Psalm 74

1 O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? Why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

2 Remember thy congregation, which thou hast gotten of old, Which thou hast redeemed to be the tribe of thine inheritance; And mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt.

3 Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual ruins, All the evil that the enemy hath done in the sanctuary.

4 Thine adversaries have roared in the midst of thine assembly; They have set up their ensigns for signs.

5 They seemed as men that lifted up Axes upon a thicket of trees.

6 And now all the carved work thereof They break down with hatchet and hammers.

7 They have set thy sanctuary on fire; They have profaned the dwelling-place of thy name by casting it to the ground.

8 They said in their heart, Let us make havoc of them altogether: They have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.

9 We see not our signs: There is no more any prophet; Neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.

10 How long, O God, shall the adversary reproach? Shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?

11 Why drawest thou back thy hand, even thy right hand? Pluck it out of thy bosom and consume them.

12 Yet God is my King of old, Working salvation in the midst of the earth.

13 Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: Thou brakest the heads of the sea-monsters in the waters.

14 Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces; Thou gavest him to be food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

15 Thou didst cleave fountain and flood: Thou driedst up mighty rivers.

16 The day is thine, the night also is thine: Thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

17 Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: Thou hast made summer and winter.

18 Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Jehovah, And that a foolish people hath blasphemed thy name.

19 Oh deliver not the soul of thy turtle-dove unto the wild beast: Forget not the life of thy poor for ever.

20 Have respect unto the covenant; For the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of violence.

21 Oh let not the oppressed return ashamed: Let the poor and needy praise thy name.

22 Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: Remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee all the day.

23 Forget not the voice of thine adversaries: The tumult of those that rise up against thee ascendeth continually.

Psalm 74

A well-written song by Asaph.

1 Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us?
Why does your anger burn against the sheep of your pasture?

2 Remember your people whom you acquired in ancient times,
whom you rescued so they could be your very own nation,
as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell!

3 Hurry and look at the permanent ruins,
and all the damage the enemy has done to the temple!

4 Your enemies roar in the middle of your sanctuary;
they set up their battle flags.

5 They invade like lumberjacks
swinging their axes in a thick forest.

6 And now they are tearing down all its engravings
with axes and crowbars.

7 They set your sanctuary on fire;
they desecrate your dwelling place by knocking it to the ground.

8 They say to themselves,
“We will oppress all of them.”
They burn down all the places where people worship God in the land.

9 We do not see any signs of God’s presence;
there are no longer any prophets
and we have no one to tell us how long this will last.

10 How long, O God, will the adversary hurl insults?
Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever?

11 Why do you remain inactive?
Intervene and destroy him!

12 But God has been my king from ancient times,
performing acts of deliverance on the earth.

13 You destroyed the sea by your strength;
you shattered the heads of the sea monster in the water.

14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan;
you fed him to the people who live along the coast.

15 You broke open the spring and the stream;
you dried up perpetually flowing rivers.

16 You established the cycle of day and night;
you put the moon and sun in place.

17 You set up all the boundaries of the earth;
you created the cycle of summer and winter.

18 Remember how the enemy hurls insults, O Lord,
and how a foolish nation blasphemes your name!

19 Do not hand the life of your dove over to a wild animal!
Do not continue to disregard the lives of your oppressed people!

20 Remember your covenant promises,
for the dark regions of the earth are full of places where violence rules.

21 Do not let the afflicted be turned back in shame!
Let the oppressed and poor praise your name!

22 Rise up, O God! Defend your honor!
Remember how fools insult you all day long!

23 Do not disregard what your enemies say,
or the unceasing shouts of those who defy you.