Psalms 79
1 God, other people-groups have invaded your land. They have (desecrated your temple/caused your temple to be unfit for worship), and they have destroyed all the buildings in Jerusalem.
A Psalm of Asaph. The nations, O God, have invaded Your inheritance; they have defiled Your holy temple and reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
2 [Instead of burying] the corpses of your people [whom they killed], they allowed vultures and wild animals to eat the flesh of those corpses,
They have given the corpses of Your servants as food to the birds of the air, the flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.
3 When they killed your people, your people’s blood flowed like water through [the streets of] Jerusalem, and there was [almost] no one [HYP] left to bury their corpses.
They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead.
4 The people-groups that live in countries that surround our land insult us; they laugh at us and deride/belittle us.
We have become a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and derision to those around us.
5 Yahweh, how long [will this continue]? Will you be angry with us forever? Will your being angry [destroy us like] a burning fire [destroys things]?
How long, O LORD? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
6 [Instead of being angry with us], be angry with the people-groups that do not know/worship you! Be angry with kingdoms whose people do not pray to you,
Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge You, on the kingdoms that refuse to call on Your name,
7 because they have killed Israeli people and they have ruined your country.
for they have devoured Jacob and devastated his homeland.
8 Do not punish us because of the sins that our ancestors committed! Be merciful to us now/quickly, because we are very discouraged.
Do not hold past sins against us; let Your compassion come quickly, for we are brought low.
9 God, you have saved/rescued [us many times], [so] help us [now]; rescue us and forgive us for having sinned in order that other people will honor you [MTY].
Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; deliver us and atone for our sins, for the sake of Your name.
10 It is not right that [RHQ] other people-groups say [about us], “If their God [is very powerful], (surely he should help them/why does he not [help them])?” Allow us to see you punishing the people of other nations in return for their shedding our blood; they have killed many of us, your people.
Why should the nations ask, “Where is their God?” Before our eyes, make known among the nations Your vengeance for the bloodshed of Your servants.
11 Listen to your people groaning while they are in prison, and by your great power free those whom our enemies say that they will certainly execute.
May the groans of the captives reach You; by the strength of Your arm preserve those condemned to death.
12 In return for their having [often] insulted you, punish them seven times as much!
Pay back into the laps of our neighbors sevenfold the reproach they hurled at You, O Lord.
13 After you do that, we, whom you [take care of like a shepherd takes care of] his sheep, will continue praising you; we will continue to praise you forever [HYP].
Then we Your people, the sheep of Your pasture, will thank You forever; from generation to generation we will declare Your praise.
