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 psalm of Asaph.” Give ear, O my people, to my instruction! 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 a psalm; I will utter sayings of ancient times.
3 Which have come to our hearing and our knowledge, as they were given to us by our fathers.
What we have heard and learned, 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.
We will not hide from their children; Showing to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, His might, and the wonders he hath wrought.
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 appointed statutes in Jacob, And established a law in Israel, Which he commanded our fathers To make 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;
So that the generation to come might know them; The children, which should be born, and rise up, Who should 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 might put their trust in God, And not forget his deeds, But keep 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.
And might not be, like their forefathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, —A generation whose heart was not fixed upon God, And whose spirit was not steadfast toward the Almighty.
9 The children of Ephraim, armed with bows, were turned back on the day of the fight.
The children of Ephraim were like armed bowmen, Who turn their backs 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 refused to walk in his law;
11 They let his works go out of their memory, and the wonders which he had made them see.
And forgot his mighty deeds, And 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.
Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field 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 divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; Yea, he made the waters to stand as a heap.
14 In the daytime he was guiding them in the cloud, and all through the night with a light of fire.
By day he led them by a cloud, And all the night by 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 clave the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink, as from the great deep.
16 He made streams come out of the rock; and waters came flowing down like rivers.
From the rock he brought flowing streams, And made water to run down like rivers.
17 And they went on sinning against him even more, turning away from the Most High in the waste land;
Yet still they sinned against him, And provoked the Most High in the desert.
18 Testing God in their hearts, requesting meat for their desire.
They tempted God in their hearts, By asking food for their delight.
19 They said bitter words against God, saying, Is God able to make ready a table in the waste land?
Yea, they spake against God, and said, “Can God spread 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?
Behold! he smote the rock, and the water flowed, And streams gushed forth: Is he also able to give bread? Can he provide flesh 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;
When, therefore, the LORD heard this, he was wroth: So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger arose 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 aid.
23 And he gave orders to the clouds on high, and the doors of heaven were open;
Yet he had commanded the clouds 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 upon them manna for food, And had given them the corn of heaven.
25 Man took part in the food of strong ones; he sent them meat in full measure.
Every one ate the food of princes; He sent them bread to the full.
26 He sent an east wind from heaven, driving on the south wind by his power.
Then he caused a strong wind to blow in the heavens, And by his power he brought a south wind;
27 He sent down meat on them like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the sea,
He rained down flesh upon them as dust, And feathered fowls as the sand of the sea.
28 And he let it come down into their resting-place, round about their tents.
He caused them to fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their habitations.
29 So they had food and were full; for he gave them their desire;
So they did eat, and were filled; For he gave them their own desire.
30 But they were not turned from their desires; and while the food was still in their mouths,
Their desire was not yet satisfied, And their meat was yet 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.
When the wrath of God came upon them, And slew their strong men, And smote down the chosen men of Israel.
32 For all this they went on sinning even more, and had no faith in his great wonders.
For all this they sinned still, And put no trust in his wondrous works.
33 So their days were wasted like a breath, and their years in trouble.
Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, And their years in sudden destruction.
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 sought him; They returned, and sought earnestly for God;
35 In the memory that God was their Rock, and the Most High God their saviour.
And remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High their redeemer.
36 But their lips were false to him, and their tongues were untrue to him;
But they only flattered him with their mouths, And spake falsely to him with their tongues.
37 And their hearts were not right with him, and they did not keep their agreement with him.
For their hearts were not true to him, Nor were they steadfast 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.
Yet, being full of compassion, he forgave their iniquity, And would not utterly destroy them; Often he restrained his indignation, And stirred not up all his anger.
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 breath, that passeth and cometh not back.
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 wilderness! How often did they anger 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 tempted God, And offended 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, Nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy;
43 How he had done his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan;
What signs he had wrought in Egypt, And what 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 into blood, So that they could not drink of their streams.
45 He sent different sorts of flies among them, poisoning their flesh; and frogs for their destruction.
He sent amongst them 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.
He gave also their fruits to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.
47 He sent ice for the destruction of their vines; their trees were damaged by the bitter cold.
He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycamore-trees with frost.
48 Ice was rained down on their cattle; thunderstorms sent destruction among the flocks.
He also gave up their cattle to hail, And their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
49 He sent on them the heat of his wrath, his bitter disgust, letting loose evil angels among them.
He sent against them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, indignation, and woe, —A host of angels of evil.
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 his anger, He spared them not from death, But gave up their lives to the pestilence.
51 He gave to destruction all the first sons of Egypt; the first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham;
He smote all the firstborn in Egypt; The first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 But he took his people out like sheep, guiding them in the waste land like a flock.
But he led forth his own 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 on safely, so that they feared not, While 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;
He brought them to his own sacred border, Even to this mountain which his right hand had gained.
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 cast out the nations before them, And divided their land by a measuring-line, as an inheritance, And caused the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
56 But they were bitter against the Most High God, testing him, and not keeping his laws;
Yet they tempted and provoked God, the Most High, And kept not his statutes;
57 Their hearts were turned back and untrue like their fathers; they were turned to one side like a twisted bow.
Like their fathers they were faithless, and turned back; They turned aside, like a deceitful bow.
58 They made him angry with their high places; moving him to wrath with their images.
They provoked his anger by their high places, And stirred up his jealousy by their graven images.
59 When this came to God's ears he was very angry, and gave up Israel completely;
God saw this, and was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;
60 So that he went away from the holy place in Shiloh, the tent which he had put among men;
So that he forsook the habitation at Shiloh, The 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 delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the hand of the enemy.
62 He gave his people up to the sword, and was angry with his heritage.
His own people he gave up to the sword, And was wroth with his own 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 did not bewail them.
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 made no lamentation.
65 Then was the Lord like one awaking from sleep, and like a strong man crying out because of wine.
But at length the Lord awaked as from sleep, As a hero who had been overpowered by wine;
66 His haters were turned back by his blows and shamed for ever.
He smote his enemies, and drove them back, And covered them with everlasting disgrace.
67 And he put the tent of Joseph on one side, and took not the tribe of Ephraim;
Yet he rejected the tents 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 chose the tribe of Judah, The 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.
Where he built, like the heavens, his sanctuary; Like the earth, which he hath established for ever.
70 He took David to be his servant, taking him from the place of the flocks;
And 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 suckling ewes he brought him To feed Jacob his people, And Israel his inheritance.
72 So he gave them food with an upright heart, guiding them by the wisdom of his hands.
He fed them with an upright heart, And guided them with skilful hands.
