Psalms 78
1 [A Psalm] of instruction for Asaph. Give heed, O my people, to my law: incline your ear to the words of my mouth.
A maschil of Asaph. Hear my teaching, my people, listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter dark sayings [which have been] from the beginning.
I will open my mouth in parables; I will sing about hidden things about the past.
3 All which we have heard and known, and our fathers have declared to us.
These are things that we have heard and learned, things that our ancestors have told us.
4 They were not hid from their children to a second generations; [the fathers] declaring the praises of the Lord, and his mighty acts, and his wonders which he wrought.
We will not keep them from their descendants. We will tell the next generation about the praiseworthy deeds of Yahweh, his strength, and the wonders that he has done.
5 And he raised up a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, to make it known to their children:
For he established covenant decrees in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel. He commanded our ancestors that they were to teach them to their children.
6 that another generation might know, even the sons which should be born; and they should arise and declare them to their children.
He commanded this so that the generation to come might know his decrees, the children not yet born, who should tell them in turn to their own children.
7 That they might set their hope on God, and not forget the works of God, but diligently seek his commandments.
Then they would place their hope in God and not forget his deeds but keep his commandments.
8 That they should not be as their fathers, a perverse and provoking generation; a generation which set not its heart aright, and its spirit was not steadfast with God.
Then they would not be like their ancestors, who were a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose hearts were not right, and whose spirits were not committed and faithful to God.
9 The children of Ephraim, bending and shooting [with] the bow, turned [back] in the day of battle.
The Ephraimites were armed with bows, but they turned back on the day of battle.
10 They kept not the covenant of God, and would not walk in his law.
They did not keep the covenant with God, and they refused to obey his law.
11 And they forgot his benefits, and his miracles which he [had] shewed them;
They forgot his deeds, the wonderful things that he had shown them.
12 the miracles which he wrought before their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the plain of Tanes.
They forgot the marvelous things he did in the sight of their ancestors in the land of Egypt, in the land of Zoan.
13 He clave the sea, and led them through: he made the waters to stand as [in] a bottle.
He divided the sea and led them across it; he made the waters to stand like walls.
14 And he guided them with a cloud by day, and all the night with a light of fire.
In the daytime he led them with a cloud and all the night with the light of fire.
15 he clave a rock in the wilderness, and made them drink as in a great deep.
He split the rocks in the wilderness, and he gave them water abundantly, enough to fill the depths of the sea.
16 And he brought water out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down as rivers.
He made streams flow out of the rock and made the water flow like rivers.
17 And they sinned yet more against him; they provoked the Most High in the wilderness.
Yet they continued to sin against him, rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.
18 And they tempted God in their hearts, in asking meat for [the desire of] their souls.
They challenged God in their hearts by asking for food to satisfy their appetites.
19 They spoke also against God, and said, Will God be able to prepare a table in the wilderness?
They spoke against God; they said, “Can God really lay out a table for us in the wilderness?
20 Forasmuch as he smote the rock, and the waters flowed, and the torrents ran abundantly; will he be able also to give bread, or prepare a table for his people?
See, when he struck the rock, waters gushed out and streams overflowed. But can he give bread also? Will he provide meat for his people?”
21 Therefore the Lord heard, and was provoked: and fire was kindled in Jacob, and wrath went up against Israel.
When Yahweh heard this, he was angry; so his fire burned against Jacob, and his anger attacked Israel,
22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation.
because they did not believe in God and did not trust in his salvation.
23 Yet he commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,
Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of the sky.
24 and rained upon them manna to eat, and gave them the bread of heaven.
He rained down manna for them to eat, and gave them the grain from heaven.
25 Man ate angels' bread; he sent them provision to the full.
People ate the bread of angels. He sent them food in abundance.
26 He removed the south wind from heaven; and by his might he brought in the south-west wind.
He caused the east wind to blow in the sky, and by his power he guided the south wind.
27 And he rained upon them flesh like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the seas.
He rained down meat on them like dust, birds as numerous as the sands of the sea.
28 And they fell into the midst of their camp, round about their tents.
They fell in the middle of their camp, all around their tents.
29 So they ate, and were completely filled; and he gave them their desire.
So they ate and were full. He gave them what they craved.
30 They were not disappointed of their desire: [but] when their food was yet in their mouth,
But they had not yet filled up; their food was still in their mouths.
31 then the indignation of God rose up against them, and slew the fattest of them, and overthrew the choice men of Israel.
Then God's anger attacked them and killed the strongest of them. He brought down the young men of Israel.
32 In the midst of all this they sinned yet more, and believed not his miracles.
Despite this, they continued to sin and did not believe his wonderful deeds.
33 And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years with anxiety.
Therefore God cut short their days; their years were filled with terror.
