Psalms 78
1 Understanding for Asaph. Attend, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
A contemplation by Asaph. Hear my teaching, my people. Turn your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter propositions from the beginning.
I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings of old,
3 How great things have we heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
4 They have not been hidden from their children, in another generation. Declaring the praises of the Lord, and his powers, and his wonders which he hath done.
We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, his strength, and his wondrous deeds that he has done.
5 And he set up a testimony in Jacob: and made a law in Israel. How great things he commanded our fathers, that they should make the same known to their children:
For he established a covenant in Jacob, and appointed a teaching in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children;
6 That another generation might know them. The children that should be born and should rise up, and declare them to their children.
that the generation to come might know, even the children who should be born; who should arise and tell their children,
7 That they may put their hope in God and may not forget the works of God: and may seek his commandments.
that they might set their hope in God, and not forget God’s deeds, but keep his commandments,
8 That they may not become like their fathers, a perverse and exasperating generation. A generation that set not their heart aright: and whose spirit was not faithful to God.
and might not be as their fathers— a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not make their hearts loyal, whose spirit was not steadfast with God.
9 The sons of Ephraim who bend and shoot with the bow: they have turned back in the day of battle.
The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.
10 They kept not the covenant of God: and in his law they would not walk.
They did not keep God’s covenant, and refused to walk in his law.
11 And they forgot his benefits, and his wonders that he had shewn them.
They forgot his doings, his wondrous deeds that he had shown them.
12 Wonderful things did he do in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Tanis.
He did marvelous things in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea and brought them through: and he made the waters to stand as in a vessel.
He split the sea, and caused them to pass through. He made the waters stand as a heap.
14 And he conducted them with a cloud by day: and all the night with a light of fire.
In the daytime he also led them with a cloud, and all night with a light of fire.
15 He struck the rock in the wilderness: and gave them to drink, as out of the great deep.
He split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.
16 He brought forth water out of the rock: and made streams run down as rivers.
He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
17 And they added yet more sin against him: they provoked the most High to wrath in the place without water.
Yet they still went on to sin against him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert.
18 And they tempted God in their hearts, by asking meat for their desires.
They tempted God in their heart by asking food according to their desire.
19 And they spoke ill of God: they said: Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
Yes, they spoke against God. They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 Because he struck the rock, and the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed. Can he also give bread, or provide a table for his people?
Behold, he struck the rock, so that waters gushed out, and streams overflowed. Can he give bread also? Will he provide meat for his people?”
21 Therefore the Lord heard, and was angry: and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and wrath came up against Israel.
Therefore the LORD heard, and was angry. A fire was kindled against Jacob, anger also went up against Israel,
22 Because they believed not in God: and trusted not in his salvation.
because they did not believe in God, and did not trust in his salvation.
23 And he had commanded the clouds from above, and had opened the doors of heaven.
Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven.
24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them the bread of heaven.
He rained down manna on them to eat, and gave them food from the sky.
25 Man ate the bread of angels: he sent them provisions in abundance.
Man ate the bread of angels. He sent them food to the full.
26 He removed the south wind from heaven: and by his power brought in the southwest wind.
He caused the east wind to blow in the sky. By his power he guided the south wind.
27 And he rained upon them flesh as dust: and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea.
He also rained meat on them as the dust, winged birds as the sand of the seas.
28 And they fell in the midst of their camp, round about their pavilions.
He let them fall in the middle of their camp, around their habitations.
29 So they did eat, and were filled exceedingly, and he gave them their desire:
So they ate, and were well filled. He gave them their own desire.
30 They were not defrauded of that which they craved. As yet their meat was in their mouth:
They did not turn from their cravings. Their food was yet in their mouths,
31 And the wrath of God came upon them. And he slew the fat ones amongst them, and brought down the chosen men of Israel.
when the anger of God went up against them, killed some of their strongest, and struck down the young men of Israel.
32 In all these things they sinned still: and they believed not for his wondrous works.
For all this they still sinned, and did not believe in his wondrous works.
33 And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years in haste.
Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, and their years in terror.
34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned, and came to him early in the morning.
When he killed them, then they inquired after him. They returned and sought God earnestly.
35 And they remembered that God was their helper: and the most high God their redeemer.
They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God, their redeemer.
