Psa 79 | HCSB | STEP | A psalm of Asaph . God , the nations have invaded Your inheritance , desecrated Your holy temple , and turned Jerusalem into ruins .

Psalms 79

Faith amid Confusion

1 A psalm of ^{▼▼Asaph: A musician appointed by David to oversee the music used in worship at the Temple; 12 psalms are attributed to Asaph.}Asaph. ^b

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

5 How long, ^{▼▼Yahweh/Yah: Or The Lord; the personal name of God in Hebrew; "Yah" is the shortened form of the name.}Yahweh? Will You be angry forever?
Will Your jealousy keep burning like fire? ^h
6 Pour out Your wrath on the nations
that don’t acknowledge You,
on the kingdoms that don’t call on Your name, ⁱ
7 for they have devoured Jacob
and devastated his homeland. ^j
8 Do not hold past sins ^{▼▼Or hold the sins of past generations} against us;
let Your compassion come to us quickly,
for we have become weak. ^l

9 God of our salvation, help us ^m –
for the glory of Your name.
Deliver us and ^{▼▼atone/ atonement: A theological term for God's provision to deal with human sin. In the OT, it primarily means purification. In some contexts forgiveness, pardon, expiation, propitiation, or reconciliation is included. The basis of atonement is substitutionary sacrifice offered in faith. The OT sacrifices were types and shadows of the great and final sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.}atone for ^{▼▼Or and wipe out, or and forgive} our sins,
because of Your name. ^p
10 Why should the nations ask,
“Where is their God?” ^q
Before our eyes,
let vengeance for the shed blood of Your servants
be known among the nations. ^r
11 Let the groans of the prisoners reach You;
according to Your great power,
preserve those condemned to die. ^s

12 Pay back sevenfold to our neighbors ^t
the reproach they have hurled at You, Lord. ^u
13 Then we, Your people, the sheep of Your pasture, ^v
will thank You forever;
we will declare Your praise
to generation after generation. ^w