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 maskil of Asaph. My people, attend to my teaching: bend your ears 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.
as I open my mouth in a poem on the riddling story of the past.
3 All which we have heard and known, and our fathers have declared to us.
What we have heard and known, and what 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 hide from their children. We will tell to the next generation the praises and might of the Lord, 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:
He set up a testimony in Jacob, a law he appointed in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to make known 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.
that the next generation should know it, that the children yet to be born should arise and tell their children;
7 That they might set their hope on God, and not forget the works of God, but diligently seek his commandments.
that in God they might put their confidence, and not forget God’s works; but that they might 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.
and not be like their ancestors, a generation defiant and stubborn, a generation with heart unsteady, and spirit unfaithful towards God.
9 The children of Ephraim, bending and shooting [with] the bow, turned [back] in the day of battle.
Ephraimites, armed bowmen, turned back in 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 covenant, they refused to walk in his law.
11 And they forgot his benefits, and his miracles which he [had] showed them;
They forgot what he had done, and the wonders he had shown them.
12 the miracles which he wrought before their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the plain of Tanes.
He did wonders before their ancestors in the country of Zoan in Egypt.
13 He clave the sea, and led them through: he made the waters to stand as [in] a bottle.
Through the sea which he split he brought them, making waters stand up like a heap;
14 And he guided them with a cloud by day, and all the night with a light of fire.
he led them by day with a cloud, all the night with a light of fire.
15 he clave a rock in the wilderness, and made them drink as in a great deep.
From the rocks which he split in the wilderness, he gave them to drink as of ocean’s abundance.
16 And he brought water out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down as rivers.
He brought streams out of the rock, and made water run down like rivers.
17 And they sinned yet more against him; they provoked the Most High in the wilderness.
Yet they still went on sinning against him, they defied the Most High in the desert.
18 And they tempted God in their hearts, in asking meat for [the desire of] their souls.
They wilfully challenged God, demanding the food that they longed for.
19 They spoke also against God, and said, Will God be able to prepare a table in the wilderness?
‘Is God able,’ such was their challenge, ‘to spread in the desert a table?
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?
From the rock that he struck there gushed water, and torrents that overflowed; but can he also give bread, or provide 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 the Lord heard this, he was furious, and fire was kindled on Jacob, anger flared up against Israel.
22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation.
For they put no trust in God, no confidence in his help.
23 Yet he commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,
So he summoned the clouds above; and, opening the doors of heaven,
24 and rained upon them manna to eat, and gave them the bread of heaven.
he rained manna upon them for food, and grain of heaven he gave them.
25 Man ate angels' bread; he sent them provision to the full.
Everyone ate the bread of angels; he sent them food to the full.
26 He removed the south wind from heaven; and by his might he brought in the southwest wind.
He launched the east wind in the heavens, and guided the south by his power.
27 And he rained upon them flesh like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the seas.
He rained meat upon them like dust, winged bird like the sand of the sea.
28 And they fell into the midst of their camp, round about their tents.
In the midst of their camp he dropped it, all around their tents.
29 So they ate, and were completely filled; and he gave them their desire.
They ate and were more than filled; he had brought them the thing they desired.
30 They were not disappointed of their desire: [but] when their food was yet in their mouth,
But the thing they desired became loathsome: while their food 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.
the wrath of God rose against them. He slew the stoutest among them, and laid low the young men of Israel.
32 In the midst of all this they sinned yet more, and believed not his miracles.
Yet for all this they sinned yet more, and refused to believe in his wonders.
33 And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years with anxiety.
So he ended their days in a breath, and their years in sudden dismay.
34 When he killed them, they sought him: and they returned and called betimes upon God.
When he slew them, then they sought after him, they turned and sought God with diligence.
35 And they remembered that God was their helper, and the most high God was their redeemer.
They remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God their redeemer.
36 Yet they loved him [only] with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.
But they flattered him with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.
37 For their heart [was] not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant.
Their heart was not steady with him, they were faithless to his covenant.
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 he is full of pity: he pardons sin and destroys not. Often he turns his anger away, without stirring his wrath at all.
39 And he remembered that they are flesh; a wind that passes away, and returns not.
So he remembered that they were but flesh, breath that passes and does not return.
40 How often did they provoke him in the wilderness, [and] anger him in a dry land!
But how often they rebelled in the desert, and caused him grief in the wilderness,
41 Yes, they turned back, and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
tempting God again and again, provoking 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, nor the day he redeemed from the foe,
43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanes:
how he set his signs in Egypt, in the country of Zoan his wonders.
44 and had changed their rivers into blood; and their streams, that they should not drink.
He turned their canals into blood, their streams undrinkable.
45 He sent against them the dog-fly, and it devoured them; and the frog, and it spoiled them.
He sent forth flies, which devoured them; frogs, too, which destroyed them.
46 And he gave their fruit to the canker worm, and their labours to the locust.
Their crops he gave to the caterpillar, and the fruits of their toil to the locust.
47 He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with frost.
He slew their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with frost.
48 And he gave up their cattle to hail, and their substance to the fire.
He delivered their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to bolts of fire.
49 He sent out against them the fury of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and affliction, a message by evil angels.
He let loose his hot anger among them, fury and wrath and distress, a band of destroying angels.
50 He made a way for his wrath; he spared not their souls from death, but consigned their cattle to death;
He cleared a path for his anger, did not spare them from death, but gave them over to pestilence.
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 in Egypt, the first fruits 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 forth his people like sheep, he was guide to his flock in the desert.
53 And he guided them with hope, and they feared not: but the sea covered their enemies.
Securely he led them, and free from fear, while their foes were drowned in the sea.
54 And he brought them in to the mountain of his sanctuary, this mountain which his right hand had purchased.
To his holy realm he brought them, to the mountain his right hand had purchased.
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 before them, and allotted their land for possession, and their tents for Israel to live in.
56 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies.
Yet they tempted and angered the Most High God, they did not observe his decrees.
57 And they turned back, and broke covenant, even as also their fathers: they became like a crooked bow.
They drew back, false like their ancestors; they failed like a treacherous bow.
58 And they provoked him with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
Their shrines stirred him to anger, their idols moved him to jealousy.
59 God heard and lightly regarded [them], and greatly despised Israel.
When God heard of this, he was furious, and he spurned Israel utterly.
60 And he rejected the tabernacle of Selom, his tent where he lived amongst men.
He abandoned his home in Shiloh, the tent he had pitched among people.
61 And he gave their strength into captivity, and their beauty into the enemy's hand.
He gave his strength up to captivity, his glory to the hands of the foe.
62 And he gave his people to the sword; and disdained his inheritance.
He gave his people to the sword, he was furious with his own.
63 Fire devoured their young men; and their virgins mourned not.
Fire devoured their young men, and their maidens had no marriage-song.
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 awoke as from sleep, like a warrior flushed with wine;
66 And he struck his enemies in the hinder parts: he brought on them a perpetual reproach.
and he beat back his foes, putting them to perpetual scorn.
67 And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim;
He disowned the tent of Joseph, he rejected the tribe of Ephraim;
68 but chose the tribe of Juda, the mount Sion which he loved.
but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves.
69 And he built his sanctuary as [the place] of unicorns; he founded it for ever on the earth.
And he built like the heights his sanctuary, like the earth which he founded forever.
70 He chose David also his servant, and took him up from the flocks of sheep.
And he chose David his servant, taking 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.
From the mother-ewes he brought him, to be shepherd to Jacob his people, and to Israel his inheritance.
72 So he tended them in the innocency of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
With upright heart did he shepherd them, and with skilful hands did he guide them.
