1 ARST God, other people groups have invaded your own land. They have desecrated your temple, and they have destroyed all the buildings in Jerusalem. BSB BSB: A Psalm of Asaph. The nations, O God, have invaded Your inheritance; they have defiled Your holy temple and reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
2 ARST Instead of burying the corpses of your people whom they killed, they allowed the vultures to eat the flesh of those corpses, and they also allowed wild animals to eat the corpses of your people. BSB BSB: 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 ARST When they killed your people, your people’ s blood flowed like water through the streets of Jerusalem, and there was almost no one left to bury their corpses. BSB BSB: They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead.
4 ARST The people groups that live in countries that surround our land insult us; they laugh at us and mock us. BSB BSB: We have become a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and derision to those around us.
5 ARST Yahweh, how long will this continue? Will you be angry with us forever? Will your anger be like a fire burning within you? BSB BSB: How long, O LORD? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
6 ARST Instead of being angry with us, be angry with the people groups that do not know you! Be angry with kingdoms whose people do not pray to you BSB BSB: Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge You, on the kingdoms that refuse to call on Your name,
7 ARST because they have killed Israelite people and they have ruined your country. BSB BSB: for they have devoured Jacob and devastated his homeland.
8 ARST Do not punish us because of the sins that our ancestors committed! Act mercifully toward us now because we are very discouraged. BSB BSB: Do not hold past sins against us; let Your compassion come quickly, for we are brought low.
9 ARST God, you have saved us many times, so help us now; rescue us and forgive us for having sinned so that other people will honor you. BSB BSB: 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 ARST It is not right that the other people groups say about us,“If their God is very powerful, why does he not help them?” Allow us to see you punishing the people of other nations in return for their shedding our blood and killing many of us, your people. BSB BSB: 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 ARST Listen to your people groaning while they are in prison, and by your great power, free those whom our enemies say they will certainly execute. BSB BSB: May the groans of the captives reach You; by the strength of Your arm preserve those condemned to death.
12 ARST In return for their having often insulted you, punish them seven times as much! BSB BSB: Pay back into the laps of our neighbors sevenfold the reproach they hurled at You, O Lord.
13 ARST After you do that, we, whom you take care of as a shepherd takes care of his sheep, will continue praising you; we will continue to praise you from generation to generation forever. BSB BSB: Then we Your people, the sheep of Your pasture, will thank You forever; from generation to generation we will declare Your praise.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.