An Appeal against the Devastation of the Land by the Enemy.

A Maskil of Asaph.

1
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.