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Psalm 74

This is a special song that Asaph wrote.

A prayer for our nation [ a ]

74 God, have you turned against us for ever?
Why are you so angry with us?
We belong to you, so please take care of us,
like a shepherd takes care of his sheep.
2 Remember that we are your people.
Long ago you chose us for yourself.
You rescued us from being slaves,
so that we could be your special nation of people. [ b ]
So please think about us,
as well as your home on Mount Zion.
3 Come and look at our buildings!
Your enemies have completely destroyed them.
They have also destroyed everything that is in your temple.
4 Your enemies shout battle cries
inside your special meeting place.
They have put up their own flags there.
5 They used axes to cut the temple into pieces,
like people who cut down trees!
6 They used their hammers and axes
to break the wooden boards with pictures on them.
7 They completely burned your temple.
They knocked it down to the ground!
They caused your special place to become useless!
8 They said to themselves,
‘We will completely destroy them all.’
So they burned down every place in the land
where people meet to worship God.
9 We no longer see any signs that God is with us.
There are no more prophets among us.
Nobody can tell us how long this will continue.
10 God, how long will our enemies laugh at you?
Will they insult your name for ever?
11 Why do you do nothing to help us?
Use your power now to punish them!

12 God, you have been my king from the beginning.
You have done great things to rescue us
all over the earth.
13 You broke the sea into separate pieces,
because you are so strong. [ c ]
You broke the heads of the monsters
in the waters of the sea. [ d ]
14 You broke the heads of Leviathan. [ e ]
You gave his body as food
for the animals that live in the desert.
15 You caused springs and streams of water to appear.
And you made large rivers become dry! [ f ]
16 Days and nights both belong to you.
You put the moon and the sun in their places.
17 You said where the land must be among the seas.
You made both summer and winter. [ g ]

18 Lord , think about your enemies.
They are always laughing at you.
Foolish people are insulting your name.
19 We, your people, are like your own special dove.
Do not let wild animals destroy us!
We are weak and poor,
so do not forget about us!
20 Remember what you have promised to do for us.
There are dark places everywhere,
where cruel people hide.
21 We are weak, and people want to hurt us.
Do not let us become ashamed.
Instead, let the poor, weak people praise your name!
22 Do something, God!
Show everyone that you are good.
Think how fools are laughing at you all the time.
23 Do not forget what your enemies are saying.
They shout things against you all the time!

Footnotes

  1. 74:1 In 586 BC, the army of Babylon destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon. The writer of this psalm asks God why he has let this happen to his people, the Israelites.
  2. 74:2 This is when God led the Israelites out of Egypt where they had been slaves.
  3. 74:13 These verses (13-15) may describe the time when God made the world and everything in it. Or they may describe how God took his people out of Egypt. He led them across the Red Sea on dry land, and he gave them water and food in the desert.
  4. 74:13 When God broke the heads of the monsters in the water, that may describe when the Egyptian army drowned in the Red Sea.
  5. 74:14 Leviathan is the old name of a sea monster.
  6. 74:15 God made the Jordan River become dry so that his people could walk across into Canaan.
  7. 74:17 These verses describe the time when God made the universe. See Genesis 1:1-31 .

A maskil of Asaph.

74 God, why have you turned away from us for so long?
Why are you still angry with us, your own flock?
2 Remember the people you bought so long ago.
You saved us, and we belong to you.
And remember Mount Zion, the place where you lived.
3 God, come walk through these ancient ruins.
Come back to the Holy Place that the enemy destroyed.

