Psalm 79 Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 79

Faith amid Confusion

A psalm of Asaph.^(A)

¹God, the nations have invaded your inheritance,
desecrated your holy temple,
and turned Jerusalem into ruins.^(B)
²They gave the corpses of your servants
to the birds of the sky for food,
the flesh of your faithful ones
to the beasts of the earth.^(C)
³They poured out their blood
like water all around Jerusalem,
and there was no one to bury them.^(D)
⁴We have become an object of reproach
to our neighbors,
a source of mockery and ridicule
to those around us.^(E)

⁵How long, Lord? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy keep burning like fire?^(F)
⁶Pour out your wrath on the nations
that don’t acknowledge you,
on the kingdoms that don’t call on your name,^(G)
⁷for they have devoured Jacob
and devastated his homeland.^(H)
⁸Do not hold past iniquities^[a] against us;
let your compassion come to us quickly,
for we have become very weak.^(I)

⁹God of our salvation, help us,^(J)
for the glory of your name.
Rescue us and atone for our sins,
for your name’s sake.^(K)
¹⁰Why should the nations ask,
“Where is their God?” ^(L)
Before our eyes,
let vengeance for the shed blood of your servants
be known among the nations.^(M)
¹¹Let the groans of the prisoners reach you;
according to your great power,
preserve those condemned to die.^(N)

¹²Pay back sevenfold to our neighbors^(O)
the reproach they have hurled at you, Lord.^(P)
¹³Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture,^(Q)
will thank you forever;
we will declare your praise
to generation after generation.^(R)

Footnotes

79:8 Or hold the sins of past generations

Cross references

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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