Arise, O God, Defend Your Cause

A Maskil[a] of (A)Asaph.

74 O God, why do you (B)cast us off forever?
    Why does your anger (C)smoke against (D)the sheep of your pasture?
(E)Remember your congregation, which you have (F)purchased of old,
    which you have (G)redeemed to be (H)the tribe of your heritage!
    Remember Mount Zion, (I)where you have dwelt.
Direct your steps to (J)the perpetual ruins;
    the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!

Your foes have (K)roared in the midst of your meeting place;
    (L)they set up their (M)own signs for (N)signs.
They were like those who swing (O)axes
    in a forest of trees.[b]
And all its (P)carved wood
    they broke down with hatchets and hammers.
They (Q)set your sanctuary on fire;
    they (R)profaned (S)the dwelling place of your name,
    bringing it down to the ground.
They (T)said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”;
    they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

We do not see our (U)signs;
    (V)there is no longer any prophet,
    and there is none among us who knows how long.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 74:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  2. Psalm 74:5 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain

Psalm 74

A maskil[a] of Asaph.

O God, why have you rejected(A) us forever?(B)
    Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?(C)
Remember 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)
Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,(J)
    all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.

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

We are given no signs from God;(T)
    no prophets(U) are left,
    and none of us knows how long this will be.

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Footnotes

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