A psalm is an Old Testament work that is imbued with love for the Lord. Often has historical overtones. No exception is Psalm 77, which is considered one of the longest. It includes up to 72 verses, each of which is instructive in nature.
The author is saddened by the fate of God's chosen people, who took the path of the Lord's trials for their sins and misdeeds. At the same time, God is generous with His mercy, so the Israelis are never left without His support.
Text of prayer Psalm 77
In the Orthodox tradition, the Church Slavonic version of the prayer is used. It is read in church during services. For home reading, use the Russian translation. It helps to understand the meaning of prayer.
In Church Slavonic with accents
In Russian
PSALMS. PSALM 67-77
PSALM 67
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1 To the director of the choir. Psalm of David. Song.
2 Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Him flee from His presence.
3 As smoke dissipates, You scatter them; As wax melts in the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
4 But let the righteous rejoice, let them rejoice before God and triumph in joy.
5 Sing praises to our God, sing praises to His name, exalt Him who walks in the heavens; His name is Lord, and rejoice in His presence.
6 God is the father of the fatherless and the judge of widows in his holy habitation.
7 God brings the lonely into the house, frees the prisoners from their shackles, but the disobedient remain in the hot desert.
8 God! when You went out before Your people, when You walked in the wilderness,
9 The earth shook, even the heavens melted at the presence of God, and this Sinai at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
10 You, O God, poured abundant rain on your inheritance, and when it was exhausted from labor, you strengthened it.
11 Your people dwelt there; According to Your goodness, O God, You prepared what was necessary for the poor.
12 The Lord will give the word: there will be a great multitude of messengers.
13 Kings of armies flee and flee, but she who sits at home divides the spoil.
14 Having settled down in your inheritance, you became like a dove, whose wings are covered with silver and whose feathers are pure gold:
15 When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land, it turned white as the snow on Selmon.
16 The mountain of God is Mount Bashan! high mountain - Mount Vasanskaya!
17 Why do you look with envy, O high mountains, at the mountain on which God is pleased to dwell and the Lord will dwell forever?
18 Dark chariots of God, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them at Sinai in the sanctuary.
19 You ascended on high, you took captivity captive, you accepted gifts for men, so that even those who resist could dwell with the Lord God.
20 Blessed be the Lord every day. God puts burdens on us, but He also saves us.
21 God for us is God for salvation; in the power of the Lord Almighty are the gates of death.
22 But God will crush the head of His enemies, the hairy crown of the one who is stubborn in his iniquities.
23 The Lord said: I will bring you back from Bashan, I will bring you up from the depths of the sea,
24 So that you may immerse your foot, like your dogs’ tongue, in the blood of your enemies.
25 We have seen Your procession, O God, the procession of my God and my King in the holy place:
26 The singers walked in front, the players behind were playing instruments, and in the middle were maidens with tympani:
27 “In your congregations, bless God the Lord, you are of the seed of Israel!”
28 There Benjamin the younger is their prince; the princes of Judah are their rulers, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.
29 Your God has ordained strength for you. Confirm, O God, what You have done for us!
30 For the sake of Your temple in Jerusalem, kings will bring You gifts.
31 Tame the beast in the reeds, the herd of oxen among the bullocks of the nations boasting of ingots of silver; scatter the nations who desire war.
32 The nobles will come from Egypt; Ethiopia will stretch out her hands to God.
33 Kingdoms of the earth! sing to God, sing praises to the Lord,
34 walking in the heavens of the heavens from everlasting. Behold, He gives His voice the voice of power.
35 Give glory to God! His greatness is above Israel, and His power is in the clouds.
36 You are terrible, O God, in Your sanctuary. The God of Israel – He gives strength and strength to [His] people. Blessed be God!
PSALM 68
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1 To the director of the choir. On Shoshannim. Psalm of David.
2 Save me, O God, for the waters have reached [my soul].
3 I am mired in a deep swamp, and there is nothing to stand on; I entered the depths of the waters, and their rapid current carries me away.
4 I am exhausted from crying, my throat is dry, my eyes are weary from waiting for [my] God.
5 Those who hate me without cause are more than the hairs of my head; my enemies, who persecute me unjustly, have become stronger; what I did not take away, I must give.
