Psalm 74,16 | New International Reader’s Version

A maskil of Asaph.

1 God, why have you turned your back on us for so long? Why are you so angry with us? We are your very own sheep. 2 Remember the nation that you chose as your own so long ago. Remember that you set us free from slavery to be your very own people. Remember Mount Zion, where you lived. 3 Walk through this place that has been torn down beyond repair. See how completely your enemies have destroyed the temple! 4 In the place where you used to meet with us, your enemies have shouted, ‘We’ve won the battle!’ They have set up their flags to show they have beaten us. 5 They acted like people cutting down a forest with axes. 6 They smashed all the beautiful wooden walls with their axes and hatchets. 7 They burned your temple to the ground. They polluted the place where your Name is. 8 They had said in their hearts, ‘We will crush them completely!’ They burned every place where you were worshipped in the land. 9 We don’t get signs from God anymore. There aren’t any prophets left. None of us knows how long that will last. 10 God, how long will your enemies make fun of you? Will they attack you with their words for ever? 11 Why don’t you help us? Why do you hold back your power? Use your strong power to destroy your enemies! 12 God, you have been my king for a long time. You are the only God who can save anyone on earth. 13 You parted the waters of the Red Sea by your power. You broke the heads of that sea monster in Egypt. 14 You crushed the heads of the sea monster Leviathan. You fed it to the creatures of the desert. 15 You opened up streams and springs. You dried up rivers that flow all year long. 16 You rule over the day and the night. You created the sun and the moon. 17 You decided where the borders of the earth would be. You made both summer and winter. 18 LORD, remember how your enemies have made fun of you. Remember how foolish people have attacked you with their words. 19 Don’t hand over Israel, your dove, to those wild animals. Don’t forget your suffering people for ever. 20 Honour the covenant you made with us. Horrible things are happening in every dark corner of the land. 21 Don’t let your suffering people be put to shame. May those who are poor and needy praise you. 22 God, rise up. Stand up for your cause. Remember how foolish people make fun of you all day long. 23 Pay close attention to the shouts of your enemies. The trouble they cause never stops.

English Standard Version

Arise, O God, Defend Your Cause

1 A Maskil* of Asaph. O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture? 2 Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage! Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt. 3 Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary! 4 Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place; they set up their own signs for signs. 5 They were like those who swing axes in a forest of trees.* 6 And all its carved wood they broke down with hatchets and hammers. 7 They set your sanctuary on fire; they profaned the dwelling place of your name, bringing it down to the ground. 8 They said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land. 9 We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long. 10 How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever? 11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the fold of your garment* and destroy them! 12 Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. 13 You divided the sea by your might; you broke the heads of the sea monsters* on the waters. 14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness. 15 You split open springs and brooks; you dried up ever-flowing streams. 16 Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun. 17 You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter. 18 Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs, and a foolish people reviles your name. 19 Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts; do not forget the life of your poor forever. 20 Have regard for the covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence. 21 Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame; let the poor and needy praise your name. 22 Arise, O God, defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day! 23 Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!

Psalm 74,16 | New International Reader’s Version English Standard Version

A maskil of Asaph.

Arise, O God, Defend Your Cause