Psalm 80

1. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
2. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.
3. Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
4. O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?
5. Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.
6. Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7. Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
8. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
9. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.
10. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.
11. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.
12. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?
13. The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.
14. Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;
15. And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
16. It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
17. Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
18. So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.
19. Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

Psalm 80 is a lamentation over the affliction and devastation of Israel, often symbolized by a vineyard. The psalmist calls upon God, the Shepherd of Israel, to shine forth and save His people. The imagery of a vineyard underscores the theme of God’s care and nurture for His chosen people.

The psalmist laments the current state of Israel’s affliction, likening it to tears and strife among neighbors. Despite God’s previous care and protection, Israel has suffered devastation, with its vineyard burned and cut down.

In the midst of despair, the psalmist pleads for God’s intervention, asking Him to turn His face again toward His people and restore them. The psalm ends with a hopeful plea for God’s mercy and salvation, expressing confidence that if God acts, His people will return to Him and call upon His name.