On The Crusades Poem by Yehoshua Shim'onai

O Lord of the Highest, search upon the depths of our hearts
And reveal all the foolishness of our own ways
Show us the senselessness and arrogance in us
And may our hearts be broken before you.

Are we really pleasing you, O Heavenly Father?
Are these acts of us bringing glory to you?
Do we make sense of this war,
Or are we just fighting in vain?

For we have spoken,
'In the name of the Lord,
let Jerusalem be ours!
Let us take its possessions
from these anti-Christs!
Let us make war in the name of Christ
so we would become lords of Jerusalem
Let us fight in the name of Heaven
and let us rule in its kingdom! '

And without your signal,
we fought for what seems to be worthy
Without your perfect will,
we declared war for what seems to be for your glory

We shouted as we march
to our own dreams "Deus vult! "
Yet your word shouts against our actions
We claimed that it is your perfect will
that must be done
Yet your thoughts
are higher than what our wisdom perceives!

O God, you turn a deaf ear from us
If we are not hearing your perfect will
You do not hear our prayers
If we are stubborn to your true calling

For we are not really fighting for your Kingdom
but just for our own realm
We are not truly fighting for you name
but just for ourselves
We are not making war for your divine will
but for our own vain visions and dreams
We are not defending your glory
but our own "royalty" and "nobility"!

Forgive us, O Lord, for we have become arrogant
And cleanse us from our transgressions;
Forgive us, dear God, our foolishness
And restore from our foolishness!

From foolishness
give us true wisdom
From our blindness
enlighten us to your perfect will
From our deafness
give us ears to hear your voice
And from our pride and self-righteousness
break our hearts before you, O God!

Jerusalem is not found in our own visions
But in you, O Holy One, the true Zion is found
Jerusalem is not the place that our eyes see
But what your holy wisdom perceives!