1 (A Maskil of Asaph.) O God, why hast Thou rejected [us] forever? Why does Thine anger smoke against the sheep of Thy pasture?
2 Remember Thy congregation, which Thou hast purchased of old, Which Thou hast redeemed to be the tribe of Thine inheritance; [And] this Mount Zion, where Thou hast dwelt.
3 Turn Thy footsteps toward the perpetual ruins; The enemy has damaged everything within the sanctuary.
4 Thine adversaries have roared in the midst of Thy 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 Thy sanctuary to the ground; They have defiled the dwelling place of Thy 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 Thy name forever?
11 Why dost Thou withdraw Thy hand, even Thy right hand? From within Thy bosom, destroy [them]!
12 Yet God is my king from of old, Who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth.
13 Thou didst divide the sea by Thy strength; Thou didst break the heads of the sea monsters in the waters.
14 Thou didst crush the heads of Leviathan; Thou didst give him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
15 Thou didst break open springs and torrents; Thou didst dry up ever-flowing streams.
16 Thine is the day, Thine also is the night; Thou hast prepared the light and the sun.
17 Thou hast established all the boundaries of the earth; Thou hast made summer and winter.
18 Remember this, O Lord, that the enemy has reviled; And a foolish people has spurned Thy name.
19 Do not deliver the soul of Thy turtledove to the wild beast; Do not forget the life of Thine 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 Thy name.
22 Do arise, O God, [and] plead Thine own cause; Remember how the foolish man reproaches Thee all day long.
23 Do not forget the voice of Thine adversaries, The uproar of those who rise against Thee which ascends continually.