PSALMS 74-77

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An Appeal against the Devastation of the Land by the Enemy.A Maskil of Asaph.
74:1 O God, why have You rejected us 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 inheritance;

And this Mount Zion, where You have dwelt.

3 Turn Your footsteps toward the perpetual ruins;

The enemy has damaged everything within the sanctuary.

4 Your adversaries have roared in the midst of Your meeting place;

They have set up their own standards for signs.

5 It seems as if one had lifted up

His axe in a forest of trees.

6 And now all its carved work

They smash with hatchet and hammers.

7 They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground;

They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name.

8 They said in their heart, “Let us completely subdue them.”

They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

9 We do not see our signs;

There is no longer any prophet,

Nor is there any among us who knows how long.

10 How long, O God, will the adversary revile,

And the enemy spurn Your name forever?

11 Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?

From within Your bosom, destroy them!

12 Yet God is my king from of old,

Who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth.

13 You divided the sea by Your strength;

You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters.

14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan;

You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.

15 You broke open springs and torrents;

You dried up ever-flowing streams.

16 Yours is the day, Yours also is the night;

You have prepared the light and the sun.

17 You have established all the boundaries of the earth;

You have made summer and winter.

18 Remember this, O LORD, that the enemy has reviled,

And a foolish people has spurned Your name.

19 Do not deliver the soul of Your turtledove to the wild beast;

Do not forget the life of Your afflicted forever.

20 Consider the covenant;

For the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.

21 Let not the oppressed return dishonored;

Let the afflicted and needy praise Your name.

22 Arise, O God, and plead Your own cause;

Remember how the foolish man reproaches You all day long.

23 Do not forget the voice of Your adversaries,

The uproar of those who rise against You which ascends continually.

God Abases the Proud, but Exalts the Righteous.For the choir director; set to Al-tashheth. A Psalm of Asaph, a Song.
75:1 We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks,

For Your name is near;

Men declare Your wondrous works.

2 “When I select an appointed time,

It is I who judge with equity.

3 “The earth and all who dwell in it melt;

It is I who have firmly set its pillars. Selah.

4 “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’

And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn;

5 Do not lift up your horn on high,

Do not speak with insolent pride.’”

6 For not from the east, nor from the west,

Nor from the desert comes exaltation;

7 But God is the Judge;

He puts down one and exalts another.

8 For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, and the wine foams;

It is well mixed, and He pours out of this;

Surely all the wicked of the earth must drain and drink down its dregs.

9 But as for me, I will declare it forever;

I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

10 And all the horns of the wicked He will cut off,

But the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.

The Victorious Power of the God of Jacob.For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph, a Song.
76:1 God is known in Judah;

His name is great in Israel.

2 His tabernacle is in Salem;

His dwelling place also is in Zion.

3 There He broke the flaming arrows,

The shield and the sword and the weapons of war. Selah.

4 You are resplendent,

More majestic than the mountains of prey.

5 The stouthearted were plundered,

They sank into sleep;

And none of the warriors could use his hands.

6 At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,

Both rider and horse were cast into a dead sleep.

7 You, even You, are to be feared;

And who may stand in Your presence when once You are angry?

8 You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;

The earth feared and was still

9 When God arose to judgment,

To save all the humble of the earth. Selah.

10 For the wrath of man shall praise You;

With a remnant of wrath You will gird Yourself.

11 Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them;

Let all who are around Him bring gifts to Him who is to be feared.

12 He will cut off the spirit of princes;

He is feared by the kings of the earth.

Comfort in Trouble from Recalling God’s Mighty Deeds.For the choir director; according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.
77:1 My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud;

My voice rises to God, and He will hear me.

2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;

In the night my hand was stretched out without weariness;

My soul refused to be comforted.

3 When I remember God, then I am disturbed;

When I sigh, then my spirit grows faint. Selah.

4 You have held my eyelids open;

I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

5 I have considered the days of old,

The years of long ago.

6 I will remember my song in the night;

I will meditate with my heart,

And my spirit ponders:

7 Will the Lord reject forever?

And will He never be favorable again?

8 Has His lovingkindness ceased forever?

Has His promise come to an end forever?

9 Has God forgotten to be gracious,

Or has He in anger withdrawn His compassion? Selah.

10 Then I said, “It is my grief,

That the right hand of the Most High has changed.”

11 I shall remember the deeds of the LORD;

Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.

12 I will meditate on all Your work

And muse on Your deeds.

13 Your way, O God, is holy;

What god is great like our God?

14 You are the God who works wonders;

You have made known Your strength among the peoples.

15 You have by Your power redeemed Your people,

The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

16 The waters saw You, O God;

The waters saw You, they were in anguish;

The deeps also trembled.

17 The clouds poured out water;

The skies gave forth a sound;

Your arrows flashed here and there.

18 The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;

The lightnings lit up the world;

The earth trembled and shook.

19 Your way was in the sea

And Your paths in the mighty waters,

And Your footprints may not be known.

20 You led Your people like a flock

By the hand of Moses and Aaron.

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