Psalms 78
1 An instruction. Of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
| משכיל לאסף האזינה עמי תורתי הטו אזנכם לאמרי-פי |
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter riddles from of old,
| אפתחה במשל פי אביעה חידות מני-קדם |
3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us:
| אשר שמענו ונדעם ואבותינו ספרו-לנו |
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.
| לא נכחד מבניהם-- לדור אחרון מספרים תהלות יהוה ועזוזו ונפלאתיו אשר עשה |
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;
| ויקם עדות ביעקב ותורה שם בישראל אשר צוה את-אבותינו-- להודיעם לבניהם |
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,
| למען ידעו דור אחרון--בנים יולדו יקמו ויספרו לבניהם |
7 And that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but observe his commandments;
| וישימו באלהים כסלם ולא ישכחו מעללי-אל ומצותיו ינצרו |
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.
| ולא יהיו כאבותם-- דור סורר ומרה דור לא-הכין לבו ולא-נאמנה את-אל רוחו |
9 The sons of Ephraim, armed bowmen, turned back in the day of battle.
| בני-אפרים נושקי רומי-קשת הפכו ביום קרב |
10 They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;
| לא שמרו ברית אלהים ובתורתו מאנו ללכת |
11 And forgot his doings, and his marvellous works which he had shewn them.
| וישכחו עלילותיו ונפלאותיו אשר הראם |
12 In the sight of their fathers had he done wonders, in the land of Egypt, the field of Zoan.
| נגד אבותם עשה פלא בארץ מצרים שדה-צען |
13 He clave the sea, and caused them to pass through; and made the waters to stand as a heap;
| בקע ים ויעבירם ויצב-מים כמו-נד |
14 And he led them with a cloud in the daytime, and all the night with the light of fire.
| וינחם בענן יומם וכל-הלילה באור אש |
15 He clave rocks in the wilderness, and gave [them] drink as out of the depths, abundantly;
| יבקע צרים במדבר וישק כתהמות רבה |
16 And he brought streams out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
| ויוצא נוזלים מסלע ויורד כנהרות מים |
17 Yet they still went on sinning against him, provoking the Most High in the desert;
| ויוסיפו עוד לחטא-לו-- למרות עליון בציה |
18 And they tempted God in their heart, by asking meat for their lust;
| וינסו-אל בלבבם-- לשאל-אכל לנפשם |
19 And they spoke against God: they said, Is God able to prepare a table in the wilderness?
| וידברו באלהים אמרו היוכל אל--לערך שלחן במדבר |
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?
| הן הכה-צור ויזובו מים-- ונחלים ישטפו הגם-לחם יוכל תת אם-יכין שאר לעמו |
21 Therefore Jehovah heard, and was wroth; and fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also went up against Israel:
| לכן שמע יהוה-- ויתעבר ואש נשקה ביעקב וגם-אף עלה בישראל |
22 Because they believed not in God, and confided not in his salvation;
| כי לא האמינו באלהים ולא בטחו בישועתו |
23 Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and had opened the doors of the heavens,
| ויצו שחקים ממעל ודלתי שמים פתח |
24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them the corn of the heavens.
| וימטר עליהם מן לאכל ודגן-שמים נתן למו |
25 Man did eat the bread of the mighty; he sent them provision to the full.
| לחם אבירים אכל איש צידה שלח להם לשבע |
26 He caused the east wind to rise in the heavens, and by his strength he brought the south wind;
| יסע קדים בשמים וינהג בעזו תימן |
27 And he rained flesh upon them as dust, and feathered fowl as the sand of the seas,
| וימטר עליהם כעפר שאר וכחול ימים עוף כנף |
28 And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations:
| ויפל בקרב מחנהו סביב למשכנתיו |
29 And they did eat, and were well filled; for that they lusted after, he brought to them.
| ויאכלו וישבעו מאד ותאותם יבא להם |
30 They were not alienated from their lust, their meat was yet in their mouths,
| לא-זרו מתאותם עוד אכלם בפיהם |
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.
| ואף אלהים עלה בהם ויהרג במשמניהם ובחורי ישראל הכריע |
32 For all this, they sinned still, and believed not in his marvellous works;
| בכל-זאת חטאו-עוד ולא-האמינו בנפלאותיו |
33 And he consumed their days in vanity, and their years in terror.
| ויכל-בהבל ימיהם ושנותם בבהלה |
34 When he slew them, then they sought him, and returned and sought early after God;
| אם-הרגם ודרשוהו ושבו ושחרו-אל |
35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and God, the Most High, their redeemer.
