Psalms 78

1 The understanding of Asaph. O my people, attend to my law. Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

An instruction. Of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in parables. I will speak about concepts that are from the beginning.

I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter riddles from of old,

3 We have heard and known such great things, as our fathers have described to us.

Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us:

4 These things have not been hidden from their sons in any generation: declaring the praises of the Lord, and his virtues, and the wonders that he has done.

We will not hide [them] from their sons, shewing forth to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, and his strength, and his marvellous works which he hath done.

5 And he has received testimony with Jacob, and he has set a law within Israel. Such great things, he has commanded our fathers, so as to make these things known to their sons,

For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children;

6 so that another generation might know them, and so that the sons, who will be born and who will grow up, shall describe them to their sons.

That the generation to come might know [them], the children that should be born; that they might rise up and tell [them] to their children,

7 So then, may they put their hope in God, and may they not forget the works of God, and may they seek his commandments.

And that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but observe his commandments;

8 May they not become like their fathers, a perverse and exasperating generation: a generation that does not straighten their heart and whose spirit is not trustworthy with God.

And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that prepared not their heart, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.

9 The sons of Ephraim, who bend and shoot the bow, have been turned back in the day of battle.

The sons of Ephraim, armed bowmen, turned back in the day of battle.

10 They have not kept the covenant of God. And they were not willing to walk in his law.

They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;

11 And they have been forgetful of his benefits, and of his miracle, which he revealed to them.

And forgot his doings, and his marvellous works which he had shewn them.

12 He performed miracles in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Tanis.

In the sight of their fathers had he done wonders, in the land of Egypt, the field of Zoan.

13 He broke the sea and he led them through. And he stationed the waters, as if in a vessel.

He clave the sea, and caused them to pass through; and made the waters to stand as a heap;

14 And he led them with a cloud by day, and with illumination by fire throughout the night.

And he led them with a cloud in the daytime, and all the night with the light of fire.

15 He broke through the rock in the wasteland, and he gave them to drink, as if from the great abyss.

He clave rocks in the wilderness, and gave [them] drink as out of the depths, abundantly;

16 He brought forth water from the rock, and he conducted the waters, as if they were rivers.

And he brought streams out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

17 And yet, they continued to sin against him. In a waterless place, they provoked the Most High with resentment.

Yet they still went on sinning against him, provoking the Most High in the desert;

18 And they tempted God in their hearts, by asking for food according to their desires.

And they tempted God in their heart, by asking meat for their lust;

19 And they spoke badly about God. They said, “Would God be able to prepare a table in the desert?

And they spoke against God: they said, Is God able to prepare a table in the wilderness?

20 He struck the rock, and so waters flowed and the torrents flooded, but would even he be able to provide bread, or provide a table, for his people?”

Behold, he smote the rock, and waters gushed out, and streams overflowed; is he able to give bread also, or provide flesh for his people?

21 Therefore, the Lord heard, and he was dismayed, and a fire was kindled within Jacob, and an anger ascended into Israel.

Therefore Jehovah heard, and was wroth; and fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also went up against Israel:

22 For they neither put their trust in God, nor did they hope in his salvation.

Because they believed not in God, and confided not in his salvation;

23 And he commanded the clouds from above, and he opened the doors of heaven.

Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and had opened the doors of the heavens,

24 And he rained down manna upon them to eat, and he gave them the bread of heaven.

And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them the corn of the heavens.

25 Man ate the bread of Angels. He sent them provisions in abundance.

Man did eat the bread of the mighty; he sent them provision to the full.

26 He transferred the south wind from heaven, and, in his virtue, he brought in the Southwest wind.

He caused the east wind to rise in the heavens, and by his strength he brought the south wind;

27 And he rained down flesh upon them, as if it were dust, and feathered birds, as if they were the sand of the sea.

And he rained flesh upon them as dust, and feathered fowl as the sand of the seas,

28 And they fell down in the midst of their camp, encircling their tabernacles.

And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations:

29 And they ate until they were greatly satisfied, and he brought to them according to their desires.

And they did eat, and were well filled; for that they lusted after, he brought to them.

30 They were not cheated out of what they wanted. Their food was still in their mouth,

They were not alienated from their lust, their meat was yet in their mouths,

31 and then the wrath of God came upon them. And he slew the fat ones among them, and he impeded the elect of Israel.

When the anger of God went up against them; and he slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

32 In all these things, they continued to sin, and they were not trustworthy with his miracles.

For all this, they sinned still, and believed not in his marvellous works;

33 And their days faded away into vanity, and their years with haste.

And he consumed their days in vanity, and their years in terror.

34 When he slew them, then they sought him. And they returned, and they drew near to him in the early morning.

When he slew them, then they sought him, and returned and sought early after God;

35 And they were mindful that God is their helper and that the Most High God is their redeemer.

And they remembered that God was their rock, and God, the Most High, their redeemer.

