Psalm 74 New American Standard Bible

An Appeal against the Devastation of the Land by the Enemy.

A ^[a]Maskil of Asaph.

74 God, why have You ^(A)rejected us forever?
Why does Your anger ^(B)smoke against the ^(C)sheep of Your ^[b]pasture?
²Remember Your congregation, which You ^(D)purchased of old,
Which You have ^(E)redeemed to be the ^(F)tribe of Your inheritance;
And this Mount ^(G)Zion, where You have dwelt.
³^[c]Step toward the ^[d]^(H)irreparable ruins;
The enemy ^(I)has damaged everything in the sanctuary.
⁴Your adversaries have ^(J)roared in the midst of Your meeting place;
They have set up their ^(K)own signs as ^(L)signs.
⁵It ^[e]seems like one bringing up
His ^(M)axe into a ^[f]forest of trees.
⁶And now they break down ^[g]all its ^(N)carved work
With axe and hammers.
⁷They have ^[h]^(O)burned Your sanctuary ^[i]to the ground;
They have ^(P)defiled the dwelling place of Your name.
⁸They ^(Q)said in their heart, “Let’s ^[j]completely ^[k]subdue them.”
They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
⁹We do not see our ^(R)signs;
There is ^(S)no longer any prophet,
Nor is there anyone among us who knows ^(T)how long.
¹⁰How long, God, will the enemy ^(U)taunt You?
Shall the enemy ^(V)treat Your name disrespectfully forever?
¹¹Why ^(W)do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?
Extend it from Your chest and ^(X)destroy them!

¹²Yet God is ^(Y)my King from long ago,
Who performs acts of salvation in the midst of the earth.
¹³^[l]You ^(Z)divided the sea by Your strength;
^[m]You ^(AA)broke the heads of the ^(AB)sea monsters ^[n]in the waters.
¹⁴^[o]You crushed the heads of ^[p]^(AC)Leviathan;
You gave him as food for the ^[q]creatures ^(AD)of the wilderness.
¹⁵^[r]You ^(AE)broke open springs and torrents;
^[s]You ^(AF)dried up ever-flowing streams.
¹⁶Yours is the day, Yours also is the night;
^[t]You have ^(AG)prepared the ^[u]light and the sun.
¹⁷^[v]You have ^(AH)established all the boundaries of the earth;
^[w]You have ^[x]created ^(AI)summer and winter.

¹⁸Remember this, ^[y]Lord, that the enemy has ^(AJ)taunted You,
And a ^(AK)foolish people has treated Your name disrespectfully.
¹⁹Do not give the soul of Your ^(AL)turtledove to the wild animal;
^(AM)Do not forget the life of Your afflicted forever.
²⁰Consider the ^(AN)covenant;
For the ^(AO)dark places of the land are full of the places of violence.
²¹May the ^(AP)oppressed person not return dishonored;
May the ^(AQ)afflicted and the needy praise Your name.

²²Arise, God, and ^(AR)plead Your own cause;
Remember ^[z]how the ^(AS)foolish person taunts You all day long.
²³Do not forget the voice of Your ^(AT)adversaries,
The ^(AU)uproar of those who rise against You, which ascends continually.