| 1 A maskil of Asaph. I Why, God, have you cast us off forever? Why does your anger burn against the sheep of your pasture? | 1 (Per la fine. Non distruggere. Salmo del cantico di Asaf) |
| 2 Remember your flock that you gathered of old, the tribe you redeemed as your very own. Remember Mount Zion where you dwell. | 2 Noi ti loderemo, o Dio, ti loderemo, invocheremo il tuo nome, celebreremo le tue maraviglie. |
| 3 Turn your steps toward the utter ruins, toward the sanctuary devastated by the enemy. | 3 « Quando verrà il mio tempo, io giudicherò con giustizia. |
| 4 Your foes roared triumphantly in your shrine; they set up their own tokens of victory. | 4 La terra s'è strutta con tutti i suoi abitatori: io ho rese salde le sue colonne ». |
| 5 They hacked away like foresters gathering boughs, swinging their axes in a thicket of trees. | 5 Ho detto agli iniqui: « Non vogliate agire iniquamente » e ai peccatori: « Non alzate tanto la testa. |
| 6 They smashed all your engraved work, pounded it with hammer and pick. | 6 Non alzate la testa contro il cielo, non vogliate parlare iniquamente contro Dio. |
| 7 They set your sanctuary on fire; the abode of your name they razed and profaned. | 7 Perchè nè dall'oriente nè dall'occidente, nè dalle montagne deserte (verrà il soccorso): |
| 8 They said in their hearts, "Destroy them all! Burn all the shrines of God in the land!" | 8 Dio è giudice: Egli umilia uno ed esalta l'altro. |
| 9 Now we see no signs, we have no prophets, no one who knows how long. | 9 Nella mano del Signore vi è un calice di vin pretto pieno di droghe. Egli ne mesce di qua e di là; la feccia di tal vino non è certo esaurita: ne berranno tutti i peccatori della terra ». |
| 10 How long, O God, shall the enemy jeer? Shall the foe revile your name forever? | 10 Ed io proclamerò sempre tali cose, canterò al Dio di Giacobbe. |
| 11 Why draw back your right hand, why keep it idle beneath your cloak? | 11 Fiaccherò la potenza dei peccatori, e sarà esaltata la potenza dei giusti. |
| 12 Yet you, God, are my king from of old, winning victories throughout the earth. | |
| 13 You stirred up the sea in your might; you smashed the heads of the dragons on the waters. | |
| 14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan, tossed him for food to the sharks. | |
| 15 You opened up springs and torrents, brought dry land out of the primeval waters. | |
| 16 Yours the day and yours the night; you set the moon and sun in place. | |
| 17 You fixed all the limits of the earth; summer and winter you made. | |
| 18 Remember how the enemy has jeered, O LORD, how a foolish people has reviled your name. | |
| 19 Do not surrender to beasts those who praise you; do not forget forever the life of your afflicted. | |
| 20 Look to your covenant, for the land is filled with gloom; the pastures, with violence. | |
| 21 Let not the oppressed turn back in shame; may the poor and needy praise your name. | |
| 22 Arise, God, defend your cause; remember the constant jeers of the fools. | |
| 23 Do not ignore the clamor of your foes, the unceasing uproar of your enemies. | |