36 And they chose him with their mouth, and then they lied to him with their tongue.

But they flattered him with their mouth, and lied unto him with their tongue;

37 For their heart was not upright with him, nor have they been living faithfully in his covenant.

For their heart was not firm toward him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.

38 Yet he is merciful, and he will pardon their sins. And he will not destroy them. And he has abundantly turned aside his own wrath. And he did not enflame his wrath entirely.

But he was merciful: he forgave the iniquity, and destroyed [them] not; but many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his fury:

39 And he remembered that they are flesh: with a spirit that goes forth and does not return.

And he remembered that they were flesh, a breath that passeth away and cometh not again.

40 How often did they provoke him in the desert and stir him to wrath in a waterless place?

How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

41 And they turned back and tempted God, and they exasperated the Holy One of Israel.

And they turned again and tempted God, and grieved the Holy One of Israel.

42 They did not remember his hand, in the day that he redeemed them from the hand of the one troubling them.

They remembered not his hand, the day when he delivered them from the oppressor,

43 Thus, he positioned his signs in Egypt and his wonders in the field of Tanis.

How he set his signs in Egypt, and his miracles in the field of Zoan;

44 And he turned their rivers into blood, along with their rain showers, so that they could not drink.

And turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, that they could not drink;

45 He sent among them the common fly, and it devoured them, and the frog, and it scattered them.

He sent dog-flies among them, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them;

46 And he gave up their fruits to mold and their labors to the locust.

And he gave their increase unto the caterpillar, and their labour unto the locust;

47 And he slew their vineyards with hail and their mulberry trees with severe frost.

He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with hail-stones;

48 And he delivered their cattle to the hail and their possessions to fire.

And he delivered up their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to thunderbolts.

49 And he sent the wrath of his indignation among them: indignation and wrath and tribulation, sent forth by evil angels.

He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and distress, — a mission of angels of woes.

50 He made way for the path of his anger. He did not spare their souls from death. And he enclosed their beasts of burden in death.

He made a way for his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;

51 And he struck all the first-born in the land of Egypt: the first-fruits of all their labor in the tabernacles of Ham.

And he smote all the firstborn in Egypt, the first-fruits of their vigour in the tents of Ham.

52 And he took away his own people like sheep, and he led them through the wilderness like a flock.

And he made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock;

53 And he led them out in hope, and they did not fear. And the sea covered their enemies.

And he led them safely, so that they were without fear; and the sea covered their enemies.

54 And he led them to the mountain of his sanctification: the mountain that his right hand had acquired. And he cast out the Gentiles before their face. And he divided their land by lot to them, with a line of distribution.

And he brought them to his holy border, this mountain, which his right hand purchased;

55 And he caused the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tabernacles.

And he drove out the nations before them, and allotted them for an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

56 Yet they tempted and aggravated God Most High, and they did not keep his testaments.

But they tempted and provoked God, the Most High, and kept not his testimonies,

57 And they turned themselves aside, and they did not serve the covenant. In the same manner as their fathers, they were turned backwards, like a crooked bow.

And they drew back and dealt treacherously like their fathers: they turned like a deceitful bow.

58 They impelled him to anger on their hills, and they provoked him to rivalry with their graven images.

And they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.

59 God listened, and he spurned them, and he reduced Israel greatly, almost to nothing.

God heard, and was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:

60 And he rejected the tabernacle of Shiloh, his tabernacle where he had dwelt among men.

And he forsook the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tent where he had dwelt among men,

61 And he delivered their virtue into captivity, and their beauty into the hands of the enemy.

And gave his strength into captivity, and his glory into the hand of the oppressor;

62 And he enclosed his people with the sword, and he spurned his inheritance.

And delivered up his people unto the sword, and was very wroth with his inheritance:

63 Fire consumed their young men, and their virgins were not lamented.

The fire consumed their young men, and their maidens were not praised in [nuptial] song;

64 Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows did not weep.

Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation.

65 And the Lord was awakened, as if out of sleep, and like a powerful man impaired by wine.

Then the Lord awoke as one out of sleep, like a mighty man that shouteth aloud by reason of wine;

66 And he struck his enemies on the back. He gave them over to everlasting disgrace.

And he smote his adversaries in the hinder part, and put them to everlasting reproach.

67 And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph, and he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.

And he rejected the tent of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim,

68 But he chose the tribe of Judah: mount Zion, which he loved.

But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved;

69 And he built up his sanctuary, like a single-horned beast, in the land that he founded for all ages.

And he built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he hath founded for ever.

70 And he chose his servant David, and he took him from the flocks of the sheep: he received him from following the ewes with their young,

And he chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:

71 in order to pasture Jacob his servant and Israel his inheritance.

From following the suckling-ewes, he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

72 And he fed them with the innocence of his heart. And he led them with the understanding of his hands.

And he fed them according to the integrity of his heart, and led them by the skilfulness of his hands.