Psalms 79:1-12
Psalms 79:1-13 The Message (MSG)
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. 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. 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. 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!
Psalms 79:1-12 King James Version (KJV)
O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; Thy holy temple have they defiled; They have laid Jerusalem on heaps. The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, The flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth. Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; And there was none to bury them. We are become a reproach to our neighbours, A scorn and derision to them that are round about us. How long, LORD? Wilt thou be angry for ever? Shall thy jealousy burn like fire? Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, And upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name. For they have devoured Jacob, And laid waste his dwelling place. O remember not against us former iniquities: Let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: For we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: And deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake. Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? Let him be known among the heathen in our sight By the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed. Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; According to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die; And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom Their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.
Psalms 79:1-12 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
O God, the nations have invaded Your inheritance; They have defiled Your holy temple; They have laid Jerusalem in ruins. They have given the dead bodies of Your servants for food to the birds of the heavens, The flesh of Your godly ones to the beasts of the earth. They have poured out their blood like water round about Jerusalem; And there was no one to bury them. We have become a reproach to our neighbors, A scoffing and derision to those around us. How long, O LORD? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out Your wrath upon the nations which do not know You, And upon the kingdoms which do not call upon Your name. For they have devoured Jacob And laid waste his habitation. Do not remember the iniquities of our forefathers against us; Let Your compassion come quickly to meet us, For we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; And deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name’s sake. Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let there be known among the nations in our sight, Vengeance for the blood of Your servants which has been shed. Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; According to the greatness of Your power preserve those who are doomed to die. And return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom The reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.
Psalms 79:1-12 New Century Version (NCV)
God, nations have come against your chosen people. They have ruined your holy Temple. They have turned Jerusalem into ruins. They have given the bodies of your servants as food to the wild birds. They have given the bodies of those who worship you to the wild animals. They have spilled blood like water all around Jerusalem. No one was left to bury the dead. We are a joke to the other nations; they laugh and make fun of us. LORD, how long will this last? Will you be angry forever? How long will your jealousy burn like a fire? Be angry with the nations that do not know you and with the kingdoms that do not honor you. They have gobbled up the people of Jacob and destroyed their land. Don’t punish us for our past sins. Show your mercy to us soon, because we are helpless! God our Savior, help us so people will praise you. Save us and forgive our sins so people will honor you. Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Tell the other nations in our presence that you punish those who kill your servants. Hear the moans of the prisoners. Use your great power to save those sentenced to die. Repay those around us seven times over for their insults to you, Lord.
Psalms 79:1-12 American Standard Version (ASV)
O God, the nations are come into thine inheritance; Thy holy temple have they defiled; They have laid Jerusalem in heaps. 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. Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; And there was none to bury them. We are become a reproach to our neighbors, A scoffing and derision to them that are round about us. How long, O Jehovah? wilt thou be angry for ever? Shall thy jealousy burn like fire? Pour out thy wrath upon the nations that know thee not, And upon the kingdoms that call not upon thy name. For they have devoured Jacob, And laid waste his habitation. Remember not against us the iniquities of our forefathers: Let thy tender mercies speedily meet us; For we are brought very low. 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. 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. Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee: According to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to death; And render unto our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom Their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.
Psalms 79:1-12 New International Version (NIV)
O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble. They have left the dead bodies of your servants as food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild. They have poured out blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead. We are objects of contempt to our neighbors, of scorn and derision to those around us. How long, LORD? Will you be angry forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name; for they have devoured Jacob and devastated his homeland. Do not hold against us the sins of past generations; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need. Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake. Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Before our eyes, make known among the nations that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants. May the groans of the prisoners come before you; with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die. Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord.
Psalms 79:1-12 New King James Version (NKJV)
O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance; Your holy temple they have defiled; They have laid Jerusalem in heaps. The dead bodies of Your servants They have given as food for the birds of the heavens, The flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth. Their blood they have shed like water all around Jerusalem, And there was no one to bury them. We have become a reproach to our neighbors, A scorn and derision to those who are around us. How long, LORD? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You, And on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name. For they have devoured Jacob, And laid waste his dwelling place. Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us! Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us, For we have been brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, For the glory of Your name; And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, For Your name’s sake! Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let there be known among the nations in our sight The avenging of the blood of Your servants which has been shed. Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; According to the greatness of Your power Preserve those who are appointed to die; And return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom Their reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.
