מַשְׂכִּיל לְאָסָף לָמָה אֱלֹהִים זָנַחְתָּ לָנֶצַח יֶעְשַׁן אַפְּךָ בְּצֹאן מַרְעִיתֶך

A contemplation by Asaf. The psalmist portrays a dire situation: Why, God, have You abandoned us forever, Your anger smoldering against the sheep of Your fold? To the psalmist, it appears as if God has abandoned His people in their time of distress.

זְכֹר עֲדָתְךָ קָנִיתָ קֶּדֶם גָּאַלְתָּ שֵׁבֶט נַחֲלָתֶךָ הַר צִיּוֹן זֶה שָׁכַנְתָּ בּוֹ

Remember Your congregation, Israel, which You acquired for Yourself of old, which You redeemed as the tribe of Your portion. And remember this Mount Zion as well, where You dwelled.

הָרִימָה פְעָמֶיךָ לְמַשֻּׁאוֹת נֶצַח כָּל הֵרַע אוֹיֵב בַּקֹּדֶשׁ

Lift Your footsteps and bestir Yourself to action toward the ongoing destruction taking place on Mount Zion; see all that the enemy has inflicted on the Sanctuary itself.

שָׁאֲגוּ צוֹרְרֶיךָ בְּקֶרֶב מוֹעֲדֶךָ שָׂמוּ אוֹתֹתָם אֹתוֹת

Your foes roared with cries of victory within Your meeting place, where people once congregated in prayer and service to You, setting their standards as signs; their banners are now waving in our camp.

יִוָּדַע כְּמֵבִיא לְמָעְלָה בִּסְבָךְ עֵץ קַרְדֻּמּוֹת

It has become plainly known. Kemeivi lemala, translated here as “plainly,” literally means “as one lifts something up high” to show to all what he is holding. The enemy wantonly wreaks destruction as an ax cuts down many branches in a thicket.

וְעַתָּה פִּתּוּחֶיהָ יָּחַד בְּכַשִּׁיל וְכֵילַפּוֹת יַהֲלֹמוּן

They smashed all its, Jerusalem’s, entrances with axes and hatchets.

שִׁלְחוּ בָאֵשׁ מִקְדָּשֶׁךָ לָאָרֶץ חִלְּלוּ מִשְׁכַּן שְׁמֶךָ

They burned Your Sanctuary; they defiled the dwelling place of Your name, bringing down its glory to the ground.

אָמְרוּ בְלִבָּם נִינָם יָחַד שָׂרְפוּ כָל מוֹעֲדֵי אֵל בָּאָרֶץ

They said in their heart: Let us utterly destroy them. They burned all the meeting places of God in the land. They destroyed not only Your Sanctuary but also other consecrated places. In later generations, such places would include synagogues and houses of study.

אוֹתֹתֵינוּ לֹא רָאִינוּ אֵין עוֹד נָבִיא וְלֹא אִתָּנוּ יוֹדֵעַ עַד מָה

We cannot see our signs. We no longer experience the miracles that were wrought for us in the past. There is no longer any prophet to tell us when the destruction will finally come to an end, nor is there any among us who knows for how long this situation will continue.

עַד מָתַי אֱלֹהִים יְחָרֶף צָר יְנָאֵץ אוֹיֵב שִׁמְךָ לָנֶצַח

Therefore, we ask: How long, God, will the foe revile? Will the enemy eternally mock Your name?

לָמָּה תָשִׁיב יָדְךָ וימִינֶךָ מִקֶּרֶב חֵיקְךָ כַלֵּה

Why do You withhold Your hand from extending it in order to assist us? Draw forth Your right hand from Your bosom. We beseech You to draw forth not one but both of Your hands, as it were.

ואֱלֹהִים מַלְכִּי מִקֶּדֶם פֹּעֵל יְשׁוּעוֹת בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ

For God is my King from times of old, and in the past You have indeed come to our aid, working deliverance in the midst of the land.

אַתָּה פוֹרַרְתָּ בְעָזְּךָ יָם שִׁבַּרְתָּ רָאשֵׁי תַנִּינִים עַל הַמָּיִם

You shredded the sea with Your strength; You broke the heads of crocodiles on the waters. Tanninim, translated here as “sea creatures,” are giant creatures inhabiting the depths of the seas.

אַתָּה רִצַּצְתָּ רָאשֵׁי לִוְיָתָן תִּתְּנֶנּוּ מַאֲכָל לְעָם לְצִיִּים

You crushed the heads of leviathan, a giant sea creature; You gave it as food to the nation, to the fleets, feeding its flesh to people who never could have captured it on their own.

אַתָּה בָקַעְתָּ מַעְיָן וָנָחַל אַתָּה הוֹבַשְׁתָּ נַהֲרוֹת אֵיתָן

You caused springs and streams to break forth from the earth; You dried up ever-flowing rivers.

לְךָ יוֹם אַף לְךָ לָיְלָה אַתָּה הֲכִינוֹתָ מָאוֹר וָשָׁמֶשׁ

The day is Yours, as Yours is the night, for You rule at all times; You founded and created light and the sun.

אַתָּה הִצַּבְתָּ כָּל גְּבוּלוֹת אָרֶץ קַיִץ וָחֹרֶף אַתָּה יְצַרְתָּם

You laid down all the boundaries on earth. You established the natural order of the world. Summer and winter You created.

זְכָר זֹאת אוֹיֵב חֵרֵף ה' וְעם נָבָל נִאֲצוּ שְׁמֶךָ

And since Your power is so far-reaching, we beseech You: Remember this: The enemy who reviled the Lord and the base people who scorned Your name.

אַל תִּתֵּן לְחַיַּת נֶפֶשׁ תּוֹרֶךָ חַיַּת עֲנִיֶּיךָ אַל תִּשְׁכַּח לָנֶצַח

Do not deliver Your dove, the symbol of Israel, to the wild beast, their vicious enemy. Do not eternally forget the lives of Your needy ones.

הַבֵּט לַבְּרִית כִּי מָלְאוּ מַחֲשַׁכֵּי אֶרֶץ נְאוֹת חָמָס

Look to the covenant You forged with us and act to fulfill it, for the earth is full of dark places and habitations of iniquity.

אַל יָשֹׁב דַּךְ נִכְלָם עָנִי וְאֶבְיוֹן יְהַלְלוּ שְׁמֶךָ

Let not the downtrodden one be turned back and shamed because he has no one to protect him; let the poor and needy praise Your name after You have come to their aid.

קוּמָה אֱלֹהִים רִיבָה רִיבֶךָ זְכֹר חֶרְפָּתְךָ מִנִּי נָבָל כָּל הַיּוֹם

Arise, God, and strive on behalf of Your own cause because, apart from harming us, the enemy is also desecrating Your name. Recall the abuse of the scoundrels against You, all day long.

אַל תִּשְׁכַּח קוֹל צֹרְרֶיךָ שְׁאוֹן קָמֶיךָ עֹלֶה תָמִיד

Do not forget the voice of Your foes, the endless tumult of those rising against You through their scorn and desecration of Your name. For all these reasons, we beseech You to come to our salvation.