74:1 | Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture? |
74:2 | Remember the people you purchased of old, the tribe of your inheritance, whom you redeemed--Mount Zion, where you dwelt. |
74:3 | Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins, all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary. |
74:4 | Your foes roared in the place where you met with us; they set up their standards as signs. |
74:5 | They behaved like men wielding axes to cut through a thicket of trees. |
74:6 | They smashed all the carved paneling with their axes and hatchets. |
74:7 | They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name. |
74:8 | They said in their hearts, "We will crush them completely!" They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land. |
74:9 | We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be. |
74:10 | How long will the enemy mock you, O God? Will the foe revile your name forever? |
74:11 | Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them! |
74:12 | But you, O God, are my king from of old; you bring salvation upon the earth. |
74:13 | It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters. |
74:14 | It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave him as food to the creatures of the desert. |
74:15 | It was you who opened up springs and streams; you dried up the ever flowing rivers. |
74:16 | The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon. |
74:17 | It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter. |
74:18 | Remember how the enemy has mocked you, O LORD, how foolish people have reviled your name. |
74:19 | Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts; do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever. |
74:20 | Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land. |
74:21 | Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name. |
74:22 | Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long. |
74:23 | Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries, the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually. |
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