6 God! You know my madness, and my sins are not hidden from You.
7 Let not all who trust in you, O Lord God of hosts, be put to shame in me. Let not those who seek You, O God of Israel, be put to shame in me,
8 For for Your sake I bear reproach, and my face is covered with dishonor.
9 I have become a stranger to my brothers and a stranger to my mother’s sons,
10 For zeal for Your house consumes me, and the slander of those who slander You falls upon me;
11 And I weep, fasting with my soul, and this is reproached to me;
12 And I put on sackcloth instead of clothing, and I become a byword to them;
13 Those who sit at the gate talk about me, and those who drink wine sing in songs.
14 And I come to You with my prayer, O Lord; in an acceptable time, O God, according to Your great goodness, hear me in the truth of Your salvation;
15 Bring me out of the mire, so that I do not sink; May I be delivered from those who hate me and from deep waters;
16 Let not the rush of the waters carry me away, let not the deep swallow me up, let not the abyss of its mouth close over me.
17 Hear me, O Lord, for Thy mercy is good; according to the multitude of Your compassions, look upon me;
18 Hide not Thy face from Thy servant, for I am grieved; hear me soon;
19 draw near to my soul, deliver it; for the sake of my enemies save me.
20 Thou knowest my reproach, my shame, and my disgrace: my enemies are all before thee.
21 Reproach crushed my heart, and I grew weak; I waited for compassion, but there was none; comforters, but I found none.
22 And they gave me gall for food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
23 Let their table be a snare to them, and their peaceful feasting a snare;
24 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and let their loins relax forever;
25 Pour out Your wrath on them, and let the fire of Your wrath consume them;
26 Let their habitation be desolate, and let no one dwell in their tents,
27 For those whom You have struck, they still pursue, and the sufferings of those wounded by You increase.
28 Add iniquity to their iniquity, and let them not enter into Thy righteousness;
29 Let them be blotted out from the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.
30 But I am poor and suffering; May Your help, O God, restore me.
31 I will praise the name of my God in song, I will exalt Him in praise,
32 And this will be more acceptable to the Lord than an ox, than a calf with horns and hoofs.
33 Those who suffer will see this and rejoice. And your heart will revive, you who seek God,
34 For the Lord listens to the poor and does not despise His prisoners.
35 Let the heavens and the earth, the seas and everything that moves in them, praise Him;
36 For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, and they will dwell there and inherit it,
37 And the descendants of His servants will be established in it, and those who love His name will dwell in it.
PSALM 69
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1 To the director of the choir. Psalm of David. In memory.
2 Hasten, O God, to deliver me; hasten, O Lord, to help me.
3 Let those who seek my soul be ashamed and put to shame! May those who wish me harm be turned back and consigned to ridicule!
4 Let those who say [to me]: “Well done!” be turned back for reproaching me. Fine!"
5 Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You, and let them who love Your salvation say without ceasing: “Great is God!”
6 But I am poor and needy; God, hurry to me! You are my help and my Savior; God! don't slow down.
PSALM 70
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1 In You, O Lord, have I put my trust, that I may never be put to shame.
2 According to Your righteousness, deliver me and set me free; incline Your ear to me and save me.
3 Be a strong refuge for me, where I can always hide; You commanded to save me, for my rock and my fortress are You.
4 My God! deliver me from the hand of the wicked, from the hand of the wicked and oppressor,
5 For You are my hope, O Lord God, my hope from my youth.
6 I was built upon You from the womb; You brought me out of my mother's womb; My praise to you will never cease.
7 To many I was like a wonder, but You are my sure hope.
8 Let my mouth be filled with praise, [that I may sing of Your glory,] Your splendor every day.
9 Do not reject me in my old age; when my strength fails, do not leave me,
10 For my enemies speak against me, and those who lie in wait for my soul take counsel among themselves,
11 saying, “God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is no deliverer.”
12 God! do not move away from me; My God! hurry to help me.
13 May those who are hostile to my soul be ashamed and disappear, may those who seek my harm be covered with shame and dishonor!
14 And I will always trust in You and increase all praise to You.
15 My mouth will proclaim Your righteousness, Your good deeds every day; for I do not know their number.
16 I will meditate on the powers of the Lord God; I will remember Your righteousness - Yours alone.
17 God! You have taught me from my youth, and to this day I proclaim Your wonders.
18 And until I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, until I proclaim Your power to this generation and to all those who are to come.
19 Thy righteousness, O God, is unto the highest; You have done great things; God, who is like You?
20 You sent me many and fierce troubles, but you also revived me again and again brought me out of the abysses of the earth.
