1 O God, why dost thou cast us off for ever?

Why does thy anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

2 Remember thy congregation, which thou hast gotten of old,

which thou hast redeemed to be the tribe of thy heritage!

Remember Mount Zion, where thou hast dwelt.

3 Direct thy steps to the perpetual ruins;

the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!

4 Thy foes have roared in the midst of thy holy place;

they set up their own signs for signs.

5 At the upper entrance they hacked

the wooden trellis with axes.z

6 And then all its carved wood

they broke down with hatchets and hammers.

7 They set thy sanctuary on fire;

to the ground they desecrated the dwelling place of thy name.