1 Why have you rejected us forever, O God?
Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture? |
2 Remember the people you purchased of old,
the tribe of your inheritance, whom you redeemed-
Mount Zion, where you dwelt. |
3 Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,
all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary. |
4 Your foes roared in the place where you met with us;
they set up their standards as signs. |
5 They behaved like men wielding axes
to cut through a thicket of trees. |
6 They smashed all the carved paneling
with their axes and hatchets. |
7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground;
they defiled the dwelling place of your Name. |
8 They said in their hearts, "We will crush them completely!"
They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land. |
9 We are given no miraculous signs;
no prophets are left,
and none of us knows how long this will be. |
10 How long will the enemy mock you, O God?
Will the foe revile your name forever? |
11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them! |
12 But you, O God, are my king from of old;
you bring salvation upon the earth. |
13 It was you who split open the sea by your power;
you broke the heads of the monster in the waters. |
14 It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan
and gave him as food to the creatures of the desert. |
15 It was you who opened up springs and streams;
you dried up the ever flowing rivers. |
16 The day is yours, and yours also the night;
you established the sun and moon. |
17 It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;
you made both summer and winter. |
18 Remember how the enemy has mocked you, O LORD ,
how foolish people have reviled your name. |
19 Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts;
do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever. |
20 Have regard for your covenant,
because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land. |
21 Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace;
may the poor and needy praise your name. |
22 Rise up, O God, and defend your cause;
remember how fools mock you all day long. |
23 Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries,
the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually. |
