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?
“A Maskil of Assaph.” Why, O God, hast thou cast us off for ever? why will thy 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 didst acquire of old; which thou didst redeem as the tribe of thy inheritance: this mount Zion, whereon thou hast dwelt.
3 Turn Your steps to the everlasting ruins, to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed.
Lift up thy steps unto the perpetual heaps of ruins: the enemy hath ill-used every thing in the sanctuary.
4 Your foes have roared within Your meeting place; they have unfurled their banners as signs,
Thy adversaries have roared in the midst of thy places of assembly: they have set up their signs for signs.
5 like men wielding axes in a thicket of trees
[The enemy] is known as one that lifteth up high axes against the thickets of a forest.
6 and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.
And now they hew in pieces the carved work thereof altogether with hatchets and hammers.
7 They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground; they have defiled the dwelling place of Your Name.
They have set on fire thy sanctuary; to the ground have they profaned the dwelling-place of thy name.
8 They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely.” They burned down every place where God met us in the land.
They have said in their heart, We will oppress them altogether: they have burnt up all the places of assembly 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.
Our signs do we not see: there is no more any prophet: and there is no one among us 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 utter defiance? 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, and thy right hand? [draw it] out of thy bosom—exterminate [them];
12 Yet God is my King from ancient times, working salvation on the earth.
Since [thou] God art my King from olden days, 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;
It was thou that didst divide by thy strength the sea: thou brokest in pieces the heads of the crocodiles on 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, and gavest them as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
15 You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.
Thou didst cleave fountain and stream: thou didst dry up ever-flowing rivers.
16 The day is Yours, and also the night; You established the moon and the sun.
Thine is the day and thine is the night: it is thou who hast prepared the luminary and the sun.
17 You set all the boundaries of the earth; You made the summer and winter.
It is thou who hast set up all the boundaries of the earth: summer and winter—thou thyself hast formed them.
18 Remember how the enemy has mocked You, O LORD, how a foolish people has spurned Your name.
Remember this, that the enemy hath defied the Lord, and that a worthless foolish 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.
Oh give not up unto the multitude of enemies the soul of thy turtle-dove: the congregation of thy afflicted do not thou forget for ever.
20 Consider Your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.
Look unto the covenant; for the dark places of the earth are full of habitations of violence.
21 Do not let the oppressed retreat in shame; may the poor and needy praise Your name.
Oh let not the oppressed return confounded: 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 thy own cause: remember thy defiance from the worthless fool all the day.
23 Do not disregard the clamor of Your adversaries, the uproar of Your enemies that ascends continually.
Forget not the voice of thy adversaries: the tumult of those that rise up against thee ascendeth continually.
