Psalms 74

A Lament for the Temple

1 God, why You push us away forever, Why Your anger smokes against the sheep of Your pasture,

2 Remember Your crew that You got from the old days, That You rescued to be the family of Your inheritance, This Mount Zion where You lived.

3 Lift Your feet to the forever ruins; The enemy messed up everything in the holy spot.

4 Your enemies howled in the middle of Your meeting place; They put up their own signs as signs.

5 It was like a dude who swings an axe in a forest of trees.

6 And now they smashed its carved work all at once With axes and hammers.

7 They set Your holy spot on fire; They brought down the house of Your name to the ground.

8 They said in their hearts, “We are going to take them all out”; They burned up all God’s meeting places in the land.

9 We do not see our own signs; There are no more prophets, And nobody knows how long.

A Prayer to God

10 How long, O God, will the enemy diss, Will the enemy disrespect Your name forever,

11 Why You hold back Your hand, Your right hand, Pull it out of Your shirt and finish them.

A Confession of God’s Power

12 But God is my King from the old days, Doing rescue in the middle of the earth.

13 You split the sea with Your strength; You broke the heads of the dragons on the waters.

14 You smashed the heads of Leviathan; You gave him for food to the creatures of the desert.

15 You split the spring and the river; You dried up the rivers that are always flowing.

16 The day is Yours, the night is Yours; You set up the light and the sun.

17 You set all the borders of the earth; You made summer and winter.

A Plea for God to Remember

18 Remember this, that the enemy dissed the Lord, And a foolish people disrespected Your name.

19 Do not hand over the life of Your dove to the wild animals; Do not forget the life of Your broke people forever.

20 Look at the promise, because the dark spots of the earth are full of violent homes.

21 Do not let the oppressed dude turn back in shame; Let the broke and the needy praise Your name.

22 Get up, God, fight Your case; Remember how the fool disses You all day.

23 Do not forget the voice of Your haters; The noise of those who get up against You rises all the time.