Psalms 74
1 AN INSTRUCTION OF ASAPH. Why, O God, have You cast off forever? Your anger smokes against the flock of Your pasture.
O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?
2 Remember Your congregation [That] You purchased of old, You redeemed the rod of Your inheritance, This Mount Zion—You dwelt in it.
Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt.
3 Lift up Your steps to the continuous desolations, Everything the enemy did wickedly in the sanctuary.
Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.
4 Your adversaries have roared, In the midst of Your meeting-places, They have set their ensigns as ensigns.
Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs.
5 He is known as one bringing in on high Against a thicket of wood—axes.
A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees.
6 And now they break down its engravings, Together, with axe and hatchet,
But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.
7 They have sent Your sanctuary into fire, They defiled the Dwelling Place of Your Name to the earth,
They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground.
8 They said in their hearts, “Let us oppress them together,” They burned all the meeting-places of God in the land.
They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.
9 We have not seen our ensigns, There is no longer a prophet, Nor with us is one knowing how long.
We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.
10 Until when, O God, does an adversary reproach? Does an enemy despise Your Name forever?
O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?
11 Why do You turn back Your hand, Even Your right hand? Remove [it] from the midst of Your bosom.
Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck it out of thy bosom.
12 And God [is] my king of old, Working salvation in the midst of the earth.
For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 You have divided [the] sea by Your strength, You have shattered heads of dragons by the waters,
Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.
14 You have broken the heads of leviathan, You make him food for the people of desert-dwellers.
Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
15 You have cleaved a fountain and a stream, You have dried up perennial flowings.
Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.
16 The day [is] Yours, The night [is] also Yours, You have prepared a light-giver—the sun.
The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.
17 You have set up all the borders of earth, Summer and winter—You have formed them.
Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.
18 Remember this—an enemy reproached YHWH, And a foolish people have despised Your Name.
Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Yhwh, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.
19 Do not give up to a [wild] creature, The soul of Your turtle-dove, Do not forget the life of Your poor ones forever.
O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.
20 Look attentively to the covenant, For the dark places of earth, Have been full of habitations of violence.
Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.
21 Do not let the oppressed turn back ashamed, Let the poor and needy praise Your Name,
O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name.
22 Arise, O God, plead Your plea, Remember Your reproach from a fool all the day.
Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.
23 Do not forget the voice of Your adversaries, The noise of Your withstanders is going up continually!
Forget not the voice of thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually.
