| King James Bible | NET Bible |
| 1Maschil of Asaph. O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy 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 thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast 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! |
| 3Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary. | 3Hurry and look at the permanent ruins, and all the damage the enemy has done to the temple! |
| 4Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs. | 4Your enemies roar in the middle of your sanctuary; they set up their battle flags. |
| 5A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees. | 5They invade like lumberjacks swinging their axes in a thick forest. |
| 6But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers. | 6And now they are tearing down all its engravings with axes and crowbars. |
| 7They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground. | 7They set your sanctuary on fire; they desecrate your dwelling place by knocking it to the ground. |
| 8They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues 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 see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth 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. |
| 10O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever? | 10How long, O God, will the adversary hurl insults? Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever? |
| 11Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck it out of thy bosom. | 11Why do you remain inactive? Intervene and destroy him! |
| 12For God is my King 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. |
| 13Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters. | 13You destroyed the sea by your strength; you shattered the heads of the sea monster in the water. |
| 14Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness. | 14You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you fed him to the people who live along the coast. |
| 15Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers. | 15You broke open the spring and the stream; you dried up perpetually flowing rivers. |
| 16The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun. | 16You established the cycle of day and night; you put the moon and sun in place. |
| 17Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter. | 17You set up all the boundaries of the earth; you created the cycle of summer and winter. |
| 18Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name. | 18Remember how the enemy hurls insults, O LORD, and how a foolish nation blasphemes your name! |
| 19O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever. | 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 respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty. | 20Remember your covenant promises, for the dark regions of the earth are full of places where violence rules. |
| 21O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name. | 21Do not let the afflicted be turned back in shame! Let the oppressed and poor praise your name! |
| 22Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily. | 22Rise up, O God! Defend your honor! Remember how fools insult you all day long! |
| 23Forget not the voice of thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually. | 23Do not disregard what your enemies say, or the unceasing shouts of those who defy you. |
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