Psalm 74

PRAYER FOR ISRAEL

A Maskil of Asaph.ad

1 Why have you rejected us forever, God?

Why does your anger burn

against the sheep of your pasture?ae

2 Remember your congregation,

which you purchased long ago

and redeemed as the tribe for your own possession.af

Remember Mount Zion where you dwell.ag

3 Make your wayJ to the perpetual ruins,

to all that the enemy has destroyed in the sanctuary.a

4 Your adversaries roared in the meeting place

where you met with us.A

They set up their emblems as signs.b

5 It was like men in a thicket of trees,

wielding axes,c

6 then smashing all the carvings

with hatchets and picks.d

7 They set your sanctuary on fire;

they utterlyB desecrated

the dwelling place of your name.e

8 They said in their hearts,

“Let’s oppress them relentlessly.”

They burned every place throughout the land

where God met with us.C,f

9 There are no signs for us to see.

There is no longer a prophet.

And none of us knows how long this will last.g

10 God, how long will the enemy mock?

Will the foe insult your name forever?h

11 Why do you hold back your hand?

Stretch outD your right hand and destroy them!i

12 God my King is from ancient times,

performing saving acts on the earth.j

13 You divided the sea with your strength;

you smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the water;k

14 you crushed the heads of Leviathan;

you fed him to the creatures of the desert.l

15 You opened up springs and streams;m

you dried up ever-flowing rivers.n

16 The day is yours, also the night;

you established the moon and the sun.o

17 You set all the boundaries of the earth;

you made summer and winter.p

18 Remember this: the enemy has mocked the Lord,

and a foolish people has insulted your name.q

19 Do not give to beasts the life of your dove;E

do not forget the lives of your poor people forever.r

20 Consider the covenant,s

for the dark places of the land are full of violence.t

21 Do not let the oppressed turn away in shame;

let the poor and needy praise your name.u

22 Rise up, God, champion your cause!v

Remember the insults

that fools bring against you all day long.w

23 Do not forget the clamor of your adversaries,

the tumult of your opponents that goes up constantly.x

Psalm 75

GOD JUDGES THE WICKED

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A psalm of Asaph.y A song.

1 We give thanks to you, God;

we give thanks to you, for your name is near.*

People tell about your wondrous works.z

2 “When I choose a time,

I will judge fairly.aa

3 When the earth and all its inhabitants shake,

I am the one who steadies its pillars.ab

Selah

4 I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’

and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn.ac

5 Do not lift up your horn against heavenF

or speak arrogantly.’ ”ad

6 Exaltation does not come

from the east, the west, or the desert,

7 for God is the Judge:

He brings down one and exalts another.ae

8 For there is a cup in the Lord’s hand,

full of wine blended with spices, and he pours from it.

All the wicked of the earth will drink,

draining it to the dregs.af

9 As for me, I will tell about him forever;

I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.a

10 “I will cut off all the horns of the wicked,b

but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”c

Psalm 76

GOD, THE POWERFUL JUDGE

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph.d A song.

1 God is known in Judah;

his name is great in Israel.e

2 His tent is in Salem,

his dwelling place in Zion.f

3 There he shatters the bow’s flaming arrows,

the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.g

Selah

4 You are resplendent and majestic

coming down from the mountains of prey.h

5 The brave-hearted have been plundered;

they have slipped into their final sleep.

None of the warriors was able to lift a hand.i

6 At your rebuke, God of Jacob,

both chariot and horse lay still.j

7 And you—you are to be feared.A

When you are angry,

who can stand before you?k

8 From heaven you pronounced judgment.

The earth feared and grew quietl

9 when God rose up to judge

and to save all the lowly of the earth.m

Selah

10 Even human wrath will praise you;

you will clothe yourself

with the wrath that remains.B,n

11 Make and keep your vows

to the Lord your God;o

let all who are around him bring tribute

to the awe-inspiring one.C,p

12 He humbles the spirit of leaders;

he is feared by the kings of the earth.q