[1] A Maskil of Asaph. Why have You rejected us forever, O God? Why does Your anger smolder against the sheep of Your pasture? [2] Remember Your congregation, which You purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance —Mount Zion, where You dwell. [3] Turn Your steps to the everlasting ruins, to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed. [4] Your foes have roared within Your meeting place; they have unfurled their banners as signs, [5] like men wielding axes in a thicket of trees [6] and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks. [7] They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground; they have defiled the dwelling place of Your Name. [8] They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely.” They burned down every place where God met us in the land. [9] There are no signs for us to see. There is no longer any prophet. And none of us knows how long this will last. [10] How long, O God, will the enemy taunt You? Will the foe revile Your name forever? [11] Why do You withdraw Your strong right hand? Stretch it out to destroy them! [12] Yet God is my King from ancient times, working salvation on the earth. [13] You divided the sea by Your strength; You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea; [14] You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert. [15] You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers. [16] The day is Yours, and also the night; You established the moon and the sun. [17] You set all the boundaries of the earth; You made the summer and winter. [18] Remember how the enemy has mocked You, O LORD, how a foolish people has spurned Your name. [19] Do not deliver the soul of Your dove to beasts; do not forget the lives of Your afflicted forever. [20] Consider Your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land. [21] Do not let the oppressed retreat in shame; may the poor and needy praise Your name. [22] Rise up, O God; defend Your cause! Remember how the fool mocks You all day long. [23] Do not disregard the clamor of Your adversaries, the uproar of Your enemies that ascends continually.
