תהלים ע״ט | Psalms 79, translated by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

Contributor(s):

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation), the Masoretic Text and Asaph ben Berechiah

Shared on:

15 January 2022 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

Categories:

Tehilim Book 3 (Psalms 73–89), Imminent Communal Danger & Distress

Tags:

Psalms 79, Ḳ.Ḳ. Beth Elohim (Colleyville Texas), Colleyville synagogue hostage crisis

Note: “The CAUSE” is used to translate the Divine Name YHVH, based on the philosophical idea of God as the Prime Mover and on the interpretation of the Name as a causative form of the copula – “causes to be.”

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Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
מִזְמ֗וֹר לְאָ֫סָ֥ף אֱֽלֹהִ֡ים בָּ֤אוּ גוֹיִ֨ם ׀ בְּֽנַחֲלָתֶ֗ךָ טִ֭מְּאוּ אֶת־הֵיכַ֣ל קׇדְשֶׁ֑ךָ שָׂ֖מוּ אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלַ֣͏ִם לְעִיִּֽים׃	A psalm, asaphiendo. God, gentiles have entered Your inheritance, defiled Your holy Temple, turned Jerusalem over to the jackals.
נָתְנ֡וּ אֶת־נִבְלַ֬ת עֲבָדֶ֗יךָ מַ֭אֲכָל לְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם בְּשַׂ֥ר חֲ֝סִידֶ֗יךָ לְחַיְתוֹ־אָֽרֶץ׃	They have given Your servants’ corpses as food for the birds of heaven, the flesh of Your faithful for the wild beasts.
שָׁפְכ֬וּ דָמָ֨ם ׀ כַּמַּ֗יִם סְֽבִ֘יב֤וֹת יְֽרוּשָׁלָ֗͏ִם וְאֵ֣ין קוֹבֵֽר׃	They spilled their blood like water around Jerusalem, with none to bury.
הָיִ֣ינוּ חֶ֭רְפָּה לִשְׁכֵנֵ֑ינוּ לַ֥עַג וָ֝קֶ֗לֶס לִסְבִיבוֹתֵֽינוּ׃	We are an embarrassment to our neighbors; Mockery and derision for those around us.
עַד־מָ֣ה יְ֭הֹוָה תֶּאֱנַ֣ף לָנֶ֑צַח תִּבְעַ֥ר כְּמוֹ־אֵ֗֝שׁ קִנְאָתֶֽךָ׃	Until what, CAUSE, will your anger be eternal; your jealousy burning like fire?
שְׁפֹ֤ךְ חֲמָתְךָ֗ אֶֽל־הַגּוֹיִם֮ אֲשֶׁ֢ר לֹא־יְדָ֫ע֥וּךָ וְעַ֥ל מַמְלָכ֑וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּ֝שִׁמְךָ֗ לֹ֣א קָרָֽאוּ׃	Pour out Your rage upon the gentiles who do not know You, and upon the regimes that do not call by Your name.
כִּ֭י אָכַ֣ל אֶֽת־יַעֲקֹ֑ב וְֽאֶת־נָוֵ֥הוּ הֵשַֽׁמּוּ׃	For they have eaten Jacob, and ruined his abode.
אַֽל־תִּזְכׇּר־לָנוּ֮ עֲוֺנֹ֢ת רִאשֹׁ֫נִ֥ים מַ֭הֵר יְקַדְּמ֣וּנוּ רַחֲמֶ֑יךָ כִּ֖י דַלּ֣וֹנוּ מְאֹֽד׃	Do not bring to mind our ancestral iniquities! Quick, let Your compassion come before us, for we are very desperate.
עׇזְרֵ֤נוּ ׀ אֱלֹ֘הֵ֤י יִשְׁעֵ֗נוּ עַֽל־דְּבַ֥ר כְּבֽוֹד־שְׁמֶ֑ךָ וְהַצִּילֵ֥נוּ וְכַפֵּ֥ר עַל־חַ֝טֹּאתֵ֗ינוּ לְמַ֣עַן שְׁמֶֽךָ׃	Help us, God of our rescue, for the matter of honoring Your name, and save us and atone for our sins for Your name.
לָ֤מָּה ׀ יֹאמְר֣וּ הַגּוֹיִם֮ אַיֵּ֢ה אֱֽלֹהֵ֫יהֶ֥ם יִוָּדַ֣ע בגיים [בַּגּוֹיִ֣ם] לְעֵינֵ֑ינוּ נִ֝קְמַ֗ת דַּֽם־עֲבָדֶ֥יךָ הַשָּׁפֽוּךְ׃	Why may the Gentiles say “Where is their god?” Let it be known to those prideful nations before our eyes that the spilt blood of Your servants is avenged.
תָּ֤ב֣וֹא לְפָנֶיךָ֮ אֶנְקַ֢ת אָ֫סִ֥יר כְּגֹ֥דֶל זְרוֹעֲךָ֑ ה֝וֹתֵ֗ר בְּנֵ֣י תְמוּתָֽה׃	Let the moan of the hostages come before You; Per Your great arm, Liberate those condemned to death.
וְהָ֘שֵׁ֤ב לִשְׁכֵנֵ֣ינוּ שִׁ֭בְעָתַיִם אֶל־חֵיקָ֑ם חֶרְפָּ֘תָ֤ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר חֵרְפ֣וּךָ אֲדֹנָֽי׃	And return sevenfold upon our neighbors’ laps The shame with which they shamed us, Master.
וַאֲנַ֤חְנוּ עַמְּךָ֨ ׀ וְצֹ֥אן מַרְעִיתֶךָ֮ נ֤וֹדֶ֥ה לְּךָ֗ לְע֫וֹלָ֥ם לְד֥וֹר וָדֹ֑ר נְ֝סַפֵּ֗ר תְּהִלָּתֶֽךָ׃	For we are Your people and the flock You shepherd. We always acknowledge You. From generation to generation, we tell Your praise.

