| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture? | 1A well-written song by Asaph. Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us? Why does your anger burn against the sheep of your pasture? |
| 2Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage! Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt. | 2Remember your people whom you acquired in ancient times, whom you rescued so they could be your very own nation, as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell! |
| 3Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary! | 3Hurry and look at the permanent ruins, and all the damage the enemy has done to the temple! |
| 4Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place; they set up their own signs for signs. | 4Your enemies roar in the middle of your sanctuary; they set up their battle flags. |
| 5They were like those who swing axes in a forest of trees. | 5They invade like lumberjacks swinging their axes in a thick forest. |
| 6And all its carved wood they broke down with hatchets and hammers. | 6And now they are tearing down all its engravings with axes and crowbars. |
| 7They set your sanctuary on fire; they profaned the dwelling place of your name, bringing it down to the ground. | 7They set your sanctuary on fire; they desecrate your dwelling place by knocking it to the ground. |
| 8They said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land. | 8They say to themselves, "We will oppress all of them." They burn down all the places where people worship God in the land. |
| 9We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long. | 9We do not see any signs of God's presence; there are no longer any prophets and we have no one to tell us how long this will last. |
| 10How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever? | 10How long, O God, will the adversary hurl insults? Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever? |
| 11Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them! | 11Why do you remain inactive? Intervene and destroy him! |
| 12Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. | 12But God has been my king from ancient times, performing acts of deliverance on the earth. |
| 13You divided the sea by your might; you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters. | 13You destroyed the sea by your strength; you shattered the heads of the sea monster in the water. |
| 14You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness. | 14You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you fed him to the people who live along the coast. |
| 15You split open springs and brooks; you dried up ever-flowing streams. | 15You broke open the spring and the stream; you dried up perpetually flowing rivers. |
| 16Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun. | 16You established the cycle of day and night; you put the moon and sun in place. |
| 17You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter. | 17You set up all the boundaries of the earth; you created the cycle of summer and winter. |
| 18Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs, and a foolish people reviles your name. | 18Remember how the enemy hurls insults, O LORD, and how a foolish nation blasphemes your name! |
| 19Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts; do not forget the life of your poor forever. | 19Do not hand the life of your dove over to a wild animal! Do not continue to disregard the lives of your oppressed people! |
| 20Have regard for the covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence. | 20Remember your covenant promises, for the dark regions of the earth are full of places where violence rules. |
| 21Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame; let the poor and needy praise your name. | 21Do not let the afflicted be turned back in shame! Let the oppressed and poor praise your name! |
| 22Arise, O God, defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day! | 22Rise up, O God! Defend your honor! Remember how fools insult you all day long! |
| 23Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually! | 23Do not disregard what your enemies say, or the unceasing shouts of those who defy you. |
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