[1] O God, why have You rejected us forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture? [2] Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, Which You have redeemed to be the tribe of Your inheritance; And this Mount Zion, where You have dwelt. [3] Turn Your footsteps toward the perpetual ruins; The enemy has damaged everything within the sanctuary. [4] Your adversaries have roared in the midst of Your meeting place; They have set up their own standards for signs. [5] It seems as if one had lifted up His axe in a forest of trees. [6] And now all its carved work They smash with hatchet and hammers. [7] They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground; They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name. [8] They said in their heart, "Let us completely subdue them." They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land. [9] We do not see our signs; There is no longer any prophet, Nor is there any among us who knows how long. [10] How long, O God, will the adversary revile, And the enemy spurn Your name forever? [11] Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? From within Your bosom, destroy them! [12] Yet God is my king from of old, Who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth. [13] You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters. [14] You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness. [15] You broke open springs and torrents; You dried up ever-flowing streams. [16] Yours is the day, Yours also is the night; You have prepared the light and the sun. [17] You have established all the boundaries of the earth; You have made summer and winter. [18] Remember this, O LORD, that the enemy has reviled, And a foolish people has spurned Your name. [19] Do not deliver the soul of Your turtledove to the wild beast; Do not forget the life of Your afflicted forever. [20] Consider the covenant; For the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence. [21] Let not the oppressed return dishonored; Let the afflicted and needy praise Your name. [22] Arise, O God, and plead Your own cause; Remember how the foolish man reproaches You all day long. [23] Do not forget the voice of Your adversaries, The uproar of those who rise against You which ascends continually.
