Psalms 74
1 [A Psalm] of instruction for Asaph. Therefore have you rejected [us], O God, for ever? [therefore] is your wrath kindled against the sheep of your 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 your congregation which you have purchased from the beginning; you did ransom the rod of your inheritance; this mount Sion wherein you have lived.
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 your hands against their pride continually; [because of] all that the enemy has done wickedly in your holy places.
Come and walk through the complete devastation. The enemy has totally destroyed your Temple.
4 And they that hate you have boasted in the midst of your feast; they have set up their standards 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 ignorantly as it were in the entrance above;
They acted like men chopping down a forest with axes.
6 they cut down its doors at once with axes as in a wood of trees; they have broken it down with hatchet and stone cutter.
With axes and hammers they smashed in the carved wooden panels.
7 They have burnt your sanctuary with fire to the ground; they have profaned the habitation of your name.
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 have said in their heart, [even] all their kindred together, Come, let us abolish the feasts of the Lord from the earth.
They said to themselves, “Let's destroy it all!” So they burned down every place where God was worshiped throughout the land.
9 We have not seen our signs; there is no longer a prophet; and [God] will not know us any 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? shall the enemy provoke your name forever?
How long will the enemy ridicule you, God? Will they insult your character forever?
11 Therefore turn you away your hand, and your right hand from the midst of your bosom for ever?
Why do you hold back from doing something? Take action and destroy them!
12 But God is our King of old; he has 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 You did establish the sea, in your might, you did break to pieces the heads of the dragons in the water.
You were the one who split apart the sea by your strength; you broke the heads of the sea monsters.
14 You did break to pieces the heads of the dragon; you did give him [for] meat to the Ethiopian nations.
You were the one who crushed the heads of Leviathan, and you gave its body to the desert animals to eat.
15 You did cleave fountains and torrents; you dried up mighty rivers.
You were the one who made springs and rivers flow with water. You made permanent rivers dry up.
16 The day is your, and the night is your; you have prepared the sun and the moon.
You created the day, and also the night; you made the moon and the sun.
17 You have made all the borders of the earth; you have made summer and spring.
You set the boundaries of the earth; you made summer and winter.
18 Remember this your creation: an enemy has reproached the Lord, and a foolish people has provoked your name.
So keep in mind how the enemy ridiculed you, Lord, and how irreverent people insulted your reputation.
19 Deliver not to the wild beasts a soul that gives praise to you: forget not for ever the souls of your poor.
Don't let wild animals kill your turtledoves! Don't abandon your people forever!
20 Look upon your covenant: for the dark [places] of the earth are filled with the habitations of iniquity.
Remember your promises in the agreement, because the land is full of dark places and violence.
21 let not the afflicted and shamed one be rejected: the poor and needy shall praise your 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, plead your cause: remember your reproaches that come from the foolish one 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 voice of your suppliants: let the pride of them that hate you continually ascend before you.
Don't ignore what your enemies have said, for their loud accusations against you are getting worse and worse!
