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Psalm 74-76
New King James Version
Psalm 74-76
New King James Version
A Plea for Relief from Oppressors
A [a]Contemplation of Asaph.
74 O God, why have 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,
The tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed—
This Mount Zion where You have dwelt.
3 Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations.
The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.
4 (A)Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place;
(B)They set up their banners for signs.
5 They seem like men who lift up
Axes among the thick trees.
6 And now they break down its carved work, all at once,
With axes and hammers.
7 They have set fire to Your sanctuary;
They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground.
8 (C)They said in their hearts,
“Let us [b]destroy them altogether.”
They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.
9 We do not see our signs;
(D)There is no longer any prophet;
Nor is there any among us who knows how long.
10 O God, how long will the adversary [c]reproach?
Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?
11 (E)Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?
Take it out of Your bosom and destroy them.
12 For (F)God is my King from of old,
Working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 (G)You divided the sea by Your strength;
You broke the heads of the [d]sea serpents in the waters.
14 You broke the heads of [e]Leviathan in pieces,
And gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
15 (H)You broke open the fountain and the flood;
(I)You dried up mighty rivers.
16 The day is Yours, the night also is (J)Yours;
(K)You have prepared the light and the sun.
17 You have (L)set all the borders of the earth;
(M)You have made summer and winter.
18 Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O Lord,
And that a foolish people has blasphemed Your name.
19 Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast!
Do not forget the life of Your poor forever.
20 (N)Have respect to the covenant;
For the [f]dark places of the earth are full of the [g]haunts of [h]cruelty.
21 Oh, do not let the oppressed return ashamed!
Let the poor and needy praise Your name.
22 Arise, O God, plead Your own cause;
Remember how the foolish man [i]reproaches You daily.
23 Do not forget the voice of Your enemies;
The tumult of those who rise up against You increases continually.
Thanksgiving for God’s Righteous Judgment
To the Chief Musician. Set to (O)“Do[j] Not Destroy.” A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
75 We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks!
For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.
2 “When I choose the [k]proper time,
I will judge uprightly.
3 The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved;
I set up its pillars firmly. Selah
4 “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’
And to the wicked, (P)‘Do not [l]lift up the horn.
5 Do not lift up your horn on high;
Do not speak with [m]a stiff neck.’ ”
6 For exaltation comes neither from the east
Nor from the west nor from the south.
7 But (Q)God is the Judge:
(R)He puts down one,
And exalts another.
8 For (S)in the hand of the Lord there is a cup,
And the wine is red;
It is fully mixed, and He pours it out;
Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth
Drain and drink down.
9 But I will declare forever,
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 “All(T) the [n]horns of the wicked I will also cut off,
But (U)the horns of the righteous shall be (V)exalted.”
The Majesty of God in Judgment
To the Chief Musician. On [o]stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
76 In (W)Judah God is known;
His name is great in Israel.
2 In [p]Salem also is His tabernacle,
And His dwelling place in Zion.
3 There He broke the arrows of the bow,
The shield and sword of battle. Selah
4 You are more glorious and excellent
(X)Than the mountains of prey.
5 (Y)The stouthearted were plundered;
(Z)They [q]have sunk into their sleep;
And none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands.
6 (AA)At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep.
7 You, Yourself, are to be feared;
And (AB)who may stand in Your presence
When once You are angry?
8 (AC)You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;
(AD)The earth feared and was still,
9 When God (AE)arose to judgment,
To deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah
10 (AF)Surely the wrath of man shall praise You;
With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself.
11 (AG)Make vows to the Lord your God, and pay them;
(AH)Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared.
12 He shall cut off the spirit of princes;
(AI)He is awesome to the kings of the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 74:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 74:8 oppress
- Psalm 74:10 revile
- Psalm 74:13 sea monsters
- Psalm 74:14 A large sea creature of unknown identity
- Psalm 74:20 hiding places
- Psalm 74:20 homes
- Psalm 74:20 violence
- Psalm 74:22 reviles or taunts
- Psalm 75:1 Heb. Al Tashcheth
- Psalm 75:2 appointed
- Psalm 75:4 Raise the head proudly like a horned animal
- Psalm 75:5 Insolent pride
- Psalm 75:10 Strength
- Psalm 76:1 Heb. neginoth
- Psalm 76:2 Jerusalem
- Psalm 76:5 Lit. have slumbered their sleep
Psalm 74-76
New International Version
Psalm 74-76
New International Version
Psalm 74
A maskil[a] of Asaph.