21 You exalted me and comforted me, [and brought me out of the depths of the earth].
22 And I will praise You in the psalter, Your truth, O my God; I will sing praises to You on the harp, O Holy One of Israel!
23 My mouth rejoices when I sing to You, and so does my soul, which You have delivered;
24 And my tongue will proclaim Your righteousness all day long, for those who seek my harm are ashamed and disgraced.
PSALM 71
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About Solomon. [Psalm of David.]
1 God! Grant Thy judgment to the king and Thy righteousness to the king's son,
2 May He judge Your people and Your poor in righteousness in judgment;
3 Let the mountains bring peace to men and the hills righteousness;
4 May he judge the poor of the people, may he save the sons of the poor and humble the oppressor, -
5 And they will fear you as long as the sun and the moon remain throughout all generations.
6 He will come down like rain on a mown meadow, like drops that water the earth;
7 In his days the righteous will prosper, and there will be abundance of peace until the moon ceases;
8 He will possess from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth;
9 The inhabitants of the desert will fall before him, and his enemies will lick the dust;
10 The kings of Tarshish and the islands will give him tribute; the kings of Arabia and Sheba will bring gifts;
11 And all kings will worship him; all nations will serve him;
12 For he will deliver the poor, the crying, and the oppressed, who has no helper.
13 He will be merciful to the poor and needy, and will save the souls of the needy;
14 He will deliver their souls from deceit and violence, and their blood will be precious in his sight;
15 And he will live, and they will give him from the gold of Arabia, and they will pray for him without ceasing, and bless him every day;
16 There will be an abundance of grain on the earth, on the top of the mountains; its fruits will grow like the forest of Lebanon, and people will multiply in the cities like grass on the earth;
17 His name will be [blessed] forever; as long as the sun remains, his name will be transmitted; and in him [all the families of the earth] shall be blessed, all nations shall call him blessed.
18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does wonders,
19 And blessed is the name of His glory forever, and the whole earth will be filled with His glory. Amen and amen.
20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
PSALM 72
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Psalm of Asaph.
1 How good God is to Israel, to the pure in heart!
2 And I—my legs almost shook, my feet almost slipped—
3 I envied the foolish, seeing the prosperity of the wicked,
4 For they have no suffering until they die, and their strength is strong;
5 They are not present at human work, and with other people they are not subject to blows.
6 Therefore pride has surrounded them like a necklace, and insolence has clothed them like a robe;
7 Their eyes are rolled out of fat, thoughts wander in their hearts;
8 They mock everyone, they viciously spread slander, they speak condescendingly;
9 They lift up their mouth to heaven, and their tongue walks upon the earth.
10 Therefore His people turn thither, and drink a full cup of water,
11 and they say, “How will God know? and does the Most High have knowledge?”
12 And behold, these wicked prosper in this age, increasing wealth.
13 [And I said:] Was it not in vain that I purified my heart and washed my hands in innocence,
14 And exposed himself to stripes every day and to reproofs every morning?
15 But if I had said, “I will reason thus,” then I would have been guilty before the generation of Your sons.
16 And I thought how to understand this, but it was difficult in my eyes,
17 Until I entered into the sanctuary of God and understood their end.
18 Yes! You have placed them on slippery paths and are casting them into the abyss.
19 How unexpectedly they came to ruin, disappeared, perished from horrors!
20 Like a dream upon awakening, so You, O Lord, having awakened them, will destroy their dreams.
21 When my heart was boiling and my insides were torn,
22 Then I was ignorant and did not understand; I was like cattle before You.
23 But I am always with You: You hold my right hand;
24 You guide me with Your counsel and then You will receive me into glory.
25 Who is in heaven for me? and with You I want nothing on earth.
26 My flesh and my heart fail: God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For behold, those who remove themselves from You perish; You destroy everyone who turns away from You.
28 And it is good for me to draw closer to God! I have placed my trust in the Lord God, that I may proclaim all Thy works [at the gates of the daughter of Zion].
Solomon. Artist Duccio di Buoninsegna 1308-1311.
PSALM 73
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Teaching of Asaph.
1 Why, O God, has He rejected us forever? is Your anger kindled against the sheep of Your pasture?
2 Remember Your host, which You acquired from of old, redeemed into the scepter of Your inheritance - this Mount Zion, on which You rejoiced.
