Psalms 74; Psalms 75; Psalms 76; Romans 9:16-33

1 God, why have you turned your back on us for so long? Why does your anger burn against us? We are your very own sheep.

2 Remember that you chose us to be your own people a long time ago. Remember that you set us free from slavery to be your very own tribe. Remember Mount Zion, where you lived.

3 Walk through this place that has been torn down beyond repair. See how completely your enemies have destroyed the temple!

4 In the place where you used to meet with us, your enemies have shouted, "We've won the battle!" They have set up their flags to show they have beaten us.

5 They acted like people cutting down a forest with axes.

6 They smashed all of the beautiful wooden walls with their axes and hatchets.

7 They burned your temple to the ground. They polluted the place where your Name is.

8 They had said in their hearts, "We will crush them completely!" They burned every place where you were worshiped in the land.

9 You don't give us miraculous signs anymore. There aren't any prophets left. None of us knows how long that will last.

10 God, how long will your enemies make fun of you? Will they attack you with their words forever?

11 Why don't you help us? Why do you hold back your powerful right hand? Use your strong arms to destroy your enemies!

12 God, you have been my king for a long time. The whole earth has seen you save us over and over again.

13 You parted the Red Sea by your power. You broke the heads of that sea monster in Egypt.

14 You crushed the heads of the sea monster Leviathan. You fed it to the creatures of the desert.

15 You opened up streams and springs. You dried up rivers that flow all year long.

16 You rule over the day and the night. You created the sun and the moon.

17 You decided where the borders of the earth would be. You made both summer and winter.

18 Lord, remember how your enemies have made fun of you. Remember how foolish people have attacked you with their words.

19 Don't hand Israel, your dove, over to those wild animals. Don't forget your suffering people forever.

20 Honor the covenant you made with us. Horrible things are happening in every dark corner of the land.

21 Don't let your suffering people be put to shame. May those who are poor and needy praise you.

22 God, rise up. Stand up for your cause. Remember how foolish people make fun of you all day long.

23 Pay close attention to the shouts of your enemies. The trouble they cause never stops.

1 God, we give thanks to you. We give thanks because your Name is near. People talk about the wonderful things you have done.

2 You say, "I choose the appointed time to judge people. And I judge them fairly.

3 When the earth and all of its people tremble, I keep everything from falling to pieces. "Selah"

4 To the proud I say, 'Don't brag anymore.' To sinners I say, 'Don't show off your power.

5 Don't show it off against me. Don't speak with your noses in the air.' "

6 No one from east or west or north or south can act as judge.

7 God is the One who judges. He says to one person, "You are guilty." To another he says, "You are not guilty."

8 In the hand of the LORD is a cup. It is full of wine mixed with spices. It is the wine of his anger. He pours it out. All of the evil people on earth drink it down to the very last drop.

9 I will speak about this forever. I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.

10 God will destroy the power of all sinful people. But he will make godly people more powerful.

1 In the land of Judah, God is known. His name is great in Israel.

2 His tent is in Jerusalem. The place where he lives is on Mount Zion.

3 There he broke the deadly arrows of his enemies. He broke their shields and swords. He broke their weapons of war. "Selah"

4 God, you shine like a very bright light. You are more majestic than mountains full of wild animals.

5 Brave soldiers have been robbed of everything they had. Now they lie there, sleeping in death. Not one of them can even lift his hands.

6 God of Jacob, at your command both horse and chariot lie still.

7 People should have respect for you alone. Who can stand in front of you when you are angry?

8 From heaven you handed down your sentence. The land was afraid and became quiet.

9 God, that happened when you rose up to judge. It happened when you came to save all of your suffering people in the land. "Selah"

10 Your anger against sinners brings you praise. Those who live through your anger gather to worship you.

11 Make promises to the LORD your God and keep them. Let all of the neighboring nations bring gifts to the One who should be respected.

12 He breaks the proud spirit of rulers. The kings of the earth have respect for him.

16 So it doesn't depend on what we want or do. It depends on God's mercy.

17 In Scripture, God says to Pharaoh, "I had a special reason for making you king. I decided to use you to show my power. I wanted my name to become known everywhere on earth."(Exodus 9:16)

18 So God does what he wants to do. He shows mercy to one person and makes another stubborn.

19 One of you will say to me, "Then why does God still blame us? Who can oppose what he wants to do?"

20 But you are a mere man. So who are you to talk back to God? Scripture says, "Can what is made say to the one who made it, 'Why did you make me like this?' "(Isaiah 29:16; 45:9)

21 Isn't the potter free to make different kinds of pots out of the same lump of clay? Some are for special purposes. Others are for ordinary use.

22 What if God chose to show his great anger? What if he chose to make his power known? That is why he put up with people he was angry with. They had been made to be destroyed.

23 What if he did that to show the riches of his glory to others? Those are the people he shows his mercy to. He had prepared them to receive his glory.

24 We are those people. He has chosen us. We do not come only from the Jewish race. Many of us are not Jews.

25 God says in Hosea, "I will call those who are not my people 'my people.' I will call the one who is not my loved one 'my loved one.' " (Hosea 2:23)

26 He also says, "Once it was said to them, 'You are not my people.' In that very place they will be called 'children of the living God.' " (Hosea 1:10)

27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel. He says, "The number of people from Israel may be like the sand by the sea. But only a few of them will be saved.

28 The Lord will carry out his sentence. He will be quick to carry it out on earth, once and for all." (Isaiah 10:22,23)

29 Earlier Isaiah had said, "The Lord who rules over all left us children and grandchildren. If he hadn't, we would have become like Sodom. We would have been like Gomorrah." (Isaiah 1:9)

30 What should we say then? Those who aren't Jews did not look for a way to be right with God. But they found it by having faith.

31 Israel did look for a law that could make them right with God. But they didn't find it.

32 Why not? Because they didn't look for it by faith. They tried to get it by working for it. They tripped over the stone that causes people to trip and fall.

33 It is written, "Look! In Zion I am laying a stone that causes people to trip. It is a rock that makes them fall. The one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (Isaiah 8:14; 28:16)