Psalms Chapter 79
Showing all 13 verses for Psalms Chapter 79.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"O GOD, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps. "
"God, foreign nations have invaded the land that belongs to you; they've defiled your holy temple and reduced Jerusalem to rubble."
When disaster strikes, I don't need you to soften it before bringing it to me - come exactly as this psalm does, stating plainly what's broken. Honest grief brought openly is always welcome.
"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. "
"They've left the bodies of your servants as food for birds of the sky, and the flesh of your faithful people for wild animals to eat."
Grief over dignity denied, even after death, is a real and valid thing to feel and voice. I don't ask you to rush past that kind of horror to get to a positive ending.
"Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them. "
"They've spilled their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one left to bury them."
When a community is overwhelmed by loss, sometimes even the basic rituals of grief become impossible. That's not a failure of love - it's a sign of how much has been taken, and it deserves compassion.
"We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us. "
"We've become an object of scorn to our neighbours - something to mock and ridicule for the people around us."
Being mocked or judged while you're already struggling is a particular kind of pain, and I see it fully. You don't have to justify yourself to people laughing at your lowest point.
"How long, LORD? wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire? "
"How long, LORD? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy keep burning like fire?"
Asking 'how long' in the middle of suffering isn't a lack of faith - it's one of the most honest prayers there is. I welcome that question exactly as it is.
"Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name. "
"Pour out your anger on the nations who don't know you, on the kingdoms that don't call on your name."
When you've been genuinely wronged, it's honest and human to want justice to fall on those responsible. What matters is bringing that desire to me honestly, rather than taking justice into your own hands through hatred or violence.
"For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place. "
"Because they have devoured Jacob's people and destroyed his homeland."
When you ask for justice, it helps to be honest and specific about what actually happened, rather than letting vague resentment fester.
"O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily us: for we are brought very low. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"Don't hold our past sins against us; let your mercy come quickly to meet us, because we are brought very low."
Real healing often needs this same honesty - not just naming what others did wrong, but owning your own part too, without that ownership becoming self-hatred. I meet genuine humility with mercy, not further condemnation.
"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. "
"Help us, God of our salvation, for the sake of your own reputation; rescue us and forgive our sins, for your name's sake."
When you feel you don't deserve help, it can still be right to ask for it - not on the basis of having earned it, but trusting the character of the one you're asking. I don't wait for you to be deserving.
"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. "
"Why should the nations get to say, "Where is their God?" Let it be seen among the nations, right in front of us, that you avenge the blood of your servants that was shed."
When people question whether good and justice are even real, sometimes what's needed isn't an argument but a visible act of real justice or restoration. I understand wanting your trust vindicated in front of those who doubted it.
"Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die; "
"Let the groaning of the prisoners reach you; use your great power to keep alive those who are condemned to die."
In the middle of a big crisis, don't lose sight of the individuals suffering most acutely within it. I care about the specific person facing the worst of it, not just the general situation.
"And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord. "
"Pay back our neighbours seven times over for the insults they hurled at you, Lord."
This is one of the rawest verses in the Psalms, and I won't pretend it's comfortable. There's a real difference between honestly bringing rage like this to me in prayer and going out to enact vengeance yourself - bring me your anger exactly as it is, but leave the settling of accounts in my hands.
"So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations. "
"Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture, will thank you forever - we will praise you to every generation to come."
Even in your hardest moments, it's worth holding onto hope that this isn't the end of the story - that there will be a time to look back and give thanks. Let that hope keep you moving through the pain, even before relief arrives.