Psalms 78

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

A Psalme to give instruction committed to Asaph. Heare my doctrine, O my people: incline your eares vnto the wordes 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 declare high sentences of olde.

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

Which we haue heard and knowen, and our fathers haue tolde vs.

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.

Wee will not hide them from their children but to the generation to come we wil shewe the praises of the Lord his power also, and his wonderful woorkes that 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,

How he established a testimonie in Iaakob, and ordeined a Law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they shoulde teache 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 posteritie might knowe it, and the children, which should be borne, should stand vp, and declare it 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.

That they might set their hope on God, and not forget the workes of God but keepe his commandements:

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 not to bee as their fathers, a disobedient and rebellious generation: a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirite was not faithfull vnto God.

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

The children of Ephraim being armed and shooting with the bowe, turned backe in the day of battell.

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

They kept not the couenant of God, but refused to walke in his Lawe,

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

And forgate his Actes, and his wonderfull woorkes that he had shewed them.

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

Hee did marueilous thinges in the sight of their fathers in the lande of Egypt: euen in the fielde of Zoan.

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

He deuided the Sea, and led them through: he made also the waters to stand as an heape.

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

In the day time also hee led them with a cloude, and all the night with a 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 claue the rockes in the wildernes, and gaue them drinke as of the great depths.

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

He brought floods also out of the stonie rocke; so that hee made the waters to descend like the riuers.

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

Yet they sinned stil against him, and prouoked the Highest in the wildernesse,

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

And tempted God in their heartes in requiring meate for their lust.

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

They spake against God also, saying, Can God prepare a table in the wildernesse?

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 rocke, that the water gushed out, and the streames ouerflowed: can hee giue bread also? or prepare 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 the Lord heard and was angrie, and the fire was kindled in Iaakob, and also wrath came vpon Israel,

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

Because they beleeued not in God, and trusted not in his helpe.

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

Yet he had comanded the clouds aboue, and had opened the doores of heauen,

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

And had rained downe MAN vpon them for to eate, and had giuen them of the wheate of heauen.

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

Man did eate the bread of Angels: hee sent them meate ynough.

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

He caused the Eastwinde to passe in the heauen, and through his power he brought in the Southwinde.

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.

Hee rained flesh also vpon them as dust, and feathered foule as the sand of the sea.

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

And hee made it fall in the middes of their campe euen round about their habitations.

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

So they did eate and were well filled: for he gaue them their desire.

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

They were not turned from their lust, but the meate was yet in their mouthes,

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 wrath of God came euen vpon them, and slew the strongest of them, and smote downe the chosen men in Israel.

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

For all this, they sinned stil, and beleeued not his wonderous woorkes.

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

Therefore their daies did hee consume in vanitie, and their yeeres hastily.

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

And when hee slewe them, they sought him and they returned, and sought God earely.

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

And they remembred that God was their strength, and the most high God 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 dissembled with 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 vpright with him: neither were they faithfull in his couenant.

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.

Yet he being merciful forgaue their iniquitie, and destroied them not, but oft times called backe his anger, and did not stirre vp all his wrath.

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

For he remembered that they were flesh: yea, a winde that passeth and commeth not againe.

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

How oft did they prouoke him in the wildernes? and grieue him in the desert?

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

Yea, they returned, and tempted God, and limited the Holie 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, nor the day when he deliuered them from the enemie,

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

Nor him that set his signes in Egypt, and his wonders in the fielde of Zoan,

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

And turned their riuers into blood, and their floods, that they could not drinke.

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

Hee sent a swarme of flies among them, which deuoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.

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

He gaue also their fruites vnto the caterpiller, and their labour vnto the grassehopper.

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

He destroied their vines with haile, and their wilde figge trees with the hailestone.

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

He gaue their cattell also to the haile, and their flockes to the thunderboltes.

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

Hee cast vpon them the fiercenesse of his anger, indignation and wrath, and vexation by the sending out of euill Angels.

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 to his anger: he spared not their soule from death, but gaue their life 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 smote al the firstborne in Egypt, euen the beginning of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham.

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

But hee made his people to goe out like sheepe, and led them in the wildernes like a flocke.

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

Yea, he caried them out safely, and they feared not, and the Sea couered 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 vnto the borders of his Sanctuarie: euen to this Mountaine, which his right hand purchased.

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

He cast out the heathe also before them, and caused them to fall to the lot of his inheritance, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tabernacles.

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

Yet they tempted, and prouoked the most high God, 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.

But turned backe and delt falsely like their fathers: they turned like a deceitfull bowe.

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

And they prouoked him to anger with their high places, and mooued him to wrath with their grauen images.

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

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

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

So that hee forsooke the habitation of Shilo, euen the Tabernacle where hee dwelt among men,

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

And deliuered his power into captiuitie, and his beautie into the enemies hand.

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

And hee gaue vp his people to the sworde, and was angrie with his inheritance.

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

The fire deuoured their chosen men, and their maides were not praised.

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

Their Priestes fell by the sworde, and their widowes lamented not.

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

But the Lord awaked as one out of sleepe, and as a strong man that after his wine crieth out,

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

And smote his enemies in the hinder parts, and put them to a perpetuall shame.

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

Yet he refused the tabernacle of Ioseph, 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 Iudah, and mount Zion which he loued.

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 Sanctuarie as an high palace, like the earth, which he stablished for euer.

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,

He chose Dauid also his seruant, and tooke him from the shepefolds.

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

Euen from behinde the ewes with yong brought he him to feede his people in Iaakob, and his inheritance in Israel.

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

So he fed them according to the simplicitie of his heart, and guided them by the discretion of his hands.