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“תהלים ע״ט | Psalms 79, translated by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)

From a family of musicians, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer believes that creative art is one of the most powerful ways to get in touch with the divine. He composes music and poetry in Hebrew and English. (He also authors his own original works and transcribes Hebrew and Aramaic text, adding niqqud and t'amim as needed.) Isaac runs a Jewish music transcription service, which will transcribe and set any Jewish music in any language, recorded or written. Contact his service on Facebook or via his music blog.

the Masoretic Text

The Masoretic Text is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the Tanakh for Karaite and Rabbinic Judaism. It was primarily copied, edited and distributed by a group of Jews known as the Masoretes between the 7th and 10th centuries CE. The Masoretic Text defines the Jewish canon and its precise letter-text, with its vocalization and accentuation known as the Masorah.

Asaph ben Berechiah

Asaph is identified with twelve psalms (no. 50 and 73-82). He is said to be the son of Berechiah, and an ancestor of the Asaphim. The Asaphim were one of the guilds of musicians in the Jerusalem temple. This information is clarified in the books 1 and 2 of Chronicles. In Chronicles, it is said that Asaph was a descendant of Gershom the son of Levi and he is identified as a member of the Levi'im. He is also known as one of the three Levi'im commissioned by King David to be in charge of singing in the Temple. In 1 Chronicles 6:39 David appoints a man named Heman as the main musician or singer and Asaph as Heman’s right hand assistant and the Merari at his left hand. Asaph is also credited with performing at the dedication of Solomon’s temple in 2 Chronicles 5:12.

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Works of related interest:

An imaginary representation of the Temple "Templum Salomois" in the midst of walled-in Jerusalem. From: Schedel, Hartmann. Liber chronicarum. Nuernberg. Anton Koberger, 1493. Fol.XVII. The illustrations and the maps are cut in wood by Michael Wolgemut (1434-1519). (credit: National Library of Israel, Public Domain)

תהלים ע״ט | Psalms 79, a new translation for 17 Tamuz by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." –Psalms 90:17