Psalms 78
1 Maschil. Of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law; let your ears be bent down to the words of my mouth.
A Maskil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my instruction; listen to the words of my mouth.
2 Opening my mouth I will give out a story, even the dark sayings of old times;
I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the beginning,
3 Which have come to our hearing and our knowledge, as they were given to us by our fathers.
that we have heard and known and our fathers have relayed to us.
4 We will not keep them secret from our children; we will make clear to the coming generation the praises of the Lord and his strength, and the great works of wonder which he has done.
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.
5 He put up a witness in Jacob, and made a law in Israel; which he gave to our fathers so that they might give knowledge of them to their children;
For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children,
6 So that the generation to come might have knowledge of them, even the children of the future, who would give word of them to their children;
that the coming generation would know them— even children yet to be born— to arise and tell their own children
7 So that they might put their hope in God, and not let God's works go out of their minds, but keep his laws;
that they should put their confidence in God, not forgetting His works, but keeping His commandments.
8 And not be like their fathers, a stiff-necked and uncontrolled generation; a generation whose heart was hard, whose spirit was not true to God.
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.
9 The children of Ephraim, armed with bows, were turned back on the day of the fight.
The archers of Ephraim turned back on the day of battle.
10 They were not ruled by God's word, and they would not go in the way of his law;
They failed to keep God’s covenant and refused to live by His law.
11 They let his works go out of their memory, and the wonders which he had made them see.
They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them.
12 He did great works before the eyes of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
He worked wonders before their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
13 The sea was cut in two so that they might go through; the waters were massed together on this side and on that.
He split the sea and brought them through; He set the waters upright like a wall.
14 In the daytime he was guiding them in the cloud, and all through the night with a light of fire.
He led them with a cloud by day and with a light of fire all night.
15 The rocks of the waste land were broken by his power, and he gave them drink as out of the deep waters.
He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as abundant as the seas.
16 He made streams come out of the rock; and waters came flowing down like rivers.
He brought streams from the stone and made water flow down like rivers.
17 And they went on sinning against him even more, turning away from the Most High in the waste land;
But they continued to sin against Him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High.
18 Testing God in their hearts, requesting meat for their desire.
They willfully tested God by demanding the food they craved.
19 They said bitter words against God, saying, Is God able to make ready a table in the waste land?
They spoke against God, saying, “Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 See, the rock was cut open by his power, so that the water came rushing out, and overflowing streams; is he able to give us bread? is he able to get meat for his people?
When He struck the rock, water gushed out and torrents raged. But can He also give bread or supply His people with meat?”
21 So these things came to the Lord's ears, and he was angry; and a fire was lighted against Jacob, and wrath came up against Israel;
Therefore the LORD heard and was filled with wrath; so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and His anger flared against Israel,
22 Because they had no faith in God, and no hope in his salvation.
because they did not believe God or rely on His salvation.
23 And he gave orders to the clouds on high, and the doors of heaven were open;
Yet He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of the heavens.
24 And he sent down manna like rain for their food, and gave them the grain of heaven.
He rained down manna for them to eat; He gave them grain from heaven.
25 Man took part in the food of strong ones; he sent them meat in full measure.
Man ate the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance.
26 He sent an east wind from heaven, driving on the south wind by his power.
He stirred the east wind from the heavens and drove the south wind by His might.
27 He sent down meat on them like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the sea,
He rained meat on them like dust, and winged birds like the sand of the sea.
28 And he let it come down into their resting-place, round about their tents.
He felled them in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings.
29 So they had food and were full; for he gave them their desire;
So they ate and were well filled, for He gave them what they craved.
30 But they were not turned from their desires; and while the food was still in their mouths,
Yet before they had filled their desire, with the food still in their mouths,
31 The wrath of God came on them, and put to death the fattest of them, and put an end to the young men of Israel.
God’s anger flared against them, and He put to death their strongest and subdued the young men of Israel.
32 For all this they went on sinning even more, and had no faith in his great wonders.
In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.
33 So their days were wasted like a breath, and their years in trouble.
So He ended their days in futility, and their years in sudden terror.
34 When he sent death on them, then they made search for him; turning to him and looking for him with care;
When He slew them, they would seek Him; they repented and searched for God.
35 In the memory that God was their Rock, and the Most High God their saviour.
And they remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.
36 But their lips were false to him, and their tongues were untrue to him;
But they deceived Him with their mouths, and lied to Him with their tongues.