3 Move your steps towards the ancient ruins: the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary.
4 Thy enemies roar in the midst of Thy assemblies; We have placed our signs instead of our signs;
5 they showed themselves like an ax lifting upward against the intertwined branches of a tree;
6 And now all the carvings in it were destroyed at one time with axes and poles;
7 We have given Your sanctuary to fire; They have completely desecrated the dwelling of Your name;
8 They said in their hearts, “We will completely destroy them,” and they burned all the meeting places of God on earth.
9 We do not see our signs, there is no longer a prophet, and there is no one with us who would know how long this will be.
10 How long, O God, will the enemy reproach? Will the enemy forever blaspheme Your name?
11 Why dost thou turn away thy hand and thy right hand? Smite them from the midst of Your bosom.
12 O God, my King from everlasting, who arranges salvation in the midst of the earth!
13 You split the sea with Your power, You crushed the heads of the serpents in the water;
14 You crushed the head of Leviathan, you gave him as food to the desert people [of Ethiopia];
15 You have cut off the spring and the stream, You have dried up the mighty rivers.
16 Your day and your night: You have prepared the luminaries and the sun;
17 You have established all the boundaries of the earth; you have established summer and winter.
18 Remember: the enemy reviles the Lord, and foolish people blaspheme your name.
19 Do not give the soul of your turtledove to the beasts; do not forget the gatherings of your poor forever.
20 Respect your covenant; for all the dark places of the earth were filled with dwellings of violence.
21 Let not the oppressed return disgraced; Let the poor and needy praise Your name.
22 Arise, O God, defend Your cause, remember Your daily reproach from the foolish;
23 Do not forget the cry of Your enemies; the noise of those who rebel against You continually rises.
PSALM 74
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1 To the director of the choir. Don't destroy it. Psalm of Asaph. Song.
2 We glorify You, O God, we glorify You, for Your name is near; They proclaim Your wonders.
3 “When I choose the time, I will execute justice with righteousness.
4 The earth and all that dwell therein are shaken: I will establish its pillars.”
5 I say to the foolish, “Do not be foolish,” and to the wicked, “Do not lift up your horns,
6 Do not lift up your horns on high, [do not] speak [against God] stiff-necked."
7 For the exaltation is not from the east, nor from the west, nor from the wilderness,
8 But God is a judge: he humiliates one, and exalts another;
9 For the cup is in the hand of the Lord, the wine is boiling in it, full of mixture, and he pours from it. Even its yeast will be squeezed out and drunk by all the wicked lands.
10 But I will proclaim forever, I will sing praises to the God of Jacob,
11 I will break all the horns of the wicked, and the horns of the righteous will be exalted.
PSALM 75
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1 To the director of the choir. On string instruments. Psalm of Asaph. Song.
2 God is known in Judea; His name is great in Israel.
3 And His dwelling place was in Salem, and His sojourn in Zion.
4 There He broke in pieces the arrows of the bow, the shield and the sword, and the battle.
5 You are glorious, mightier than the predatory mountains.
6 The mighty in heart became prey, they fell asleep, and all the men did not find the strength of their hands.
7 Because of Thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and the horse slumbered.
8 You are terrible, and who can stand before You in the time of Your wrath?
9 You have declared judgment from heaven; the earth was afraid and quiet,
10 when God rose up in judgment to save all the oppressed of the earth.
11 And the wrath of man will be turned to Thy glory: the remnant of wrath Thou shalt subdue.
12 Make and pay vows to the Lord your God; let all who are around Him bring gifts to the Terrible One:
13 He subdues the spirit of princes; He is terrible to the kings of the earth.
PSALM 76
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1 To the head of the choir Idifumov. Psalm of Asaph.
2 My voice is to God, and I will cry; my voice is to God, and He will hear me.
3 In the day of my trouble I will seek the Lord; My hand is stretched out at night and does not fall; my soul refuses consolation.
