Psalms 74
1 “A Maskil of Assaph.” Why, O God, hast thou cast us off for ever? why will thy anger smoke against the flock of thy pasture?
AN INSTRUCTION OF ASAPH. Why, O God, have You cast off forever? Your anger smokes against the flock of Your pasture.
2 Remember thy congregation, which thou didst acquire of old; which thou didst redeem as the tribe of thy inheritance: this mount Zion, whereon thou hast dwelt.
Remember Your congregation [That] You purchased of old, You redeemed the rod of Your inheritance, This Mount Zion—You dwelt in it.
3 Lift up thy steps unto the perpetual heaps of ruins: the enemy hath ill-used every thing in the sanctuary.
Lift up Your steps to the continuous desolations, Everything the enemy did wickedly in the sanctuary.
4 Thy adversaries have roared in the midst of thy places of assembly: they have set up their signs for signs.
Your adversaries have roared, In the midst of Your meeting-places, They have set their ensigns as ensigns.
5 [The enemy] is known as one that lifteth up high axes against the thickets of a forest.
He is known as one bringing in on high Against a thicket of wood—axes.
6 And now they hew in pieces the carved work thereof altogether with hatchets and hammers.
And now they break down its engravings, Together, with axe and hatchet,
7 They have set on fire thy sanctuary; to the ground have they profaned the dwelling-place of thy name.
They have sent Your sanctuary into fire, They defiled the Dwelling Place of Your Name to the earth,
8 They have said in their heart, We will oppress them altogether: they have burnt up all the places of assembly of God in the land.
They said in their hearts, “Let us oppress them together,” They burned all the meeting-places of God in the land.
9 Our signs do we not see: there is no more any prophet: and there is no one among us that knoweth how long.
We have not seen our ensigns, There is no longer a prophet, Nor with us is one knowing how long.
10 How long, O God, shall the adversary utter defiance? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?
Until when, O God, does an adversary reproach? Does an enemy despise Your Name forever?
11 Why withdrawest thou thy hand, and thy right hand? [draw it] out of thy bosom—exterminate [them];
Why do You turn back Your hand, Even Your right hand? Remove [it] from the midst of Your bosom.
12 Since [thou] God art my King from olden days, working salvation in the midst of the earth.
And God [is] my king of old, Working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 It was thou that didst divide by thy strength the sea: thou brokest in pieces the heads of the crocodiles on the waters.
You have divided [the] sea by Your strength, You have shattered heads of dragons by the waters,
14 Thou didst crush the heads of leviathan, and gavest them as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
You have broken the heads of leviathan, You make him food for the people of desert-dwellers.
15 Thou didst cleave fountain and stream: thou didst dry up ever-flowing rivers.
You have cleaved a fountain and a stream, You have dried up perennial flowings.
16 Thine is the day and thine is the night: it is thou who hast prepared the luminary and the sun.
The day [is] Yours, The night [is] also Yours, You have prepared a light-giver—the sun.
17 It is thou who hast set up all the boundaries of the earth: summer and winter—thou thyself hast formed them.
You have set up all the borders of earth, Summer and winter—You have formed them.
18 Remember this, that the enemy hath defied the Lord, and that a worthless foolish people have blasphemed thy name.
Remember this—an enemy reproached YHWH, And a foolish people have despised Your Name.
19 Oh give not up unto the multitude of enemies the soul of thy turtle-dove: the congregation of thy afflicted do not thou forget for ever.
Do not give up to a [wild] creature, The soul of Your turtle-dove, Do not forget the life of Your poor ones forever.
20 Look unto the covenant; for the dark places of the earth are full of habitations of violence.
Look attentively to the covenant, For the dark places of earth, Have been full of habitations of violence.
21 Oh let not the oppressed return confounded: let the poor and needy praise thy name.
Do not let the oppressed turn back ashamed, Let the poor and needy praise Your Name,
22 Arise, O God, plead thy own cause: remember thy defiance from the worthless fool all the day.
Arise, O God, plead Your plea, Remember Your reproach from a fool all the day.
23 Forget not the voice of thy adversaries: the tumult of those that rise up against thee ascendeth continually.
Do not forget the voice of Your adversaries, The noise of Your withstanders is going up continually!
