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 psalm (maskil) of Asaph. Listen to what I have to teach you, my people; hear what I have to say.
2 I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter dark sayings [which have been] from the beginning.
I will tell you wise sayings; I will explain mysteries from the past
3 All which we have heard and known, and our fathers have declared to us.
that we have heard before and reflected on; stories our forefathers passed down to 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 our children; we will tell the next generation about God's marvelous actions—about his power and the amazing things 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:
He gave his laws to the descendants of Jacob; his instructions to the people of Israel. He commanded our forefathers 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.
so that the next generation—children yet to be born—would understand and grow up to teach their children.
7 That they might set their hope on God, and not forget the works of God, but diligently seek his commandments.
In this way they should place their trust in God and not forget what God has done, and 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 forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation that was untrustworthy and unfaithful.
9 The children of Ephraim, bending and shooting [with] the bow, turned [back] in the day of battle.
The soldiers of Ephraim, though armed with bows, ran away on the day of battle.
10 They kept not the covenant of God, and would not walk in his law.
They did not keep God's agreement, and refused to follow his laws.
11 And they forgot his benefits, and his miracles which he [had] showed them;
They ignored what he had done, and the amazing things he had shown them—
12 the miracles which he wrought before their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the plain of Tanes.
the miracles he had performed for their forefathers near Zoan in Egypt.
13 He clave the sea, and led them through: he made the waters to stand as [in] a bottle.
He split the sea in two and led them through, making the water stand like walls on either side.
14 And he guided them with a cloud by day, and all the night with a light of fire.
He led them with a cloud by day, and by night with a light of fire.
15 he clave a rock in the wilderness, and made them drink as in a great deep.
He split open rocks in the desert to give his people plenty to drink, water as deep as the ocean.
16 And he brought water out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down as rivers.
He made streams flow from the stone; water rushing down like rivers!
17 And they sinned yet more against him; they provoked the Most High in the wilderness.
But they repeatedly sinned against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 And they tempted God in their hearts, in asking meat for [the desire of] their souls.
They deliberately provoked God by demanding the foods they longed for.
19 They spoke also against God, and said, Will God be able to prepare a table in the wilderness?
They insulted God by saying, “Can God provide food here in the desert?
20 Forasmuch as he struck 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?
Yes, he can strike a rock so that water gushes out like flowing rivers, but can he give us bread? Can he supply his people with meat?”
21 Therefore the Lord heard, and was provoked: and fire was kindled in Jacob, and wrath went up against Israel.
When he heard this, the Lord became very angry, burning like fire against the descendants of Jacob, furious with the people of Israel,
22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation.
for they didn't believe in God and didn't trust him to take care of them.
23 Yet he commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,
Even so he commanded the skies above and the doors of heaven to open,
24 and rained upon them manna to eat, and gave them the bread of heaven.
and he made manna rain down on them to eat, giving them bread from heaven.
25 Man ate angels' bread; he sent them provision to the full.
Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them more than enough food.
26 He removed the south wind from heaven; and by his might he brought in the southwest wind.
He sent the east wind blowing across the sky; by his power he drove 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 as plentiful as dust; birds as numerous as sand on a beach.
28 And they fell into the midst of their camp, round about their tents.
He made them fall right in the middle of their camp, all around where they were living.
29 So they ate, and were completely filled; and he gave them their desire.
They ate until they were full. He gave them the food they longed for.
30 They were not disappointed of their desire: [but] when their food was yet in their mouth,
But before they satisfied their appetite, while the meat was still in their mouths,
31 then the indignation of God rose up against them, and killed the fattest of them, and overthrew the choice men of Israel.
God became angry with them and he killed their strongest men, striking them down in the prime of life.
32 In the midst of all this they sinned yet more, and believed not his miracles.
Despite all this they went right on sinning. Despite the miracles, they refused to trust him.
33 And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years with anxiety.
So he snuffed out their futile lives, bringing them to an end in terror.
34 When he killed them, they sought him: and they returned and called betimes upon God.
When he began killing them, the rest came back to God in repentance, praying to him.
35 And they remembered that God was their helper, and the most high God was their redeemer.
They remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their Savior.
36 Yet they loved him [only] with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.
They flattered him by what they told him, but they were only lying.
37 For their heart [was] not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant.
Deep down they were not sincere, and did not keep the agreement they had with him.
