Chapter 74

אמַשְׂכִּ֗יל לְאָ֫סָ֥ף לָמָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים זָנַ֣חְתָּ לָנֶ֑צַח יֶעְשַׁ֥ן אַ֝פְּךָ֗ בְּצֹ֣אן מַרְעִיתֶֽךָ׃

1A maskil of Asaph.
Why, O God, do You forever reject us,
do You fume in anger at the flock that You tend?

בזְכֹ֤ר עֲדָתְךָ֨ ׀ קָ֘נִ֤יתָ קֶּ֗דֶם גָּ֭אַלְתָּ שֵׁ֣בֶט נַחֲלָתֶ֑ךָ הַר־צִ֝יּ֗וֹן זֶ֤ה ׀ שָׁכַ֬נְתָּ בּֽוֹ׃

2Remember the community You made Yours long ago,
Your very own tribe that You redeemed,
Mount Zion, where You dwell.

גהָרִ֣ימָה פְ֭עָמֶיךָ לְמַשֻּׁא֣וֹת נֶ֑צַח כָּל־הֵרַ֖ע אוֹיֵ֣ב בַּקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃

3Bestir Yourself¹ because of the perpetual tumult,²
all the outrages of the enemy in the sanctuary.

דשָׁאֲג֣וּ צֹ֭רְרֶיךָ בְּקֶ֣רֶב מוֹעֲדֶ֑ךָ שָׂ֖מוּ אוֹתֹתָ֣ם אֹתֽוֹת׃

4Your foes roar inside Your meeting-place;
they take their signs for true signs.

היִ֭וָּדַע כְּמֵבִ֣יא לְמָ֑עְלָה בִּֽסֲבָךְ־עֵ֝֗ץ קַרְדֻּמּֽוֹת׃

5It is like those who wield axes
against a gnarled tree;

וועת [וְ֭עַתָּה] פִּתּוּחֶ֣יהָ יָּ֑חַד בְּכַשִּׁ֥יל וְ֝כֵֽילַפֹּ֗ת יַהֲלֹמֽוּן׃

6with hatchet and pike
they hacked away at its carved work.³

זשִׁלְח֣וּ בָ֭אֵשׁ מִקְדָּשֶׁ֑ךָ לָ֝אָ֗רֶץ חִלְּל֥וּ מִֽשְׁכַּן־שְׁמֶֽךָ׃

7They made Your sanctuary go up in flames;
they brought low in dishonor the dwelling-place of Your presence.

חאָמְר֣וּ בְ֭לִבָּם נִינָ֣ם יָ֑חַד שָׂרְפ֖וּ כָל־מוֹעֲדֵי־אֵ֣ל בָּאָֽרֶץ׃

8They resolved, “Let us destroy them altogether!”
They burned all God’s tabernacles in the land.

טאֽוֹתֹתֵ֗ינוּ לֹ֥א רָ֫אִ֥ינוּ אֵֽין־ע֥וֹד נָבִ֑יא וְלֹֽא־אִ֝תָּ֗נוּ יֹדֵ֥עַ עַד־מָֽה׃

9No signs appear for us;
there is no longer any prophet;
no one among us knows for how long.

יעַד־מָתַ֣י אֱ֭לֹהִים יְחָ֣רֶף צָ֑ר יְנָ֘אֵ֤ץ אוֹיֵ֖ב שִׁמְךָ֣ לָנֶֽצַח׃

10Till when, O God, will the foe blaspheme,
will the enemy forever revile Your name?

