Psalm 74

A psalm^a of Asaph.

¹O God, why have you rejected us so long?

Why is your anger so intense against the sheep of your own pasture?

²Remember that we are the people you chose long ago,

the tribe you redeemed as your own special possession!

And remember Jerusalem,^b your home here on earth.

³Walk through the awful ruins of the city;

see how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary.

⁴There your enemies shouted their victorious battle cries;

there they set up their battle standards.

⁵They swung their axes

like woodcutters in a forest.

⁶With axes and picks,

they smashed the carved paneling.

⁷They burned your sanctuary to the ground.

They defiled the place that bears your name.

⁸Then they thought, “Let’s destroy everything!”

So they burned down all the places where God was worshiped.

⁹We no longer see your miraculous signs.

All the prophets are gone,

and no one can tell us when it will end.

¹⁰How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to insult you?

Will you let them dishonor your name forever?

¹¹Why do you hold back your strong right hand?

Unleash your powerful fist and destroy them.

¹²You, O God, are my king from ages past,

bringing salvation to the earth.

¹³You split the sea by your strength

and smashed the heads of the sea monsters.

¹⁴You crushed the heads of Leviathan^c

and let the desert animals eat him.

¹⁵You caused the springs and streams to gush forth,

and you dried up rivers that never run dry.

¹⁶Both day and night belong to you;

you made the starlight^d and the sun.

¹⁷You set the boundaries of the earth,

and you made both summer and winter.

¹⁸See how these enemies insult you, Lord.

A foolish nation has dishonored your name.

¹⁹Don’t let these wild beasts destroy your turtledoves.

Don’t forget your suffering people forever.

²⁰Remember your covenant promises,

for the land is full of darkness and violence!

²¹Don’t let the downtrodden be humiliated again.

Instead, let the poor and needy praise your name.

²²Arise, O God, and defend your cause.

Remember how these fools insult you all day long.

²³Don’t overlook what your enemies have said

or their growing uproar.