1
A Maskil of Asaph. 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.
