Psalms 74
1 Maschil of Asaph. Why, O God, hast Thou cast us off for ever? Why doth Thine anger smoke against the flock of Thy pasture?
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?
2 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.
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.
3 Lift up Thy steps because of the perpetual ruins, even all the evil that the enemy hath done in the sanctuary.
Lift up thy hands against their pride unto the end; see what things the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.
4 Thine adversaries have roared in the midst of Thy meeting-place; they have set up their own signs for signs.
And they that hate thee have made their boasts, in the midst of thy solemnity. They have set up their ensigns for signs,
5 It seemed as when men wield upwards axes in a thicket of trees.
And they knew not both in the going out and on the highest top. As with axes in a wood of trees,
6 And now all the carved work thereof together they strike down with hatchet and hammers.
They have cut down at once the gates thereof, with axe and hatchet they have brought it down.
7 They have set Thy sanctuary on fire; they have profaned the dwelling-place of Thy name even to the ground.
They have set fire to thy sanctuary: they have defiled the dwelling place of thy name on the earth.
8 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.
They said in their heart, the whole kindred of them together: Let us abolish all the festival days of God from the land.
9 We see not our signs; there is no more any prophet; neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.
Our signs we have not seen, there is now no prophet: and he will know us no more.
10 How long, O God, shall the adversary reproach? Shall the enemy blaspheme Thy name for ever?
How long, O God, shall the enemy reproach: is the adversary to provoke thy name for ever?
11 Why withdrawest Thou Thy hand, even Thy right hand? Draw it out of Thy bosom and consume them.
Why dost thou turn away thy hand: and thy right hand out of the midst of thy bosom for ever?
12 Yet God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.
But God is our king before ages: he hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 Thou didst break the sea in pieces by Thy strength; Thou didst shatter the heads of the sea-monsters in the waters.
Thou by thy strength didst make the sea firm: thou didst crush the heads of the dragons in the waters.
14 Thou didst crush the heads of leviathan, Thou gavest him to be food to the folk inhabiting the wilderness.
Thou hast broken the heads of the dragon: thou hast given him to be meat for the people of the Ethiopians.
15 Thou didst cleave fountain and brook; Thou driedst up ever-flowing rivers.
Thou hast broken up the fountains and the torrents: thou hast dried up the Ethan rivers.
16 Thine is the day, Thine also the night; Thou hast established luminary and sun.
Thine is the day, and thine is the night: thou hast made the morning light and the sun.
17 Thou hast set all the borders of the earth; Thou hast made summer and winter.
Thou hast made all the borders of the earth: the summer and the spring were formed by thee.
18 Remember this, how the enemy hath reproached the LORD, and how a base people have blasphemed Thy name.
Remember this, the enemy hath reproached the Lord: and a foolish people hath provoked thy name.
19 O deliver not the soul of Thy turtle-dove unto the wild beast; forget not the life of Thy poor for ever.
Deliver not up to beasts the souls that confess to thee: and forget not to the end the souls of thy poor.
20 Look upon the covenant; for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.
Have regard to thy covenant: for they that are the obscure of the earth have been filled with dwellings of iniquity.
21 O let not the oppressed turn back in confusion; let the poor and needy praise Thy name.
Let not the humble be turned away with confusion: the poor and needy shall praise thy name.
22 Arise, O God, plead Thine own cause; remember Thy reproach all the day at the hand of the base man.
Arise, O God, judge thy own cause: remember thy reproaches with which the foolish man hath reproached thee all the day.
23 Forget not the voice of Thine adversaries, the tumult of those that rise up against Thee which ascendeth continually.
Forget not the voices of thy enemies: the pride of them that hate thee ascendeth continually.
