Why Have You Rejected Us Forever? (Psalm 79:1–13; Jeremiah 52:1–11)
1 DRA Understanding for Asaph. O God, why hast thou cast us off unto the end: why is thy wrath enkindled against the sheep of thy pasture? BSB BSB: A Maskil of Asaph. Why have You rejected us forever, O God? Why does Your anger smolder against the sheep of Your pasture?
2 DRA Remember thy congregation, which thou hast possessed from the beginning. The sceptre of thy inheritance which thou hast redeemed: mount Sion in which thou hast dwelt. BSB BSB: Remember Your congregation, which You purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance—Mount Zion, where You dwell.
3 DRA Lift up thy hands against their pride unto the end; see what things the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary. BSB BSB: Turn Your steps to the everlasting ruins, to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed.
4 DRA And they that hate thee have made their boasts, in the midst of thy solemnity. They have set up their ensigns for signs, BSB BSB: Your foes have roared within Your meeting place; they have unfurled their banners as signs,
5 DRA And they knew not both in the going out and on the highest top. As with axes in a wood of trees, BSB BSB: like men wielding axes in a thicket of trees
6 DRA They have cut down at once the gates thereof, with axe and hatchet they have brought it down. BSB BSB: and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.
7 DRA They have set fire to thy sanctuary: they have defiled the dwelling place of thy name on the earth. BSB BSB: They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground; they have defiled the dwelling place of Your Name.
8 DRA They said in their heart, the whole kindred of them together: Let us abolish all the festival days of God from the land. BSB BSB: They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely.” They burned down every place where God met us in the land.
9 DRA Our signs we have not seen, there is now no prophet: and he will know us no more. BSB BSB: There are no signs for us to see. There is no longer any prophet. And none of us knows how long this will last.
10 DRA How long, O God, shall the enemy reproach: is the adversary to provoke thy name for ever? BSB BSB: How long, O God, will the enemy taunt You? Will the foe revile Your name forever?
11 DRA Why dost thou turn away thy hand: and thy right hand out of the midst of thy bosom for ever? BSB BSB: Why do You withdraw Your strong right hand? Stretch it out to destroy them!
12 DRA But God is our king before ages: he hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth. BSB BSB: Yet God is my King from ancient times, working salvation on the earth.
13 DRA Thou by thy strength didst make the sea firm: thou didst crush the heads of the dragons in the waters. BSB BSB: You divided the sea by Your strength; You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea;
14 DRA Thou hast broken the heads of the dragon: thou hast given him to be meat for the people of the Ethiopians. BSB BSB: You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert.
15 DRA Thou hast broken up the fountains and the torrents: thou hast dried up the Ethan rivers. BSB BSB: You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.
16 DRA Thine is the day, and thine is the night: thou hast made the morning light and the sun. BSB BSB: The day is Yours, and also the night; You established the moon and the sun.
17 DRA Thou hast made all the borders of the earth: the summer and the spring were formed by thee. BSB BSB: You set all the boundaries of the earth; You made the summer and winter.
18 DRA Remember this, the enemy hath reproached the Lord: and a foolish people hath provoked thy name. BSB BSB: Remember how the enemy has mocked You, O LORD, how a foolish people has spurned Your name.
19 DRA Deliver not up to beasts the souls that confess to thee: and forget not to the end the souls of thy poor. BSB BSB: Do not deliver the soul of Your dove to beasts; do not forget the lives of Your afflicted forever.
20 DRA Have regard to thy covenant: for they that are the obscure of the earth have been filled with dwellings of iniquity. BSB BSB: Consider Your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.
21 DRA Let not the humble be turned away with confusion: the poor and needy shall praise thy name. BSB BSB: Do not let the oppressed retreat in shame; may the poor and needy praise Your name.
22 DRA Arise, O God, judge thy own cause: remember thy reproaches with which the foolish man hath reproached thee all the day. BSB BSB: Rise up, O God; defend Your cause! Remember how the fool mocks You all day long.
23 DRA Forget not the voices of thy enemies: the pride of them that hate thee ascendeth continually. BSB BSB: Do not disregard the clamor of Your adversaries, the uproar of Your enemies that ascends continually.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.