Psalm 74-77

New International Version - UK

⁴ Your foes roared in the place where you met with us;
    they set up their standards as signs.
⁵ They behaved like men wielding axes
    to cut through a thicket of trees.
⁶ They smashed all the carved panelling
    with their axes and hatchets.
⁷ They burned your sanctuary to the ground;
    they defiled the dwelling-place of your Name.
⁸ They said in their hearts, ‘We will crush them completely!’
    They burned every place where God was worshipped in the land.

⁹ We are given no signs from God;
    no prophets are left,
    and none of us knows how long this will be.
¹⁰ How long will the enemy mock you, God?
    Will the foe revile your name for ever?
¹¹ Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
    Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!

¹² But God is my King from long ago;
    he brings salvation on the earth.

¹³ It was you who split open the sea by your power;
    you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.
¹⁴ It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan
    and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.
¹⁵ It was you who opened up springs and streams;
    you dried up the ever-flowing rivers.
¹⁶ The day is yours, and yours also the night;
    you established the sun and moon.
¹⁷ It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;
    you made both summer and winter.

¹⁸ Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord,
    how foolish people have reviled your name.
¹⁹ Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts;
    do not forget the lives of your afflicted people for ever.
²⁰ Have regard for your covenant,
    because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.
²¹ Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace;
    may the poor and needy praise your name.
²² Rise up, O God, and defend your cause;
    remember how fools mock you all day long.
²³ Do not ignore the clamour of your adversaries,
    the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.

² You say, ‘I choose the appointed time;
    it is I who judge with equity.
³ When the earth and all its people quake,
    it is I who hold its pillars firm.^[c]
4 To the arrogant I say, “Boast no more,”
    and to the wicked, “Do not lift up your horns.^[d]
5 Do not lift your horns against heaven;
    do not speak so defiantly.”’

⁶ No one from the east or the west
    or from the desert can exalt themselves.
⁷ It is God who judges:
    he brings one down, he exalts another.
⁸ In the hand of the Lord is a cup
    full of foaming wine mixed with spices;
he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth
    drink it down to its very dregs.

⁹ As for me, I will declare this for ever;
    I will sing praise to the God of Jacob,
¹⁰ who says, ‘I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
    but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.’

⁴ You are radiant with light,
    more majestic than mountains rich with game.
⁵ The valiant lie plundered,
    they sleep their last sleep;
not one of the warriors
    can lift his hands.
⁶ At your rebuke, God of Jacob,
    both horse and chariot lie still.

⁷ It is you alone who are to be feared.
    Who can stand before you when you are angry?
⁸ From heaven you pronounced judgment,
    and the land feared and was quiet –
⁹ when you, God, rose up to judge,
    to save all the afflicted of the land.
¹⁰ Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise,
    and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.^[g]

¹¹ Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfil them;
    let all the neighbouring lands
    bring gifts to the One to be feared.
¹² He breaks the spirit of rulers;
    he is feared by the kings of the earth.

³ I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
    I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.^[i]
4 You kept my eyes from closing;
    I was too troubled to speak.
⁵ I thought about the former days,
    the years of long ago;
⁶ I remembered my songs in the night.
    My heart meditated and my spirit asked:

⁷ ‘Will the Lord reject for ever?
    Will he never show his favour again?
⁸ Has his unfailing love vanished for ever?
    Has his promise failed for all time?
⁹ Has God forgotten to be merciful?
    Has he in anger withheld his compassion?’

¹⁰ Then I thought, ‘To this I will appeal:
    the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
¹¹ I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
¹² I will consider all your works
    and meditate on all your mighty deeds.’

¹³ Your ways, God, are holy.
    What god is as great as our God?
¹⁴ You are the God who performs miracles;
    you display your power among the peoples.
¹⁵ With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
    the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

¹⁶ The waters saw you, God,
    the waters saw you and writhed;
    the very depths were convulsed.
¹⁷ The clouds poured down water,
    the heavens resounded with thunder;
    your arrows flashed back and forth.
¹⁸ Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
    your lightning lit up the world;
    the earth trembled and quaked.
¹⁹ Your path led through the sea,
    your way through the mighty waters,
    though your footprints were not seen.

²⁰ You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.