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Why, O God, Have You Cast Us Off

Why, O God, have you cast us off forever,
and why rage against the sheep within your fold?
Summon to mind the people whom you purchased,
the heritage which you redeemed of old.
Summon to mind your dwelling on Mount Zion,
direct your steps unto these ruined walls;
enemies ravage within your holy temple.
In ruins lie your sanctuary halls.
Lord, your foes have roared in your assembly;
their standards fly victorious in the breeze.
They were like woodsmen wielding their sharp axes
to cut through brush between the forest trees.
They smashed to pieces all the well-carved woodwork,
with axe and hatchet ev’ry paneled frame.
They burned your holy dwelling place to ashes,
profaned the place where dwells your glorious name.
They in their hearts thought, “We will fully crush them.”
They burned each place of worship in the land.
We see no wonders, hear no holy prophets,
and no one knows when all these things will end.
God, for how long will enemies revile you?
Forever will your foes blaspheme and scoff?
Why do you hold back your right hand in your garment?
Your hand stretch out, Lord, cut the wicked off!
But from of old, O God, you are my sov’reign;
you work salvation in the midst of earth.
You split apart the ocean by your power;
you broke the monster’s heads within the sea.
Heads of the great Leviathan you shattered,
you gave his meat to desert beasts to eat.
You opened springs and brooks of flowing water,
you dried the beds of ever-flowing streams.
Yours is the day; yours also is the nighttime;
the heav’nly lights, the sun by you were framed.
You have established all the earth’s wide bound’ries;
the summer, winter all by you were made.
Summon to mind, LORD, how the foe reviled you,
how foolish men reviled your name with scorn.
Leave not the soul of your dove for beasts to savage;
your poor ones, LORD, forget not evermore.
LORD, have regard for your cov’nant with your people,
for haunts of vi’lence fill the land with shame.
Let not defeat bring shame upon the needy,
may yet the poor, downtrodden praise your name.
Rise up, O God, defend your cause in judgment;
remember how fools mock you all the day.
LORD, bear in mind the voice of your opponents,
their hostile roaring never goes away.