Psalm 74

Prayer for Israel

A Maskil of Asaph.†

Why have you rejected us forever, God?

Why does your anger burn

against the sheep of your pasture?a

2Remember your congregation,

which you purchased long ago

and redeemed as the tribe for your own possession.a

Remember Mount Zion where you dwell.b

3Make your wayA to the perpetual ruins,

to all that the enemy has destroyed in the sanctuary.a

4Your adversaries roared in the meeting place

where you met with us.A

They set up their emblems as signs.a

5It was like men in a thicket of trees,

wielding axes,a

6then smashing all the carvings

with hatchets and picks.a

7They set your sanctuary on fire;

they utterlyA desecrated

the dwelling place of your name.a

8They said in their hearts,

“Let’s oppress them relentlessly.”

They burned every place throughout the land

where God met with us.a a

9There are no signs for us to see.

There is no longer a prophet.

And none of us knows how long this will last.a

10God, how long will the enemy mock?

Will the foe insult your name forever?a

11Why do you hold back your hand?

Stretch outA your right hand and destroy them!a

12God my King is from ancient times,

performing saving acts on the earth.a

13You divided the sea with your strength;

you smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the water;a

14you crushed the heads of Leviathan;

you fed him to the creatures of the desert.a

15You opened up springs and streams;a

you dried up ever-flowing rivers.b

16The day is yours, also the night;

you established the moon and the sun.a

17You set all the boundaries of the earth;

you made summer and winter.a

18Remember this: the enemy has mocked the Lord,

and a foolish people has insulted your name.a

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

do not forget the lives of your poor people forever.a

20Consider the covenant,a

for the dark places of the land are full of violence.b

21Do not let the oppressed turn away in shame;

let the poor and needy praise your name.a

22Rise up, God, champion your cause!a

Remember the insults

that fools bring against you all day long.b

23Do not forget the clamor of your adversaries,

the tumult of your opponents that goes up constantly.a