Psalms 74

1 Maschil of Asaph. O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thy anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

A maskil of Asaph. Why, O God, have you spurned us forever? Why smokes your wrath against the sheep of your pasture?

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

Remember the community you purchased of old to become by redemption the tribe of your heritage, Zion, the mountain you made your home.

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

Rouse yourself, visit its ruins complete. In the temple the foe has made havoc of all things.

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

Like lions your enemies roared through your house, replacing our symbols by signs of their own,

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

hacking, like woodsmen who lift axes on thickets of trees,

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

smashing with hatchets and hammers all of its carved work together.

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

They have set your temple on fire, to the very ground they have outraged the place where lives your name.

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

They have said in their heart, “Let us utterly crush them.” They have burned all the houses 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.

No symbol of ours do we see any more: no prophet is there any more, none is with us who knows how long.

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

How long, O God, is the foe to insult? Shall the enemy spurn your name forever?

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

Why, O Lord, do you hold back your hand, why keep your right hand in the folds of your robe?

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

Yet God is our king from the ancient days, in the midst of the earth working deeds of salvation.

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

It was you who did cleave the sea by your might, and shatter the heads of the ocean monsters.

14 Thou didst break the head of leviathan in pieces, and didst give him to be food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

It was you who did crush many-headed Leviathan, and give him as food to the beasts of the wilderness.

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

It was you who did cleave the fountains and torrents; it was you who did dry the perennial streams.

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

Yours is the day; yours, too, is the night, it was you who did establish the sun and the star.

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

It was you who did fix all the borders of earth: summer and winter it’s you who have made them.

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

Yet, for all this, the foe has insulted you, Lord, and a nation of fools has reviled your name.

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

Do not give your dove to the beasts, do not forget your afflicted forever.

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

Look to the sleek ones – how full they are: the dark places of earth are the dwellings of violence.

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

O let not the downtrodden turn back ashamed: let the poor and the needy sing praise to your name.

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

Arise, God, and defend your cause: remember how fools all the day insult you.

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

Do not forget the uproar of your enemies, the din of your foes that ascends evermore.