4 I remember God and tremble; I think, and my spirit faints.
5 You do not let me close my eyes; I'm shocked and can't speak.
6 I reflect on the days of old, on the years of centuries past;
7 I remember my songs in the night, I talk to my heart, and my spirit tries:
8 Has the Lord rejected him forever, and will no longer favor him?
9 Has His mercy ceased forever, and His word been cut off from generation to generation?
10 Has God really forgotten to have mercy? Did He shut up His mercies in anger?
11 And I said: “This is my grief - the change of the right hand of the Most High.”
12 I will remember the works of the Lord; I will remember Your ancient wonders;
13 I will delve into all Your works, meditate on Your great deeds.
14 God! holy is your way. Who is God as great as [our] God!
15 You are a God who works miracles; You have demonstrated Your power among the nations;
16 You have delivered with your arm your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph.
17 The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You and were afraid, and the deeps trembled.
18 The clouds poured out water, the clouds made thunder, and Your arrows flew.
19 The voice of Your thunder in the circle of heaven; lightning illuminated the universe; the earth shook and shook.
20 Thy way is in the sea, and Thy path is in the great waters, and Thy footsteps are unknown.
21 You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
PSALM 77
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Teaching of Asaph.
1 Listen, my people, to my law; incline your ear to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable and speak fortune telling from ancient times.
3 What we have heard and known, and our fathers told us,
4 We will not hide from their children, proclaiming to the generation to come the glory of the Lord, and His power, and His wonders which He has done.
5 He established a statute in Jacob and laid down a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to tell their children,
6 so that the coming generation, the children who will be born, may know, and so that in due time they may proclaim to their children -
7 Place your hope in God and do not forget the works of God and keep His commandments,
8 And not to be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, unsettled in heart and unfaithful to God in their spirit.
9 The sons of Ephraim, armed and shooting with bows, turned back on the day of battle:
10 They did not keep the covenant of God and denied walking in His law;
11 They forgot His works and the wonders that He showed them.
12 He performed miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan:
13 He divided the sea, and led them through it, and made the waters a wall;
14 And he led them by a cloud during the day, and by the light of fire all night;
15 He cut the stone in the wilderness and gave them drink as from the great abyss;
16 He brought streams out of the rock, and the waters flowed out like rivers.
17 But they continued to sin against Him and provoke the Most High in the wilderness:
18 They tempted God in their hearts, demanding food for their souls,
19 And they spoke against God and said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?”
20 Behold, He struck the stone, and waters flowed out and streams flowed. “Can He also give bread and prepare meat for His people?”
21 The Lord heard and was kindled with wrath, and fire was kindled against Jacob, and wrath was aroused against Israel
22 because they did not believe in God and did not trust in His salvation.
23 He commanded the clouds from above and opened the doors of heaven,
24 And he rained manna upon them for food, and gave them the bread of heaven.
25 The man ate the angel's bread; He sent them food until they were full.
26 He stirred up the east wind in the sky and brought down the south wind with His power
27 And it rained upon them flesh like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the sea:
28 He cast them down in the midst of their camp, near their dwellings,
29 And they ate and were satisfied; and gave them what they desired.
30 But their desire had not yet passed, food was still in their mouth,
31 The wrath of God came upon them, slew their fat men, and cast down the young men of Israel.
32 Despite all this, they continued to sin and did not believe His miracles.
33 And he destroyed their days in vanity and their years in confusion.
34 When He killed them, they sought Him and were converted, and from early in the morning they ran to God,
35 And they remembered that God is their refuge, and God Most High is their Deliverer,
36 And they flattered Him with their lips and lied to Him with their tongues;
37 But their heart was not right with Him, and they were not faithful to His covenant.
38 But He, the Merciful, forgave sin and did not destroy them, turned away His anger many times and did not arouse all His wrath:
39 He remembered that they are flesh, breath that goes away and does not return.
40 How many times did they provoke Him to anger in the wilderness and provoke Him to anger in the uninhabited country!
41 And again they tempted God and insulted the Holy One of Israel,
42 They did not remember His hand, the day when He delivered them from oppression,
43 when He performed His signs in Egypt and His wonders in the field of Zoan;
44 And he turned their rivers and their streams into blood, so that they could not drink;
45 He sent insects against them to bite them, and toads to destroy them;
46 He gave their earthly growth to the caterpillar and their labor to the locust;
47 Their grapes were beaten with hail, and their sycamores with ice;
48 Their cattle were given over to hail, and their flocks to lightning;
49 He sent upon them the flame of His wrath, and indignation, and wrath, and disaster, an embassy of evil angels;
50 He made the path equal to His wrath; He did not protect their souls from death, but gave their cattle over to the plague;
51 He smote every firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of strength in the tents of Ham;
52 And he led his people like sheep, and led them like flocks through the wilderness;
53 He led them safely, and they were not afraid, but the sea covered their enemies;
54 And he brought them into his holy region, to this mountain, which his right hand had acquired;
55 He drove out the nations from before them and divided their land as an inheritance for them, and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 But they still tempted and grieved the Most High God, and did not keep His statutes;
57 they retreated and changed, like their fathers, they turned back like a faithless bow;
