Psalms 78

1 A contemplation by Asaph. Hear my teaching, my people. Turn your ears to the words of my mouth.

AN INSTRUCTION OF ASAPH. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings of old,

I open my mouth with an allegory, I bring forth hidden things of old,

3 which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

That we have heard and know, And our fathers have recounted to us.

4 We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, his strength, and his wondrous deeds that he has done.

We do not hide from their sons, Recounting praises of YHWH to a later generation, And His strength, and His wonders that He has done.

5 For he established a covenant in Jacob, and appointed a teaching in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children;

And He raises up a testimony in Jacob, And has placed a law in Israel, That He commanded our fathers, To make them known to their sons.

6 that the generation to come might know, even the children who should be born; who should arise and tell their children,

So that a later generation knows, Sons who are born, rise and recount to their sons,

7 that they might set their hope in God, and not forget God’s deeds, but keep his commandments,

And place their confidence in God, And do not forget the doings of God, But keep His commands.

8 and might not be as their fathers— a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not make their hearts loyal, whose spirit was not steadfast with God.

And they are not like their fathers, A generation apostatizing and being rebellious, A generation—it has not prepared its heart, Nor [is] its spirit steadfast with God.

9 The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.

Sons of Ephraim—armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.

10 They did not keep God’s covenant, and refused to walk in his law.

They have not kept the covenant of God, And they have refused to walk in His law,

11 They forgot his doings, his wondrous deeds that he had shown them.

And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He showed them.

12 He did marvelous things in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

He has done wonders before their fathers, In the land of Egypt—the field of Zoan.

13 He split the sea, and caused them to pass through. He made the waters stand as a heap.

He cleft a sea, and causes them to pass over, Indeed, He causes waters to stand as a heap.

14 In the daytime he also led them with a cloud, and all night with a light of fire.

And leads them with a cloud by day, And with a light of fire all the night.

15 He split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.

He cleaves rocks in a wilderness, And gives drink—as the great deep.

16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

And brings out streams from a rock, And causes waters to come down as rivers.

17 Yet they still went on to sin against him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert.

And they still add to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.

18 They tempted God in their heart by asking food according to their desire.

And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.

19 Yes, they spoke against God. They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

And they speak against God—they said: “Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?”

20 Behold, he struck the rock, so that waters gushed out, and streams overflowed. Can he give bread also? Will he provide meat for his people?”

Behold, He has struck a rock, And waters flow, indeed, streams overflow. “Also, [is] He able to give bread? Does He prepare flesh for His people?”

21 Therefore the LORD heard, and was angry. A fire was kindled against Jacob, anger also went up against Israel,

Therefore YHWH has heard, And He shows Himself angry, And fire has been kindled against Jacob, And anger has also gone up against Israel,

22 because they did not believe in God, and did not trust in his salvation.

For they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation.

23 Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven.

And He commands clouds from above, Indeed, He has opened doors of the heavens.

24 He rained down manna on them to eat, and gave them food from the sky.

And He rains manna on them to eat, Indeed, He has given grain of the heavens to them.

25 Man ate the bread of angels. He sent them food to the full.

Each has eaten food of the mighty, He sent provision to them to satiety.

26 He caused the east wind to blow in the sky. By his power he guided the south wind.

He causes an east wind to journey in the heavens, And leads a south wind by His strength,

27 He also rained meat on them as the dust, winged birds as the sand of the seas.

And He rains on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas—winged bird,

28 He let them fall in the middle of their camp, around their habitations.

And causes [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Around His dwelling places.

29 So they ate, and were well filled. He gave them their own desire.

And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And He brings their desire to them.

30 They did not turn from their cravings. Their food was yet in their mouths,

They have not been estranged from their desire, Their food [is] yet in their mouth,

31 when the anger of God went up against them, killed some of their strongest, and struck down the young men of Israel.

And the anger of God has gone up against them, And He slays among their fat ones, And He caused youths of Israel to bend.

32 For all this they still sinned, and did not believe in his wondrous works.

With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.

