Psalm 74

Psalm 74

PRAYER FOR ISRAEL

A Maskil of Asaph.^ad

¹Why have you rejected us forever, God?

Why does your anger burn

against the sheep of your pasture?^ae

²Remember your congregation,

which you purchased long ago

and redeemed as the tribe for your own possession.^af

Remember Mount Zion where you dwell.^ag

³Make your way^A to the perpetual ruins,

to all that the enemy has destroyed in the sanctuary.^a

⁴Your adversaries roared in the meeting place

where you met with us.^B

They set up their emblems as signs.^b

⁵It was like men in a thicket of trees,

wielding axes,^c

⁶then smashing all the carvings

with hatchets and picks.^d

⁷They set your sanctuary on fire;

they utterly^C desecrated

the dwelling place of your name.^e

⁸They said in their hearts,

“Let’s oppress them relentlessly.”

They burned every place throughout the land

where God met with us.^Df

⁹There are no signs for us to see.

There is no longer a prophet.

And none of us knows how long this will last.^g

¹⁰God, how long will the enemy mock?

Will the foe insult your name forever?^h

¹¹Why do you hold back your hand?

Stretch out^E your right hand and destroy them!ⁱ

¹²God my King is from ancient times,

performing saving acts on the earth.^j

¹³You divided the sea with your strength;

you smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the water;^k

¹⁴you crushed the heads of Leviathan;

you fed him to the creatures of the desert.^l

¹⁵You opened up springs and streams;^m

you dried up ever-flowing rivers.ⁿ

¹⁶The day is yours, also the night;

you established the moon and the sun.^o

¹⁷You set all the boundaries of the earth;

you made summer and winter.^p

¹⁸Remember this: the enemy has mocked the Lord,

and a foolish people has insulted your name.^q

¹⁹Do not give to beasts the life of your dove;^F

do not forget the lives of your poor people forever.^r

²⁰Consider the covenant,^s

for the dark places of the land are full of violence.^t

²¹Do not let the oppressed turn away in shame;

let the poor and needy praise your name.^u

²²Rise up, God, champion your cause!^v

Remember the insults

that fools bring against you all day long.^w

²³Do not forget the clamor of your adversaries,

the tumult of your opponents that goes up constantly.^x