Psalm 74-77

The Voice

¹ O True God, why have You turned Your back on us and abandoned us forever?
    Why is Your anger seething and Your wrath smoldering against the sheep of Your pasture?
² Remember the congregation of people You acquired long ago,
    the tribe which You redeemed to be Your very own.
    Remember Mount Zion, where You have chosen to live!
³ Come, direct Your attention to Your sanctuary;
    our enemy has demolished everything and left it in complete ruin.

⁴ Your enemies roared like lions in Your sacred chamber;
    they have claimed it with their own standards as signs.
⁵ They acted like lumberjacks swinging their axes
    to cut down a stand of trees.
⁶ They hacked up all the beautifully carved items,
    smashed them to splinters with their axes and hammers.
⁷ They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground;
    they have desecrated the place where Your holy name lived in honor;
⁸ They have plotted in their hearts, “We will crush them and bring them to their knees!”
    Then they scorched all of the places in the land where the True God met His people.

⁹ We no longer receive signs,
    there are no more prophets who remain,
    and not one of us knows how long this situation will last.
¹⁰ O True God, how much longer will the enemy mock us?
    Will this insult continue against You forever?
¹¹ Why do You stand by and do nothing?
    Unleash Your power and finish them off!

¹² Even so, the True God is my King from long ago,
    bringing salvation to His people throughout the land.
¹³ You have divided the sea with Your power;
    You shattered the skulls of the creatures of the sea;
¹⁴ You smashed the heads of Leviathan
    and fed his remains to the people of the desert.
¹⁵ You broke open the earth and springs burst forth and streams filled the crevices;
    You dried up the great rivers.
¹⁶ The day and the night are both Yours—
    You fashioned the sun, moon, and all the lights that pierce the darkness.
¹⁷ You have arranged the earth, set all its boundaries;
    You are the Architect of the seasons: summer and winter.

¹⁸ Eternal One, do not forget that the enemy has taunted You
    and a company of fools has rejected Your name.
¹⁹ We are Your precious turtledoves;
    don’t surrender our souls to the wild beasts.
    Do not forget the lives of Your poor, afflicted, and brokenhearted ones forever.

²⁰ Be mindful of Your covenant with us,
    for the dark corners of the land are filled with pockets of violence.
²¹ Do not allow the persecuted to return without honor;
    may the poor, wounded, and needy sing praises to You;
    may they bring glory to Your name!
²² O True God, rise up and defend Your cause;
    remember how the foolish man insults You every hour of the day.
²³ Do not forget the voices of Your enemies,
    the commotion and chaos of Your foes, which continually grow.

² You say, “At the time that I choose,
    I will judge and do so fairly.
³ When the earth and everyone living upon it spin into chaos,
    I am the One who stabilizes and supports it.”^[c]

[pause]^[d]

⁴ “I discipline the arrogant by telling them, ‘No more bragging.’
    I discipline the wicked by saying, ‘Do not raise your horn to demonstrate your power.^[e]
5 Do not thrust your horn into the air, issuing a challenge,
    and never speak with insolence when you address Me.’”

⁶ There is no one on earth who can raise up another to grant honor,
    not from the east or the west, not from the desert.
There is no one. God is the only One.
⁷ God is the only Judge.
    He is the only One who can ruin or redeem a man.
⁸ For the Eternal holds a full cup of wine in His hand—
    a chalice well stirred and foaming full of wrath.
He pours the cup out,
    and all wicked people of the earth drink it up—every drop of it!
⁹ But I will tell of His great deeds forever.
    I will sing praises to Jacob’s True God.

¹⁰ I will cut off the horns of strength raised by the wicked,
    but I will lift up the horns of strength of the righteous.

¹ The One known in Judah is the True God;
    in Israel, His name is great.
² He has made Salem^[f] His home;
    indeed, He rests in Zion.
³ There He destroyed the instruments of war:
    flaming arrows, shields, and swords.

[pause]^[g]

⁴ You rise and shine like the dawn.
    You are more majestic than the mountains where game runs wild.
⁵ The strong-hearted enemies were plundered;
    they were buried in slumber.
Even the noble warriors
    could not raise a hand to stop You.
⁶ O True God of Jacob, with just Your rebuke
    both horse and rider fell into a deep sleep.

⁷ You are feared; yes, You.
    And who can stand before You when Your anger flares?
⁸ You decreed judgment from the heavens.
    The earth heard it and was petrified with fear, completely still,
⁹ When the True God arose for judgment
    to deliver all the meek of the earth.

[pause]

¹⁰ For the wrath of man will end in praise of You,
    and whatever wrath is left You will wrap around Yourself like a belt.
¹¹ Make vows to the Eternal your God,
    and do all you promised;
Let all the nations around you bring gifts
    to the God who arouses fear and awe.
¹² He squashes the arrogant spirit of the rulers
    and inspires fear in the hearts of the kings of the earth.

[pause]^[h]

⁴ You hold my eyes wide open.
    I am troubled beyond words.
⁵ My mind drifts to thoughts of yesterdays
    and yesteryears.
⁶ I call to mind my music; it keeps me company at night.
    Together with my heart I contemplate;
    my spirit searches, wondering, questioning:
⁷ “What will the Lord do? Reject us for good?
    Will He never show us His favor again?
⁸ Has His loyal love finally worn down?
    Have His promises reached an end?
⁹ Has the True God forgotten how to be gracious?
    In His anger, has He withdrawn His compassion?”

[pause]

¹⁰ “I can’t help but be distraught,” I said,
    “for the power of the Most High that was once for us is now against us.”

¹¹ I will remember the actions the Eternal has taken,
    reminisce on Your ancient wonders.
¹² I will reflect on all of Your work;
    indeed, I will study all You have performed.
¹³ O God, Your way is so different, so distinct, so divine.
    No other god compares with our God.
¹⁴ You, God, and Your works evoke wonder.
    You have proved Your strength to the nations.
¹⁵ You used Your great power to release Your people:
    with a strong arm, You freed Jacob’s children, and Joseph’s.

[pause]

¹⁶ The waters saw You, O True God.
    The seas saw You and swelled in sorrow.
    Even the deep trembled.
¹⁷ Water poured from the clouds,
    and the sky boomed out in response
    as Your arrows of lightning flashed this way and that.
¹⁸ The sound of Your thunder whirled within the wind
    as Your lightning lit up the world.
    Yes, the whole earth trembled and shook.
¹⁹ Your way ran through the sea,
    Your path cut through great waters,
    and still no one can spot Your footprints.
²⁰ You led Your people as a flock
    tended by the hands of Moses and Aaron.