33 Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, and their years in terror.

And He consumes their days in vanity, And their years in trouble.

34 When he killed them, then they inquired after him. They returned and sought God earnestly.

If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and earnestly sought God,

35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God, their redeemer.

And they remember that God [is] their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.

36 But they flattered him with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.

And they deceive Him with their mouth, And lie to Him with their tongue,

37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they faithful in his covenant.

And their heart has not been right with Him, And they have not been steadfast in His covenant.

38 But he, being merciful, forgave iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many times he turned his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.

And He, the Merciful One, pardons iniquity, and does not destroy, And has often turned back His anger, And does not awaken all His fury.

39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes away, and does not come again.

And He remembers that they [are] flesh, A wind going on—and it does not return.

40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, and grieved him in the desert!

How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?

41 They turned again and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.

Indeed, they turn back, and try God, And have limited the Holy One of Israel.

42 They did not remember his hand, nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;

They have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.

43 how he set his signs in Egypt, his wonders in the field of Zoan,

When He set His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan,

44 he turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, so that they could not drink.

And He turns their streams to blood, And they do not drink their floods.

45 He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

He sends among them the beetle, and it consumes them, And the frog, and it destroys them,

46 He also gave their increase to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust.

And gives their increase to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.

47 He destroyed their vines with hail, their sycamore fig trees with frost.

He destroys their vine with hail, And their sycamores with frost,

48 He also gave over their livestock to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

And delivers their beasts up to the hail, And their livestock to the burning flames.

49 He threw on them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, and a band of angels of evil.

He sends on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress—A discharge of evil messengers.

50 He made a path for his anger. He did not spare their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence,

He ponders a path for His anger, He did not keep back their soul from death, Indeed, He delivered up their life to the pestilence.

51 and struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.

And He strikes every firstborn in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.

52 But he led out his own people like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

And causes His people to journey as a flock, And guides them as a drove in a wilderness,

53 He led them safely, so that they were not afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

And He leads them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And the sea has covered their enemies.

54 He brought them to the border of his sanctuary, to this mountain, which his right hand had taken.

And He brings them to the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had acquired,

55 He also drove out the nations before them, allotted them for an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

And casts out nations from before them, And causes them to fall in the line of inheritance, And causes the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents,

56 Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, and did not keep his testimonies,

And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And have not kept His testimonies.

57 but turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers. They were twisted like a deceitful bow.

And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,

58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their engraved images.

And make Him angry with their high places, And make Him zealous with their carved images,

59 When God heard this, he was angry, and greatly abhorred Israel,

God has heard, and shows Himself angry. And kicks exceedingly against Israel.

60 so that he abandoned the tent of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men,

And He leaves the Dwelling Place of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,

61 and delivered his strength into captivity, his glory into the adversary’s hand.

And He gives His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,

62 He also gave his people over to the sword, and was angry with his inheritance.

And delivers His people up to the sword, And showed Himself angry with His inheritance.

63 Fire devoured their young men. Their virgins had no wedding song.

Fire has consumed His young men, And His virgins have not been praised.

64 Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows could not weep.

His priests have fallen by the sword, And their widows do not weep.

65 Then the Lord awakened as one out of sleep, like a mighty man who shouts by reason of wine.

And the Lord wakes as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.

66 He struck his adversaries backward. He put them to a perpetual reproach.

And He strikes His adversaries backward, He has put a continuous reproach on them,

67 Moreover he rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,

And He kicks against the tent of Joseph, And has not fixed on the tribe of Ephraim.

68 But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which he loved.

And He chooses the tribe of Judah, With Mount Zion that He loved,

69 He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he has established forever.

And builds His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it for all time.

70 He also chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds;

And He fixes on His servant David, And takes him from the folds of a flock,

71 from following the ewes that have their young, he brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.

He has brought him in from behind suckling ones, To rule over Jacob His people, And over Israel His inheritance.

72 So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.

And he rules them according to the integrity of his heart, And leads them by the skillfulness of his hands!