[1] Why, O God, have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep in your care? [2] Remember your congregation. Long ago you made it your own. You bought this tribe to be your possession. This tribe is Mount Zion, where you have made your home. [3] Turn your steps toward these pathetic ruins. The enemy has destroyed everything in the holy temple. [4] Your opponents have roared inside your meeting place. They have set up their own emblems as symbols. [5] Starting from its entrance, they hacked away like a woodcutter in a forest. [6] They smashed all its carved paneling with axes and hatchets. [7] They burned your holy place to the ground. They dishonored the place where you live among us. [8] They said to themselves, "We will crush them." They burned every meeting place of God in the land. [9] We no longer see miraculous signs. There are no prophets anymore. No one knows how long this will last. [10] How long, O God, will the enemy insult us? Will the enemy despise you forever? [11] Why do you hold back your hand, especially your right hand? Take your hands out of your pockets. Destroy your enemies! [12] And yet, from long ago God has been my king, the one who has been victorious throughout the earth. [13] You stirred up the sea with your own strength. You smashed the heads of sea monsters in the water. [14] You crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave them to the creatures of the desert for food. [15] You opened the springs and brooks. You dried up the ever-flowing rivers. [16] The day and the night are yours. You set the moon and the sun in their places. [17] You determined all the boundaries of the earth. You created summer and winter. [18] Remember how the enemy insulted you, O LORD. Remember how an entire nation of godless fools despised your name. [19] Do not hand over the soul of your dove to wild animals. Do not forget the life of your oppressed people forever. [20] Consider your promise because every dark corner of the land is filled with violence. [21] Do not let oppressed people come back in disgrace. Let weak and needy people praise your name. [22] Arise, O God! Fight for your own cause! Remember how godless fools insult you all day long. [23] Do not forget the shouting of your opponents. Do not forget the uproar made by those who attack you.
