Psalm 74 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 74

Prayer for Israel

A Maskil of Asaph.^(A)

¹Why have You rejected us forever, God?
Why does Your anger burn
against the sheep of Your pasture?^(B)
²Remember Your congregation,
which You purchased long ago
and redeemed as the tribe for Your own possession.^(C)
Remember Mount Zion where You dwell.^(D)
³Make Your way^[a] to the everlasting ruins,
to all that the enemy has destroyed in the sanctuary.^(E)
⁴Your adversaries roared in the meeting place
where You met with us.^[b]
They set up their emblems as signs.^(F)
⁵It was like men in a thicket of trees,
wielding axes,^(G)
⁶then smashing all the carvings
with hatchets and picks.^(H)
⁷They set Your sanctuary on fire;
they utterly^[c] desecrated
the dwelling place of Your name.^(I)
⁸They said in their hearts,
“Let us oppress them relentlessly.”
They burned down every place throughout the land
where God met with us.^[d]^(J)
⁹There are no signs for us to see.
There is no longer a prophet.
And none of us knows how long this will last.^(K)
¹⁰God, how long will the enemy mock?
Will the foe insult Your name forever?^(L)
¹¹Why do You hold back Your hand?
Stretch out^[e] Your right hand and destroy them!^(M)

¹²God my King is from ancient times,
performing saving acts on the earth.^(N)
¹³You divided the sea with Your strength;
You smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the waters;^(O)
¹⁴You crushed the heads of Leviathan;
You fed him to the creatures of the desert.^(P)
¹⁵You opened up springs and streams;^(Q)
You dried up ever-flowing rivers.^(R)
¹⁶The day is Yours, also the night;
You established the moon and the sun.^(S)
¹⁷You set all the boundaries of the earth;
You made summer and winter.^(T)

¹⁸Remember this: the enemy has mocked Yahweh,
and a foolish people has insulted Your name.^(U)
¹⁹Do not give the life of Your dove to beasts;^[f]
do not forget the lives of Your poor people forever.^(V)
²⁰Consider the covenant,^(W)
for the dark places of the land are full of violence.^(X)
²¹Do not let the oppressed turn away in shame;
let the poor and needy praise Your name.^(Y)
²²Rise up, God, defend Your cause!^(Z)
Remember the insults
that fools bring against You all day long.^(AA)
²³Do not forget the clamor of Your adversaries,
the tumult of Your opponents that goes up constantly.^(AB)

Footnotes

Psalm 74:3 Lit Lift up Your steps
Psalm 74:4 Lit in Your meeting place
Psalm 74:7 Lit they to the ground
Psalm 74:8 Lit every meeting place of God in the land
Psalm 74:11 Lit From Your bosom
Psalm 74:19 One Hb ms, LXX, Syr read Do not hand over to beasts a soul that praises You