Psalms 79:1-12 Amplified Bible (AMP)
O God, the nations have invaded [the land of Your people] Your inheritance; They have defiled Your sacred temple; They have laid Jerusalem in ruins. They have given the dead bodies of Your servants as food to the birds of the heavens, The flesh of Your godly ones to the beasts of the earth. They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, And there was no one to bury them. We have become an object of taunting to our neighbors [because of our humiliation], A derision and mockery to those who encircle us. How long, O LORD? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy [which cannot endure a divided allegiance] burn like fire? Pour out Your wrath on the [Gentile] nations that do not know You, And on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name. [2 Thess 1:8] For they have devoured Jacob And made his pasture desolate. ¶O do not remember against us the sins and guilt of our forefathers. Let Your compassion and mercy come quickly to meet us, For we have been brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; Rescue us, forgive us our sins for Your name’s sake. Why should the [Gentile] nations say, “Where is their God?” Let there be known [without delay] among the nations in our sight [and to this generation], Your vengeance for the blood of Your servants which has been poured out. Let the groaning and sighing of the prisoner come before You; According to the greatness of Your power keep safe those who are doomed to die. And return into the lap of our neighbors sevenfold The taunts with which they have taunted You, O Lord.
Psalms 79:1-12 New Living Translation (NLT)
O God, pagan nations have conquered your land, your special possession. They have defiled your holy Temple and made Jerusalem a heap of ruins. They have left the bodies of your servants as food for the birds of heaven. The flesh of your godly ones has become food for the wild animals. Blood has flowed like water all around Jerusalem; no one is left to bury the dead. We are mocked by our neighbors, an object of scorn and derision to those around us. O LORD, how long will you be angry with us? Forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you— on kingdoms that do not call upon your name. For they have devoured your people Israel, making the land a desolate wilderness. Do not hold us guilty for the sins of our ancestors! Let your compassion quickly meet our needs, for we are on the brink of despair. Help us, O God of our salvation! Help us for the glory of your name. Save us and forgive our sins for the honor of your name. Why should pagan nations be allowed to scoff, asking, “Where is their God?” Show us your vengeance against the nations, for they have spilled the blood of your servants. Listen to the moaning of the prisoners. Demonstrate your great power by saving those condemned to die. O Lord, pay back our neighbors seven times for the scorn they have hurled at you.
Psalms 79:1-12 The Passion Translation (TPT)
God, won’t you do something? Barbarians have invaded your inheritance. Your temple of holiness has been violated, and Jerusalem has been left in ruins. The corpses of your loving people are lying in the open— food for the beasts and the birds. The shed blood of your servants has soaked the city, with no one left to bury the dead. Now the nearby nations heap their scorn upon us, scoffing, mocking us incessantly. How much longer, O YAHWEH, must we endure this? Does your anger have no end? Will your jealousy burn like a raging fire? If you’re going to pour out your anger, pour it out on all these nations around us, not on us! They’re the ones who do not love you like we do! See how they’ve attacked us, consuming the land, leaving it desolate. Please, God, don’t hold the sins of our fathers against us. Don’t make us pay for their sins. Hurry to our side, and let your tenderhearted mercy meet us in our need, for we are devastated beyond belief. Our hero, come and rescue us! O God of the breakthrough, for the glory of your name, come and help us! Forgive and restore us; heal us and cover us in your love. Why should all the nations sneer at us, saying, “Where is this God of yours?” Now is the time, Lord. Show your people and all the world that you will avenge this slaughter and bloodshed once and for all! Listen, Lord! Hear the sighing of all the prisoners of war, all those doomed to die. Demonstrate your glory-power, and come and rescue your condemned children! Lord God, take what these mocking masses have done to us and pay it all back to them seven times over.
Psalms 79:1-12 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins. They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the heavens for food, the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth. They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them. We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those around us. How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name! For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation. Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake! Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes! Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die! Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!