Psa 74 | HCSB | STEP | A Maskil of Asaph . Why have You rejected us forever , God ? Why does Your anger burn against the sheep of Your pasture ?

Psalms 74

Prayer for Israel

1 A ^{▼▼Maskil: From a Hebrew word meaning to be prudent or to have insight; possibly a contemplative, instructive, or wisdom psalm}Maskil of ^{▼▼Asaph: A musician appointed by David to oversee the music used in worship at the Temple; 12 psalms are attributed to Asaph.}Asaph. ^c

Why have You rejected us forever, God?
Why does Your anger burn
against the sheep of Your pasture? ^d
2 Remember Your congregation,
which You purchased long ago
and redeemed as the tribe for Your own possession. ^e
Remember Mount ^{▼▼Zion: Originally a term for the fortified section of Jerusalem and then, by extension, used for the temple and the city of Jerusalem both in the present time and in the future}Zion where You dwell. ^g
3 Make Your way ^{▼▼Lit Lift up Your steps} to the everlasting ruins,
to all that the enemy has destroyed in the sanctuary. ⁱ
4 Your adversaries roared in the meeting place
where You met with us. ^{▼▼Lit in Your meeting place}
They set up their emblems as signs. ^k
5 It was like men in a thicket of trees,
wielding axes, ^l
6 then smashing all the carvings
with hatchets and picks. ^m
7 They set Your sanctuary on fire;
they utterly ^{▼▼Lit they to the ground} desecrated
the dwelling place of Your name. ^o
8 They said in their hearts,
“Let us oppress them relentlessly.”
They burned down every place throughout the land
where God met with us. ^{▼▼Lit every meeting place of God in the land
,} ^q
9 There are no signs for us to see.
There is no longer a prophet.
And none of us knows how long this will last. ^r
10 God, how long will the enemy mock?
Will the foe insult Your name forever? ^s
11 Why do You hold back Your hand?
Stretch out ^{▼▼Lit From Your bosom} Your right hand and destroy them! ^u

12 God my King is from ancient times,
performing saving acts on the earth. ^v
13 You divided the sea with Your strength;
You smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the waters; ^w
14 You crushed the heads of ^{▼▼Leviathan: Or twisting one; a mythological sea serpent or dragon associated with the chaos at creation. Sometimes it is applied to an animal such as a crocodile.}Leviathan;
You fed him to the creatures of the desert. ^y
15 You opened up springs and streams; ^z
You dried up ever-flowing rivers. ^aa
16 The day is Yours, also the night;
You established the moon and the sun. ^ab
17 You set all the boundaries of the earth;
You made summer and winter. ^ac

18 Remember this: the enemy has mocked ^{▼▼Yahweh/Yah: Or The Lord; the personal name of God in Hebrew; "Yah" is the shortened form of the name.}Yahweh,
and a foolish people has insulted Your name. ^ae
19 Do not give the life of Your dove to beasts; ^{▼▼One Hb ms, LXX, Syr read Do not hand over to beasts a soul that praises You}
do not forget the lives of Your poor people forever. ^ag
20 Consider the covenant, ^ah
for the dark places of the land are full of violence. ^ai
21 Do not let the oppressed turn away in shame;
let the poor and needy praise Your name. ^aj
22 Rise up, God, defend Your cause! ^ak
Remember the insults
that fools bring against You all day long. ^al
23 Do not forget the clamor of Your adversaries,
the tumult of Your opponents that goes up constantly. ^am