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.
Understanding for Asaph. Attend, O my people, to my law: incline your ears 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 propositions from the beginning.
3 Which have come to our hearing and our knowledge, as they were given to us by our fathers.
How great things have we heard and known, and our fathers have told 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.
They have not been hidden from their children, in another generation. Declaring the praises of the Lord, and his powers, and his wonders which he hath done.
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;
And he set up a testimony in Jacob: and made a law in Israel. How great things he commanded our fathers, that they should make the same known 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 another generation might know them. The children that should be born and should rise up, and declare them to their 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 may put their hope in God and may not forget the works of God: and may seek 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.
That they may not become like their fathers, a perverse and exasperating generation. A generation that set not their heart aright: and 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 sons of Ephraim who bend and shoot with the bow: they have turned back in 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 kept not the covenant of God: and in his law they would not walk.
11 They let his works go out of their memory, and the wonders which he had made them see.
And they forgot his benefits, and his wonders that he had shewn them.
12 He did great works before the eyes of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
Wonderful things did he do in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Tanis.
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 divided the sea and brought them through: and he made the waters to stand as in a vessel.
14 In the daytime he was guiding them in the cloud, and all through the night with a light of fire.
And he conducted them with a cloud by day: and all the night with a light of fire.
15 The rocks of the waste land were broken by his power, and he gave them drink as out of the deep waters.
He struck the rock in the wilderness: and gave them to drink, as out of the great deep.
16 He made streams come out of the rock; and waters came flowing down like rivers.
He brought forth water out of the rock: and made streams run down as rivers.
17 And they went on sinning against him even more, turning away from the Most High in the waste land;
And they added yet more sin against him: they provoked the most High to wrath in the place without water.
18 Testing God in their hearts, requesting meat for their desire.
And they tempted God in their hearts, by asking meat for their desires.
19 They said bitter words against God, saying, Is God able to make ready a table in the waste land?
And they spoke ill of God: they said: Can God furnish 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?
Because he struck the rock, and the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed. Can he also give bread, or provide a table for his people?
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 angry: and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and wrath came up against Israel.
22 Because they had no faith in God, and no hope in his salvation.
Because they believed not in God: and trusted not in his salvation.
23 And he gave orders to the clouds on high, and the doors of heaven were open;
And he had commanded the clouds from above, and had opened the doors of heaven.
24 And he sent down manna like rain for their food, and gave them the grain of heaven.
And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them the bread of 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 provisions in abundance.
26 He sent an east wind from heaven, driving on the south wind by his power.
He removed the south wind from heaven: and by his power brought in the southwest wind.
27 He sent down meat on them like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the sea,
And he rained upon them flesh as dust: and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea.
28 And he let it come down into their resting-place, round about their tents.
And they fell in the midst of their camp, round about their pavilions.
29 So they had food and were full; for he gave them their desire;
So they did eat, and were filled exceedingly, and he gave them their desire:
30 But they were not turned from their desires; and while the food was still in their mouths,
They were not defrauded of that which they craved. As yet their meat was in their mouth:
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.
And the wrath of God came upon them. And he slew the fat ones amongst them, and brought down the chosen men of Israel.
32 For all this they went on sinning even more, and had no faith in his great wonders.
In all these things they sinned still: and they believed not for his wondrous works.
33 So their days were wasted like a breath, and their years in trouble.
And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years in haste.
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, then they sought him: and they returned, and came to him early in the morning.
35 In the memory that God was their Rock, and the Most High God their saviour.
And they remembered that God was their helper: and the most high God their redeemer.
36 But their lips were false to him, and their tongues were untrue to him;
And they loved him with their mouth: and with their tongue they lied unto him:
37 And their hearts were not right with him, and they did not keep their agreement with him.
But their heart was not right with him: nor were they counted faithful in 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.
But he is merciful, and will forgive their sins: and will not destroy them. And many a time did he turn away his anger: and did not kindle all his wrath.
39 So he kept in mind that they were only flesh; a breath which is quickly gone, and will not come again.
And he remembered that they are flesh: a wind that goeth and returneth not.
40 How frequently did they go against him in the waste land, and give him cause for grief in the dry places!
How often did they provoke him in the desert: and move him to wrath in the place without water?
