1 - ?A maskil
O God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
2 - Remember the nation you purchased long ago, the people 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 signs from God; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be.
10 - How long will the enemy mock you, 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 God is my King from long ago; he brings salvation on 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 it 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, 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.