[1] Why have you abandoned us like this, O God? Will you be angry with your own people forever? [2] Remember your people, whom you chose for yourself long ago, whom you brought out of slavery to be your own tribe. Remember Mount Zion, where once you lived. [3] Walk over these total ruins; our enemies have destroyed everything in the Temple. [4] Your enemies have shouted in triumph in your Temple; they have placed their flags there as signs of victory. [5] They looked like woodsmen cutting down trees with their axes. [6] They smashed all the wooden panels with their axes and sledge hammers. [7] They wrecked your Temple and set it on fire; they desecrated the place where you are worshiped. [8] They wanted to crush us completely; they burned down every holy place in the land. [9] All our sacred symbols are gone; there are no prophets left, and no one knows how long this will last. [10] How long, O God, will our enemies laugh at you? Will they insult your name forever? [11] Why have you refused to help us? Why do you keep your hands behind you? [12] But you have been our king from the beginning, O God; you have saved us many times. [13] With your mighty strength you divided the sea and smashed the heads of the sea monsters; [14] you crushed the heads of the monster Leviathan and fed his body to desert animals. [15] You made springs and fountains flow; you dried up large rivers. [16] You created the day and the night; you set the sun and the moon in their places; [17] you set the limits of the earth; you made summer and winter. [18] But remember, O LORD, that your enemies laugh at you, that they are godless and despise you. [19] Don't abandon your helpless people to their cruel enemies; don't forget your persecuted people! [20] Remember the covenant you made with us. There is violence in every dark corner of the land. [21] Don't let the oppressed be put to shame; let those poor and needy people praise you. [22] Rouse yourself, God, and defend your cause! Remember that godless people laugh at you all day long. [23] Don't forget the angry shouts of your enemies, the continuous noise made by your foes.