יאלָ֤מָּה תָשִׁ֣יב יָ֭דְךָ וִֽימִינֶ֑ךָ מִקֶּ֖רֶב חוקך [חֵֽיקְךָ֣] כַלֵּֽה׃

11Why do You hold back Your hand, Your right hand?
Draw it out of Your bosom!⁴

יבוֵ֭אלֹהִים מַלְכִּ֣י מִקֶּ֑דֶם פֹּעֵ֥ל יְ֝שׁוּע֗וֹת בְּקֶ֣רֶב הָאָֽרֶץ׃

12O God, my Sovereign from of old,
who brings deliverance throughout the land;

יגאַתָּ֤ה פוֹרַ֣רְתָּ בְעָזְּךָ֣ יָ֑ם שִׁבַּ֖רְתָּ רָאשֵׁ֥י תַ֝נִּינִ֗ים עַל־הַמָּֽיִם׃

13it was You who drove back the sea with Your might,
who smashed the heads of the monsters in the waters;

ידאַתָּ֣ה רִ֭צַּצְתָּ רָאשֵׁ֣י לִוְיָתָ֑ן תִּתְּנֶ֥נּוּ מַ֝אֲכָ֗ל לְעָ֣ם לְצִיִּֽים׃

14it was You who crushed the heads of Leviathan,
who left it as food for the denizens of the desert;⁵

טואַתָּ֣ה בָ֭קַעְתָּ מַעְיָ֣ן וָנָ֑חַל אַתָּ֥ה ה֝וֹבַ֗שְׁתָּ נַהֲר֥וֹת אֵיתָֽן׃

15it was You who released springs and torrents,
who made mighty rivers run dry;

טזלְךָ֣ י֭וֹם אַף־לְךָ֥ לָ֑יְלָה אַתָּ֥ה הֲ֝כִינ֗וֹתָ מָא֥וֹר וָשָֽׁמֶשׁ׃

16the day is Yours, the night also;
it was You who set in place the orb of the sun;

יזאַתָּ֣ה הִ֭צַּבְתָּ כָּל־גְּבוּל֣וֹת אָ֑רֶץ קַ֥יִץ וָ֝חֹ֗רֶף אַתָּ֥ה יְצַרְתָּם׃

17You fixed all the boundaries of the earth;
summer and winter—You made them.

יחזְכָר־זֹ֗את א֭וֹיֵב חֵרֵ֣ף ׀ יְהוָ֑ה וְעַ֥ם נָ֝בָ֗ל נִֽאֲצ֥וּ שְׁמֶֽךָ׃

18Be mindful of how the enemy blasphemes GOD,
how base people revile Your name.

יטאַל־תִּתֵּ֣ן לְ֭חַיַּת נֶ֣פֶשׁ תּוֹרֶ֑ךָ חַיַּ֥ת עֲ֝נִיֶּ֗יךָ אַל־תִּשְׁכַּ֥ח לָנֶֽצַח׃

19Do not deliver Your dove to the wild beast;
do not ignore forever the band of Your lowly ones.

כהַבֵּ֥ט לַבְּרִ֑ית כִּ֥י מָלְא֥וּ מַחֲשַׁכֵּי־אֶ֝֗רֶץ נְא֣וֹת חָמָֽס׃

20Look to the covenant!
For the dark places of the land are full of the haunts of lawlessness.

כאאַל־יָשֹׁ֣ב דַּ֣ךְ נִכְלָ֑ם עָנִ֥י וְ֝אֶבְי֗וֹן יְֽהַלְל֥וּ שְׁמֶֽךָ׃

21Let not the downtrodden turn away disappointed;
let the poor and needy praise Your name.

כבקוּמָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים רִיבָ֣ה רִיבֶ֑ךָ זְכֹ֥ר חֶרְפָּתְךָ֥ מִנִּי־נָ֝בָ֗ל כָּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃

22Rise, O God, champion Your cause;
be mindful that You are blasphemed by scoundrels all day long.

כגאַל־תִּ֭שְׁכַּח ק֣וֹל צֹרְרֶ֑יךָ שְׁא֥וֹן קָ֝מֶ֗יךָ עֹלֶ֥ה תָמִֽיד׃

23Do not ignore the shouts of Your foes,
the din of Your adversaries that ascends all the time.

Sefaria: Tanach with Ta'amei Hamikra · Public domain · sefaria.org

Sefaria: THE JPS TANAKH: Gender-Sensitive Edition · CC BY-NC · sefaria.org