Psalms 79

1 A psalm of Asaph. Heathen, O God, have come into your land, defiling your holy temple, and laying Jerusalem in ruins.

A Psalm of Asaph. O God, nations have come into Thy inheritance, They have defiled Thy holy temple, They made Jerusalem become heaps,

2 They have given the bodies of your dead servants to the birds of the air to devour, and the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the field.

They gave the dead bodies of Thy servants Food for the fowls of the heavens, The flesh of Thy saints For the wild beast of the earth.

3 Round about Jerusalem they have poured out their blood like water; and there was no one to bury them.

They have shed their blood As water round about Jerusalem, And there is none burying.

4 On every side our neighbours revile us and mock us and jeer at us.

We have been a reproach to our neighbours, A scorn and a derision to our surrounders.

5 How long will you be angry, O Lord? Will your jealousy burn like fire forever?

Till when, O Jehovah? art Thou angry for ever? Thy jealousy doth burn as fire.

6 Pour out your wrath on the nations that don’t know you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name.

Pour Thy fury on the nations who have not known Thee, And on kingdoms that have not called in Thy name.

7 For Jacob they devoured, they have desolated his home.

For [one] hath devoured Jacob, And his habitation they have made desolate.

8 Do not remember against us our ancestors’ sins; O meet us soon with your pity, for utterly weak are we.

Remember not for us the iniquities of forefathers, Haste, let Thy mercies go before us, For we have been very weak.

9 Help us, O God our saviour, for the renown of your name: for your reputation deliver us and cover over our sins.

Help us, O God of our salvation, Because of the honour of Thy name, And deliver us, and cover over our sins, For Thy name's sake.

10 Why should the nations say, ‘Where is their God?’ Let revenge for the outpoured blood of your servants be shown on the heathen before our eyes.

Why do the nations say, 'Where [is] their God?' Let be known among the nations before our eyes, The vengeance of the blood of Thy servants that is shed.

11 May the groans of the prisoner come before you; free the children of death by your mighty arm.

Let the groaning of the prisoner come in before Thee, According to the greatness of Thine arm, Leave Thou the sons of death.

12 Pay our neighbours back sevenfold for the scorn they have heaped upon you, O Lord.

And turn Thou back to our neighbours, Sevenfold unto their bosom, their reproach, Wherewith they reproached Thee, O Lord.

13 Then we, your people, the flock of your pasture, will give thanks to you for evermore, and tell your praise to all generations.

And we, Thy people, and the flock of Thy pasture, We give thanks to Thee to the age, To all generations we recount Thy praise!