祈求上帝眷顾祂的子民

亚萨的训诲诗。

74 上帝啊,
你为何永远丢弃了我们?
你为何对自己草场上的羊大发雷霆?
求你眷顾你在古时所救赎的子民,
你拣选为产业的族类,
求你眷顾你所居住的锡安山。
求你前去观看那久已荒凉之地,
看看敌人对圣所的破坏。
他们在你圣所中高声叫嚷,
竖立起自己的旗帜。
他们大肆毁坏,
好像人抡起斧头砍伐树林。
他们用斧头、锤子把雕刻的墙板都捣毁了。
他们纵火焚烧你的圣所,
把它夷为平地,
亵渎了你的居所。
他们心里说:“我们要彻底毁灭一切。”
于是他们烧毁了境内所有敬拜上帝的地方。
我们再也看不到你的征兆,
先知也没有了。
无人知道这一切何时才会结束。
10 上帝啊,
仇敌嘲笑你的名要到何时呢?
他们要永无休止地辱骂你吗?
11 你为何不伸出大能的右手?
求你出手给他们致命的一击。
12 上帝啊,
你自古以来就是我的王,
你给世上带来拯救。
13 你曾用大能分开海水,
打碎水中巨兽的头。
14 你曾打碎海怪的头,
把它丢给旷野的禽兽吃。
15 你曾开辟泉源和溪流,
也曾使滔滔河水枯干。
16 白昼和黑夜都属于你,
你设立了日月。
17 你划定大地的疆界,
又创造了盛夏和寒冬。
18 耶和华啊,
求你记住敌人对你的嘲笑和愚妄人对你的亵渎。
19 求你不要把你的子民交给仇敌[a]
不要永远对你受苦的子民弃置不顾。
20 求你顾念你的应许,
因地上黑暗之处充满了暴力。
21 求你不要让受压迫的人羞愧而去。
愿贫穷困苦的人赞美你的名。
22 上帝啊,求你起来维护自己,
别忘记愚妄人怎样整天嘲笑你。
23 不要对你仇敌的喧嚷置之不理,
与你为敌的人不停地叫嚣。

Footnotes

  1. 74:18-19 子民”希伯来文是“鸽子”;“仇敌”希伯来文是“野兽”。

A Nation in Trouble Prays

A maskil of Asaph.

74 God, why have you rejected us for so long?
    Why are you angry with us, the sheep of your pasture?
Remember the people you bought long ago.
    You saved us. We are your very own.
    You live on Mount Zion.
Make your way through these old ruins.
    The enemy wrecked everything in the Temple.

Those who were against you shouted in your meeting place.
    They raised their flags there.
They came with axes raised
    as if to cut down a forest of trees.
They smashed the carved panels
    with their axes and hatchets.
They burned your Temple to the ground.
    They have made the place where you live unclean.
They thought, “We will completely crush them!”
    They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.
We do not see any signs.
    There are no more prophets.
    And no one knows how long this will last.
10 God, how much longer will the enemy make fun of you?
    Will they insult you forever?
11 Why do you hold back your power?
    Bring your power out in the open and destroy them!

12 God, you have been our king for a long time.
    You have saved this country.
13 You split open the sea by your power.
    You broke the heads of the sea monster.
14 You smashed the heads of the monster Leviathan.
    You gave him to the desert creatures as food.
15 You opened up the springs and streams.
    And you made the rivers run dry.
16 Both the day and the night are yours.
    You made the sun and the moon.
17 You made all the limits on the earth.
    You created summer and winter.

18 Lord, remember how the enemy insulted you.
    Remember how those foolish people turned away from you.
19 Do not give us, your doves, to those wild animals.
    Never forget your poor people.
20 Remember the agreement you made with us
    because violence fills every dark corner of this land.
21 Do not let your suffering people be disgraced.
    The poor and helpless people praise you.

22 God, come and defend yourself.
    Remember the insults that come from those foolish people all day long.
23 Don’t forget what your enemies said.
    Don’t forget their roar as they rise against you always.