Psalms 79

1 A Psalm. Of Asaph. O God, the nations have come into your heritage; they have made your holy Temple unclean; they have made Jerusalem a mass of broken walls.

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 servants as food to the birds of the air, and the flesh of your saints to the beasts of the earth.

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 Their blood has been flowing like water round about Jerusalem; there was no one to put them in their last resting-place.

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

4 We are looked down on by our neighbours, we are laughed at and made sport of by those who are round us.

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

5 How long, O Lord? will you be angry for ever? will your wrath go on burning like fire?

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

6 Let your wrath be on the nations who have no knowledge of you, and on the kingdoms who have not made prayer to 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 they have taken Jacob for their meat, and made waste his house.

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

8 Do not keep in mind against us the sins of our fathers; let your mercy come to us quickly, for we have been made very low.

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

9 Give us help, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; take us out of danger and give us forgiveness for our sins, because of your name.

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 may the nations say, Where is their God? Let payment for the blood of your servants be made openly among the nations 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 Let the cry of the prisoner come before you; with your strong arm make free the children of death;

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

12 And give punishment seven times over into the breast of our neighbours for the bitter words which they have said against you, O Lord.

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

13 So we your people, and the sheep of your flock, will give you glory for ever: we will go on praising you through 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!