How Long, O Lord?

A Psalm of (A)Asaph.

79 O God, (B)the nations have come into your (C)inheritance;
    they have defiled your (D)holy temple;
    they have (E)laid Jerusalem in ruins.
They have given (F)the bodies of your servants
    to the birds of the heavens for food,
    the flesh of your (G)faithful to (H)the beasts of the earth.
They have poured out their blood like water
    all around Jerusalem,
    and there was (I)no one to bury them.
We have become (J)a taunt to our neighbors,
    (K)mocked and derided by those around us.

(L)How long, O Lord? Will you be angry (M)forever?
    Will your (N)jealousy (O)burn like fire?
(P)Pour out your anger on the nations
    that (Q)do not know you,
and on the kingdoms
    that (R)do not call upon your name!
For they have devoured Jacob
    and laid waste his habitation.

(S)Do not remember against us (T)our former iniquities;[a]
    let your compassion come speedily to meet us,
    for we are (U)brought very low.
(V)Help us, O God of our salvation,
    for the glory of your name;
deliver us, and (W)atone for our sins,
    for your (X)name's sake!
10 (Y)Why should the nations say,
    “Where is their God?”
Let (Z)the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants
    be known among the nations before our eyes!

11 Let (AA)the groans of the prisoners come before you;
    according to your great power, preserve those (AB)doomed to die!
12 Return (AC)sevenfold into the (AD)lap of our neighbors
    the (AE)taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!
13 But we your people, the (AF)sheep of your pasture,
    will (AG)give thanks to you forever;
    from generation to generation we will recount your praise.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 79:8 Or the iniquities of former generations

79 1-4 God! Barbarians have broken into your home,
    violated your holy temple,
    left Jerusalem a pile of rubble!
They’ve served up the corpses of your servants
    as carrion food for birds of prey,
Threw the bones of your holy people
    out to the wild animals to gnaw on.
They dumped out their blood
    like buckets of water.
All around Jerusalem, their bodies
    were left to rot, unburied.
We’re nothing but a joke to our neighbors,
    graffiti scrawled on the city walls.

5-7 How long do we have to put up with this, God?
    Do you have it in for us for good?
    Will your smoldering rage never cool down?
If you’re going to be angry, be angry
    with the pagans who care nothing about you,
    or your rival kingdoms who ignore you.
They’re the ones who ruined Jacob,
    who wrecked and looted the place where he lived.

8-10 Don’t blame us for the sins of our parents.
    Hurry up and help us; we’re at the end of our rope.
You’re famous for helping; God, give us a break.
    Your reputation is on the line.
Pull us out of this mess, forgive us our sins—
    do what you’re famous for doing!
Don’t let the heathen get by with their sneers:
    “Where’s your God? Is he out to lunch?”
Go public and show the godless world
    that they can’t kill your servants and get by with it.

11-13 Give groaning prisoners a hearing;
    pardon those on death row from their doom—you can do it!
Give our jeering neighbors what they’ve got coming to them;
    let their God-taunts boomerang and knock them flat.
Then we, your people, the ones you love and care for,
    will thank you over and over and over.
We’ll tell everyone we meet
    how wonderful you are, how praiseworthy you are!

Psalm 79

A psalm of Asaph.

O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance;(A)
    they have defiled(B) your holy temple,
    they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.(C)
They have left the dead bodies of your servants
    as food for the birds of the sky,(D)
    the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.(E)
They have poured out blood like water
    all around Jerusalem,
    and there is no one to bury(F) the dead.(G)
We are objects of contempt to our neighbors,
    of scorn(H) and derision to those around us.(I)

How long,(J) Lord? Will you be angry(K) forever?
    How long will your jealousy burn like fire?(L)
Pour out your wrath(M) on the nations
    that do not acknowledge(N) you,
on the kingdoms
    that do not call on your name;(O)
for they have devoured(P) Jacob
    and devastated his homeland.

Do not hold against us the sins of past generations;(Q)
    may your mercy come quickly to meet us,
    for we are in desperate need.(R)
Help us,(S) God our Savior,
    for the glory of your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins
    for your name’s sake.(T)
10 Why should the nations say,
    “Where is their God?”(U)

Before our eyes, make known among the nations
    that you avenge(V) the outpoured blood(W) of your servants.
11 May the groans of the prisoners come before you;
    with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.
12 Pay back into the laps(X) of our neighbors seven times(Y)
    the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord.
13 Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture,(Z)
    will praise you forever;(AA)
from generation to generation
    we will proclaim your praise.

The Mountain of the Lord

It shall come to pass (A)in the latter days
    that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
    and it shall be lifted up above the hills;
and peoples shall flow to it,
    and many nations shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
    and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,[a]
    and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between many peoples,
    and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away;
and they shall (B)beat their swords into plowshares,
    and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
    neither shall they learn war anymore;
(C)but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree,
    (D)and no one shall make them afraid,
    (E)for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
For (F)all the peoples walk
    each in the name of its god,
but (G)we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
    forever and ever.

