1 Our God, why have you
completely rejected
us?
Why are you so angry
with the ones
you care for?
2 Remember the people
you rescued long
ago,
the tribe you chose
to be your very
own.
Think of Mount Zion,
your home;
3 walk over to the temple
left in ruins forever
by those who hate
us.
4 Your enemies roared like lions
in your holy temple,
and they have placed
their banners
there.
5 It looks like a forest
chopped to pieces.
6 They used axes and hatchets
to smash the carvings.
7 They burned down your temple
and badly disgraced
it.
8 They said to themselves,
“We’ll
crush them!”
Then they burned every one
of your meeting places
all over the country.
9 There are no more miracles
and no more prophets.
Who knows how long
it will be like
this?
10 Our God, how much longer
will our enemies
sneer?
Won’t they ever stop
insulting you?
11 Why don’t you punish them?
Why are you holding
back?
12 Our God and King,
you have ruled
since ancient
times;
you have won victories
everywhere on
this earth.
13 By your power you made a path
through the sea,
and you smashed the heads
of sea monsters.
14 You crushed the heads
of the monster
Leviathan,
then fed him to wild creatures
in the desert.
15 You opened the ground
for streams and springs
and dried up mighty
rivers.
16 You rule the day and the night,
and you put the moon
and the sun in
place.
17 You made summer and winter
and gave them
to the earth.
18 Remember your enemies, Lord!
They foolishly sneer
and won’t
respect you.
19 You treat us like pet doves,
but they mistreat
us.
Don’t keep forgetting us
and letting us be fed
to those wild
animals.
20 Remember the agreement
you made with
us.
Violent enemies are hiding
in every dark corner
of the earth.
21 Don’t disappoint those in need
or make them turn
from you,
but help the poor and homeless
to shout your
praises.
22 Do something, God!
Defend yourself.
Remember how those fools
sneer at you all
day long.
23 Don’t forget the loud shouts
of your enemies.
The Contemporary English Version c1995 by the American
Bible Society.
Selected texts provided for use with the Amos: Hypertext Bible Commentary