NET Bible

Psalm 74

^74:1 Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us? Why does your anger burn against the sheep of your pasture? ^74:2 Remember your people whom you acquired in ancient times, whom you rescued so they could be your very own nation, as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell. ^74:3 Hurry to the permanent ruins, and to all the damage the enemy has done to the temple. ^74:4 Your enemies roar in the middle of your sanctuary; they set up their battle flags. ^74:5 They invade like lumberjacks swinging their axes in a thick forest. ^74:6 And now they are tearing down all its engravings with axes and crowbars. ^74:7 They set your sanctuary on fire; they desecrate your dwelling place by knocking it to the ground. ^74:8 They say to themselves, “We will oppress all of them.” They burn down all the places in the land where people worship God. ^74:9 We do not see any signs of God’s presence; there are no longer any prophets, and we have no one to tell us how long this will last. ^74:10 How long, O God, will the adversary hurl insults? Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever? ^74:11 Why do you remain inactive? Intervene and destroy him. ^74:12 But God has been my king from ancient times, performing acts of deliverance on the earth. ^74:13 You destroyed the sea by your strength; you shattered the heads of the sea monster in the water. ^74:14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you fed him to the people who live along the coast. ^74:15 You broke open the spring and the stream; you dried up perpetually flowing rivers. ^74:16 You established the cycle of day and night; you put the moon and sun in place. ^74:17 You set up all the boundaries of the earth; you created the cycle of summer and winter. ^74:18 Remember how the enemy hurls insults, O Lord, and how a foolish nation blasphemes your name. ^74:19 Do not hand the life of your dove over to a wild animal. Do not continue to disregard the lives of your oppressed people. ^74:20 Remember your covenant promises, for the dark regions of the earth are full of places where violence rules. ^74:21 Do not let the afflicted be turned back in shame. Let the oppressed and poor praise your name. ^74:22 Rise up, O God. Defend your honor. Remember how fools insult you all day long. ^74:23 Do not disregard what your enemies say or the unceasing shouts of those who defy you.

^74:23 For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style; a psalm of Asaph, a song.