UST PSA Chapter 74

◄ PSA 74 ► ║ ═ ©

A psalm written by Asaph

74 God, it feels like you have abandoned us permanently!

I do not understand why you are so angry with us,

since we are like sheep in your pasture and you are like our shepherd!

2 Do not forget your people whom you chose long ago,

the people whom you freed from being slaves in Egypt and caused to become your tribe.

Do not forget Jerusalem, which was where you dwelt on earth.

3 Hurry, come and see everything that has been ruined for so long;

our enemies have destroyed everything in the Temple.

4 Your enemies have shouted triumphantly in your sacred place;

they erected their banners to show they had defeated us.

5 They chopped down all the woodwork in the Temple, like woodsmen cut down trees in a forest with their axes.

6 They tore down all the carved wood with their axes and hammers.

7 Then they burned your temple to the ground;

they defiled the place where you dwelled on earth.

8 They said to themselves, “We will subdue the Israelites completely.”

They have burned down all the other places throughout the land of Israel where people gathered to worship you.

9 We no longer see any signs from God’s prophets;

there are no prophets any more,

and no one among us knows how long this situation will continue.

10 God, how long will our enemies make fun of you?

Will they insult you forever?

11 Why, even though you are powerful, do you refuse to help us?

Please stop refusing to help us and come and rescue us by destroying our enemies.

12 But still God, you are our king since long ago;

and you have rescued us from our enemies here on earth.

13 By your power you caused the sea to divide;

it was as though you had smashed the heads of the rulers of Egypt who were like huge sea dragons.

14 It was as though you crushed the head of the king of Egypt

and gave his body to the animals in the desert to eat.

15 You caused springs and streams to flow,

and you also dried up rivers that had never dried up previously.

16 You created the days and the nights,

and you put the sun and the moon in their places.

17 You determined where the oceans end and the land begins,

and you created the summer season and the winter season.

18 Yahweh, do not forget that your enemies laugh at you

and that it is foolish people who despise you.

19 Do not abandon your helpless people into the hands of their cruel enemies;

do not forget your suffering people.

20 Continue thinking about the covenant that you made with us;

remember that there are violent people in every dark place on the earth.

21 Do not allow your oppressed people to be disgraced;

help those poor and needy people in order that they will again praise you.

22 God, arise and defend yourself by defending your people!

Do not forget that foolish people laugh at you all during the day!

23 Do not forget that your enemies shout angrily at you;

the uproar that they make while they oppose you never stops.