Beginning
74 (0) A maskil of Asaf:
(1) Why have you rejected us forever, God,
with your anger smoking against the sheep you once pastured?
2 Remember your community, which you acquired long ago,
the tribe you redeemed to be your very own.
Remember Mount Tziyon, where you came to live.
3 Hurry your steps to these endless ruins,
to the sanctuary devastated by the enemy.
4 The roar of your foes filled your meeting-place;
they raised their own banners as a sign of their conquest.
5 The place seemed like a thicket of trees
when lumbermen hack away with their axes.
6 With hatchet and hammer they banged away,
smashing all the carved woodwork.
7 They set your sanctuary on fire,
tore down and profaned the abode of your name.
8 They said to themselves, “We will oppress them completely.”
They have burned down all God’s meeting-places in the land.
9 We see no signs, there is no prophet any more;
none of us knows how long it will last.
10 How much longer, God, will the foe jeer at us?
Will the enemy insult your name forever?
11 Why do you hold back your hand?
Draw your right hand from your coat, and finish them off!
12 God has been my king from earliest times,
acting to save throughout all the earth.
13 By your strength you split the sea in two,
in the water you smashed sea monsters’ heads,
14 you crushed the heads of Livyatan
and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.
15 You cut channels for springs and streams,
you dried up rivers that had never failed.
16 The day is yours, and the night is yours;
it was you who established light and sun.
17 It was you who fixed all the limits of the earth,
you made summer and winter.
18 Remember how the enemy scoffs at Adonai,
how a brutish people insults your name.
19 Don’t hand over the soul of your dove to wild beasts,
don’t forget forever the life of your poor.
20 Look to the covenant, for the land’s dark places
are full of the haunts of violence.
21 Don’t let the oppressed retreat in confusion;
let the poor and needy praise your name.
22 Arise, God, and defend your cause;
remember how brutish men insult you all day.
23 Don’t forget what your foes are saying,
the ever-rising uproar of your adversaries.
75 (0) For the leader. Set to “Do Not Destroy!” A psalm of Asaf. A song:
2 (1) We give thanks to you, God, we give thanks;
your name is near, people tell of your wonders.
3 (2) “At the time of my own choice,
I will dispense justice fairly.
4 (3) When the earth quakes, with all living on it,
it is I who hold its support-pillars firm.” (Selah)
5 (4) To the boastful I say, “Do not boast!”
and to the wicked, “Don’t flaunt your strength!
6 (5) Don’t flaunt your strength so proudly;
don’t speak arrogantly, with your nose in the air!
7 (6) For you will not be raised to power
by those in the east, the west or the desert;
8 (7) since God is the judge; and it is he
who puts down one and lifts up another.
9 (8) In Adonai’s hand there is a cup of wine,
foaming, richly spiced;
when he pours it out, all the wicked of the earth
will drain it, drinking it to the dregs.”
10 (9) But I will always speak out,
singing praises to the God of Ya‘akov.
11 (10) I will break down the strength of the wicked,
but the strength of the righteous will be raised up.
76 (0) For the leader. With string music. A psalm of Asaf. A song:
2 (1) In Y’hudah God is known;
his name is great in Isra’el.
3 (2) His tent is in Shalem,
his place is in Tziyon.
4 (3) There he broke the flashing arrows,
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. (Selah)
5 (4) You are glorious, majestic,
more so than mountains of prey.
6 (5) The bravest have been stripped of their spoil
and now are sleeping their final sleep;
not one of these courageous men
finds strength to raise his hands.
7 (6) At your rebuke, God of Ya‘akov,
riders and horses lie stunned.
8 (7) You are fearsome! When once you are angry,
who can stand in your presence?
9 (8) You pronounce sentence from heaven;
the earth grows silent with fear
10 (9) when God arises to judge,
to save all the humble of the earth. (Selah)
11 (10) Human wrath serves only to praise you;
what remains of this wrath you wear as an ornament.
12 (11) Make vows to Adonai your God, and keep them;
all who are around him must bring presents to the one who should be feared.
13 (12) He curbs the spirit of princes;
he is fearsome to the kings of the earth.
77 (0) For the leader. For Y’dutun. A psalm of Asaf:
2 (1) I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God; and he hears me.
3 (2) On the day of my distress I am seeking Adonai;
my hands are lifted up;
my tears flow all night without ceasing;
my heart refuses comfort.
4 (3) When remembering God, I moan;
when I ponder, my spirit fails. (Selah)
5 (4) You hold my eyelids [and keep me from sleeping];
I am too troubled to speak.
6 (5) I think about the days of old,
the years of long ago;
7 (6) in the night I remember my song,
I commune with myself, my spirit inquires:
8 (7) “Will Adonai reject forever?
will he never show his favor again?
9 (8) Has his grace permanently disappeared?
Is his word to all generations done away?
10 (9) Has God forgotten to be compassionate?
Has he in anger withheld his mercy?” (Selah)
11 (10) Then I add, “That’s my weakness —
[supposing] the Most High’s right hand could change.”
12 (11) So I will remind myself of Yah’s doings;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
13 (12) I will meditate on your work
and think about what you have done.
14 (13) God, your way is in holiness.
What god is as great as God?
15 (14) You are the God who does wonders,
you revealed your strength to the peoples.
16 (15) With your arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Ya‘akov and Yosef. (Selah)
17 (16) The water saw you, God;
the water saw you and writhed in anguish,
agitated to its depths.
18 (17) The clouds poured water, the skies thundered,
and your arrows flashed here and there.
19 (18) The sound of your thunder was in the whirlwind,
the lightning flashes lit up the world,
the earth trembled and shook.
20 (19) Your way went through the sea,
your path through the turbulent waters;
but your footsteps could not be traced.
21 (20) You led your people like a flock
under the care of Moshe and Aharon.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.