58 They grieved Him with their high places and aroused His jealousy with their idols.
59 God heard and was inflamed with anger and was greatly indignant against Israel;
60 He cast aside the habitation of Shiloh, the tabernacle in which He dwelt among men;
61 and gave His strength captive and His glory into the hands of the enemy,
62 And he put his people to the sword, and was angry at his inheritance.
63 Fire consumed his young men, and they did not sing marriage songs to his maidens;
64 His priests fell by the sword, and his widows did not weep.
65 But the Lord arose as if from sleep, like a giant overcome by wine,
66 And he struck his enemies in the rear, giving them over to eternal shame;
67 And he rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 But he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved.
69 And he built his sanctuary like heaven, and established it forever, like the earth,
70 And he chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds
71 And from the milking men he brought him to feed his people Jacob, and his inheritance Israel.
72 And he shepherded them in the purity of his heart and led them with wise hands.
When and why is Psalm 77 read?
Psalm 77 is filled with great historical and instructive value, which is why it is constantly read in churches during services. Usually the prayer readings fall on Wednesday, but depending on the holidays, the days may change. For example, during Lent, chants are sung on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Believers are sensitive to the Church Slavonic version of prayer, believing that it brings them closer to God.
The psalm is also read at home under certain conditions. An icon and a candle are required. The holy face will help focus attention, the candle will create the necessary atmosphere.
Open your heart to God, say everything you would like to say in the words of prayer. Sincerity and truthfulness have always touched Him, so He will answer the request.
When should an Orthodox believer read the prayer Psalm 77
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Christian Psalm 77, which is part of the third book of psalms, is very long: it contains seventy-two verses of instructive and historical content. Researchers of the psalm agree that it was written by a contemporary of King David, the psalmist Asaph, and the purpose of its writing was to explain to the Jewish people the election of the prophet David to the kingdom. As is known from history, King David was not the hereditary king of Israel - according to biblical tradition, he was confirmed on the throne by God Himself through a revelation to one of the Jewish prophets. The new king came from an unknown tribe, and the text of Psalm 77 was supposed to explain to the people the reasons for his election in order to avoid unrest and discontent.
Orthodox Psalm 77 for protection from creditors
From the interpretation of Psalm 77, it becomes clear that before the anointing of David, all the kings of Israel came from the tribe of Ephraim. David himself was from the tribe of Judah, and such a sharp change in political alignments could not but cause concern among the people. The church text of Psalm 77 explains that representatives of the tribe of Ephraim repeatedly violated the commandments and angered God, for which their family fell into disfavor with the Almighty. David and his tribe were given the greatest grace - the future Savior of the world was to be born from his family. The Orthodox Church advises listening online and reading the text of Psalm 77 to those who suffer infringement from creditors.
Listen to the video of the Orthodox prayer Psalm 77 in Russian
Read the Orthodox text of the prayer Psalm 77 in Russian
Teaching of Asaph.