41 Again they put God to the test, and gave pain to the Holy One of Israel.
And they turned back and tempted God: and grieved 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 remembered not his hand, in the day that he redeemed them from the hand of him that afflicted them:
43 How he had done his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan;
How he wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanis.
44 So that their rivers were turned to blood, and they were not able to get drink from their streams.
And he turned their rivers into blood, and their showers that they might, not drink.
45 He sent different sorts of flies among them, poisoning their flesh; and frogs for their destruction.
He sent amongst them divers sores of flies, which devoured them: and frogs which destroyed them.
46 He gave the increase of their fields to worms, the fruits of their industry to the locusts.
And he gave up their fruits to the blast, and their labours to the locust.
47 He sent ice for the destruction of their vines; their trees were damaged by the bitter cold.
And he destroyed their vineyards with hail, and their mulberry trees with hoarfrost.
48 Ice was rained down on their cattle; thunderstorms sent destruction among the flocks.
And he gave up their cattle to the hail, and their stock to the fire.
49 He sent on them the heat of his wrath, his bitter disgust, letting loose evil angels among them.
And he sent upon them the wrath of his indignation: indignation and wrath and trouble, which he sent by evil 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 made a way for a path to his anger: he spared not their souls from death, and their cattle he shut up in death.
51 He gave to destruction all the first sons of Egypt; the first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham;
And he killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt: the firstfruits of all their labour in the tabernacles of Cham.
52 But he took his people out like sheep, guiding them in the waste land like a flock.
And he took away his own people as sheep: and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 He took them on safely so that they had no fear; but their haters were covered by the sea.
And he brought them out in hope, and they feared not: band the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he was their guide to his holy land, even to the mountain, which his right hand had made his;
And he brought them into the mountain of his sanctuary: the mountain which his right hand had purchased. And he cast out the Gentiles before them: and by lot divided to them their land by a line of distribution.
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.
And he made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tabernacles.
56 But they were bitter against the Most High God, testing him, and not keeping his laws;
Yet they tempted, and provoked the most high God: and they kept not his testimonies.
57 Their hearts were turned back and untrue like their fathers; they were turned to one side like a twisted bow.
And they turned away, and kept not the covenant: even like their fathers they were turned aside as a crooked bow.
58 They made him angry with their high places; moving him to wrath with their images.
They provoked him to anger on their hills: and moved him to jealousy with their graven things.
59 When this came to God's ears he was very angry, and gave up Israel completely;
God heard, and despised them, and he reduced Israel exceedingly as it were to nothing.
60 So that he went away from the holy place in Shiloh, the tent which he had put among men;
And he put away the tabernacle of Silo, his tabernacle where he dwelt among men.
61 And he let his strength be taken prisoner, and gave his glory into the hands of his hater.
And he delivered their strength into captivity: and their beauty into the hands of the enemy.
62 He gave his people up to the sword, and was angry with his heritage.
And he shut up his people under the sword: and he despised his inheritance.
63 Their young men were burned in the fire; and their virgins were not praised in the bride-song.
Fire consumed their young men: and their maidens were not lamented.
64 Their priests were put to death by the sword, and their widows made no weeping for them.
Their priests fell by the sword: and their widows did not mourn.
65 Then was the Lord like one awaking from sleep, and like a strong man crying out because of wine.
And the Lord was awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that hath been surfeited with wine.
66 His haters were turned back by his blows and shamed for ever.
And he smote his enemies on the hinder parts: he put them to an everlasting reproach.
67 And he put the tent of Joseph on one side, and took not the tribe of Ephraim;
And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph: and chose not 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 Juda, mount Sion which he loved.
69 And he made his holy place like the high heaven, like the earth which is fixed by him for ever.
And he built his sanctuary as of unicorns, in the land which he founded for ever.
70 He took David to be his servant, taking him from the place of the flocks;
And he chose his servant David, and took him from the hocks of sheep: he brought him from following the ewes great with young,
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.
To feed Jacob his servant, and Israel his inheritance.
72 So he gave them food with an upright heart, guiding them by the wisdom of his hands.
And he fed them in the innocence of his heart: and conducted them by the skillfulness of his hands.
