Psalm 74 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

Psa 74:1

Psa 74:1A psalm[fn] of Asaph.

O God, why have you rejected us so long?
Why is your anger so intense against the sheep of your own pasture?

Psa 74:2

Psa 74:2Remember that we are the people you chose long ago,
the tribe you redeemed as your own special possession!
And remember Jerusalem,[fn] your home here on earth.

Psa 74:3

Psa 74:3Walk through the awful ruins of the city;
see how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary.

Psa 74:4

Psa 74:4There your enemies shouted their victorious battle cries;
there they set up their battle standards.

Psa 74:5

Psa 74:5They swung their axes
like woodcutters in a forest.

Psa 74:6

Psa 74:6With axes and picks,
they smashed the carved paneling.

Psa 74:7

Psa 74:7They burned your sanctuary to the ground.
They defiled the place that bears your name.

Psa 74:8

Psa 74:8Then they thought, “Let’s destroy everything!”
So they burned down all the places where God was worshiped.

Psa 74:9

Psa 74:9We no longer see your miraculous signs.
All the prophets are gone,
and no one can tell us when it will end.

Psa 74:10

Psa 74:10How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to insult you?
Will you let them dishonor your name forever?

Psa 74:11

Psa 74:11Why do you hold back your strong right hand?
Unleash your powerful fist and destroy them.

Psa 74:12

Psa 74:12You, O God, are my king from ages past,
bringing salvation to the earth.

Psa 74:13

Psa 74:13You split the sea by your strength
and smashed the heads of the sea monsters.

Psa 74:14

Psa 74:14You crushed the heads of Leviathan[fn]
and let the desert animals eat him.

Psa 74:15

Psa 74:15You caused the springs and streams to gush forth,
and you dried up rivers that never run dry.

Psa 74:16

Psa 74:16Both day and night belong to you;
you made the starlight[fn] and the sun.

Psa 74:17

Psa 74:17You set the boundaries of the earth,
and you made both summer and winter.

Psa 74:18

Psa 74:18See how these enemies insult you, LORD.
A foolish nation has dishonored your name.

Psa 74:19

Psa 74:19Don’t let these wild beasts destroy your turtledoves.
Don’t forget your suffering people forever.

Psa 74:20

Psa 74:20Remember your covenant promises,
for the land is full of darkness and violence!

Psa 74:21

Psa 74:21Don’t let the downtrodden be humiliated again.
Instead, let the poor and needy praise your name.

Psa 74:22

Psa 74:22Arise, O God, and defend your cause.
Remember how these fools insult you all day long.

Psa 74:23

Psa 74:23Don’t overlook what your enemies have said
or their growing uproar.

See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NLT Footnotes

(74:1)

Hebrew maskil. This may be a literary or musical term.

(74:2)

Hebrew Mount Zion.

(74:14)

The identification of Leviathan is disputed, ranging from an earthly creature to a mythical sea monster in ancient literature.

(74:16)

Or moon; Hebrew reads light.

Full copyright information is provided here. Visit the New Living Translation website.

For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.