Psalm 74

Prayer for Israel

A Maskil of Asaph.(A)

Why have you rejected us forever, God?
Why does your anger burn
against the sheep of your pasture?(B)
Remember your congregation,
which you purchased long ago
and redeemed as the tribe for your own possession.(C)
Remember Mount Zion where you dwell.(D)
Make your way[a] to the perpetual ruins,
to all that the enemy has destroyed in the sanctuary.(E)
Your adversaries roared in the meeting place
where you met with us.[b]
They set up their emblems as signs.(F)
It was like men in a thicket of trees,
wielding axes,(G)
then smashing all the carvings
with hatchets and picks.(H)
They set your sanctuary on fire;
they utterly[c] desecrated
the dwelling place of your name.(I)
They said in their hearts,
“Let’s oppress them relentlessly.”
They burned every place throughout the land
where God met with us.[d](J)
There are no signs for us to see.
There is no longer a prophet.
And none of us knows how long this will last.(K)
10 God, how long will the enemy mock?
Will the foe insult your name forever?(L)
11 Why do you hold back your hand?
Stretch out[e] your right hand and destroy them!(M)

12 God my King is from ancient times,
performing saving acts on the earth.(N)
13 You divided the sea with your strength;
you smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the water;(O)
14 you crushed the heads of Leviathan;
you fed him to the creatures of the desert. (P)
15 You opened up springs and streams;(Q)
you dried up ever-flowing rivers.(R)
16 The day is yours, also the night;
you established the moon and the sun.(S)
17 You set all the boundaries of the earth;
you made summer and winter.(T)

18 Remember this: the enemy has mocked the Lord,
and a foolish people has insulted your name.(U)
19 Do not give to beasts the life of your dove;[f]
do not forget the lives of your poor people forever.(V)
20 Consider the covenant,(W)
for the dark places of the land are full of violence.(X)
21 Do not let the oppressed turn away in shame;
let the poor and needy praise your name.(Y)
22 Rise up, God, champion your cause!(Z)
Remember the insults
that fools bring against you all day long.(AA)
23 Do not forget the clamor of your adversaries,
the tumult of your opponents that goes up constantly.(AB)

Notas al pie

  1. 74:3 Lit Lift up your steps
  2. 74:4 Lit in your meeting place
  3. 74:7 Lit they to the ground
  4. 74:8 Lit every meeting place of God in the land
  5. 74:11 Lit From your bosom
  6. 74:19 One Hb ms, LXX, Syr read life that praises you

An instruction[a] of Asaph

A Plea for Deliverance

74 Why, God? Have you rejected us forever?
    Your anger is burning against the sheep of your pasture.

Remember your community,
whom you purchased long ago,
the tribe whom you redeemed
    for your possession.
Remember[b] Mount Zion,
    where you live.
        Hurry! Look at the permanent ruins—
    every calamity the enemy brought upon the Holy Place.

Those who are opposing you roar
    where we were meeting with you;
        they unfurl their war banners as signs.
As one blazes a trail
    through a forest with an ax,
now they’re tearing down all its carved work
    with hatchets and hammers.
They burned your sanctuary to the ground,
    desecrating your dwelling place.
They say to themselves,
    “We’ll crush them completely;”
        They burned down all the meeting places of God in the land.

We see no signs for us;
    there is no longer a prophet,
        and no one among us knows the future.[c]
10 God, how long will the adversary scorn
    while the enemy despises your name endlessly?
11 Why do you not withdraw your hand—
    your right hand—from your bosom
        and destroy them?[d]

12 But God is my king from ancient times,
    who brings acts of deliverance throughout the earth.
13 You split the sea by your own power.
    You shattered the heads of sea monsters in the water.
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan.
    You set it as food for desert creatures.[e]
15 You opened both the spring and the river;
    you dried up flowing rivers.
16 Yours is the day, and yours is the night;
    you established the moon and the sun.
17 You set all the boundaries of the earth;
    you made summer and winter.

18 Remember this: The enemy scorns the Lord
    and a foolish people despises your name.
19 Don’t hand over the life of your dove to beasts;
    do not continuously forget your afflicted ones.

20 Pay attention to your covenant,
    for the dark regions of the earth are full of violence.
21 Don’t let the oppressed return in humiliation.
    The poor and needy will praise your name.

22 Get up, God, and prosecute your case—
    remember that you’re being scorned
        by fools all day long.
23 Don’t ignore the shout of those opposing you,
    The uproar of those who rebel against you continuously.

Notas al pie

  1. Psalm 74:1 Lit. maskil
  2. Psalm 74:2 The Heb. lacks Remember
  3. Psalm 74:9 Lit. knows when
  4. Psalm 74:11 The Heb. lacks them
  5. Psalm 74:14 Or people