A psalm written by David for the choir director, a psalm for teaching, to be sung using the tune ‘Lily of the Promise’. David wrote it during the wars in northern Syria, and Joab’s army, after returning from the battle, killed 12,000 of the Edom people-group in Salt Valley

1I prayed, “God, you have rejected us Israelis!
Because you have been angry with us, you have enabled our enemies to break through our ranks. Please enable us to be strong again!

2When we were defeated, it was as though [MET] there was a big earthquake in our land that caused the ground to split open.
So now, just as only you can cause the cracks in the land to disappear, help our army to be strong again,
because it is as though our country is ◄falling apart/being destroyed►.

3You have caused us, your people, to suffer very much; it is as though you forced us to drink strong wine that caused us to stagger around after we became drunk.

4But you have raised a battle flag for those who revere you in order that they can gather around it and not be killed by the enemies’ arrows. (Think about that!)

5Answer our prayers and enable us by your power [MTY] to defeat our enemies in order that we, the people whom you love, will be saved.”

6Then God answered my prayer and spoke from his temple, saying,
“Because I have conquered your enemies, I will divide up everything in Shechem city, and I will distribute it among my people the land in Succoth Valley.

7The Gilead region is mine;
the people of the tribe of Manasseh are mine;
the tribe of Ephraim is like my helmet [MET];
and the tribe of Judah is like the ◄scepter/stick that I hold which shows that I am the ruler► [MET];

8but the Moab region is like my washbasin [MET]; I throw my sandal in the Edom area to show that it belongs to me;
I shout triumphantly because I have defeated the people of the Philistia area.”

9Because I want to defeat the people of Edom,
◄who will lead my army triumphantly to their capital city that has strong walls around it?/I want someone to lead my army triumphantly to their capital city that has strong walls around it.►” [RHQ]

10So, God, we desire/hope that [RHQ] you have not truly abandoned us, and that you will go with us when our armies march out to fight our enemies.

11We need you to help us when we fight against our enemies, because the help that humans can give us is worthless.

12But with you helping us, we shall win; you will enable us to defeat our enemies.