Psalms 78
1 The understanding of Asaph. O my people, attend to my law. Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
“A Maskil of Assaph.” Give ear, O my people, to my instruction: incline thy ear 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 with a parable my mouth: I will utter riddles out of ancient times;
3 We have heard and known such great things, as our fathers have described to us.
Which we have heard and know, and which our fathers have related unto 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 conceal them from their children, relating to the latest generation the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful deeds 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,
Yea, he established a testimony in Jacob, and instituted 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.
In order that the latest generation might know them, even the children that are to be born; that they may arise and relate 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.
That they may place in God their hope, and not forget the doings 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 that they may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that had not directed their heart firmly, and whose spirit was not faithful to 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, like well-armed archers, that turn round on the day of battle,
10 They have not kept the covenant of God. And they were not willing to walk in his law.
Kept not the covenant of God, and in his law they refused to walk;
11 And they have been forgetful of his benefits, and of his miracle, which he revealed to them.
And they forgot his deeds, as also his wonders, which he had permitted them to see.
12 He performed miracles in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Tanis.
In the presence of their fathers did he do wonders, in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zo'an.
13 He broke the sea and he led them through. And he stationed the waters, as if in a vessel.
He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters stand upright as a wall.
14 And he led them with a cloud by day, and with illumination by fire throughout the night.
And he led them with the cloud by day, 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 split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the mighty deep.
16 He brought forth water from the rock, and he conducted the waters, as if they were rivers.
And he brought forth running streams out of the rock, and caused water 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.
But they repeated to sin yet more against him, rebelling against 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 food for their desire.
19 And they spoke badly about God. They said, “Would God be able to prepare a table in the desert?
Yea, they spoke against God: they said, Will God be able to set in order 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, so that waters gushed out, and streams overflowed: shall he also be able to give bread? or can he 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, when the Lord heard this, he became wroth: and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also ascended against Israel,
22 For they neither put their trust in God, nor did they hope in his salvation.
Because they had not believed in God, and had not trusted in his salvation.
23 And he commanded the clouds from above, and he opened the doors of heaven.
Then he ordained the skies from above, and the doors of heaven he opened;
24 And he rained down manna upon them to eat, and he gave them the bread of heaven.
And he let rain down upon them manna to eat, and the corn of heaven gave he unto them.
25 Man ate the bread of Angels. He sent them provisions in abundance.
Angels' bread did man eat: he sent them provision to satisfaction.
26 He transferred the south wind from heaven, and, in his virtue, he brought in the Southwest wind.
He caused an east wind to pass along the heavens; and he led forth by his strength 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 let rain upon them flesh [as plentiful] as the dust, and winged birds like the sand of the sea;
28 And they fell down in the midst of their camp, encircling their tabernacles.
And he let them 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 ate, and were greatly satisfied, and what they longed for he brought unto them.
30 They were not cheated out of what they wanted. Their food was still in their mouth,
They were not estranged from their longing, yet was their food in their mouth:
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 ascended against them, and he slew some of the fattest of them, and the young men of Israel did he strike down.
32 In all these things, they continued to sin, and they were not trustworthy with his miracles.
With all this they sinned again, and believed not in his wonders.
33 And their days faded away into vanity, and their years with haste.
Therefore he caused their days to come to an end in nought, and their years in dread.
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 did they seek him, and they returned and inquired earnestly 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 the most high God their redeemer.
36 And they chose him with their mouth, and then they lied to him with their tongue.
Nevertheless they prayed insincerely to him with their mouth, and with their tongue they lied unto him.
37 For their heart was not upright with him, nor have they been living faithfully in his covenant.
For their heart was not firm with him, and they were not faithful 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, being merciful, forgave the iniquity, and destroyed [them] not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not awaken 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 are but flesh, a spirit that passeth away, and returneth 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 rebel against him in the wilderness, grieve him in the desert!
41 And they turned back and tempted God, and they exasperated the Holy One of Israel.
Yea, they once more tempted God, and set limits to 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 ransomed them from the adversary;
43 Thus, he positioned his signs in Egypt and his wonders in the field of Tanis.
When he displayed in Egypt his signs, and his wonderful tokens in the fields of Zo'an.
44 And he turned their rivers into blood, along with their rain showers, so that they could not drink.
And he changed their rivers into blood; and their running streams, that they could not drink [of them].
45 He sent among them the common fly, and it devoured them, and the frog, and it scattered them.
He sent out among them various wild beasts, 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 unto the cricket their products, and their labor unto the locust.
47 And he slew their vineyards with hail and their mulberry trees with severe frost.
He slew with hail their vines, and their sycamore-trees with ice-bolts.
48 And he delivered their cattle to the hail and their possessions to fire.
And he surrendered to the hail their cattle, and their herds to the lightning's flashes.
49 And he sent the wrath of his indignation among them: indignation and wrath and tribulation, sent forth by evil angels.
He let loose against them the fierceness of his anger, wrath and indignation, and distress, a host of angels of misfortune.
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 leveled a path for his anger; he withheld not from death their soul, and their life he surrendered 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 first-born in Egypt; the first of their strength 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.
But he caused his own people to depart like flocks, and guided them like a drove in the wilderness.
53 And he led them out in hope, and they did not fear. And the sea covered their enemies.
And he led them in safety, so that they felt no dread; but the sea covered over 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 territory, even to this mount, which his right hand had acquired.
55 And he caused the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tabernacles.
And he drove out from before them nations, and divided them by the measuring-line as an inheritance, and he caused to dwell in their tents the tribes of Israel.
56 Yet they tempted and aggravated God Most High, and they did not keep his testaments.
Yet they tempted and rebelled against the most high God, and his testimonies they kept not;
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 swerved aside, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers; they turned about 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 with their graven images they moved him to jealousy.
59 God listened, and he spurned them, and he reduced Israel greatly, almost to nothing.
God heard this, and he became wroth, and felt greatly disgusted with Israel;
60 And he rejected the tabernacle of Shiloh, his tabernacle where he had dwelt among men.
And he cast off the dwelling at Shiloh, the tabernacle where he had dwelt among men;
61 And he delivered their virtue into captivity, and their beauty into the hands of the enemy.
And he gave up his strength unto captivity, and his glory into the adversary's hand.
62 And he enclosed his people with the sword, and he spurned his inheritance.
And he surrendered his people unto the sword; and with his inheritance was he wroth.
63 Fire consumed their young men, and their virgins were not lamented.
His young men the fire devoured; and his virgins were not demanded in marriage.
64 Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows did not weep.
His priests fell by the sword; and his widows did not weep.
65 And the Lord was awakened, as if out of sleep, and like a powerful man impaired by wine.
Then awoke the Lord as one that sleepeth, like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.
66 And he struck his enemies on the back. He gave them over to everlasting disgrace.
And he smote his enemies backward: a perpetual disgrace on them.
67 And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph, and he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
Yet was he disgusted with the tent of Joseph, and of the tribe of Ephraim he made not choice;
68 But he chose the tribe of Judah: mount Zion, which he loved.
But he 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 like high [mountains] his sanctuary, 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 made choice of David his servant, and took him from the sheep-folds:
71 in order to pasture Jacob his servant and Israel his inheritance.
From following the ewes with young 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 by the skilfulness of his hands did he lead them.
