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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

PSALM 79 by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE

First Line: THE LAND OF LONG BY THEE POSSESSED
Last Line: FROM AGE TO AGE, WHAT THOU HAST DONE.
The Land of long by Thee possessed
The heathen Lord have now oppressed
Thy Temple holyly maintained
Till now, is now profanely stained
Jerusalem quite spoild and burned
Hath suffered sacks
And utter wracks
To stony heapes her houses turned

The lifeless Carkasses of those
That liv'd Thy Servants serve the crowes
The flock so dearly lov'd of Thee
To ravning beasts deere food they be
Their blood doth streame in evry street
As water spilled
Their bodys killed
With sepulture can no where meet

To them that hold the neighbour places
We are but objects of disgraces
On ev'ery coast who dwell about us
In ev'ry kind deride and flout us
Ah Lord when shall Thy wrath be ended
Shall still Thyne Ire
As quenchless fire
In deadly ardor be extended.

O kindle there Thy furys flame
Where lives no notice of Thy Name
There let Thy heavy anger fall
Where no devotions on Thee call
For hence they be who Jacob eate
Who thus have rased
Have thus defaced
Thus desert layd his antient seate.

Lord ridd us from our sinfull combers
Count not of them the passed numbers
But let Thy pitty soone prevent us
For hard extremes have neerly spent us
Free us O God our freedom giver
Our misery
With help supply
And for Thy glory us deliver.

Deliver us and for Thy name
With mercy cloath our sinfull shame
Ah why should this their by-word be
Where is your God where now is hee?
Make them, and us on them behold
That not despised
But deerly prized
Thy wreakfull hand our blood doth hold.

Where Grace and Glory Thee enthroneth
Admitt the groanes the Prisner groaneth
The poore condemned for Death reserved
Let be by Thee in life preserved
And for our neighbours Lord remember
Th'opprobrious shame
They lent Thy Name
With sev'nfold gain to them thou render.

So wee Thy Servants we Thy sheep
Whom Thy looks guide, Thy pastures keep
Till death define our living dayes
Will never cease to sound Thy praise
Nay when we leave to see the sun
The aftergoers
We will make knowers
From age to age, what Thou hast done.



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