Psalm 79

An Asaph Psalm

1-4 God! Barbarians have broken into your home, violated your holy temple, left Jerusalem a pile of rubble! They've served up the corpses of your servants as carrion food for birds of prey, Threw the bones of your holy people out to the wild animals to gnaw on. They dumped out their blood like buckets of water. All around Jerusalem, their bodies were left to rot, unburied. We're nothing but a joke to our neighbors, graffiti scrawled on the city walls.
5-7 How long do we have to put up with this, God? Do you have it in for us for good? Will your smoldering rage never cool down? If you're going to be angry, be angry with the pagans who care nothing about you, or your rival kingdoms who ignore you. They're the ones who ruined Jacob, who wrecked and looted the place where he lived.
8-10 Don't blame us for the sins of our parents. Hurry up and help us; we're at the end of our rope. You're famous for helping; God, give us a break. Your reputation is on the line. Pull us out of this mess, forgive us our sins— do what you're famous for doing! Don't let the heathen get by with their sneers: "Where's your God? Is he out to lunch?" Go public and show the godless world that they can't kill your servants and get by with it.
11-13 Give groaning prisoners a hearing; pardon those on death row from their doom—you can do it! Give our jeering neighbors what they've got coming to them; let their God-taunts boomerang and knock them flat. Then we, your people, the ones you love and care for, will thank you over and over and over. We'll tell everyone we meet how wonderful you are, how praiseworthy you are!

Psalm 79

1 O God, the nations are come into thine inheritance; Thy holy temple have they defiled; They have laid Jerusalem in heaps.

2 The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be food unto the birds of the heavens, The flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.

3 Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; And there was none to bury them.

4 We are become a reproach to our neighbors, A scoffing and derision to them that are round about us.

5 How long, O Jehovah? wilt thou be angry for ever? Shall thy jealousy burn like fire?

6 Pour out thy wrath upon the nations that know thee not, And upon the kingdoms that call not upon thy name.

7 For they have devoured Jacob, And laid waste his habitation.

8 Remember not against us the iniquities of our forefathers: Let thy tender mercies speedily meet us; For we are brought very low.

9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name; And deliver us, and forgive our sins, for thy name’s sake.

10 Wherefore should the nations say, Where is their God? Let the avenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed Be known among the nations in our sight.

11 Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee: According to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to death;

12 And render unto our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom Their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.

13 So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture Will give thee thanks for ever: We will show forth thy praise to all generations.