Psalm 74

New International Version

Psalm 74

A maskil^[a] of Asaph.

¹O God, why have you rejected^(A) us forever?^(B)
    Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?^(C)
²Remember the nation you purchased^(D) long ago,^(E)
    the people of your inheritance,^(F) whom you redeemed^(G)—
    Mount Zion,^(H) where you dwelt.^(I)
³Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,^(J)
    all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.

⁴Your foes roared^(K) in the place where you met with us;
    they set up their standards^(L) as signs.
⁵They behaved like men wielding axes
    to cut through a thicket of trees.^(M)
⁶They smashed all the carved^(N) paneling
    with their axes and hatchets.
⁷They burned your sanctuary to the ground;
    they defiled^(O) the dwelling place^(P) of your Name.^(Q)
⁸They said in their hearts, “We will crush^(R) them completely!”
    They burned^(S) every place where God was worshiped in the land.

⁹We are given no signs from God;^(T)
    no prophets^(U) are left,
    and none of us knows how long this will be.
¹⁰How long^(V) will the enemy mock^(W) you, God?
    Will the foe revile^(X) your name forever?
¹¹Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?^(Y)
    Take it from the folds of your garment^(Z) and destroy them!

¹²But God is my King^(AA) from long ago;
he brings salvation^(AB) on the earth.

¹³It was you who split open the sea^(AC) by your power;
    you broke the heads of the monster^(AD) in the waters.
¹⁴It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan^(AE)
    and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.^(AF)
¹⁵It was you who opened up springs^(AG) and streams;
    you dried up^(AH) the ever-flowing rivers.
¹⁶The day is yours, and yours also the night;
    you established the sun and moon.^(AI)
¹⁷It was you who set all the boundaries^(AJ) of the earth;
    you made both summer and winter.^(AK)

¹⁸Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord,
    how foolish people^(AL) have reviled your name.
¹⁹Do not hand over the life of your dove^(AM) to wild beasts;
    do not forget the lives of your afflicted^(AN) people forever.
²⁰Have regard for your covenant,^(AO)
    because haunts of violence fill the dark places^(AP) of the land.
²¹Do not let the oppressed^(AQ) retreat in disgrace;
    may the poor and needy^(AR) praise your name.
²²Rise up,^(AS) O God, and defend your cause;
    remember how fools^(AT) mock you all day long.
²³Do not ignore the clamor^(AU) of your adversaries,^(AV)
    the uproar^(AW) of your enemies,^(AX) which rises continually.

Footnotes

Psalm 74:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term

1 Kings 18:17-40

New International Version

¹⁷When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler^(A) of Israel?”

¹⁸“I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you^(B) and your father’s family have. You have abandoned^(C) the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. ¹⁹Now summon^(D) the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel.^(E) And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”^(F)

²⁰So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.^(G) ²¹Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver^(H) between two opinions? If the Lord^(I) is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

But the people said nothing.

²²Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left,^(J) but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.^(K) ²³Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. ²⁴Then you call^(L) on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord.^(M) The god who answers by fire^(N)—he is God.”

Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”

²⁵Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” ²⁶So they took the bull given them and prepared it.

Then they called^(O) on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response;^(P) no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.

²⁷At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.”^(Q) ²⁸So they shouted louder and slashed^(R) themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. ²⁹Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice.^(S) But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.^(T)

³⁰Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar^(U) of the Lord, which had been torn down. ³¹Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.”^(V) ³²With the stones he built an altar in the name^(W) of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs^[a] of seed. ³³He arranged^(X) the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”

³⁴“Do it again,” he said, and they did it again.

“Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. ³⁵The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.

³⁶At the time^(Y) of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham,^(Z) Isaac and Israel, let it be known^(AA) today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.^(AB) ³⁷Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know^(AC) that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”

³⁸Then the fire^(AD) of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

³⁹When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate^(AE) and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”^(AF)

⁴⁰Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!” They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley^(AG) and slaughtered^(AH) there.

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Footnotes

1 Kings 18:32 That is, probably about 24 pounds or about 11 kilograms

Revelation 20:7-15

New International Version

The Judgment of Satan

⁷When the thousand years are over,^(A) Satan will be released from his prison ⁸and will go out to deceive the nations^(B) in the four corners of the earth^(C)—Gog and Magog^(D)—and to gather them for battle.^(E) In number they are like the sand on the seashore.^(F) ⁹They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded^(G) the camp of God’s people, the city he loves.^(H) But fire came down from heaven^(I) and devoured them. ¹⁰And the devil, who deceived them,^(J) was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur,^(K) where the beast^(L) and the false prophet^(M) had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.^(N)

The Judgment of the Dead

¹¹Then I saw a great white throne^(O) and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence,^(P) and there was no place for them. ¹²And I saw the dead, great and small,^(Q) standing before the throne, and books were opened.^(R) Another book was opened, which is the book of life.^(S) The dead were judged^(T) according to what they had done^(U) as recorded in the books. ¹³The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades^(V) gave up the dead^(W) that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.^(X) ¹⁴Then death^(Y) and Hades^(Z) were thrown into the lake of fire.^(AA) The lake of fire is the second death.^(AB) ¹⁵Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life^(AC) was thrown into the lake of fire.