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 ^e to the perpetual ruins,

to all that the enemy has destroyed in the sanctuary. ^f

⁴Your adversaries roared in the meeting place

where you met with us. ^g

They set up their emblems as signs. ^h

⁵It was like men in a thicket of trees,

wielding axes, ⁱ

⁶then smashing all the carvings

with hatchets and picks. ^j

⁷They set your sanctuary on fire;

they utterly ^k desecrated

the dwelling place of your name. ^l

⁸They said in their hearts,

“Let’s oppress them relentlessly.”

They burned every place throughout the land

where God met with us. ^m,ⁿ

⁹There are no signs for us to see.

There is no longer a prophet.

And none of us knows how long this will last. ^o

¹⁰God, how long will the enemy mock?

Will the foe insult your name forever? ^p

¹¹Why do you hold back your hand?

Stretch out ^q your right hand and destroy them! ^r

¹²God my King is from ancient times,

performing saving acts on the earth. ^s

¹³You divided the sea with your strength;

you smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the water; ^t

¹⁴you crushed the heads of Leviathan;

you fed him to the creatures of the desert. ^u

¹⁵You opened up springs and streams; ^v

you dried up ever-flowing rivers. ^w

¹⁶The day is yours, also the night;

you established the moon and the sun. ^x

¹⁷You set all the boundaries of the earth;

you made summer and winter. ^y

¹⁸Remember this: the enemy has mocked the Lord,

and a foolish people has insulted your name. ^z

¹⁹Do not give to beasts the life of your dove; ^aa

do not forget the lives of your poor people forever. ^ab

²⁰Consider the covenant, ^ac

for the dark places of the land are full of violence. ^ad

²¹Do not let the oppressed turn away in shame;

let the poor and needy praise your name. ^ae

²²Rise up, God, champion your cause! ^af

Remember the insults

that fools bring against you all day long. ^ag

²³Do not forget the clamor of your adversaries,

the tumult of your opponents that goes up constantly. ^ah