with Your land [of Canaan]; You have brought back [from Babylon] the captives of Jacob.2  You have forgiven and taken away the iniquity of Your people, You have covered all their sin. Selah [pause, and calmly realize what that means]!3  You have withdrawn all Your wrath and indignation, You have turned away from the blazing anger [which You had let loose].4  Restore us, O God of our salvation, and cause Your anger toward us to cease [forever].5  Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger [and disfavor] and spread it out to all generations?6  Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?7  Show us Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, and grant us Your salvation.8  I will listen [with expectancy] to what God the Lord will say, for He will speak peace to His people, to His saints (those who are in right standing with Him)--but let them not turn again to [self-confident] folly.9  Surely His salvation is near to those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, [and is ready to be appropriated] that [the manifest presence of God, His] glory may tabernacle and abide in our land.10  Mercy and loving-kindness and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.11  Truth shall spring up from the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven.12  Yes, the Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.13  Righteousness shall go before Him and shall make His footsteps a way in which to walk.

Psalm 85

For the music director; written by the Korahites, a psalm.

1 O Lord, you showed favor to your land;
you restored the well-being of Jacob.

2 You pardoned the wrongdoing of your people;
you forgave all their sin. (Selah)

3 You withdrew all your fury;
you turned back from your raging anger.

4 Restore us, O God our deliverer!
Do not be displeased with us!

5 Will you stay mad at us forever?
Will you remain angry throughout future generations?

6 Will you not revive us once more?
Then your people will rejoice in you!

7 O Lord, show us your loyal love!
Bestow on us your deliverance!

8 I will listen to what God the Lord says.
For he will make peace with his people, his faithful followers.
Yet they must not return to their foolish ways.

9 Certainly his loyal followers will soon experience his deliverance;
then his splendor will again appear in our land.

10 Loyal love and faithfulness meet;
deliverance and peace greet each other with a kiss.

11 Faithfulness grows from the ground,
and deliverance looks down from the sky.

12 Yes, the Lord will bestow his good blessings,
and our land will yield its crops.

13 Deliverance goes before him,
and prepares a pathway for him.