[74:1] Why have you abandoned us like this, O God? Will you be angry with your own people forever?
[74:2] Remember your people, whom you chose for yourself long ago, whom you brought out of slavery to be your own tribe. Remember Mount Zion, where once you lived.
[74:3] Walk over these total ruins; our enemies have destroyed everything in the Temple.
[74:4] Your enemies have shouted in triumph in your Temple; they have placed their flags there as signs of victory.
[74:5] They looked like woodsmen cutting down trees with their axes.
[74:6] They smashed all the wooden panels with their axes and sledge hammers.
[74:7] They wrecked your Temple and set it on fire; they desecrated the place where you are worshiped.
[74:8] They wanted to crush us completely; they burned down every holy place in the land.
[74:9] All our sacred symbols are gone; there are no prophets left, and no one knows how long this will last.
[74:10] How long, O God, will our enemies laugh at you? Will they insult your name forever?
[74:11] Why have you refused to help us? Why do you keep your hands behind you?
[74:12] But you have been our king from the beginning, O God; you have saved us many times.
[74:13] With your mighty strength you divided the sea and smashed the heads of the sea monsters;
[74:14] you crushed the heads of the monster Leviathan and fed his body to desert animals.
[74:15] You made springs and fountains flow; you dried up large rivers.
[74:16] You created the day and the night; you set the sun and the moon in their places;
[74:17] you set the limits of the earth; you made summer and winter.
[74:18] But remember, O Lord, that your enemies laugh at you, that they are godless and despise you.
[74:19] Don't abandon your helpless people to their cruel enemies; don't forget your persecuted people!
[74:20] Remember the covenant you made with us. There is violence in every dark corner of the land.
[74:21] Don't let the oppressed be put to shame; let those poor and needy people praise you.
[74:22] Rouse yourself, God, and defend your cause! Remember that godless people laugh at you all day long.
[74:23] Don't forget the angry shouts of your enemies, the continuous noise made by your foes.