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 ear to sayings of my mouth.

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

I open my mouth with an allegory, I bring forth hidden things of old,

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

That we have heard and know, And our fathers have recounted to 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 do not hide from their sons, Recounting praises of YHWH to a later generation, And His strength, and His wonders that He has 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,

And He raises up a testimony in Jacob, And has placed a law in Israel, That He commanded our fathers, To make them known to their sons.

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.

So that a later generation knows, Sons who are born, rise and recount to their sons,

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 place their confidence in God, And do not forget the doings of God, But keep His commands.

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 they are not like their fathers, A generation apostatizing and being rebellious, A generation—it has not prepared its heart, Nor [is] its spirit steadfast with God.

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

Sons of Ephraim—armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.

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

They have not kept the covenant of God, And they have 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 they forget His doings, And His wonders that He showed them.

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

He has done wonders before their fathers, 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 cleft a sea, and causes them to pass over, Indeed, He causes 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 leads them with a cloud by day, And with a light of fire all the night.

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

He cleaves rocks in a wilderness, And gives drink—as the great deep.

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

And brings out streams from a rock, And causes waters to come down as rivers.

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

And they still add to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.

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

And they try God in their heart, To ask food 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 speak against God—they said: “Is God able to array a table in a 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 has struck a rock, And waters flow, indeed, streams overflow. “Also, [is] He able to give bread? Does He 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 YHWH has heard, And He shows Himself angry, And fire has been kindled against Jacob, And anger has also gone up against Israel,

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

For they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation.

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

And He commands clouds from above, Indeed, He has opened doors of the heavens.

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

And He rains manna on them to eat, Indeed, He has given grain of the heavens to them.

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

Each has eaten food of the mighty, He sent provision to them to satiety.

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

He causes an east wind to journey in the heavens, And leads a south wind by His strength,

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 rains on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas—winged bird,

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

And causes [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Around His dwelling places.

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

And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And He brings their desire to them.

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

They have not been estranged from their desire, Their food [is] yet 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.

And the anger of God has gone up against them, And He slays among their fat ones, And He caused youths of Israel to bend.

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

With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.

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

And He consumes their days in vanity, And their years in trouble.

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

If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and earnestly sought God,

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

And they remember that God [is] their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.

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

And they deceive Him with their mouth, And lie to Him with their tongue,

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

And their heart has not been right with Him, And they have not been steadfast 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.

And He, the Merciful One, pardons iniquity, and does not destroy, And has often turned back His anger, And does 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 remembers that they [are] flesh, A wind going on—and it does not return.

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

How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?

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

Indeed, they turn back, and try God, And have limited 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 have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.

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

When He set His signs in Egypt, And His wonders 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 He turns their streams to blood, And they do not drink their floods.

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

He sends among them the beetle, and it consumes them, And the frog, and it destroys them,

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

And gives their increase to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.

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

He destroys their vine with hail, And their sycamores with frost,

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

And delivers their beasts up to the hail, And their livestock to the burning flames.

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

He sends on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress—A discharge of evil messengers.

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 ponders a path for His anger, He did not keep back their soul from death, Indeed, He delivered up 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 He strikes every firstborn in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.

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

And causes His people to journey as a flock, And guides them as a drove in a wilderness,

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

And He leads them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And the sea has 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 brings them to the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had acquired,

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

And casts out nations from before them, And causes them to fall in the line of inheritance, And causes 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.

And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And have not kept 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 turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been 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 make Him angry with their high places, And make Him zealous with their carved images,

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

God has heard, and shows Himself angry. And kicks exceedingly against Israel.

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

And He leaves the Dwelling Place of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,

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

And He gives His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,

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

And delivers His people up to the sword, And showed Himself angry with His inheritance.

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

Fire has consumed His young men, And His virgins have not been praised.

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

His priests have fallen by the sword, And their widows do not weep.

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

And the Lord wakes as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.

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

And He strikes His adversaries backward, He has put a continuous reproach on them,

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

And He kicks against the tent of Joseph, And has not fixed on the tribe of Ephraim.

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

And He chooses the tribe of Judah, With Mount Zion that He loved,

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

And builds His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it for all time.

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 fixes on His servant David, And takes him from the folds of a flock,

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

He has brought him in from behind suckling ones, To rule over Jacob His people, And over 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 rules them according to the integrity of his heart, And leads them by the skillfulness of his hands!