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 4:2 Or teaching

The Making of God’s People

1-4 But when all is said and done,
    God’s Temple on the mountain,
Firmly fixed, will dominate all mountains,
    towering above surrounding hills.
People will stream to it
    and many nations set out for it,
Saying, “Come, let’s climb God’s mountain.
    Let’s go to the Temple of Jacob’s God.
He will teach us how to live.
    We’ll know how to live God’s way.”
True teaching will issue from Zion,
    God’s revelation from Jerusalem.
He’ll establish justice in the rabble of nations
    and settle disputes in faraway places.
They’ll trade in their swords for shovels,
    their spears for rakes and hoes.
Nations will quit fighting each other,
    quit learning how to kill one another.
Each man will sit under his own shade tree,
    each woman in safety will tend her own garden.
God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so,
    and he means what he says.

Meanwhile, all the other people live however they wish,
    picking and choosing their gods.
But we live honoring God,
    and we’re loyal to our God forever and ever.

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The Mountain of the Lord(A)

In the last days

the mountain(B) of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,(C)
    and peoples will stream to it.(D)

Many nations will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,(E)
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.(F)
He will teach us(G) his ways,(H)
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law(I) will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will judge between many peoples
    and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.(J)
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.(K)
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
    nor will they train for war(L) anymore.(M)
Everyone will sit under their own vine
    and under their own fig tree,(N)
and no one will make them afraid,(O)
    for the Lord Almighty has spoken.(P)
All the nations may walk
    in the name of their gods,(Q)
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
    our God for ever and ever.(R)

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The Seven Angels with Seven Plagues

15 Then (A)I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, (B)seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.

And I saw (C)what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those (D)who had conquered the beast and its image and (E)the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass (F)with harps of God in their hands. And they sing (G)the song of Moses, (H)the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,

(I)“Great and amazing are your deeds,
    O Lord God the Almighty!
(J)Just and true are your ways,
    O King of the nations![a]
(K)Who will not fear, O Lord,
    and glorify your name?
For you alone are (L)holy.
    (M)All nations will come
    and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

After this I looked, and (N)the sanctuary of (O)the tent[b] of witness in heaven was opened, and out of the sanctuary came (P)the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright (Q)linen, (R)with golden sashes around their chests. And one of (S)the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven (T)golden bowls full of the wrath of God (U)who lives forever and ever, and (V)the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and (W)no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 15:3 Some manuscripts the ages
  2. Revelation 15:5 Or tabernacle

The Song of Moses, the Song of the Lamb

15 I saw another Sign in Heaven, huge and breathtaking: seven Angels with seven disasters. These are the final disasters, the wrap-up of God’s wrath.

2-4 I saw something like a sea made of glass, the glass all shot through with fire. Carrying harps of God, triumphant over the Beast, its image, and the number of its name, the saved ones stood on the sea of glass. They sang the Song of Moses, servant of God; they sang the Song of the Lamb:

Mighty your acts and marvelous,
    O God, the Sovereign-Strong!
Righteous your ways and true,
    King of the nations!
Who can fail to fear you, God,
    give glory to your Name?
Because you and you only are holy,
    all nations will come and worship you,
    because they see your judgments are right.

5-8 Then I saw the doors of the Temple, the Tent of Witness in Heaven, open wide. The Seven Angels carrying the seven disasters came out of the Temple. They were dressed in clean, bright linen and wore gold vests. One of the Four Animals handed the Seven Angels seven gold bowls, brimming with the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. Smoke from God’s glory and power poured out of the Temple. No one was permitted to enter the Temple until the seven disasters of the Seven Angels were finished.

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Seven Angels With Seven Plagues

15 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign:(A) seven angels(B) with the seven last plagues(C)—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. And I saw what looked like a sea of glass(D) glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious(E) over the beast(F) and its image(G) and over the number of its name.(H) They held harps(I) given them by God and sang the song of God’s servant(J) Moses(K) and of the Lamb:(L)

“Great and marvelous are your deeds,(M)
    Lord God Almighty.(N)
Just and true are your ways,(O)
    King of the nations.[a]
Who will not fear you, Lord,(P)
    and bring glory to your name?(Q)
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
    and worship before you,(R)
for your righteous acts(S) have been revealed.”[b]

After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple(T)—that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law(U)—and it was opened.(V) Out of the temple(W) came the seven angels with the seven plagues.(X) They were dressed in clean, shining linen(Y) and wore golden sashes around their chests.(Z) Then one of the four living creatures(AA) gave to the seven angels(AB) seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever.(AC) And the temple was filled with smoke(AD) from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple(AE) until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 15:3 Some manuscripts ages
  2. Revelation 15:4 Phrases in this song are drawn from Psalm 111:2,3; Deut. 32:4; Jer. 10:7; Psalms 86:9; 98:2.