Listen, my people, to my law; incline your ear to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable and pronounce fortune telling from ancient times. What we have heard and learned, and our fathers have told us, we will not hide from their children, proclaiming to the coming generation the glory of the Lord, and His power, and His wonders which He has done. He decreed a statute in Jacob and laid down a law in Israel, which commanded our fathers to proclaim to their children, so that the generation to come would know the children who would be born, and that in due time they would proclaim to their children to place their hope in God and not to forget the works of God. , and keep His commandments, and not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, unsettled in heart and unfaithful to God in their spirit. The sons of Ephraim, armed, shooting from bows, turned back on the day of battle: they did not keep the covenant of God and denied walking in His law; they forgot His works and the miracles that He showed them. Before the eyes of their fathers, he performed miracles in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan: he divided the sea, and led them through it, and made the waters a wall; and he led them by a cloud during the day, and by the light of fire all night; he cut a stone in the desert and gave them drink as from a great abyss; He brought streams out of the rock, and the waters flowed like rivers. But they continued to sin before Him and irritate the Most High in the desert: they tempted God in their hearts, demanding food for their souls, and spoke against God and said: “Can God prepare a meal in the desert?” Behold, He struck the stone, and waters flowed out and streams flowed. “Can He also give bread and prepare meat for His people?” The Lord heard and was inflamed with anger, and fire kindled against Jacob, and anger arose against Israel because they did not believe in God and did not trust in His salvation. He commanded the clouds from above and opened the doors of heaven, and rained manna on them for food, and gave them the bread of heaven. Man ate the angel's bread; He sent them food until they were full. He aroused the east wind in the sky and brought the south wind with His power and rained meat on them like dust and feathered birds like the sand of the sea: He cast them down in the midst of their camp, near their dwellings, and they ate and were satisfied; and gave them what they desired. But their desire had not yet passed, food was still in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them, killed their fat ones and brought down the young men of Israel. Despite all this, they continued to sin and did not believe His miracles. And he destroyed their days in vanity and their years in confusion. When He killed them, they sought Him and turned, and from early morning they ran to God, and remembered that God was their refuge, and the Most High God was their Savior, and they flattered Him with their lips and lied to Him with their tongues; but their heart was not right with Him, and they were not faithful to His covenant. But He, the Merciful, forgave sin and did not destroy them, repeatedly turned away His anger and did not arouse all His wrath: He remembered that they are flesh, breath that leaves and does not return. How many times did they irritate Him in the desert and anger Him in the uninhabited country! and again they tempted God and insulted the Holy One of Israel, they did not remember His hand, the day when He delivered them from oppression, when He performed His signs in Egypt and His wonders in the field of Zoan; and turned their rivers and their streams into blood, so that they could not drink; He sent insects to bite them and toads to destroy them; gave their earthly growths to the caterpillar and their labor to the locusts; they beat down their grapes with hail, and their sycamores with ice; their cattle were given over to hail, and their flocks to lightning; sent upon them the flame of His wrath, and indignation, and wrath and disaster, an embassy of evil angels; He made the path equal to His wrath, He did not protect their souls from death, and He gave their cattle over to the plague; He smote every firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of strength in the tents of Ham; and he led his people like sheep, and led them like flocks through the wilderness; He led them safely, and they were not afraid, and the sea covered their enemies; and He brought them into His holy region, to this mountain, which His right hand had acquired; He drove out the nations from before them and divided their land as an inheritance for them, and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents. But they still tempted and grieved the Most High God, and did not keep His statutes; they retreated and changed, like their fathers, they turned back like a faithless bow; They grieved Him with their high places and aroused His jealousy with their idols. God heard and was inflamed with anger and was greatly indignant at Israel; He cast aside the habitation of Shiloh, the tabernacle in which He dwelt among men; and He gave His strength and His glory into captivity into the hands of the enemy, and He gave His people to the sword, and He was angry at His inheritance. His youths were consumed by fire, and marriage songs were not sung to his maidens; his priests fell by the sword, and his widows did not weep. But, as if from sleep, the Lord arose, like a giant defeated by wine, and struck his enemies in the rear, consigning them to eternal shame; and he rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, but chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved. And he built his sanctuary like heaven, and established it forever like the earth, and chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds, and from the milking men, brought him to feed his people Jacob, and his inheritance Israel. And he shepherded them in the purity of his heart and led them with wise hands.
Interpretation
In the chant we can see that the Lord is not only a giver and patron. If you disobey God and neglect His care, punishment will immediately follow. People's actions are sometimes so vile that going against the decisions of the Almighty is wrong even from a moral point of view. To understand the meaning of the psalm thoroughly, you need to analyze each verse.
- Verses 1-8. It tells in general terms where the Jewish people came from. This beginning helps to understand the theme of the psalm and get into the swing of things.
- Verses 9-39. The author tells us that the people of Israel acted wrongly towards the Lord. In their ignorance they became far from God and he brought down his punishments on them. The people began to drag out a weak existence, only over time realizing their powerlessness and love for the Almighty.
- Verses 40-72. Almost an entire half of the chant is devoted to the part where the author talks about the mercies that the Lord extends from himself and His punishments. People don't always understand why they are punished. Sometimes they don’t even understand what they did to deserve God’s disfavor. Awareness of wrongdoing occurs over time. The author reports that repentance is the only way to accept forgiveness. Only through repentance does a person recognize the wrongness of his actions in the past.
The song itself is a real parable for the Jewish people, an event in time when God's chosen people sought repentance for their sinful deeds before the Creator.
Teaching of Asaph.
