| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1O God, why have you rejected us so long? Why is your anger so intense against the sheep of your own pasture? | 1A Maskil of Asaph. Why have You rejected us forever, O God? Why does Your anger smolder against the sheep of Your pasture? |
| 2Remember that we are the people you chose long ago, the tribe you redeemed as your own special possession! And remember Jerusalem, your home here on earth. | 2Remember Your congregation, which You purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance—Mount Zion where You dwell. |
| 3Walk through the awful ruins of the city; see how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary. | 3Turn Your steps to the everlasting ruins, to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed. |
| 4There your enemies shouted their victorious battle cries; there they set up their battle standards. | 4Your foes have roared within Your meeting place; they have unfurled their banners as signs, |
| 5They swung their axes like woodcutters in a forest. | 5like men wielding axes in a thicket of trees |
| 6With axes and picks, they smashed the carved paneling. | 6and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks. |
| 7They burned your sanctuary to the ground. They defiled the place that bears your name. | 7They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground; they have defiled the dwelling place of Your Name. |
| 8Then they thought, “Let’s destroy everything!” So they burned down all the places where God was worshiped. | 8They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely.” They burned down every place where God met us in the land. |
| 9We no longer see your miraculous signs. All the prophets are gone, and no one can tell us when it will end. | 9There are no signs for us to see. There is no longer any prophet. And none of us knows how long this will last. |
| 10How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to insult you? Will you let them dishonor your name forever? | 10How long, O God, will the enemy taunt You? Will the foe revile Your name forever? |
| 11Why do you hold back your strong right hand? Unleash your powerful fist and destroy them. | 11Why do You withdraw Your strong right hand? Stretch it out to destroy them! |
| 12You, O God, are my king from ages past, bringing salvation to the earth. | 12Yet God is my King from ancient times, working salvation on the earth. |
| 13You split the sea by your strength and smashed the heads of the sea monsters. | 13You divided the sea by Your strength; You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea; |
| 14You crushed the heads of Leviathan and let the desert animals eat him. | 14You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert. |
| 15You caused the springs and streams to gush forth, and you dried up rivers that never run dry. | 15You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers. |
| 16Both day and night belong to you; you made the starlight and the sun. | 16The day is Yours, and also the night; You established the moon and the sun. |
| 17You set the boundaries of the earth, and you made both summer and winter. | 17You set all the boundaries of the earth; You made the summer and winter. |
| 18See how these enemies insult you, LORD. A foolish nation has dishonored your name. | 18Remember how the enemy has mocked You, O LORD, how a foolish people has spurned Your name. |
| 19Don’t let these wild beasts destroy your turtledoves. Don’t forget your suffering people forever. | 19Do not deliver the soul of Your dove to beasts; do not forget the lives of Your afflicted forever. |
| 20Remember your covenant promises, for the land is full of darkness and violence! | 20Consider Your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land. |
| 21Don’t let the downtrodden be humiliated again. Instead, let the poor and needy praise your name. | 21Do not let the oppressed retreat in shame; may the poor and needy praise Your name. |
| 22Arise, O God, and defend your cause. Remember how these fools insult you all day long. | 22Rise up, O God; defend Your cause! Remember how the fool mocks You all day long. |
| 23Don’t overlook what your enemies have said or their growing uproar. | 23Do not disregard the clamor of Your adversaries, the uproar of Your enemies that ascends continually. |
|
    |