Psalms 74

Berean Standard Bible

Chapter summary

The psalmist laments God's apparent rejection and anger toward His people and Mount Zion, pleading for Him to witness the total destruction of His sanctuary by enemies. Foes have roared in the meeting place, using axes and hatchets to smash its carvings and burning the dwelling place of God's name to the ground. Amidst this suffering, where no prophets or signs remain, the speaker recalls God's ancient power demonstrated in dividing the sea, crushing sea monsters, and establishing the sun, moon, and seasons of the earth. The prayer concludes with an appeal for God to remember His covenant, defend His cause against foolish adversaries, and protect the afflicted and needy from ongoing violence and mockery.

Summary automatically generated from the Bible text.

Words of Jesus in red

¹Why have You rejected us forever, O God? Why does Your anger smolder against the sheep of Your pasture? ²Remember Your congregation, which You purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance— Mount Zion, where You dwell. ³Turn Your steps to the everlasting ruins, to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed. ⁴Your foes have roared within Your meeting place; they have unfurled their banners as signs, ⁵like men wielding axes in a thicket of trees ⁶and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks. ⁷They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground; they have defiled the dwelling place of Your Name. ⁸They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely.” They burned down every place where God met us in the land. ⁹There are no signs for us to see. There is no longer any prophet. And none of us knows how long this will last. ¹⁰How long, O God, will the enemy taunt You? Will the foe revile Your name forever? ¹¹Why do You withdraw Your strong right hand? Stretch it out to destroy them! ¹²Yet God is my King from ancient times, working salvation on the earth. ¹³You divided the sea by Your strength; You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea; ¹⁴You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert. ¹⁵You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers. ¹⁶The day is Yours, and also the night; You established the moon and the sun. ¹⁷You set all the boundaries of the earth; You made the summer and winter. ¹⁸Remember how the enemy has mocked You, O LORD, how a foolish people has spurned Your name. ¹⁹Do not deliver the soul of Your dove to beasts; do not forget the lives of Your afflicted forever. ²⁰Consider Your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land. ²¹Do not let the oppressed retreat in shame; may the poor and needy praise Your name. ²²Rise up, O God; defend Your cause! Remember how the fool mocks You all day long. ²³Do not disregard the clamor of Your adversaries, the uproar of Your enemies that ascends continually.

Test this chapter

Louis Segond 1910 and Berean Standard Bible: public domain. Cross references: open-cross-ref, Creative Commons BY 4.0.