Psalm 74
A maskila of Asaph.
1 O God, why have you rejectedq us forever?r
Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?s
2 Remember the nation you purchasedt long ago,u
the people of your inheritance,v whom you redeemedw—
Mount Zion,x where you dwelt.y
3 Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,z
all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.
4 Your foes roareda in the place where you met with us;
they set up their standardsb as signs.
5 They behaved like men wielding axes
to cut through a thicket of trees.c
6 They smashed all the carvedd paneling
with their axes and hatchets.
7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground;
they defilede the dwelling placef of your Name.g
8 They said in their hearts, “We will crushh them completely!”
They burnedi every place where God was worshiped in the land.
9 We are given no signs from God;j
no prophetsk are left,
and none of us knows how long this will be.
10 How longl will the enemy mockm you, God?
Will the foe revilen your name forever?
11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?o
Take it from the folds of your garmentp and destroy them!
12 But God is my Kingq from long ago;
he brings salvationr on the earth.
13 It was you who split open the seas by your power;
you broke the heads of the monstert in the waters.
14 It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathanu
and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.v
15 It was you who opened up springsw and streams;
you dried upx the ever-flowing rivers.
16 The day is yours, and yours also the night;
you established the sun and moon.y
17 It was you who set all the boundariesz of the earth;
you made both summer and winter.a
18 Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord,
how foolish peopleb have reviled your name.
19 Do not hand over the life of your dovec to wild beasts;
do not forget the lives of your afflictedd people forever.
20 Have regard for your covenant,e
because haunts of violence fill the dark placesf of the land.
21 Do not let the oppressedg retreat in disgrace;
may the poor and needyh praise your name.
22 Rise up,i O God, and defend your cause;
remember how foolsj mock you all day long.