1 O God, why have you rejected(A) us forever?(B)
Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?(C)
2 Remember the nation you purchased(D) long ago,(E)
the people of your inheritance,(F) whom you redeemed(G)—
Mount Zion,(H) where you dwelt.(I)
3 Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,(J)
all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.
4 Your foes roared(K) in the place where you met with us;
they set up their standards(L) as signs.
5 They behaved like men wielding axes
to cut through a thicket of trees.(M)
6 They smashed all the carved(N) paneling
with their axes and hatchets.
7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground;
they defiled(O) the dwelling place(P) of your Name.(Q)
8 They said in their hearts, “We will crush(R) them completely!”
They burned(S) every place where God was worshiped in the land.
9 We are given no signs from God;(T)
no prophets(U) are left,
and none of us knows how long this will be.
10 How long(V) will the enemy mock(W) you, God?
Will the foe revile(X) your name forever?
11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?(Y)
Take it from the folds of your garment(Z) and destroy them!
13 It was you who split open the sea(AC) by your power;
you broke the heads of the monster(AD) in the waters.
14 It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan(AE)
and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.(AF)
15 It was you who opened up springs(AG) and streams;
you dried up(AH) the ever-flowing rivers.
16 The day is yours, and yours also the night;
you established the sun and moon.(AI)
17 It was you who set all the boundaries(AJ) of the earth;
you made both summer and winter.(AK)
18 Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord,
how foolish people(AL) have reviled your name.
19 Do not hand over the life of your dove(AM) to wild beasts;
do not forget the lives of your afflicted(AN) people forever.
20 Have regard for your covenant,(AO)
because haunts of violence fill the dark places(AP) of the land.
21 Do not let the oppressed(AQ) retreat in disgrace;
may the poor and needy(AR) praise your name.
22 Rise up,(AS) O God, and defend your cause;
remember how fools(AT) mock you all day long.
23 Do not ignore the clamor(AU) of your adversaries,(AV)
the uproar(AW) of your enemies,(AX) which rises continually.
Psalm 75[b]
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A psalm of Asaph. A song.
1 We praise you, God,
we praise you, for your Name is near;(AY)
people tell of your wonderful deeds.(AZ)
2 You say, “I choose the appointed time;(BA)
it is I who judge with equity.(BB)
3 When the earth and all its people quake,(BC)
it is I who hold its pillars(BD) firm.[c]
4 To the arrogant(BE) I say, ‘Boast no more,’(BF)
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.[d](BG)
5 Do not lift your horns against heaven;
do not speak so defiantly.(BH)’”
6 No one from the east or the west
or from the desert can exalt themselves.
7 It is God who judges:(BI)
He brings one down, he exalts another.(BJ)
8 In the hand of the Lord is a cup
full of foaming wine mixed(BK) with spices;
he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth
drink it down to its very dregs.(BL)
9 As for me, I will declare(BM) this forever;
I will sing(BN) praise to the God of Jacob,(BO)
10 who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”(BP)
Psalm 76[e]
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.
1 God is renowned in Judah;
in Israel his name is great.(BQ)
2 His tent is in Salem,(BR)
his dwelling place in Zion.(BS)
3 There he broke the flashing arrows,(BT)
the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.[f](BU)
4 You are radiant with light,(BV)
more majestic than mountains rich with game.
5 The valiant(BW) lie plundered,
they sleep their last sleep;(BX)
not one of the warriors
can lift his hands.
6 At your rebuke,(BY) God of Jacob,
both horse and chariot(BZ) lie still.
7 It is you alone who are to be feared.(CA)
Who can stand(CB) before you when you are angry?(CC)
8 From heaven you pronounced judgment,
and the land feared(CD) and was quiet—
9 when you, God, rose up to judge,(CE)
to save all the afflicted(CF) of the land.
10 Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise,(CG)
and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.[g]
Footnotes
- Psalm 74:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 75:1 In Hebrew texts 75:1-10 is numbered 75:2-11.
- Psalm 75:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
- Psalm 75:4 Horns here symbolize strength; also in verses 5 and 10.
- Psalm 76:1 In Hebrew texts 76:1-12 is numbered 76:2-13.
- Psalm 76:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 9.
- Psalm 76:10 Or Surely the wrath of mankind brings you praise, / and with the remainder of wrath you arm yourself
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.