37 And their hearts were not right with him, and they did not keep their agreement with him.
Their hearts were disloyal to Him, and they were unfaithful to His covenant.
38 But he, being full of pity, has forgiveness for sin, and does not put an end to man: frequently turning back his wrath, and not being violently angry.
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.
39 So he kept in mind that they were only flesh; a breath which is quickly gone, and will not come again.
He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.
40 How frequently did they go against him in the waste land, and give him cause for grief in the dry places!
How often they disobeyed Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert!
41 Again they put God to the test, and gave pain to the Holy One of Israel.
Again and again they tested God and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not keep in mind the work of his hand, or the day when he took them from the power of their haters;
They did not remember His power — the day He redeemed them from the adversary,
43 How he had done his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan;
when He performed His signs in Egypt and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.
44 So that their rivers were turned to blood, and they were not able to get drink from their streams.
He turned their rivers to blood, and from their streams they could not drink.
45 He sent different sorts of flies among them, poisoning their flesh; and frogs for their destruction.
He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them.
46 He gave the increase of their fields to worms, the fruits of their industry to the locusts.
He gave their crops to the grasshopper, the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47 He sent ice for the destruction of their vines; their trees were damaged by the bitter cold.
He killed their vines with hailstones and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48 Ice was rained down on their cattle; thunderstorms sent destruction among the flocks.
He abandoned their cattle to the hail and their livestock to bolts of lightning.
49 He sent on them the heat of his wrath, his bitter disgust, letting loose evil angels among them.
He unleashed His fury against them, wrath, indignation, and calamity— a band of destroying angels.
50 He let his wrath have its way; he did not keep back their soul from death, but gave their life to disease.
He cleared a path for His anger; He did not spare them from death but delivered their lives to the plague.
51 He gave to destruction all the first sons of Egypt; the first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham;
He struck all the firstborn of Egypt, the virility in the tents of Ham.
52 But he took his people out like sheep, guiding them in the waste land like a flock.
He led out His people like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
53 He took them on safely so that they had no fear; but their haters were covered by the sea.
He led them safely, so they did not fear, but the sea engulfed their enemies.
54 And he was their guide to his holy land, even to the mountain, which his right hand had made his;
He brought them to His holy land, to the mountain His right hand had acquired.
55 Driving out nations before them, marking out the line of their heritage, and giving the people of Israel their tents for a resting-place.
He drove out nations before them and apportioned their inheritance; He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 But they were bitter against the Most High God, testing him, and not keeping his laws;
But they tested and disobeyed God Most High, for they did not keep His decrees.
57 Their hearts were turned back and untrue like their fathers; they were turned to one side like a twisted bow.
They turned back and were faithless like their fathers, twisted like a faulty bow.
58 They made him angry with their high places; moving him to wrath with their images.
They enraged Him with their high places and provoked His jealousy with their idols.
59 When this came to God's ears he was very angry, and gave up Israel completely;
On hearing it, God was furious and rejected Israel completely.
60 So that he went away from the holy place in Shiloh, the tent which he had put among men;
He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent He had pitched among men.
61 And he let his strength be taken prisoner, and gave his glory into the hands of his hater.
He delivered His strength to captivity, and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.
62 He gave his people up to the sword, and was angry with his heritage.
He surrendered His people to the sword because He was enraged by His heritage.
63 Their young men were burned in the fire; and their virgins were not praised in the bride-song.
Fire consumed His young men, and their maidens were left without wedding songs.
64 Their priests were put to death by the sword, and their widows made no weeping for them.
His priests fell by the sword, but their widows could not lament.
65 Then was the Lord like one awaking from sleep, and like a strong man crying out because of wine.
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a mighty warrior overcome by wine.
66 His haters were turned back by his blows and shamed for ever.
He beat back His foes; He put them to everlasting shame.
67 And he put the tent of Joseph on one side, and took not the tribe of Ephraim;
He rejected the tent of Joseph and refused the tribe of Ephraim.
68 But he took the tribe of Judah for himself, and the mountain of Zion, in which he had pleasure.
But He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which He loved.
69 And he made his holy place like the high heaven, like the earth which is fixed by him for ever.
He built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth He has established forever.
70 He took David to be his servant, taking him from the place of the flocks;
He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 From looking after the sheep which were giving milk, he took him to give food to Jacob his people, and to Israel his heritage.
from tending the ewes He brought him to be shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance.
72 So he gave them food with an upright heart, guiding them by the wisdom of his hands.
So David shepherded them with integrity of heart and guided them with skillful hands.