| ויזכרו כי-אלהים צורם ואל עליון גאלם |
36 But they flattered him with their mouth, and lied unto him with their tongue;
| ויפתוהו בפיהם ובלשונם יכזבו-לו |
37 For their heart was not firm toward him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.
| ולבם לא-נכון עמו ולא נאמנו בבריתו |
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:
| והוא רחום יכפר עון-- ולא-ישחית והרבה להשיב אפו ולא-יעיר כל-חמתו |
39 And he remembered that they were flesh, a breath that passeth away and cometh not again.
| ויזכר כי-בשר המה רוח הולך ולא ישוב |
40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
| כמה ימרוהו במדבר יעציבוהו בישימון |
41 And they turned again and tempted God, and grieved the Holy One of Israel.
| וישובו וינסו אל וקדוש ישראל התוו |
42 They remembered not his hand, the day when he delivered them from the oppressor,
| לא-זכרו את-ידו יום אשר-פדם מני-צר |
43 How he set his signs in Egypt, and his miracles in the field of Zoan;
| אשר-שם במצרים אתותיו ומופתיו בשדה-צען |
44 And turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, that they could not drink;
| ויהפך לדם יאריהם ונזליהם בל-ישתיון |
45 He sent dog-flies among them, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them;
| ישלח בהם ערב ויאכלם וצפרדע ותשחיתם |
46 And he gave their increase unto the caterpillar, and their labour unto the locust;
| ויתן לחסיל יבולם ויגיעם לארבה |
47 He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with hail-stones;
| יהרג בברד גפנם ושקמותם בחנמל |
48 And he delivered up their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to thunderbolts.
| ויסגר לברד בעירם ומקניהם לרשפים |
49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and distress, — a mission of angels of woes.
| ישלח-בם חרון אפו--עברה וזעם וצרה משלחת מלאכי רעים |
50 He made a way for his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;
| יפלס נתיב לאפו לא-חשך ממות נפשם וחיתם לדבר הסגיר |
51 And he smote all the firstborn in Egypt, the first-fruits of their vigour in the tents of Ham.
| ויך כל-בכור במצרים ראשית אונים באהלי-חם |
52 And he made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock;
| ויסע כצאן עמו וינהגם כעדר במדבר |
53 And he led them safely, so that they were without fear; and the sea covered their enemies.
| וינחם לבטח ולא פחדו ואת-אויביהם כסה הים |
54 And he brought them to his holy border, this mountain, which his right hand purchased;
| ויביאם אל-גבול קדשו הר-זה קנתה ימינו |
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.
| ויגרש מפניהם גוים-- ויפילם בחבל נחלה וישכן באהליהם שבטי ישראל |
56 But they tempted and provoked God, the Most High, and kept not his testimonies,
| וינסו וימרו את-אלהים עליון ועדותיו לא שמרו |
57 And they drew back and dealt treacherously like their fathers: they turned like a deceitful bow.
| ויסגו ויבגדו כאבותם נהפכו כקשת רמיה |
58 And they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
| ויכעיסוהו בבמותם ובפסיליהם יקניאוהו |
59 God heard, and was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:
| שמע אלהים ויתעבר וימאס מאד בישראל |
60 And he forsook the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tent where he had dwelt among men,
| ויטש משכן שלו אהל שכן באדם |
61 And gave his strength into captivity, and his glory into the hand of the oppressor;
| ויתן לשבי עזו ותפארתו ביד-צר |
62 And delivered up his people unto the sword, and was very wroth with his inheritance:
| ויסגר לחרב עמו ובנחלתו התעבר |
63 The fire consumed their young men, and their maidens were not praised in [nuptial] song;
| בחוריו אכלה-אש ובתולתיו לא הוללו |
64 Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation.
| כהניו בחרב נפלו ואלמנתיו לא תבכינה |
65 Then the Lord awoke as one out of sleep, like a mighty man that shouteth aloud by reason of wine;
| ויקץ כישן אדני כגבור מתרונן מיין |
66 And he smote his adversaries in the hinder part, and put them to everlasting reproach.
| ויך-צריו אחור חרפת עולם נתן למו |
67 And he rejected the tent of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim,
| וימאס באהל יוסף ובשבט אפרים לא בחר |
68 But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved;
| ויבחר את-שבט יהודה את-הר ציון אשר אהב |
69 And he built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he hath founded for ever.
| ויבן כמו-רמים מקדשו כארץ יסדה לעולם |
70 And he chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:
| ויבחר בדוד עבדו ויקחהו ממכלאת צאן |
71 From following the suckling-ewes, he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
| מאחר עלות הביאו לרעות ביעקב עמו ובישראל נחלתו |
72 And he fed them according to the integrity of his heart, and led them by the skilfulness of his hands.
| וירעם כתם לבבו ובתבונות כפיו ינחם |
