Psalms 74
1 Maschil of Asaph. O God, why hast thou cast [us] off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy 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 thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old, which thou hast redeemed to be the tribe of thine inheritance; [and] mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt.
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 thy feet unto the perpetual ruins, all the evil that the enemy hath done in the sanctuary.
Come and walk through the complete devastation. The enemy has totally destroyed your Temple.
4 Thine adversaries have roared in the midst of thine assembly; they have set up their ensigns 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 They seemed as men that lifted up axes upon a thicket of trees.
They acted like men chopping down a forest with axes.
6 And now all the carved work thereof together they break down with hatchet and hammers.
With axes and hammers they smashed in the carved wooden panels.
7 They have set thy sanctuary on fire; they have profaned the dwelling place of thy name even to the ground.
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, Let us make havoc of them altogether: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.
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 not our signs: there is no more any prophet; neither is there among us any that knoweth 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, O God, shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?
How long will the enemy ridicule you, God? Will they insult your character forever?
11 Why drawest thou back thy hand, even thy right hand? [pluck it] out of thy bosom [and] consume [them].
Why do you hold back from doing something? Take action and destroy them!
12 Yet God is my King of old, 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 Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.
You were the one who split apart the sea by your strength; you broke the heads of the sea monsters.
14 Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, thou gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
You were the one who crushed the heads of Leviathan, and you gave its body to the desert animals to eat.
15 Thou didst cleave fountain and flood: thou driedst 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 thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.
You created the day, and also the night; you made the moon and the sun.
17 Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.
You set the boundaries of the earth; you made summer and winter.
18 Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and that foolish people have blasphemed thy name.
So keep in mind how the enemy ridiculed you, Lord, and how irreverent people insulted your reputation.
19 O deliver not the soul of thy turtle-dove unto the wild beast: forget not the life of thy poor for ever.
Don't let wild animals kill your turtledoves! Don't abandon your people forever!
20 Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of violence.
Remember your promises in the agreement, because the land is full of dark places and violence.
21 O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy 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 thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee 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 thine adversaries: the tumult of those that rise up against thee ascendeth continually.
Don't ignore what your enemies have said, for their loud accusations against you are getting worse and worse!
