Psalms 74
1 A Psalme to give instruction, committed to Asaph. O God, why hast thou put vs away for euer? why is thy wrath kindled against the sheepe of thy 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 Thinke vpon thy Congregation, which thou hast possessed of olde, and on the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed, and on this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt.
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 Lift vp thy strokes, that thou mayest for euer destroy euery enemie that doeth euill to the Sanctuarie.
Walk along [and see] where everything has been totally ruined; our enemies have destroyed everything in the sacred temple.
4 Thine aduersaries roare in the middes of thy Congregation, and set vp their banners for signes.
Your enemies shouted triumphantly in this sacred place; they erected their banners [to show they had defeated us].
5 He that lifted the axes vpon the thicke trees, was renowmed, as one, that brought a thing to perfection:
They cut down all the [engraved objects in the temple] like woodsmen cut down trees.
6 But nowe they breake downe the carued worke thereof with axes and hammers.
Then they smashed all the carved wood with their axes and hammers.
7 They haue cast thy Sanctuarie into the fire, and rased it to the grounde, and haue defiled the dwelling place of thy 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 saide in their hearts, Let vs destroy them altogether: they haue burnt all the Synagogues of God 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 We see not our signes: there is not one Prophet more, nor any with vs that knoweth howe long.
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 O God, howe long shall the aduersarie reproche thee? shall the enemie blaspheme thy Name for euer?
God, how long will our enemies make fun of you [RHQ]? Will they insult you [MTY] forever [RHQ]?
11 Why withdrawest thou thine hand, euen thy right hand? drawe it out of thy bosome, and consume 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 Euen God is my King of olde, working saluation in the middes of 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 Thou didest deuide the sea by thy power: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.
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 Thou brakest the head of Liuiathan in pieces, and gauest him to be meate for the people in wildernesse.
[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 Thou brakest vp the fountaine and riuer: thou dryedst vp mightie riuers.
You caused springs and streams to flow, and you [also] dried up rivers that had never dried up previously.
16 The day is thine, and the night is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sunne.
You created the days and the nights, and you put the sun and the moon in their places.
17 Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made 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 this, that the enemie hath reproched the Lord, and the foolish people hath blasphemed thy Name.
Yahweh, do not forget that your enemies laugh at you, and that it is foolish people who despise you [MTY].
19 Giue not the soule of thy turtle doue vnto the beast, and forget not the Congregation of thy poore for euer.
Do not let your helpless people [MET] fall into the hands of their cruel enemies; do not forget your suffering/persecuted people.
20 Consider thy couenant: for the darke places of the earth are full of the habitations of the cruell.
Do not forget the agreement that you made with us; remember that there are violent people in every dark place on the earth.
21 Oh let not the oppressed returne ashamed, but let the poore and needie prayse thy 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 Arise, O God: mainteine thine owne cause: remember thy dayly reproche by the foolish man.
God, arise and defend yourself [by defending your people]! Do not forget that foolish people laugh at you (all day long/continually)!
23 Forget not the voyce of thine enemies: for the tumult of them, that rise against thee, ascendeth continually.
Do not forget that your enemies shout angrily [at you]; the uproar that they make [while they oppose you] never stops.
