Psalms 78

1 An instruction. Of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, 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 a parable; I will utter riddles from of old,

I open with a simile my mouth, I bring forth hidden things of old,

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

That we have heard and do know, And our fathers have recounted to us.

4 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.

We do not hide from their sons, To a later generation recounting praises of Jehovah, And His strength, and His wonders that He hath done.

5 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;

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

6 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,

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

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

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

8 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.

And they are not like their fathers, A generation apostate and rebellious, A generation! it hath not prepared its heart, Nor stedfast with God [is] its spirit.

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

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

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

They have not kept the covenant of God, And in His law they have refused to walk,

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

And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He shewed them.

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

Before their fathers He hath done wonders, In the land of Egypt — the field of Zoan.

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

He cleft a sea, and causeth them to pass over, Yea, He causeth waters to stand as a heap.

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

And leadeth them with a cloud by day, And all the night with a light of fire.

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

He cleaveth rocks in a wilderness, And giveth drink — as the great deep.

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

And bringeth out streams from a rock, And causeth waters to come down as rivers.

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

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

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

And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.

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

And they speak against God — they said: 'Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?'

20 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?

Lo, He hath smitten a rock, And waters flow, yea, streams overflow. 'Also — bread [is] He able to give? Doth He prepare flesh for His people?'

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

Therefore hath Jehovah heard, And He sheweth Himself wroth, And fire hath been kindled against Jacob, And anger also hath gone up against Israel,

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

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

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

And He commandeth clouds from above, Yea, doors of the heavens He hath opened.

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

And He raineth on them manna to eat, Yea, corn of heaven He hath given to them.

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

Food of the mighty hath each eaten, Venison He sent to them to satiety.

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

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

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

And He raineth on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas — winged fowl,

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

And causeth [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Round about His tabernacles.

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

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

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

They have not been estranged from their desire, Yet [is] their food in their mouth,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And their heart hath not been right with Him, And they have not been stedfast in His covenant.

38 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:

And He — the Merciful One, Pardoneth iniquity, and destroyeth not, And hath often turned back His anger, And waketh not up all His fury.

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

And He remembereth that they [are] flesh, A wind going on — and it returneth not.

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

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

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

Yea, they turn back, and try God, And the Holy One of Israel have limited.

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

They have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.

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

When He set His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan,

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

And He turneth to blood their streams, And their floods they drink not.

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

He sendeth among them the beetle, and it consumeth them, And the frog, and it destroyeth them,

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

And giveth to the caterpillar their increase, And their labour to the locust.

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

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

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

And delivereth up to the hail their beasts, And their cattle to the burning flames.

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

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

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

He pondereth a path for His anger, He kept not back their soul from death, Yea, their life to the pestilence He delivered up.

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

And He smiteth every first-born in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.

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

And causeth His people to journey as a flock, And guideth them as a drove in a wilderness,

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

And He leadeth them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And their enemies hath the sea covered.

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

And He bringeth them in unto the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had got,

55 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.

And casteth out nations from before them, And causeth them to fall in the line of inheritance, And causeth the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents,

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

And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And His testimonies have not kept.

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

And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,

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

And make Him angry with their high places, And with their graven images make Him zealous,

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

God hath heard, and sheweth Himself wroth. And kicketh exceedingly against Israel.

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

And He leaveth the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,

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

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

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

And delivereth up to the sword His people, And with His inheritance shewed Himself angry.

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

His young men hath fire consumed, And His virgins have not been praised.

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

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

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

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

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

And He smiteth His adversaries backward, A reproach age-during He hath put on them,

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

And He kicketh against the tent of Joseph, And on the tribe of Ephraim hath not fixed.

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

And He chooseth the tribe of Judah, With mount Zion that He loved,

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

And buildeth His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it to the age.

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

And He fixeth on David His servant, And taketh him from the folds of a flock,

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

From behind suckling ones He hath brought him in, To rule over Jacob His people, And over Israel His inheritance.

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

And he ruleth them according to the integrity of his heart, And by the skilfulness of his hands leadeth them!