Why Have You Rejected Us Forever?

¹Why have You rejected us forever, O God?Why does Your anger smolderagainst the sheep of Your pasture?

²Remember Your congregation,which You purchased long agoand redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance—Mount Zion, where You dwell.

³Turn Your steps to the everlasting ruins,to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed.

⁴Your foes have roared within Your meeting place;they have unfurled their banners as signs,

⁵like men wielding axes in a thicket of trees

⁶and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.

⁷They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground;they have defiled the dwelling place of Your Name.

⁸They said in their hearts,“We will crush them completely.”They burned down every placewhere God met us in the land.

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 the enemy taunt You?Will the foe revile Your name forever?

¹¹Why do You withdraw Your strong right hand?Stretch it out to destroy them!

¹²Yet God is my King from ancient times,working salvation on the earth.

¹³You divided the sea by Your strength;You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea;

¹⁴You crushed the heads of Leviathan;You fed him to the creatures of the desert.

¹⁵You broke open the fountain and the flood;You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.

¹⁶The day is Yours, and also the night;You established the moonand the sun.

¹⁷You set all the boundaries of the earth;You made the summer and winter.

¹⁸Remember how the enemy has mocked You, O LORD,how a foolish people has spurned Your name.

¹⁹Do not deliver the soul of Your dove to beasts;do not forget the lives of Your afflicted forever.

²⁰Consider Your covenant,for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.

²¹Do not let the oppressed retreat in shame;may the poor and needy praise Your name.

²²Rise up, O God; defend Your cause!Remember how the fool mocks You all day long.

²³Do not disregard the clamor of Your adversaries,the uproar of Your enemies that ascends continually.

In the Day of Trouble I Sought the Lord

¹I cried out to God;I cried aloud to God to hear me.

²In the day of trouble I sought the Lord;through the night my outstretched hands did not grow weary;my soul refused to be comforted.

³I remembered You, O God, and I groaned;I mused and my spirit grew faint.Selah

⁴You have kept my eyes from closing;I am too troubled to speak.

⁵I considered the days of old,the years long in the past.

⁶At night I remembered my song;in my heart I mused, and my spirit pondered:

⁷“Will the Lord spurn us foreverand never show His favor again?

⁸Is His loving devotion gone forever?Has His promise failed for all time?

⁹Has God forgotten to be gracious?Has His anger shut off His compassion?”Selah

¹⁰So I said, “I am grievedthat the right hand of the Most High has changed.”

¹¹I will remember the works of the LORD;yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.

¹²I will reflect on all You have doneand ponder Your mighty deeds.

¹³Your way, O God, is holy.What god is so great as our God?

¹⁴You are the God who works wonders;You display Your strength among the peoples.

¹⁵With power You redeemed Your people,the sons of Jacob and Joseph.Selah

¹⁶The waters saw You, O God;the waters saw You and swirled;even the depths were shaken.

¹⁷The clouds poured down water;the skies resounded with thunder;Your arrows flashed back and forth.

¹⁸Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind;the lightning lit up the world;the earth trembled and quaked.

¹⁹Your path led through the sea,Your way through the mighty waters,but Your footprints were not to be found.

²⁰You led Your people like a flockby the hand of Moses and Aaron.

I Lift My Voice to the LORD

¹I cry aloud to the LORD;I lift my voice to the LORD for mercy.

²I pour out my complaint before Him;I reveal my trouble to Him.

³Although my spirit grows faint within me,You know my way.Along the path I travelthey have hidden a snare for me.

⁴Look to my right and see;no one attends to me.There is no refuge for me;no one cares for my soul.

⁵I cry to You, O LORD: “You are my refuge,my portion in the land of the living.”

⁶Listen to my cry,for I am brought quite low.Rescue me from my pursuers,for they are too strong for me.

⁷Free my soul from prison,that I may praise Your name.The righteous will gather around mebecause of Your goodness to me.

You Turned My Mourning into Dancing

¹I will exalt You, O LORD,for You have lifted me upand have not allowed my foesto rejoice over me.

²O LORD my God, I cried to You for help,and You healed me.

³O LORD, You pulled me up from Sheol;You spared me from descending into the Pit.

⁴Sing to the LORD, O you His saints,and praise His holy name.

⁵For His anger is fleeting,but His favor lasts a lifetime.Weeping may stay the night,but joy comes in the morning.

⁶In prosperity I said,“I will never be shaken.”

⁷O LORD, You favored me;You made my mountain stand strong.When You hid Your face,I was dismayed.

⁸To You, O LORD, I called,and I begged my Lord for mercy:

⁹“What gain is there in my bloodshed,in my descent to the Pit?Will the dust praise You?Will it proclaim Your faithfulness?

¹⁰Hear me, O LORD, and have mercy;O LORD, be my helper.”

¹¹You turned my mourning into dancing;You peeled off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

¹²that my heart may sing Your praises and not be silent.O LORD my God, I will give thanks forever.