Psalms 74 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
~586 BC, after Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem
Location
Jerusalem (the temple)
Audience
The people of Judah in exile or immediate aftermath
Situation
The Babylonian army under Nebuchadnezzar II has invaded, desecrated the temple, and destroyed the city, leaving the people in despair and questioning God's silence.
Key Background
Psalm 74 is a communal lament attributed to Asaph, describing enemies smashing the sanctuary's carvings, altars, and symbols, matching accounts in 2 Kings 25 and Jeremiah 52. It pleads with God to remember His covenant and past mighty acts like creation and the Exodus. This reflects the national trauma of the First Temple's fall, leading to the Babylonian exile.
A of Asaph. God, why have you thrown us away for good? Why does your anger smolder against the you
Remember the people you long ago, the tribe you to be your own — Mount where you made your home.
Walk through these endless ruins — the enemy has wrecked everything in the
Your enemies roared in the heart of your place. They set up their own as signs of conquest.
They hacked away like men swinging axes through a thick forest.
And then — all the woodwork, they smashed it to pieces with hatchets and hammers.
They set sacred on fire; they tore down and defiled the where
They said in their hearts, "We will crush them completely." They burned every where with across the land.
We don't see any meant for us anymore; there is no left, and none of us knows how long this will last.
How long, God, will the enemy mock? Will the one who hates you your name forever?
Why do you hold back your — your hand? Pull it out from inside your cloak and finish this!
Yet God has been my since the beginning, achieving after across the earth.
You split the open with your raw power; you shattered the heads of the in the waters.
You crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave his carcass as food to the creatures of the wasteland.
You cracked open and rushing streams; you dried up rivers that never stop flowing.
The day belongs to you, and the night is yours too; you set the and moon in place.
You drew every of the earth; summer and winter — you made them both.
Remember this, the enemy has mocked you, and a foolish people has your name.
Don't hand over the life of your to wild animals; don't forget the lives of your suffering people forever.
Look at the — because the dark corners of the land are full of violence and cruelty.
Don't let the turn away in shame; let the and praise your name.
Rise up, God — defend own cause. Remember how fools mock you all day long.
Don't forget the of your enemies, the constant of those who rise against you — it never stops.