Psalms 74
1 A Maskil of Asaph. Why have You rejected us forever, O God? Why does Your anger smolder against the sheep of Your pasture?
Maschil of Asaph. Why, O God, hast Thou cast us off for ever? Why doth Thine anger smoke against the flock of Thy pasture?
2 Remember Your congregation, which You purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance— Mount Zion where You dwell.
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 Turn Your steps to the everlasting ruins, to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed.
Lift up Thy steps because of the perpetual ruins, even all the evil that the enemy hath done in the sanctuary.
4 Your foes have roared within Your meeting place; they have unfurled their banners as signs,
Thine adversaries have roared in the midst of Thy meeting-place; they have set up their own signs for signs.
5 like men wielding axes in a thicket of trees
It seemed as when men wield upwards axes in a thicket of trees.
6 and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.
And now all the carved work thereof together they strike down with hatchet and hammers.
7 They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground; they have defiled the dwelling place of Your Name.
They have set Thy sanctuary on fire; they have profaned the dwelling-place of Thy name even to the ground.
8 They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely.” They burned down every place where God met us in the land.
They said in their heart: 'Let us make havoc of them altogether'; they have burned up all the meeting-places of God in the land.
9 There are no signs for us to see. There is no longer any prophet. And none of us knows how long this will last.
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, will the enemy taunt You? Will the foe revile Your name forever?
How long, O God, shall the adversary reproach? Shall the enemy blaspheme Thy name for ever?
11 Why do You withdraw Your strong right hand? Stretch it out to destroy them!
Why withdrawest Thou Thy hand, even Thy right hand? Draw it out of Thy bosom and consume them.
12 Yet God is my King from ancient times, working salvation on the earth.
Yet God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 You divided the sea by Your strength; You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea;
Thou didst break the sea in pieces by Thy strength; Thou didst shatter the heads of the sea-monsters in the waters.
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert.
Thou didst crush the heads of leviathan, Thou gavest him to be food to the folk inhabiting the wilderness.
15 You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.
Thou didst cleave fountain and brook; Thou driedst up ever-flowing rivers.
16 The day is Yours, and also the night; You established the moon and the sun.
Thine is the day, Thine also the night; Thou hast established luminary and sun.
17 You set all the boundaries of the earth; You made the summer and winter.
Thou hast set all the borders of the earth; Thou hast made summer and winter.
18 Remember how the enemy has mocked You, O LORD, how a foolish people has spurned Your name.
Remember this, how the enemy hath reproached the LORD, and how a base people have blasphemed Thy name.
19 Do not deliver the soul of Your dove to beasts; do not forget the lives of Your afflicted forever.
O deliver not the soul of Thy turtle-dove unto the wild beast; forget not the life of Thy poor for ever.
20 Consider Your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.
Look upon the covenant; for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.
21 Do not let the oppressed retreat in shame; may the poor and needy praise Your name.
O let not the oppressed turn back in confusion; let the poor and needy praise Thy name.
22 Rise up, O God; defend Your cause! Remember how the fool mocks You all day long.
Arise, O God, plead Thine own cause; remember Thy reproach all the day at the hand of the base man.
23 Do not disregard the clamor of Your adversaries, the uproar of Your enemies that ascends continually.
Forget not the voice of Thine adversaries, the tumult of those that rise up against Thee which ascendeth continually.
