Psalms 79
1 A Psalm of Asaph. O God, nations have come into Thy inheritance, They have defiled Thy holy temple, They made Jerusalem become heaps,
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.
2 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.
[Instead of burying] the corpses of your people [whom they killed], they allowed vultures and wild animals to eat the flesh of those corpses,
3 They have shed their blood As water round about Jerusalem, And there is none burying.
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.
4 We have been a reproach to our neighbours, A scorn and a derision to our surrounders.
The people-groups that live in countries that surround our land insult us; they laugh at us and deride/belittle us.
5 Till when, O Jehovah? art Thou angry for ever? Thy jealousy doth burn as fire.
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]?
6 Pour Thy fury on the nations who have not known Thee, And on kingdoms that have not called in Thy name.
[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,
7 For [one] hath devoured Jacob, And his habitation they have made desolate.
because they have killed Israeli people and they have ruined your country.
8 Remember not for us the iniquities of forefathers, Haste, let Thy mercies go before us, For we have been very weak.
Do not punish us because of the sins that our ancestors committed! Be merciful to us now/quickly, because we are very discouraged.
9 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.
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].
10 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.
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.
11 Let the groaning of the prisoner come in before Thee, According to the greatness of Thine arm, Leave Thou the sons of death.
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.
12 And turn Thou back to our neighbours, Sevenfold unto their bosom, their reproach, Wherewith they reproached Thee, O Lord.
In return for their having [often] insulted you, punish them seven times as much!
13 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!
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].
