Psalm 74–76

Arise, O God, Defend Your Cause

74A Maskil¹ of ^rAsaph.

¹O God, why do you ^scast us off forever?

Why does your anger ^tsmoke against ^uthe sheep of your pasture?

^2vRemember your congregation, which you have ^wpurchased of old,

which you have ^xredeemed to be ^ythe tribe of your heritage!

Remember Mount Zion, ^zwhere you have dwelt.

³Direct your steps to ^athe perpetual ruins;

the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!

⁴Your foes have ^broared in the midst of your meeting place;

^cthey set up their ^down signs for ^esigns.

⁵They were like those who swing ^faxes

in a forest of trees.²

⁶And all its ^gcarved wood

they broke down with hatchets and hammers.

⁷They ^hset your sanctuary on fire;

they ⁱprofaned ^jthe dwelling place of your name,

bringing it down to the ground.

⁸They ^ksaid to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”;

they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

⁹We do not see our ^lsigns;

^mthere is no longer any prophet,

and there is none among us who knows how long.

¹⁰How long, O God, ⁿis the foe to scoff?

Is the enemy to revile your name forever?

¹¹Why ^odo you hold back your hand, your right hand?

Take it from the fold of your garment³ and destroy them!

¹²Yet ^pGod my King is from of old,

working salvation in the midst of the earth.

¹³You ^qdivided the sea by your might;

you ^rbroke the heads of ^sthe sea monsters⁴ on the waters.

¹⁴You crushed the heads of ^tLeviathan;

you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.

¹⁵You ^usplit open springs and brooks;

you ^vdried up ever-flowing streams.

¹⁶Yours is the day, yours also the night;

you have established ^wthe heavenly lights and the sun.

¹⁷You have ^xfixed all the boundaries of the earth;

you have made ^ysummer and winter.

^18zRemember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs,

and ^aa foolish people reviles your name.

¹⁹Do not deliver the soul of your ^bdove to the wild beasts;

^cdo not forget the life of your poor forever.

²⁰Have regard for ^dthe covenant,

for ^ethe dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.

²¹Let not ^fthe downtrodden ^gturn back in shame;

let ^hthe poor and needy praise your name.

²²Arise, O God, ⁱdefend your cause;

^jremember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!

²³Do not forget the clamor of your foes,

^kthe uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!

God Will Judge with Equity

75To the choirmaster: according to ^lDo Not Destroy. ^mA Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

¹We give thanks to you, O God;

we give thanks, for your name is ⁿnear.

We¹ recount your wondrous deeds.

²“At ^othe set time that I appoint

I will judge ^pwith equity.

³When the earth ^qtotters, and all its inhabitants,

it is I who keep steady its ^rpillars. Selah

⁴I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’

and to the wicked, ^s‘Do not lift up your horn;

⁵do not lift up your horn on high,

or speak with haughty neck.’ ”

⁶For not from the east or from the west

and not from the wilderness comes ^tlifting up,

⁷but it is ^uGod who executes judgment,

^vputting down one and lifting up another.

^8wFor in the hand of the Lord there is ^xa cup

with foaming wine, ^ywell mixed,

and he pours out from it,

and all the wicked of the earth

shall ^zdrain it down to the dregs.

⁹But I will declare it forever;

I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

^10aAll the horns of the wicked I will cut off,

^bbut the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.

Who Can Stand Before You?

76To the choirmaster: with ^cstringed instruments. A Psalm of ^dAsaph. A Song.

¹In Judah God is ^eknown;

his name is great in Israel.

²His ^fabode has been established in ^gSalem,

his ^hdwelling place in Zion.

³There he ⁱbroke the flashing arrows,

the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah

⁴Glorious are you, more majestic

^jthan the mountains full of ^kprey.

^5lThe stouthearted were stripped of their spoil;

^mthey sank into sleep;

all the men of war

were unable to use their hands.

⁶At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,

both ⁿrider and horse lay stunned.

^7oBut you, you are to be feared!

Who can ^pstand before you

when once your anger is roused?

⁸From the heavens you uttered judgment;

^qthe earth feared and was still,

⁹when God ^rarose to establish judgment,

to save all the humble of the earth. Selah

¹⁰Surely ^sthe wrath of man shall praise you;

the remnant¹ of wrath you will put on like a belt.

^11tMake your vows to the Lord your God and perform them;

let all around him ^ubring gifts

to him who ^vis to be feared,

¹²who ^wcuts off the spirit of princes,

who ^xis to be feared by the kings of the earth.