Psalms 78

1 A Maskil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my instruction; listen 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 parables; I will utter things hidden from the beginning,

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

3 that we have heard and known and our fathers have relayed to us.

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

4 We will not hide them from their children, but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might, and the wonders He has performed.

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 testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach 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 coming generation would know them— even children yet to be born— to arise and tell their own children

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

7 that they should put their confidence in God, not forgetting His works, but keeping His commandments.

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

8 Then they will not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose heart was not loyal, whose spirit was not faithful to 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 archers of Ephraim turned back on the day of battle.

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

10 They failed to keep God’s covenant and refused to live by His law.

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

11 They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them.

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

12 He worked wonders before their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.

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

13 He split the sea and brought them through; He set the waters upright like a wall.

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

14 He led them with a cloud by day and with a light of fire all night.

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

15 He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as abundant as the seas.

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

16 He brought streams from the stone and made water flow down like rivers.

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

17 But they continued to sin against Him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High.

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

18 They willfully tested God by demanding the food they craved.

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

19 They spoke against God, saying, “Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness?

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

20 When He struck the rock, water gushed out and torrents raged. But can He also give bread or supply His people with meat?”

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 filled with wrath; so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and His anger flared 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 God or rely on His salvation.

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

23 Yet He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of the heavens.

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

24 He rained down manna for them to eat; He gave them grain from heaven.

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 in abundance.

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

26 He stirred the east wind from the heavens and drove the south wind by His might.

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

27 He rained meat on them like dust, and winged birds like the sand of the sea.

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

28 He felled them in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings.

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

29 So they ate and were well filled, for He gave them what they craved.

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

30 Yet before they had filled their desire, with the food still in their mouths,

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

31 God’s anger flared against them, and He put to death their strongest and subdued 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 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.

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

33 So He ended their days in futility, and their years in sudden terror.

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

34 When He slew them, they would seek Him; they repented and searched for God.

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

35 And they remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.

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

36 But they deceived Him with their mouths, and lied to Him with their tongues.

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

37 Their hearts were disloyal to Him, and they were unfaithful to His covenant.

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

38 And yet He was compassionate; He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. He often restrained His anger and did not unleash His full 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 passing breeze that does not return.

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

40 How often they disobeyed 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 Again and again they tested 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 power — the day He redeemed them from the adversary,

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

43 when He performed His signs in Egypt and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.

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

44 He turned their rivers to blood, and from their streams they could not drink.

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

45 He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them.

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

46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper, the fruit of their labor to the locust.

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

47 He killed their vines with hailstones and their sycamore-figs with sleet.

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

48 He abandoned their cattle to the hail and their livestock to bolts of lightning.

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

49 He unleashed His fury against them, wrath, indignation, and calamity— a band of destroying angels.

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

50 He cleared a path for His anger; He did not spare them from death but delivered their lives to the plague.

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 He struck all the firstborn of Egypt, the virility in the tents of Ham.

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

52 He led out His people like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.

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

53 He led them safely, so they did not fear, but the sea engulfed 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 His holy land, to the mountain His right hand had acquired.

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

55 He drove out nations before them and apportioned their inheritance; He settled the tribes of Israel 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 But they tested and disobeyed God Most High, for they did not keep His decrees.

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

57 They turned back and were faithless like their fathers, twisted like a faulty bow.

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

58 They enraged Him with their high places and provoked His jealousy with their idols.

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

59 On hearing it, God was furious and rejected Israel completely.

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

60 He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent He had pitched among men.

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

61 He delivered His strength to captivity, and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.

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

62 He surrendered His people to the sword because He was enraged by His heritage.

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

63 Fire consumed His young men, and their maidens were left without wedding songs.

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

64 His priests fell by the sword, but their widows could not lament.

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

65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a mighty warrior overcome by wine.

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

66 He beat back His foes; He put them to everlasting shame.

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

67 He rejected the tent of Joseph and refused the tribe of Ephraim.

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

68 But He 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 He has established forever.

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

70 He 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 tending the ewes He brought him to be shepherd of His people Jacob, of 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 David shepherded them with integrity of heart and guided them with skillful hands.

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