Psalms 74
1 Understanding for Asaph. O God, why hast thou cast us off unto the end: why is thy wrath enkindled against the sheep of thy pasture?
A psalm (maskil) of Asaph. God, why have you rejected us? Is it forever? Why does your anger burn so hot against the sheep of your own field?
2 Remember thy congregation, which thou hast possessed from the beginning. The sceptre of thy inheritance which thou hast redeemed: mount Sion in which thou hast dwelt.
Remember the people you made your own long ago, the tribe you redeemed and made your own. Remember too Mount Zion, the place where you live.
3 Lift up thy hands against their pride unto the end; see what things the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.
Come and walk through the complete devastation. The enemy has totally destroyed your Temple.
4 And they that hate thee have made their boasts, in the midst of thy solemnity. They have set up their ensigns for signs,
The enemy shouted in triumph right where you met with us. There they set up their war banners as signs of their victory.
5 And they knew not both in the going out and on the highest top. As with axes in a wood of trees,
They acted like men chopping down a forest with axes.
6 They have cut down at once the gates thereof, with axe and hatchet they have brought it down.
With axes and hammers they smashed in the carved wooden panels.
7 They have set fire to thy sanctuary: they have defiled the dwelling place of thy name on the earth.
Then they set fire to your Temple, burning it to the ground. They defiled the place where you live, the place that bears your name.
8 They said in their heart, the whole kindred of them together: Let us abolish all the festival days of God from the land.
They said to themselves, “Let's destroy it all!” So they burned down every place where God was worshiped throughout the land.
9 Our signs we have not seen, there is now no prophet: and he will know us no more.
We no longer see any signs. There are no prophets left. And no one among us knows how long this will last.
10 How long, O God, shall the enemy reproach: is the adversary to provoke thy name for ever?
How long will the enemy ridicule you, God? Will they insult your character forever?
11 Why dost thou turn away thy hand: and thy right hand out of the midst of thy bosom for ever?
Why do you hold back from doing something? Take action and destroy them!
12 But God is our king before ages: he hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth.
But you, God, are our king from long ago. You have saved us many times in the land.
13 Thou by thy strength didst make the sea firm: thou didst crush the heads of the dragons in the waters.
You were the one who split apart the sea by your strength; you broke the heads of the sea monsters.
14 Thou hast broken the heads of the dragon: thou hast given him to be meat for the people of the Ethiopians.
You were the one who crushed the heads of Leviathan, and you gave its body to the desert animals to eat.
15 Thou hast broken up the fountains and the torrents: thou hast dried up the Ethan rivers.
You were the one who made springs and rivers flow with water. You made permanent rivers dry up.
16 Thine is the day, and thine is the night: thou hast made the morning light and the sun.
You created the day, and also the night; you made the moon and the sun.
17 Thou hast made all the borders of the earth: the summer and the spring were formed by thee.
You set the boundaries of the earth; you made summer and winter.
18 Remember this, the enemy hath reproached the Lord: and a foolish people hath provoked thy name.
So keep in mind how the enemy ridiculed you, Lord, and how irreverent people insulted your reputation.
19 Deliver not up to beasts the souls that confess to thee: and forget not to the end the souls of thy poor.
Don't let wild animals kill your turtledoves! Don't abandon your people forever!
20 Have regard to thy covenant: for they that are the obscure of the earth have been filled with dwellings of iniquity.
Remember your promises in the agreement, because the land is full of dark places and violence.
21 Let not the humble be turned away with confusion: the poor and needy shall praise thy name.
Don't let those who suffer be mistreated again. Let the poor and needy praise you for you who are.
22 Arise, O God, judge thy own cause: remember thy reproaches with which the foolish man hath reproached thee all the day.
Stand up, God, and plead your case. Don't forget how these foolish people insulted you all the time.
23 Forget not the voices of thy enemies: the pride of them that hate thee ascendeth continually.
Don't ignore what your enemies have said, for their loud accusations against you are getting worse and worse!
