Old Testament · Poetry and wisdom

Psalms chapter 74

A of . God, why have you thrown us away for good? Why does your anger smolder against the ?Remember the people you long ago, the tribe you to be your own — , where you made your home.Walk through these endless ruins. The enemy has wrecked everything in .Your enemies roared in the heart of your . They set up their own as signs of conquest.They hacked away like men swinging axes through a thick forest.And then — all the , they smashed it to pieces with hatchets and hammers.They set fire to ; they dragged to the ground.They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely.” They burned 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 hand — your ? Pull it out from inside your cloak and finish this!Yet God has been my since the beginning, achieving after rescue across the earth.You split the sea open with your raw power; you shattered the heads of the in the waters.You crushed the heads of 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 praise your name.Rise up, God — . 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.