Psalm 74–76

PSALM 74

An Appeal against the Devastation of the Land by the Enemy.

A ^†Maskil of Asaph.

¹O God, why have You ^arejected us forever?

Why does Your anger ^bsmoke against the ^csheep of Your ¹pasture?

²Remember Your congregation, which You have ^apurchased of old,

Which You have ^bredeemed to be the ^ctribe of Your inheritance;

And this Mount ^dZion, where You have dwelt.

³¹Turn Your footsteps toward the ^aperpetual ruins;

The enemy ^bhas damaged everything within the sanctuary.

⁴Your adversaries have ^aroared in the midst of Your meeting place;

They have set up their ^bown ¹standards ^cfor signs.

⁵It seems as if one had lifted up

His ^1aaxe in a ²forest of trees.

⁶And now ¹all its ^acarved work

They smash with hatchet and ²hammers.

⁷They have ^1aburned Your sanctuary ²to the ground;

They have ^bdefiled the dwelling place of Your name.

⁸They ^asaid in their heart, “Let us ¹completely ²subdue them.”

They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

⁹We do not see our ^asigns;

There is ^bno longer any prophet,

Nor is there any among us who knows ^chow long.

¹⁰How long, O God, will the adversary ^arevile,

And the enemy ^bspurn Your name forever?

¹¹Why ^ado You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?

From within Your bosom, ^bdestroy them!

¹²Yet God is ^amy king from of old,

Who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth.

¹³¹You ^adivided the sea by Your strength;

You ^bbroke the heads of the ^csea monsters ²in the waters.

¹⁴¹You crushed the heads of ^2aLeviathan;

You gave him as food for the ³creatures ^bof the wilderness.

¹⁵¹You ^abroke open springs and torrents;

You ^bdried up ever-flowing streams.

¹⁶Yours is the day, Yours also is the night;

¹You have ^aprepared the ²light and the sun.

¹⁷¹You have ^aestablished all the boundaries of the earth;

You have ²made ^bsummer and winter.

¹⁸Remember this, ¹O Lord, that the enemy has ^areviled,

And a ^bfoolish people has spurned Your name.

¹⁹Do not deliver the soul of Your ^aturtledove to the wild beast;

^bDo not forget the life of Your afflicted forever.

²⁰Consider the ^acovenant;

For the ^bdark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.

²¹Let not the ^aoppressed return dishonored;

Let the ^bafflicted and needy praise Your name.

²²Arise, O God, and ^aplead Your own cause;

Remember ¹how the ^bfoolish man reproaches You all day long.

²³Do not forget the voice of Your ^aadversaries,

The ^buproar of those who rise against You which ascends continually.

PSALM 75

God Abases the Proud, but Exalts the Righteous.

For the choir director; set to ^†Al-tashheth. A Psalm of Asaph, a Song.

¹We ^agive thanks to You, O God, we give thanks,

For Your name is ^bnear;

Men declare ^cYour wondrous works.

²“When I select an ^aappointed time,

It is I who ^bjudge with equity.

³“The ^aearth and all who dwell in it ¹melt;

It is I who have firmly set its ^bpillars.

²Selah.

⁴“I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’

And to the wicked, ‘^aDo not lift up the horn;

⁵Do not lift up your horn on high,

^aDo not speak with insolent ¹pride.’ ”

⁶For not from the east, nor from the west,

Nor from the ^1adesert comes exaltation;

⁷But ^aGod is the Judge;

He ^bputs down one and exalts another.

⁸For a ^acup is in the hand of the Lord, and the wine foams;

It is ^1bwell mixed, and He pours out of this;

Surely all the wicked of the earth must drain and ^cdrink down its dregs.

⁹But as for me, I will ^adeclare it forever;

I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

¹⁰And all the ^ahorns of the wicked ¹He will cut off,

But ^bthe horns of the righteous will be lifted up.

PSALM 76

The Victorious Power of the God of Jacob.

For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph, a Song.

¹God is ^aknown in Judah;

His name is ^bgreat in Israel.

²His ^1atabernacle is in ^bSalem;

His ^cdwelling place also is in Zion.

³There He ^abroke the ¹flaming arrows,

The shield and the sword and the ²weapons of war.

³Selah.

⁴You are resplendent,

¹More majestic than the mountains of prey.

⁵The ^astouthearted were plundered,

¹They sank into sleep;

And none of the ²warriors could use his hands.

⁶At Your ^arebuke, O God of Jacob,

Both ^1brider and horse were cast into a dead sleep.

⁷You, even You, are ^ato be feared;

And ^bwho may stand in Your presence when once ¹You are angry?

⁸You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;

The earth ^afeared and was still

⁹When God ^aarose to judgment,

To save all the humble of the earth.

Selah.

¹⁰For the ^1awrath of man shall praise You;

With a remnant of wrath You will gird Yourself.

^11aMake vows to the Lord your God and ^bfulfill them;

Let all who are around Him ^cbring gifts to Him who is to be feared.

¹²He will cut off the spirit of princes;

He is ^1afeared by the kings of the earth.