4 The enemy shouted their war cries in the Temple.
They put up their flags there to show they had won the war.
5 Their soldiers attacked the doors,
like workmen chopping down trees.
6 Using axes and hatchets,
they smashed the carved panels inside.
7 They burned down your Holy Place.
It was built to honor your name,
but they pulled it down to the ground.
8 The enemy decided to crush us completely.
They burned every holy place [ a ] in the country.
9 We do not see any of our signs. [ b ]
There are no more prophets.
And no one knows how long this will last.
10 God, how much longer will the enemy make fun of us?
Will you let them insult your name forever?
11 Why won’t you help us?
Use your power to defeat our enemies!
12 God, you have been our King for a long time.
You have saved us many times on this earth.
13 With your great power you split open the sea
and broke the heads of the sea monster.
14 Yes, you smashed the heads of Leviathan [ c ]
and left his body for animals to eat.
15 You make the springs and rivers flow,
and you make the rivers dry up.
16 You control the day and the night.
You made the sun and the moon.
17 You set the limits for everything on earth.
And you created summer and winter.
18 Lord , remember, the enemy insulted you!
Those foolish people hate your name!
19 Don’t give us like a helpless dove to those wild animals.
Never forget your poor, suffering people.
20 Remember the agreement you gave us,
because violence fills every dark place in this land.
21 Your people were treated badly.
Don’t let them be hurt anymore.
Let your poor, helpless people praise you.
22 God, get up and defend yourself!
Remember, those fools challenged you.
23 Don’t forget the shouts of your enemies.
They insulted you again and again.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 74:8 holy place Or “El meeting place.” This means every place where people went to meet with God.
  2. Psalm 74:9 signs These were probably signal fires that people burned as a way of passing messages from one town to the next. In war, this was a way people showed other towns that the enemy had not yet destroyed their own town.
  3. Psalm 74:14 sea monster … Leviathan These were creatures from ancient stories. People believed that they kept the world from being a safe, orderly place. So this verse means that God controls every part of the world and everything in it.

74 O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

2 Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt.

3 Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.

4 Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs.

5 A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees.

6 But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.

7 They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground.

8 They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.

9 We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.

10 O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?

11 Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck it out of thy bosom.

12 For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.

13 Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.

14 Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

15 Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.

16 The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

17 Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.

18 Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord , and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.

19 O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.

20 Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.

21 O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name.

22 Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.

23 Forget not the voice of thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually.

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

A [ a ] Maskil of Asaph.

74 God, why have You ( A ) rejected us forever?
Why does Your anger ( B ) smoke against the ( C ) sheep of Your [ b ] pasture?
2 Remember Your congregation, which You ( D ) purchased of old,
Which You have ( E ) redeemed to be the ( F ) tribe of Your inheritance;
And this Mount ( G ) Zion, where You have dwelt.
3 [ c ] Step toward the [ d ] ( H ) irreparable ruins;
The enemy ( I ) has damaged everything in the sanctuary.
4 Your adversaries have ( J ) roared in the midst of Your meeting place;
They have set up their ( K ) own signs as ( L ) signs.
5 It [ e ] seems like one bringing up
His ( M ) axe into a [ f ] forest of trees.
6 And now they break down [ g ] all its ( N ) carved work
With axe and hammers.
7 They have [ h ] ( O ) burned Your sanctuary [ i ] to the ground;
They have ( P ) defiled the dwelling place of Your name.
8 They ( Q ) said in their heart, “Let’s [ j ] completely [ k ] subdue them.”
They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
9 We do not see our ( R ) signs;
There is ( S ) no longer any prophet,
Nor is there anyone among us who knows ( T ) how long.
10 How long, God, will the enemy ( U ) taunt You ?
Shall the enemy ( V ) treat Your name disrespectfully forever?
11 Why ( W ) do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?
Extend it from Your chest and ( X ) destroy them !

12 Yet God is ( Y ) my King from long ago,
Who performs acts of salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 [ l ] You ( Z ) divided the sea by Your strength;
[ m ] You ( AA ) broke the heads of the ( AB ) sea monsters [ n ] in the waters.
14 [ o ] You crushed the heads of [ p ] ( AC ) Leviathan;
You gave him as food for the [ q ] creatures ( AD ) of the wilderness.
15 [ r ] You ( AE ) broke open springs and torrents;
[ s ] You ( AF ) dried up ever-flowing streams.
16 Yours is the day, Yours also is the night;
[ t ] You have ( AG ) prepared the [ u ] light and the sun.
17 [ v ] You have ( AH ) established all the boundaries of the earth;
[ w ] You have [ x ] created ( AI ) summer and winter.

18 Remember this, [ y ] Lord , that the enemy has ( AJ ) taunted You ,
And a ( AK ) foolish people has treated Your name disrespectfully.
19 Do not give the soul of Your ( AL ) turtledove to the wild animal;
( AM ) Do not forget the life of Your afflicted forever.
20 Consider the ( AN ) covenant;
For the ( AO ) dark places of the land are full of the places of violence.
21 May the ( AP ) oppressed person not return dishonored;
May the ( AQ ) afflicted and the needy praise Your name.