38 But he is compassionate, and will forgive their sins, and will not destroy [them]: yes, he will frequently turn away his wrath, and will not kindle all his anger.
But being compassionate he pardoned their guilt and did not destroy all of them. He often held back his anger—he did not pour out all his fury.
39 And he remembered that they are flesh; a wind that passes away, and returns not.
He remembered their mortality—that they were like a puff of wind that would 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, giving him grief in the desert!
41 Yes, they turned back, and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
Again and again they provoked God, causing pain to 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 remember his strength when he rescued them from their oppressors,
43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanes:
performing miracles in Egypt, doing wonderful things on the plain of Zoan.
44 and had changed their rivers into blood; and their streams, that they should not drink.
There he turned their rivers and their streams into blood so that no one could drink from them.
45 He sent against them the dog-fly, and it devoured them; and the frog, and it spoiled them.
He sent flies among them to destroy them, and frogs to ruin everything.
46 And he gave their fruit to the canker worm, and their labours to the locust.
He gave their crops to locusts; everything they worked had for was taken by locusts.
47 He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with frost.
He destroyed their vines with hail, and their fig trees with freezing rain.
48 And he gave up their cattle to hail, and their substance to the fire.
He handed over their cattle to hail and their flocks to lightning bolts.
49 He sent out against them the fury of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and affliction, a message by evil angels.
He poured out on them his fierce anger—rage and hostility and anguish—sending a band of destroying angels against them.
50 He made a way for his wrath; he spared not their souls from death, but consigned their cattle to death;
He sent his unrestrained anger against them; he did not spare them from death, handing them over to the plague.
51 and struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt; the first fruits of their labours in the tents of Cham.
He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the first to be conceived in the tents of Ham.
52 And he removed his people like sheep; he led them as a flock in the wilderness.
But he led out his people like sheep, and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
53 And he guided them with hope, and they feared not: but the sea covered their enemies.
He led them to safety, and they were not afraid. He drowned their enemies in the sea.
54 And he brought them in to the mountain of his sanctuary, this mountain which his right hand had purchased.
He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountainous land that he had conquered for them.
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 heathen nations before them. He divided up the land for them to own. He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies.
But they provoked God Most High, rebelling against him. They did not follow what he had told them.
57 And they turned back, and broke covenant, even as also their fathers: they became like a crooked bow.
Just like their forefathers they turned away from God and were unfaithful to him, as twisted as a defective bow.
58 And they provoked him with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
They made him angry with their pagan high places of worship; they made him jealous with their idols.
59 God heard and lightly regarded [them], and greatly despised Israel.
When God heard their worship he became furious and he totally rejected Israel.
60 And he rejected the tabernacle of Selom, his tent where he lived amongst men.
He abandoned his place at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he lived among the people.
61 And he gave their strength into captivity, and their beauty into the enemy's hand.
He surrendered the Ark of his power, allowing it to be captured; handing it over into enemy hands.
62 And he gave his people to the sword; and disdained his inheritance.
He handed over his people to be slaughtered by the sword; he was furious with his chosen people.
63 Fire devoured their young men; and their virgins mourned not.
Their young men were destroyed by fire; their young women had no wedding songs.
64 Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows shall not be wept for.
Their priests were killed by the sword; their widows were unable to mourn.
65 So the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, [and] as a mighty man who has been heated with wine.
Then the Lord woke up as if from sleep, as a warrior sobering up from drinking wine.
66 And he struck his enemies in the hinder parts: he brought on them a perpetual reproach.
He defeated his enemies, striking them on the back, causing them everlasting shame.
67 And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim;
He rejected the descendants of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 but chose the tribe of Juda, the mount Sion which he loved.
Instead he chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion which he loves.
69 And he built his sanctuary as [the place] of unicorns; he founded it for ever on the earth.
There he built his sanctuary, high like the heavens, on earth that he made to last forever.
70 He chose David also his servant, and took him up from the flocks of sheep.
He chose his servant David, taking him from the sheep pens,
71 He took him from following the ewes great with young, to be the shepherd of Jacob his servant, and Israel his inheritance.
taking him from caring for the sheep and lambs to be a shepherd to the descendants of Jacob—God's special people, Israel.
72 So he tended them in the innocency of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
Like a shepherd, he took care of them with sincere devotion, leading them with skillful hands.
