A word for word rendering of Psalm 78:1-8 ESV

A Maskil of Asaph. 

Written between 1025-950 BC by Asaph. 

There were a number of Levites that King David assigned as worship leaders in the tabernacle choir, according to 1 Chronicles 6:31–32. Asaph was one of these men. Both Asaph and David are described in the word as skilled musicians. Asaph is also mentioned as a “seer” or prophet. 

The man was very impressive, but not as impressive as the God he glorifies with his music.

Musical instruction:
Capo: 0
Verse Chords: 
Em, Bm, C, G, Am, C, D
Pre-chorus Chords: 
C, D, Bm, D, 
C, D, Bm, D
Chorus Chords: 
G, Bm, C, D, 
G, Bm, C, D, 
Em, G, C, Cm, 
Am, C, D

Performed and recorded by Mike Neff on 3.29.24

Psalm 78:1-8

Psalm 29 ESV

Ascribe to the Lord Glory
A Psalm of David.

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,     ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;     worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;     the God of glory thunders,     the Lord, over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;     the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;     the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,     and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;     the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth     and strips the forests bare,     and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;     the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the Lord give strength to his people!     May the Lord bless his people with peace!

Psalm 29 ESV

Musical Instruction:
Capo 3
Chords: D, Bm, G (PreChorus A, Bm, G)
6.13.25

Psalm 29

Psalm 30 ESV

Joy Comes with the Morning
A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple.

1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up     and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,     and you have healed me.
3 O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;     you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,     and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment,     and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night,     but joy comes with the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity,     “I shall never be moved.”
7 By your favor, O Lord,     you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face;     I was dismayed.
8 To you, O Lord, I cry,     and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
9 “What profit is there in my death,     if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you?     Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me!     O Lord, be my helper!”
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;     you have loosed my sackcloth     and clothed me with gladness,
12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.     O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Psalm 30 ESV

Musical Instruction:
Capo 5
Chords: G, C

Finished: 7.11.25

Psalm 30

Psalm 32 ESV

Blessed Are the Forgiven
A Maskil of David.

1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,     whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,     and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away     through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;     my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
5 I acknowledged my sin to you,     and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”     and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly     offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters,     they shall not reach him.
7 You are a hiding place for me;     you preserve me from trouble;     you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;     I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,     which must be curbed with bit and bridle,     or it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,     but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,     and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Psalm 32 ESV

Musical Instruction:
Capo 4
Chords: Am, G, F, F
Arranged and recorded 7.19.25

Psalm 32

Psalm 33 ESV

The Steadfast Love of the Lord

1 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!     Praise befits the upright.
2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;     make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
3 Sing to him a new song;     play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4 For the word of the Lord is upright,     and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;     the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,     and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;     he puts the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;     let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;     he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;     he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,     the plans of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,     the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
13 The Lord looks down from heaven;     he sees all the children of man;
14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out     on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all     and observes all their deeds.
16 The king is not saved by his great army;     a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,     and by its great might it cannot rescue.
18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,     on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 that he may deliver their soul from death     and keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord;     he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart is glad in him,     because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,     even as we hope in you.

Psalm 33 ESV

Musical Instruction: Capo 1 | V-Chords: Am, Dm, G, C, C/B; PC-Chords: Dm, G; C-Chords: Dm, G, C, C/B, Am
Arranged and recorded 7.20.25

Psalm 33

Psalm 36 ESV

How Precious Is Your Steadfast Love
To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the LORD.

1 Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. 3 The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. 4 He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.
5 Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. 6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD.
7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.
10 Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! 11 Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12 There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise.

Psalm 36 ESV

Musical Instruction:  No Capo | Chords: G, G, G, Em, F#m, Bm
Arranged and recorded: 9.14.25

Psalm 36

Psalm 38 ESV

Do Not Forsake Me, O LORD. A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.

1 O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!
2 For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.
3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.
4 For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
5 My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness,
6 I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning.
7 For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart.
9 O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you.
10 My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
11 My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off.
12 Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long.
13 But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear, like a mute man who does not open his mouth.
14 I have become like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no rebukes.
15 But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
16 For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me, who boast against me when my foot slips!”
17 For I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever before me.
18 I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.
19 But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty, and many are those who hate me wrongfully.
20 Those who render me evil for good accuse me because I follow after good.
21 Do not forsake me, O LORD! O my God, be not far from me!
22 Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

Psalm 38 ESV

Musical Instruction: Capo 4 | Chords: C, Em, Am, F
Arranged and recorded: 10.2.25

Psalm 38

Heaven’s Anthem

Psalm 41 ESV

O LORD, Be Gracious to Me
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1 Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;
2 the LORD protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
3 The LORD sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.
4 As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!”
5 My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die and his name perish?”
6 And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words, while his heart gathers iniquity; when he goes out, he tells it abroad.
7 All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me.
8 They say, “A deadly thing is poured out on him; he will not rise again from where he lies.”
9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
10 But you, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them!
11 By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.
12 But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever.
13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.

Psalm 41 ESV

Musical Instruction: Capo 0 | Chords: Vs - Em, G, D, C, D; Pc - C, D, Em; Ch - Em, D, C, D, Em, D, G, C
Arranged and recorded: 10.12.25

Psalm 41

Psalm 42 ESV

Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?
To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah.

1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation
6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me.
8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?”
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

Psalm 42 ESV

Musical Instruction: Capo 1 | Chords: Vs-Em, D, Em, D; Ch-Em, G, Bm, A

Arranged and recorded: 10.15.25

Psalm 42

Psalm 43 ESV

Send Out Your Light and Your Truth

1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me!
2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
3 Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!
4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

Psalm 43 ESV

Musical Instruction: Capo 4 | Chords: Vs - D, G, D, G; Pc - D, Em, D, G; Ch - D, G, A
Arranged and recorded: 10.16.25