Psalms 74
1 AN INSTRUCTION OF ASAPH. Why, O God, have You cast off forever? Your anger smokes against the flock of Your pasture.
“A psalm of Asaph.” O God! why hast thou cast us off for ever? Why doth thine anger smoke against the flock 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 the people which thou didst purchase of old; Thine own inheritance, which thou didst redeem; That Mount Zion, where thou once didst dwell!
3 Lift up Your steps to the continuous desolations, Everything the enemy did wickedly in the sanctuary.
Hasten thy steps to those utter desolations! Every thing in the sanctuary hath the enemy abused!
4 Your adversaries have roared, In the midst of Your meeting-places, They have set their ensigns as ensigns.
Thine enemies roar in the place of thine assemblies; Their own symbols have they set up for signs.
5 He is known as one bringing in on high Against a thicket of wood—axes.
They appear like those who raise the axe against a thicket;
6 And now they break down its engravings, Together, with axe and hatchet,
They have broken down the carved work of thy temple 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 profaned, and cast to the ground, the dwelling-place of thy name.
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 all together!” They have burned all God's places of assembly 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 no longer see our signs; There is no prophet among us, Nor any one that knoweth how long this desolation shall endure.
10 Until when, O God, does an adversary reproach? Does an enemy despise Your Name forever?
How long, O God! shall the adversary revile? 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? Take it from thy bosom, and destroy!
12 And God [is] my king of old, Working salvation in the midst of the earth.
Yet God was our 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 power; Thou didst crush the heads of the sea-monsters in the waters.
14 You have broken the heads of leviathan, You make him food for the people of desert-dwellers.
Thou didst break in pieces the head of the crocodile; Thou gavest him for food to the inhabitants of the desert.
15 You have cleaved a fountain and a stream, You have dried up perennial flowings.
Thou didst cleave forth the fountain and the stream; Thou didst dry up perennial rivers.
16 The day [is] Yours, The night [is] also Yours, You have prepared a light-giver—the sun.
Thine is the day, and thine the night; Thou didst prepare the light and the sun.
17 You have set up all the borders of earth, Summer and winter—You have formed them.
Thou didst establish all the boundaries of the earth; Thou didst make summer and winter.
18 Remember this—an enemy reproached YHWH, And a foolish people have despised Your Name.
O remember that the enemy hath reviled Jehovah; That an impious people hath 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.
Give not up the life of thy turtle-dove to the wild beast; Forget not for ever thine afflicted people!
20 Look attentively to the covenant, For the dark places of earth, Have been full of habitations of violence.
Have regard to thy covenant! For all the dark places of the land are full of the abodes of cruelty.
21 Do not let the oppressed turn back ashamed, Let the poor and needy praise Your Name,
O let not the afflicted go away 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! maintain thy cause! Remember how the impious revileth thee daily!
23 Do not forget the voice of Your adversaries, The noise of Your withstanders is going up continually!
Forget not the clamor of thine adversaries, —The noise of thine enemies, which continually increaseth!
