Why hast for ever cast us off

Verse 1

Why hast forever cast us off, O God? against thy flock, In thy delightful pastures fed, Why does thine anger smoke?

Verse 2

Thine ancient purchased flock remind, The lot thou didst possess, And hast redeemed; this Sion's mount, Thy famous dwelling place.

Verse 3

Come, see, and speedily requite The lasting ruins wrought; All that thy foes, with impious rage, Have on thy temple brought.

Verse 4

Thine enemies roar, where once thy tribes For sacred worship met; In token of their victory, Their banners high they've set.

Verse 5

The man that hewed the mountain oak, Was had in great renown.

Verse 6

But now they ax, and hammer, join. To break it's carved works down.

Verse 7

Thy holy temple they have cast Into devouring flame; And, level with the ground, defiled The dwelling of thy name,

Verse 8

At once, our holy rites, and us, To root out, they presumed; The synagogues of God, with fire, All, through the land, consumed.

Verse 9

We see no more our hopeful signs, No prophet calms our woes; How long our ruined state shall last, There's none among us knows.

Verse 10

How long shall our insulting foes, O mighty God, defame? Forever shall the enemy Blaspheme thy holy name?

Verse 11

Why is thy hand withheld? stretch, from Thy bosom, thy right hand.

Verse 12

For God's my rock of old; who works Salvation through the land.

Verse 13

By thy resistless strength, thou dldst The raging sea divide; And crushed the furious dragon's head, Beneath the refluent tide.

Verse 14

The heads of the leviathan, Are broken, by thine arm; And to the people given for meat, That in the deserts swarm.

Verse 15

Thou clav'st the fountain, and the flood; Thou driest up rivers might.

Verse 16

Thine is the day, the night is thine; Thou form'st the sun, and light.

Verse 17

Earth's limits, with her various climes, Are fixed by thy strong hand; The summer's heat, and winter's cold, Obey thy wise command.

Verse 18

Mind, O Jehovah, how the foe Has loaded us with shame; And how the foolish people have Blasphemed thy sacred name.

Verse 19

The soul of thy poor turtle dove, To herds of prey give not; Nor let the assembly of the poor Be evermore forgot.

Verse 20

Thy faithful covenant, Lord, regard; For the dark parts, we see, Of the earth, are filled with rueful seats Of monstrous cruelty.

Verse 21

O let not the oppressed return Unheard, and filled with shame But let the poor and needy, still Have cause to praise thy name.

Verse 22

Arise, O God, plead thine own cause; And bear in memory, With what contempt, the foolish man, Daily, reproacheth thee.

Verse 23

Forget not, Lord, the scornful voice Of thine insulting foes; Their tumult constantly ascends, And more blasphemous grows.