Psalms 74
74
A Contemplative Maskil of Asaph.
1O God, why have You cast us off forever?
Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?
2#Ps 63:1; 84:2 Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old,
the rod of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed,
this Mount Zion, where You have lived.
3#Ps 79:10; 80:5 Move Your footsteps to the perpetual desolations,
to all the harm the enemy has done in the sanctuary.
4#Isa 30:29; Ps 62:8 Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place;
they set up their miracles for signs.
5#Ps 42:11; 43:5 They seem like men who lift up axes
on a thicket of trees.
6#2Sa 17:22; Dt 3:8–9 But now they strike down its carved work altogether
with axes and hammers.
7#Ps 88:7; Jnh 2:3 They have cast fire into Your sanctuary;
they have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground.
8#Job 35:10; Ps 63:6 They said in their hearts, “Let us destroy them together.”
They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.
9#Ps 38:6; 18:2 We do not see our signs;
there is no longer any prophet,
nor is there among us any who knows how long.
10#Ps 42:3; Joel 2:17 O God, how long will the adversary scorn?
Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?
11#Ps 42:5; 43:5 Why do You withdraw Your hand, Your right hand?
Draw it out of Your bosom and destroy them!
12For God is my King of old,
working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13You divided the sea by Your strength;
You broke the heads of the dragons on the waters.
14You crushed the heads of Leviathan in pieces,
and gave him for food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
15You split the fountain and the flood;
You dried up ever-flowing rivers.
16The day is Yours, the night also is Yours;
You have prepared the light and the sun.
17You have established all the borders of the earth;
You have made summer and winter.
18Remember this, that the enemy has scorned, O Lord,
and that the foolish people have blasphemed Your name.
19Do not give the life of Your turtledove to a wild animal;
do not forget the life of Your poor forever.
20Have regard for the covenant;
for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of violence.
21May the oppressed not return ashamed;
may the poor and needy praise Your name.
22Arise, O God, plead Your own cause;
remember how the fool insults You daily.
23Do not forget the voice of Your enemies,
the tumult of those who rise up against You continually.
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Psalms 74: MEV
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Military Bible Association
Psalm 74
74
Arise, O God, Defend Your Cause
A Maskil#74:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term of #See Ps. 50, titleAsaph.
1O God, why do you #See Ps. 44:9 cast us off forever?
Why does your anger #Deut. 29:20; [Ps. 18:8] smoke against #Ps. 79:13; 100:3; Jer. 23:1; Ezek. 34:31; [Ps. 95:7]the sheep of your pasture?
2 # ver. 18, 22 Remember your congregation, which you have #Ex. 15:16; Deut. 32:6; [Ps. 78:54] purchased of old,
which you have #Ps. 77:15; Isa. 63:9 redeemed to be #Isa. 63:17; Jer. 10:16; 51:19 the tribe of your heritage!
Remember Mount Zion, #Ps. 9:11where you have dwelt.
3Direct your steps to #[Isa. 61:4]the perpetual ruins;
the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!
4Your foes have #Lam. 2:6, 7 roared in the midst of your meeting place;
# [Matt. 24:15] they set up their #Num. 2:2 own signs for #[ver. 9]signs.
5They were like those who swing #[Jer. 46:22]axes
in a forest of trees.#74:5 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
6And all its #[1 Kgs. 6:18, 29, 32, 35]carved wood
they broke down with hatchets and hammers.
7They #2 Kgs. 25:9; [Ps. 79:1] set your sanctuary on fire;
they #Ps. 89:39; [Lam. 2:2] profaned #[Ps. 26:8]the dwelling place of your name,
bringing it down to the ground.
8They #Ps. 83:4said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”;
they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
9We do not see our #[ver. 4] signs;
# [1 Sam. 3:1; Lam. 2:9; Ezek. 7:26; Amos 8:11] there is no longer any prophet,
and there is none among us who knows how long.
10How long, O God, #ver. 18, 22; Ps. 79:12; 89:51is the foe to scoff?
Is the enemy to revile your name forever?
11Why #Lam. 2:3do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
Take it from the fold of your garment#74:11 Hebrew from your bosom and destroy them!
12Yet #Ps. 44:4God my King is from of old,
working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13You #Ex. 14:21 divided the sea by your might;
you #Isa. 51:9 broke the heads of #Isa. 27:1the sea monsters#74:13 Or the great sea creatures on the waters.
14You crushed the heads of #See Job 41:1Leviathan;
you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
15You #Ps. 78:15; 105:41; Ex. 17:5, 6; Num. 20:11; Isa. 48:21 split open springs and brooks;
you #Josh. 2:10; 4:23; Isa. 51:10; [Ps. 66:6]; See Ex. 14:21-25; Josh. 3:13-17dried up ever-flowing streams.
16Yours is the day, yours also the night;
you have established #Ps. 104:19; See Gen. 1:14-16the heavenly lights and the sun.
17You have #Deut. 32:8; [Acts 17:26] fixed all the boundaries of the earth;
you have made #Gen. 8:22summer and winter.
18 # ver. 2, 22; Ps. 89:50; Rev. 16:19; 18:5 Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs,
and #Ps. 39:8; Deut. 32:6a foolish people reviles your name.
19Do not deliver the soul of your #Song 2:14 dove to the wild beasts;
# [Ps. 68:10] do not forget the life of your poor forever.
20Have regard for #Ps. 106:45; Gen. 17:7, 8; Lev. 26:44, 45; Jer. 33:21 the covenant,
for #[Ps. 10:8]the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.
21Let not #Ps. 9:9; 10:18 the downtrodden #[Ps. 6:10] turn back in shame;
let #Ps. 86:1the poor and needy praise your name.
22Arise, O God, #[1 Sam. 24:15] defend your cause;
# ver. 2, 18 remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!
23Do not forget the clamor of your foes,
# See Ps. 65:7 the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!
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