22 Arise, God, and ( AR ) plead Your own cause;
Remember [ z ] how the ( AS ) foolish person taunts You all day long.
23 Do not forget the voice of Your ( AT ) adversaries,
The ( AU ) uproar of those who rise against You, which ascends continually.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 74 Title Possibly, Contemplative ; or Didactic ; or Skillful Psalm
  2. Psalm 74:1 Or pasturing
  3. Psalm 74:3 Lit Lift Your footsteps
  4. Psalm 74:3 Lit ruins ruined for all time
  5. Psalm 74:5 Lit is known as
  6. Psalm 74:5 Lit thicket
  7. Psalm 74:6 Lit altogether
  8. Psalm 74:7 Lit set on fire
  9. Psalm 74:7 Or To the ground they ...
  10. Psalm 74:8 Lit altogether
  11. Psalm 74:8 Or oppress
  12. Psalm 74:13 Or You Yourself
  13. Psalm 74:13 Or You Yourself
  14. Psalm 74:13 Lit on
  15. Psalm 74:14 Or You Yourself
  16. Psalm 74:14 Or sea monster
  17. Psalm 74:14 Lit people
  18. Psalm 74:15 Or You Yourself
  19. Psalm 74:15 Or You Yourself
  20. Psalm 74:16 Or You Yourself
  21. Psalm 74:16 Or luminary
  22. Psalm 74:17 Or You Yourself
  23. Psalm 74:17 Or You Yourself
  24. Psalm 74:17 Or formed
  25. Psalm 74:18 Or that the enemy has taunted the Lord
  26. Psalm 74:22 Lit Your reproach from the foolish man

Psalm 74

A maskil [ a ] of Asaph.

1 O God, why have you rejected ( A ) us forever? ( B )
Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture? ( C )
2 Remember the nation you purchased ( D ) long ago, ( E )
the people of your inheritance, ( F ) whom you redeemed ( G ) —
Mount Zion, ( H ) where you dwelt. ( I )
3 Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins, ( J )
all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.

4 Your foes roared ( K ) in the place where you met with us;
they set up their standards ( L ) as signs.
5 They behaved like men wielding axes
to cut through a thicket of trees. ( M )
6 They smashed all the carved ( N ) paneling
with their axes and hatchets.
7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground;
they defiled ( O ) the dwelling place ( P ) of your Name. ( Q )
8 They said in their hearts, “We will crush ( R ) them completely!”
They burned ( S ) every place where God was worshiped in the land.

9 We are given no signs from God; ( T )
no prophets ( U ) are left,
and none of us knows how long this will be.
10 How long ( V ) will the enemy mock ( W ) you, God?
Will the foe revile ( X ) your name forever?
11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? ( Y )
Take it from the folds of your garment ( Z ) and destroy them!

12 But God is my King ( AA ) from long ago;
he brings salvation ( AB ) on the earth.

13 It was you who split open the sea ( AC ) by your power;
you broke the heads of the monster ( AD ) in the waters.
14 It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan ( AE )
and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert. ( AF )
15 It was you who opened up springs ( AG ) and streams;
you dried up ( AH ) the ever-flowing rivers.
16 The day is yours, and yours also the night;
you established the sun and moon. ( AI )
17 It was you who set all the boundaries ( AJ ) of the earth;
you made both summer and winter. ( AK )

18 Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord ,
how foolish people ( AL ) have reviled your name.
19 Do not hand over the life of your dove ( AM ) to wild beasts;
do not forget the lives of your afflicted ( AN ) people forever.
20 Have regard for your covenant, ( AO )
because haunts of violence fill the dark places ( AP ) of the land.
21 Do not let the oppressed ( AQ ) retreat in disgrace;
may the poor and needy ( AR ) praise your name.
22 Rise up, ( AS ) O God, and defend your cause;
remember how fools ( AT ) mock you all day long.
23 Do not ignore the clamor ( AU ) of your adversaries, ( AV )
the uproar ( AW ) of your enemies, ( AX ) which rises continually.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 74:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
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