Listen, my people, to my law; incline your ear to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable and pronounce fortune telling from ancient times. What we have heard and learned, and our fathers have told us, we will not hide from their children, proclaiming to the coming generation the glory of the Lord, and His power, and His wonders which He has done.
He established a statute in Jacob and laid down a law in Israel, which commanded our fathers to proclaim it to their children, so that the generation to come would know the children who would be born, and that in due time they would proclaim it to their children - to place their hope in God, and not to forget the works. God, and keep His commandments, and not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious race, unsettled in heart and unfaithful to God in their spirit.
The sons of Ephraim, armed, shooting from bows, turned back on the day of battle: they did not keep the covenant of God and denied walking in His law; they forgot His works and the miracles that He showed them. Before the eyes of their fathers, he performed miracles in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan: he divided the sea, and led them through it, and made the waters a wall; and he led them by a cloud during the day, and by the light of fire all night; he cut a stone in the desert and gave them drink as from a great abyss; He brought streams out of the rock, and the waters flowed like rivers.
But they continued to sin before Him and irritate the Most High in the desert: they tempted God in their hearts, demanding food for their souls, and spoke against God and said: “Can God prepare a meal in the desert?” Behold, He struck the stone, and waters flowed out and streams flowed. “Can He also give bread and prepare meat for His people?”
The Lord heard and was inflamed with anger, and fire kindled against Jacob, and anger arose against Israel because they did not believe in God and did not trust in His salvation. He commanded the clouds from above and opened the doors of heaven, and rained manna on them for food, and gave them the bread of heaven. Man ate the angel's bread; He sent them food until they were full. He aroused the east wind in the sky and brought the south wind with His power and rained meat on them like dust and feathered birds like the sand of the sea: He cast them down in the midst of their camp, near their dwellings, and they ate and were satisfied; and gave them what they desired. But their desire had not yet passed, food was still in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them, killed their fat ones and brought down the young men of Israel.
Despite all this, they continued to sin and did not believe His miracles. And he destroyed their days in vanity and their years in confusion. When He killed them, they sought Him and turned, and from early morning they ran to God, and remembered that God was their refuge, and the Most High God was their Savior, and they flattered Him with their lips and lied to Him with their tongues; but their heart was not right with Him, and they were not faithful to His covenant.
But He, the Merciful, forgave sin and did not destroy them, repeatedly turned away His anger and did not arouse all His wrath: He remembered that they are flesh, breath that leaves and does not return.
How many times did they irritate Him in the desert and anger Him in the uninhabited country! And again they tempted God and insulted the Holy One of Israel, they did not remember His hand, the day when He delivered them from oppression, when He performed His signs in Egypt and His wonders in the field of Zoan; and turned their rivers and their streams into blood, so that they could not drink; He sent insects to bite them and toads to destroy them; gave their earthly growths to the caterpillar and their labor to the locusts; they beat down their grapes with hail, and their sycamores with ice; their cattle were given over to hail, and their herds to lightning; sent upon them the flame of His wrath, and indignation, and wrath and disaster, an embassy of evil angels; He leveled the path of His wrath, did not protect their souls from death, and gave their cattle over to the plague;
He smote every firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of strength in the tents of Ham; and he led his people like sheep, and led them like flocks through the wilderness; He led them safely, and they were not afraid, and the sea covered their enemies; and He brought them into His holy region, to this mountain, which His right hand had acquired; He drove out the nations from before them and divided their land as an inheritance for them, and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
But they still tempted and grieved the Most High God, and did not keep His statutes; they retreated and changed, like their fathers, they turned back like a faithless bow; They grieved Him with their high places and aroused His jealousy with their idols.
God heard and was inflamed with anger and was greatly indignant at Israel; He cast aside the habitation of Shiloh, the tabernacle in which He dwelt among men; and He gave His strength and His glory into captivity into the hands of the enemy, and He gave His people to the sword, and He was angry at His inheritance. His youths were consumed by fire, and marriage songs were not sung to his maidens; his priests fell by the sword, and his widows did not weep.
But, as if from sleep, the Lord arose, like a giant defeated by wine, and struck his enemies in the rear, consigning them to eternal shame; and he rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, but chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved.
And he built his sanctuary like heaven, and established it forever like the earth, and chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds, and from the milking men, brought him to feed his people Jacob, and his inheritance Israel. And he shepherded them in the purity of his heart and led them with wise hands.