36 And they loved him with their mouth: and with their tongue they lied unto him:
But they flattered him with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.
37 But their heart was not right with him: nor were they counted faithful in his covenant.
For their heart was not right with him, neither were they faithful in his covenant.
38 But he is merciful, and will forgive their sins: and will not destroy them. And many a time did he turn away his anger: and did not kindle all his wrath.
But he, being merciful, forgave iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many times he turned his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 And he remembered that they are flesh: a wind that goeth and returneth not.
He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes away, and does not come again.
40 How often did they provoke him in the desert: and move him to wrath in the place without water?
How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, and grieved him in the desert!
41 And they turned back and tempted God: and grieved the holy one of Israel.
They turned again and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They remembered not his hand, in the day that he redeemed them from the hand of him that afflicted them:
They did not remember his hand, nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;
43 How he wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanis.
how he set his signs in Egypt, his wonders in the field of Zoan,
44 And he turned their rivers into blood, and their showers that they might, not drink.
he turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, so that they could not drink.
45 He sent amongst them divers sores of flies, which devoured them: and frogs which destroyed them.
He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 And he gave up their fruits to the blast, and their labours to the locust.
He also gave their increase to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust.
47 And he destroyed their vineyards with hail, and their mulberry trees with hoarfrost.
He destroyed their vines with hail, their sycamore fig trees with frost.
48 And he gave up their cattle to the hail, and their stock to the fire.
He also gave over their livestock to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
49 And he sent upon them the wrath of his indignation: indignation and wrath and trouble, which he sent by evil angels.
He threw on them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, and a band of angels of evil.
50 He made a way for a path to his anger: he spared not their souls from death, and their cattle he shut up in death.
He made a path for his anger. He did not spare their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence,
51 And he killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt: the firstfruits of all their labour in the tabernacles of Cham.
and struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 And he took away his own people as sheep: and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
But he led out his own people like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 And he brought them out in hope, and they feared not: band the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
He led them safely, so that they were not afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them into the mountain of his sanctuary: the mountain which his right hand had purchased. And he cast out the Gentiles before them: and by lot divided to them their land by a line of distribution.
He brought them to the border of his sanctuary, to this mountain, which his right hand had taken.
55 And he made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tabernacles.
He also drove out the nations before them, allotted them for an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
56 Yet they tempted, and provoked the most high God: and they kept not his testimonies.
Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, and did not keep his testimonies,
57 And they turned away, and kept not the covenant: even like their fathers they were turned aside as a crooked bow.
but turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers. They were twisted like a deceitful bow.
58 They provoked him to anger on their hills: and moved him to jealousy with their graven things.
For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their engraved images.
59 God heard, and despised them, and he reduced Israel exceedingly as it were to nothing.
When God heard this, he was angry, and greatly abhorred Israel,
60 And he put away the tabernacle of Silo, his tabernacle where he dwelt among men.
so that he abandoned the tent of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men,
61 And he delivered their strength into captivity: and their beauty into the hands of the enemy.
and delivered his strength into captivity, his glory into the adversary’s hand.
62 And he shut up his people under the sword: and he despised his inheritance.
He also gave his people over to the sword, and was angry with his inheritance.
63 Fire consumed their young men: and their maidens were not lamented.
Fire devoured their young men. Their virgins had no wedding song.
64 Their priests fell by the sword: and their widows did not mourn.
Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows could not weep.
65 And the Lord was awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that hath been surfeited with wine.
Then the Lord awakened as one out of sleep, like a mighty man who shouts by reason of wine.
66 And he smote his enemies on the hinder parts: he put them to an everlasting reproach.
He struck his adversaries backward. He put them to a perpetual reproach.
67 And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph: and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:
Moreover he rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 But he chose the tribe of Juda, mount Sion which he loved.
But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which he loved.
69 And he built his sanctuary as of unicorns, in the land which he founded for ever.
He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he has established forever.
70 And he chose his servant David, and took him from the hocks of sheep: he brought him from following the ewes great with young,
He also chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 To feed Jacob his servant, and Israel his inheritance.
from following the ewes that have their young, he brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.
72 And he fed them in the innocence of his heart: and conducted them by the skillfulness of his hands.
So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