34 When he slew them, they sought him: and they returned and called betimes upon God.
Whenever God afflicted them, they would start to seek him, and they would return and look earnestly for him.
35 And they remembered that God was their helper, and the most high God was their redeemer.
They would call to mind that God was their rock and that the Most High God was their rescuer.
36 Yet they loved him [only] with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.
But they would flatter him with their mouth and lie to him with their words.
37 For their heart [was] not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant.
For their hearts were not firmly fixed on him, and they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 But he is compassionate, and will forgive their sins, and will not destroy [them]: yea, he will frequently turn away his wrath, and will not kindle all his anger.
Yet he, being merciful, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. Yes, many times he held back his anger and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 And he remembered that they are flesh; a wind that passes away, and returns not.
He called to mind that they were made of flesh, a wind that passes away and does not return.
40 How often did they provoke him in the wilderness, [and] anger him in a dry land!
How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the barren regions!
41 Yea, they turned back, and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
Again and again they challenged God and offended the Holy One of Israel.
42 They remembered not his hand, the day in which he delivered them from the hand of the oppressor.
They did not think about his power, how he had rescued them from the enemy
43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanes:
when he performed his terrifying signs in Egypt and his wonders in the region of Zoan.
44 and had changed their rivers into blood; and their streams, that they should not drink.
He turned the Egyptians' rivers to blood so that they could not drink from their streams.
45 He sent against them the dog-fly, and it devoured them; and the frog, and it spoiled them.
He sent swarms of flies that devoured them and frogs that overran their land.
46 And he gave their fruit to the canker worm, and their labours to the locust.
He gave their crops to the grasshopper and their labor to the locust.
47 He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with frost.
He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore trees with more hail.
48 And he gave up their cattle to hail, and their substance to the fire.
He rained hail on their cattle and hurled lightning bolts at their livestock.
49 He sent out against them the fury of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and affliction, a message by evil angels.
The fierceness of his anger lashed out against them. He sent wrath, fury, and trouble like agents who bring disaster.
50 He made a way for his wrath; he spared not their souls from death, but consigned their cattle to death;
He leveled a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague.
51 and smote every first-born in the land of Egypt; the first-fruits of their labours in the tents of Cham.
He killed all the firstborn in Egypt, the firstborn of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 And he removed his people like sheep; he led them as a flock in the wilderness.
He led his own people out like sheep and guided them through the wilderness like a flock.
53 And he guided them with hope, and they feared not: but the sea covered their enemies.
He led them secure and unafraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them in to the mountain of his sanctuary, this mountain which his right hand had purchased.
Then he brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountain that his right hand acquired.
55 And he cast out the nations from before them, and made them to inherit by a line of inheritance, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
He drove out the nations from before them and assigned them their inheritance. He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies.
Yet they challenged and defied the Most High God and did not keep his solemn commands.
57 And they turned back, and broke covenant, even as also their fathers: they became like a crooked bow.
They were unfaithful and acted treacherously like their fathers; they were as undependable as a faulty bow.
58 And they provoked him with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
For they made him angry with their high places and provoked him to jealous anger with their idols.
59 God heard and lightly regarded [them], and greatly despised Israel.
When God heard this, he was angry and completely rejected Israel.
60 And he rejected the tabernacle of Selom, his tent where he dwelt among men.
He abandoned the sanctuary of Shiloh, the tent where he had lived among people.
61 And he gave their strength into captivity, and their beauty into the enemy's hand.
He allowed his strength to be captured and gave his glory into the enemy's hand.
62 And he gave his people to the sword; and disdained his inheritance.
He handed his people over to the sword, and he was angry with his heritage.
63 Fire devoured their young men; and their virgins mourned not.
Fire devoured their young men, and their young women had no wedding songs.
64 Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows shall not be wept for.
Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows could not weep.
65 So the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, [and] as a mighty man who has been heated with wine.
Then the Lord awakened as one from sleep, like a warrior who shouts because of wine.
66 And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he brought on them a perpetual reproach.
He drove his adversaries back; he put them to everlasting shame.
67 And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim;
He rejected the tent of Joseph, and he did not chose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 but chose the tribe of Juda, the mount Sion which he loved.
He chose the tribe of Judah and Mount Zion that he loved.
69 And he built his sanctuary as [the place] of unicorns; he founded it for ever on the earth.
He built his sanctuary like the heavens, like the earth that he has established forever.
70 He chose David also his servant, and took him up from the flocks of sheep.
He chose David, his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds.
71 He took him from following the ewes great with young, to be the shepherd of Jacob his servant, and Israel his inheritance.
He took him from following the ewes with their young, and he brought him to be shepherd of Jacob, his people, and of Israel, his heritage.
72 So he tended them in the innocency of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
David shepherded them with the integrity of his heart, and he guided them with the skill of his hands.
