Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
74 1 The faithful complain of the destruction of the Church and true religion, 2 Under the Name of Zion, and the Temple destroyed: 11 and trusting in the might and free mercies of God, 20 by his covenant , 21 they require help and succor for the glory of God’s holy Name, for the salvation of his poor afflicted servants, 23 and the confusion of his proud enemies.
A Psalm to give instruction, committed to Asaph.
1 O God, [a]why hast thou put us away forever? why is thy wrath kindled against the sheep of thy pasture?
2 Think upon the congregation, which thou hast possessed of old, and on the [b]rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed, and on this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt.
3 Lift up thy [c]strokes, that thou mayest forever destroy every enemy that doeth evil to the Sanctuary.
4 Thine adversaries roar in the midst of thy congregation, and [d]set up their banners for signs.
5 He that [e]lifted the axes upon the thick trees, was renowned as one that brought a thing to perfection:
6 But now they break down the carved work thereof with axes and hammers.
7 They have cast thy Sanctuary into the fire, and razed it to the ground, and have defiled the dwelling place of thy Name.
8 They said in their [f]hearts, Let us destroy them altogether: they have burnt all the Synagogues of God in the land.
9 We see not our signs: there is not one Prophet more, nor any with us that knoweth [g]how long.
10 O God, how long shall the adversary reproach thee? shall the enemy blaspheme thy Name forever?
11 Why withdrawest thou thine hand, even thy right hand? draw it out of thy bosom, and [h]consume them.
12 Even God is my king of old, working salvation [i]in the midst of the earth.
13 Thou didst divide the sea by thy power: thou brakest the heads of the [j]dragons in the waters.
14 Thou brakest the head of [k]Leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be [l]meat for the people in wilderness.
15 Thou brakest up the fountain and river: thou driest up mighty rivers.
16 The [m]day is thine, and the night is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.
17 Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made Summer and Winter.
18 Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached the Lord, and the foolish people hath blasphemed thy Name.
19 Give not the soul of thy [n]turtle dove unto the beast, and forget not the Congregation of thy poor forever.
20 Consider thy covenant: for [o]the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of the cruel.
21 O let not the oppressed return ashamed, but let the poor and needy praise thy Name.
22 Arise, O God: maintain thy [p]own cause: remember thy daily reproach by the foolish man.
23 Forget not the voice of thine enemies: for the tumult of them that rise against thee, [q]ascendeth continually.
24 Therefore as the flame of fire devoureth the stubble, and as the chaff is consumed of the flame: so their [a]root shall be a rottenness, and their bud shall rise up like dust, because they have cast off the Law of the Lord of hosts, and contemned the word of the Holy one of Israel.
25 Therefore is the wrath of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched out his [b]hand upon them, and hath smitten them that the mountains did tremble: and their carcasses were torn in the midst of the streets, and for all this his wrath was not turned away, but his hand was stretched out still.
26 And he will lift up a sign [c]unto the nations afar, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and behold, they shall come hastily with speed.
27 None shall [d]faint nor fall among them: none shall slumber nor sleep, neither shall the girdle of his loins be loosed, nor [e]the latchet of his shoes be broken.
28 Whose arrows shall be sharp, and all his bows bent: his horse hoofs shall be thought like flint, and his wheels like whirlwind.
29 His roaring shall be like a lion, and he shall roar like lion’s whelps: they shall [f]roar, and lay hold of the prey: they shall take it away, and none shall deliver it.
30 And in that day they shall roar upon them, as the roaring of the sea: and if [g]they look unto the earth, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light shall be darkened in their [h]sky.
44 [a]Our fathers had the Tabernacle of [b]witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto (A)Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.
45 (B)Which tabernacle also our fathers [c]received, and brought in with Jesus into the [d]possession of the Gentiles, which God drove out [e]before our fathers, unto the days of David:
46 (C)Who found favor before God, and desired that he might find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
47 (D)[f]But Solomon built him an house.
48 Howbeit the most High (E)dwelleth not in temples made with hands, as saith the Prophet,
49 (F)Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build for me, saith the Lord? or what place is it that I should rest in?
50 Hath not mine hand made all these things?
51 (G)[g]Ye stiff-necked and of [h]uncircumcised hearts and ears, ye have always resisted the holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do you.
52 Which of the Prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them, which showed before of the coming of that Just, of whom ye are now the betrayers and murderers,
53 (H)Which have received the law by the [i]ordinance of Angels, and have not kept it.
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