The Message Bible MSG
King James Version KJV
1 God! Barbarians have broken into your home, violated your holy temple, left Jerusalem a pile of rubble!
1
O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.
2 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.
2
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.
3 They dumped out their blood like buckets of water. All around Jerusalem, their bodies were left to rot, unburied.
3
Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them.
4 We're nothing but a joke to our neighbors, graffiti scrawled on the city walls.
4
We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us.
5 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?
5
How long, LORD? wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire?
6 If you're going to be angry, be angry with the pagans who care nothing about you, or your rival kingdoms who ignore you.
6
Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.
7 They're the ones who ruined Jacob, who wrecked and looted the place where he lived.
7
For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place.
8 Don't blame us for the sins of our parents. Hurry up and help us; we're at the end of our rope.
8
O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low.
9 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!
9
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.
10 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.
10
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.
11 Give groaning prisoners a hearing; pardon those on death row from their doom - you can do it!
11
Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die;
12 Give our jeering neighbors what they've got coming to them; let their God-taunts boomerang and knock them flat.
12
And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.
13 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!
13
So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
The King James Version is in the public domain.