Psalms 74
1 [A contemplation by Asaph.] God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder 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 purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your inheritance; Mount Zion, in which 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 feet to the perpetual ruins, all the evil that the enemy has done in the sanctuary.
Come and walk through the complete devastation. The enemy has totally destroyed your Temple.
4 Your adversaries have roared in the midst of your assembly. They have set up their standards as 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 They behaved like men wielding axes, cutting through a thicket of trees.
They acted like men chopping down a forest with axes.
6 Now they break all its carved work down with hatchet and hammers.
With axes and hammers they smashed in the carved wooden panels.
7 They have burned your sanctuary to the ground. They have profaned the dwelling place 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 said in their heart, "We will crush them completely." They have burned up all the places in the land where God was worshiped.
They said to themselves, “Let's destroy it all!” So they burned down every place where God was worshiped throughout the land.
9 We see no miraculous signs. There is no longer any prophet, neither is there among us anyone who knows how long.
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, God, shall the enemy mock? Shall the enemy blaspheme your name forever?
How long will the enemy ridicule you, God? Will they insult your character forever?
11 Why do you draw back your hand, even your right hand? Take it out of your pocket and consume them.
Why do you hold back from doing something? Take action and destroy them!
12 Yet God is my King from long ago, working 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 divided the sea by your strength. You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters.
You were the one who split apart the sea by your strength; you broke the heads of the sea monsters.
14 You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces. You gave him as food to people and desert creatures.
You were the one who crushed the heads of Leviathan, and you gave its body to the desert animals to eat.
15 You opened up spring and stream. 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 yours, the night is also yours. You have prepared the light and the sun.
You created the day, and also the night; you made the moon and the sun.
17 You have set all the boundaries of the earth. You have made summer and winter.
You set the boundaries of the earth; you made summer and winter.
18 Remember this, that the enemy has mocked you, YHWH. Foolish people have blasphemed your name.
So keep in mind how the enemy ridiculed you, Lord, and how irreverent people insulted your reputation.
19 Do not deliver the soul of your dove to wild beasts. Do not forget the life of your poor forever.
Don't let wild animals kill your turtledoves! Don't abandon your people forever!
20 Honor your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the earth.
Remember your promises in the agreement, because the land is full of dark places and violence.
21 Do not let the oppressed return ashamed. Let the poor and needy 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, God. Plead your own cause. Remember how the foolish man mocks you all day.
Stand up, God, and plead your case. Don't forget how these foolish people insulted you all the time.
23 Do not forget the voice of your adversaries. The tumult of those who rise up against you ascends continually.
Don't ignore what your enemies have said, for their loud accusations against you are getting worse and worse!
