Lord, Have Mercy on Your People Poem 15

Poem - 15

Lord our God, why have You finally rejected us,

Lord, Your anger blazing against us, Your own flock that You pasture 

Lord, remember Your people, before Your fire consuming us,

Lord, You gave us the Mount Zion where You lived

With your own tribe, You redeemed since the beginning

Lord, come to restore these endless ruins of Your Sanctuary

The enemy has sacked everything in the sanctuary;

Lord, your opponents made uproar in the place of assemblies,

Lord, we are eaten up with zeal for Your house.

Lord, they fixed their emblems over the entrance, 

Their axes slit deep in the wood of your own Cross,

As they done with Your own flesh on the Cross in Calvary

They battered Your Alter down with axe and pick; 

They were get rid of the panels, in front your Holy of Holies

They set fire to Your sanctuary, profanely razed to the ground

They mock Your Holy dwelling-place of Your Holy Name.

They said to themselves, ‘Let us crush them at one stroke!’

They burned down every sacred shrine in the land one by one.

We see no signs, no prophet any more, and none of us knows how long it will last.

How much longer, God, will the enemy blaspheme?

Is the enemy to insult Your name forever?

Why hold back Your hand, why keep your right hand hidden

Yet, God, my king from the first, author of saving acts throughout the earth,

By Your power you split the sea in two,

You saved Your own people Israelites from Egyptians

You smashed the heads of the monsters on the waters.

You crushed Leviathan’s heads, gave him as food to the wild animals.

You released the springs and brooks,

And You turned the ancient rivers into dry land.

Yours is the day and yours the night, you caused sun and light to exist,

 You fixed all the boundaries of the earth,

You created summer, autumn, spring and winter.

 Remember, Yahweh, the enemy’s blasphemy against you

The foolish people always insult Your Name

Do not surrender Your turtledove to the beast;

Do not forget forever the life of Your oppressed people

Lord, have mercy on Your people of Syria

They are in distress and mourning for Your help

The enemy surrounded them and made them captives

Enemy killed many of them, Your Priests, men, women and children

How long, how long O’ Lord; we wait for justice on your people

Syria, where Your Apostles and disciples lived and gathered in Your Name

You gathered many Christians there and led them to your Sanctuary

But Lord, we are very few now to proclaim Your Truth

Lord, Your own people are oppressed by the enemy

All the hiding-places of the land are full, haunts of violence

The enemy is hiding even in the midst lambs

Syria, where Your people were called Christians

Syria, the cradle of Christianity, once Your beloved land

Where Your servant Paul were converted and became your instrument

Where many were martyred for their faith in you

Where Your holy men and women St Takhla, St Ephraim,

St Ignatius of Antioch, St Jerome, St John Chrysostom, St Polycarp,

St Simon Stylite and courageous St John Damascene were lived

Lord, look to Your Most Holy Covenant!

Remember the cry of Your people in Egypt

One by one the enemy eaten up Your people

Lord, put Your infinite love in the heart of your people

Lord, give them the strength to sustain in their faith

Lord, hear our plea, our tears are dried up

No more voices are coming from our mouth

Lord, You made the Everlasting Covenant with us,

By shedding Your own blood, and redeemed us

Do not let Your downtrodden flocks retreat in confusion,

Give the poor and needy cause to praise Your name.

Arise, God, champion your own cause,

Remember how fools blaspheme You all day long!

Do not forget the shouting of Your enemies,

They are countless and many are our persecutors

Lord mercy on us for our countless sins

Lord, forgive our sins and grant us Your salvation

MPI-CG