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?
God, why have you abandoned/rejected us? Will you keep rejecting us forever [RHQ]? Why are you angry with us, since we are like sheep in your pasture [and you are like our shepherd]? [MET, RHQ]
2 Remember Your congregation, which You purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance— Mount Zion where You dwell.
Do not forget your people whom you chose long ago, the people whom you freed [from being slaves in Egypt] and caused to become your tribe. Do not forget Jerusalem, which was (your home/where you dwelt) [on this earth].
3 Turn Your steps to the everlasting ruins, to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed.
Walk along [and see] where everything has been totally ruined; our enemies have destroyed everything in the sacred temple.
4 Your foes have roared within Your meeting place; they have unfurled their banners as signs,
Your enemies shouted triumphantly in this sacred place; they erected their banners [to show they had defeated us].
5 like men wielding axes in a thicket of trees
They cut down all the [engraved objects in the temple] like woodsmen cut down trees.
6 and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.
Then they smashed all the carved wood with their axes and hammers.
7 They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground; they have defiled the dwelling place of Your Name.
[Then] they burned your temple to the ground; they caused that place where you were worshiped to be unfit for people to worship in.
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 to themselves, “We will destroy the Israelis completely,” and they [also] burned down all the other places where we gathered to worship God.
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.
All our sacred symbols (OR, miracles) are gone; there are no prophets now/any more, and no one knows how long [this situation will continue].
10 How long, O God, will the enemy taunt You? Will the foe revile Your name forever?
God, how long will our enemies make fun of you [RHQ]? Will they insult you [MTY] forever [RHQ]?
11 Why do You withdraw Your strong right hand? Stretch it out to destroy them!
Why do you refuse to help [MTY, RHQ] us? Why do you keep your hand inside your cloak [instead of using it to destroy our enemies] [RHQ]?
12 Yet God is my King from ancient times, working salvation on the earth.
God, you have been our king [all the time] since we came out of Egypt [HYP], and you have enabled us to defeat [our enemies] in the land [of Israel].
13 You divided the sea by Your strength; You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea;
By your power you caused the [Red] Sea to divide; [it was as though] you smashed the heads of the [rulers of Egypt who were like] huge sea dragons [MET].
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert.
[It was as though] you crushed the head of the king of Egypt [MET] and gave his body to the animals in the desert to eat.
15 You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.
You caused springs and streams to flow, and you [also] dried up rivers that had never dried up previously.
16 The day is Yours, and also the night; You established the moon and the sun.
You created the days and the nights, and you put the sun and the moon in their places.
17 You set all the boundaries of the earth; You made the summer and winter.
You determined where the oceans end and the land begins, and you created the summer/hot season and the winter/cold season.
18 Remember how the enemy has mocked You, O LORD, how a foolish people has spurned Your name.
Yahweh, do not forget that your enemies laugh at you, and that it is foolish people who despise you [MTY].
19 Do not deliver the soul of Your dove to beasts; do not forget the lives of Your afflicted forever.
Do not let your helpless people [MET] fall into the hands of their cruel enemies; do not forget your suffering/persecuted people.
20 Consider Your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.
Do not forget the agreement that you made with us; remember that there are violent people in every dark place on the earth.
21 Do not let the oppressed retreat in shame; may the poor and needy praise Your name.
Do not allow your oppressed people to be disgraced; help those poor and needy people in order that they will [again] praise you [MTY].
22 Rise up, O God; defend Your cause! Remember how the fool mocks You all day long.
God, arise and defend yourself [by defending your people]! Do not forget that foolish people laugh at you (all day long/continually)!
23 Do not disregard the clamor of Your adversaries, the uproar of Your enemies that ascends continually.
Do not forget that your enemies shout angrily [at you]; the uproar that they make [while they oppose you] never stops.
