מִזְמוֹר לְאָסָף אֱלֹהִים בָּאוּ גוֹיִם בְּנַחֲלָתֶךָ טִמְּאוּ אֶת הֵיכַל קָדְשֶׁךָ שָׂמוּ אֶת יְרוּשָׁלִַם לְעִיִּים

A psalm by Asaf. God, the nations have invaded Your inherited land; they have defiled Your holy Temple. They have reduced Jerusalem to ruins.

נָתְנוּ אֶת נִבְלַת עֲבָדֶיךָ מַאֲכָל לְעוֹף הַשָּׁמָיִם בְּשַׂר חֲסִידֶיךָ לְחַיְתוֹ אָרֶץ

They fed the corpses of Your servants to birds of the sky, the flesh of Your devoted ones to the beasts of the earth. The people fell in the field, and as they lay there unburied, they were picked at by bird and beast.

שָׁפְכוּ דָמָם כַּמַּיִם סְבִיבוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָם וְאֵין קוֹבֵר

They spilled their blood like water around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.

הָיִינוּ חֶרְפָּה לִשְׁכֵנֵינוּ לַעַג וָקֶלֶס לִסְבִיבוֹתֵינוּ

We have become a disgrace to our neighbors as a result of our defeat and downfall, an object of scorn and mockery to those around us.

עַד מָה ה' תֶּאֱנַף לָנֶצַח תִּבְעַר כְּמוֹ אֵשׁ קִנְאָתֶךָ

How long, Lord? Will You be angry forever, Your jealousy burning like fire? Even if we have sinned against You and incurred Your wrath, there has to be a limit to Your anger and to our suffering. This is all the more true if You compare our sins to those of our foes, as the following verse goes on to say:

שְׁפֹךְ חֲמָתְךָ אֶל הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יְדָעוּךָ וְעַל מַמְלָכוֹת אֲשֶׁר בְּשִׁמְךָ לֹא קָרָאוּ

If you are angry, pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge You at all, rather than on us, and on kingdoms that do not invoke Your name, who are unquestionably more distant from You than we are,

כִּי אָכַל אֶת יַעֲקֹב וְאֶת נָוֵהוּ הֵשַׁמּוּ

for they have devoured Jacob and made desolate his habitation.

אַל תִּזְכָּר לָנוּ עֲוֹנֹת רִאשֹׁנִים מַהֵר יְקַדְּמוּנוּ רַחֲמֶיךָ כִּי דַלּוֹנוּ מְאֹד

Do not hold our former iniquities against us, though we have indeed sinned. Let Your mercy come to us quickly, for we are brought very low and have been punished sufficiently.

עָזְרֵנוּ אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׁעֵנוּ עַל דְּבַר כְּבוֹד שְׁמֶךָ וְהַצִּילֵנוּ וְכַפֵּר עַל חַטֹּאתֵינוּ לְמַעַן שְׁמֶךָ

Help us, God of our salvation, at least for the glory of Your name, even if we are undeserving; deliver us and forgive us our sins for the sake of Your name. We are associated with Your name, so our disgrace is a desecration of Your name.

לָמָּה יֹאמְרוּ הַגּוֹיִם אַיֵּה אֶלֹהֵיהֶם יִוָּדַע בַּגּוֹיִם לְעֵינֵינוּ נִקְמַת דַּם עֲבָדֶיךָ הַשָּׁפוּךְ

Why should the nations say: Where is their God? If He is really their God, why doesn’t He respond to our deeds against them? Let us witness it with our own eyes, and let it not happen in the distant future, when there becomes known among the nations vengeance for the spilled blood of Your servants.

תָּבוֹא לְפָנֶיךָ אֶנְקַת אָסִיר כְּגֹדֶל זְרוֹעֲךָ הוֹתֵר בְּנֵי תְמוּתָה

Let the captive’s groaning come before You, the cry of those held captive by the enemy. By Your arm’s great power, spare those doomed to die.

וְהָשֵׁב לִשְׁכֵנֵינוּ שִׁבְעָתַיִם אֶל חֵיקָם חֶרְפָּתָם אֲשֶׁר חֵרְפוּךָ אֲדֹנָי

Pay back our neighbors to their bosom sevenfold for their abuse, for their reviling of You, Lord.

אֲנַחְנוּ עַמְּךָ וְצֹאן מַרְעִיתֶךָ נוֹדֶה לְּךָ לְעוֹלָם לְדוֹר וָדֹר נְסַפֵּר תְּהִלָּתֶךָ

For we are Your people, the sheep of Your flock; we will give thanks to You forever, from generation to generation recounting Your praise.