Psalms 78
1 Understanding for Asaph. Attend, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
A psalm (maskil) of Asaph. Listen to what I have to teach you, my people; hear what I have to say.
2 I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter propositions from the beginning.
I will tell you wise sayings; I will explain mysteries from the past
3 How great things have we heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
that we have heard before and reflected on; stories our forefathers passed down to 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 keep them from our children; we will tell the next generation about God's marvelous actions—about his power and the amazing things 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:
He gave his laws to the descendants of Jacob; his instructions to the people of Israel. He commanded our forefathers to teach them 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.
so that the next generation—children yet to be born—would understand and grow up to teach their children.
7 That they may put their hope in God and may not forget the works of God: and may seek his commandments.
In this way they should place their trust in God and not forget what God has done, and 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.
Then they would not be like their forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation that was untrustworthy and unfaithful.
9 The sons of Ephraim who bend and shoot with the bow: they have turned back in the day of battle.
The soldiers of Ephraim, though armed with bows, ran away on 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 agreement, and refused to follow his laws.
11 And they forgot his benefits, and his wonders that he had shewn them.
They ignored what he had done, and the amazing things 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.
the miracles he had performed for their forefathers near Zoan in Egypt.
13 He divided the sea and brought them through: and he made the waters to stand as in a vessel.
He split the sea in two and led them through, making the water stand like walls on either side.
14 And he conducted them with a cloud by day: and all the night with a light of fire.
He led them with a cloud by day, and by 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 open rocks in the desert to give his people plenty to drink, water as deep as the ocean.
16 He brought forth water out of the rock: and made streams run down as rivers.
He made streams flow from the stone; water rushing down like rivers!
17 And they added yet more sin against him: they provoked the most High to wrath in the place without water.
But they repeatedly sinned against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 And they tempted God in their hearts, by asking meat for their desires.
They deliberately provoked God by demanding the foods they longed for.
19 And they spoke ill of God: they said: Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
They insulted God by saying, “Can God provide food here in the desert?
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?
Yes, he can strike a rock so that water gushes out like flowing rivers, but can he give us bread? Can he supply his people with meat?”
21 Therefore the Lord heard, and was angry: and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and wrath came up against Israel.
When he heard this, the Lord became very angry, burning like fire against the descendants of Jacob, furious with the people of Israel,
22 Because they believed not in God: and trusted not in his salvation.
for they didn't believe in God and didn't trust him to take care of them.
23 And he had commanded the clouds from above, and had opened the doors of heaven.
Even so he commanded the skies above and the doors of heaven to open,
24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them the bread of heaven.
and he made manna rain down on them to eat, giving them bread from heaven.
25 Man ate the bread of angels: he sent them provisions in abundance.
Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them more than enough food.
26 He removed the south wind from heaven: and by his power brought in the southwest wind.
He sent the east wind blowing across the sky; by his power he drove the south wind.
27 And he rained upon them flesh as dust: and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea.
He rained down meat on them as plentiful as dust; birds as numerous as sand on a beach.
28 And they fell in the midst of their camp, round about their pavilions.
He made them fall right in the middle of their camp, all around where they were living.
29 So they did eat, and were filled exceedingly, and he gave them their desire:
They ate until they were full. He gave them the food they longed for.
30 They were not defrauded of that which they craved. As yet their meat was in their mouth:
But before they satisfied their appetite, while the meat was still 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.
God became angry with them and he killed their strongest men, striking them down in the prime of life.
32 In all these things they sinned still: and they believed not for his wondrous works.
Despite all this they went right on sinning. Despite the miracles, they refused to trust him.
33 And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years in haste.
So he snuffed out their futile lives, bringing them to an end in terror.
34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned, and came to him early in the morning.
When he began killing them, the rest came back to God in repentance, praying to him.
35 And they remembered that God was their helper: and the most high God their redeemer.
They remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their Savior.
36 And they loved him with their mouth: and with their tongue they lied unto him:
They flattered him by what they told him, but they were only lying.
37 But their heart was not right with him: nor were they counted faithful in his covenant.
Deep down they were not sincere, and did not keep the agreement they had with him.
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 being compassionate he pardoned their guilt and did not destroy all of them. He often held back his anger—he did not pour out all his fury.
39 And he remembered that they are flesh: a wind that goeth and returneth not.
He remembered their mortality—that they were like a puff of wind that would not return.
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, giving him grief in the desert!
41 And they turned back and tempted God: and grieved the holy one of Israel.
Again and again they provoked God, causing pain to 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 strength when he rescued them from their oppressors,
43 How he wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanis.
performing miracles in Egypt, doing wonderful things on the plain of Zoan.
44 And he turned their rivers into blood, and their showers that they might, not drink.
There he turned their rivers and their streams into blood so that no one could drink from them.
45 He sent amongst them divers sores of flies, which devoured them: and frogs which destroyed them.
He sent flies among them to destroy them, and frogs to ruin everything.
46 And he gave up their fruits to the blast, and their labours to the locust.
He gave their crops to locusts; everything they worked had for was taken by locusts.
47 And he destroyed their vineyards with hail, and their mulberry trees with hoarfrost.
He destroyed their vines with hail, and their fig trees with freezing rain.
48 And he gave up their cattle to the hail, and their stock to the fire.
He handed over their cattle to hail and their flocks to lightning bolts.
49 And he sent upon them the wrath of his indignation: indignation and wrath and trouble, which he sent by evil angels.
He poured out on them his fierce anger—rage and hostility and anguish—sending a band of destroying angels against them.
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 sent his unrestrained anger against them; he did not spare them from death, handing them over to the plague.
51 And he killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt: the firstfruits of all their labour in the tabernacles of Cham.
He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the first to be conceived 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 people like sheep, and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
53 And he brought them out in hope, and they feared not: band the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
He led them to safety, and they were not afraid. He drowned their enemies in the sea.
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 holy land, to this mountainous land that he had conquered for them.
55 And he made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tabernacles.
He drove out the heathen nations before them. He divided up the land for them to own. He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 Yet they tempted, and provoked the most high God: and they kept not his testimonies.
But they provoked God Most High, rebelling against him. They did not follow what he had told them.
57 And they turned away, and kept not the covenant: even like their fathers they were turned aside as a crooked bow.
Just like their forefathers they turned away from God and were unfaithful to him, as twisted as a defective bow.
58 They provoked him to anger on their hills: and moved him to jealousy with their graven things.
They made him angry with their pagan high places of worship; they made him jealous with their idols.
59 God heard, and despised them, and he reduced Israel exceedingly as it were to nothing.
When God heard their worship he became furious and he totally rejected Israel.
60 And he put away the tabernacle of Silo, his tabernacle where he dwelt among men.
He abandoned his place at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he lived among the people.
61 And he delivered their strength into captivity: and their beauty into the hands of the enemy.
He surrendered the Ark of his power, allowing it to be captured; handing it over into enemy hands.
62 And he shut up his people under the sword: and he despised his inheritance.
He handed over his people to be slaughtered by the sword; he was furious with his chosen people.
63 Fire consumed their young men: and their maidens were not lamented.
Their young men were destroyed by fire; their young women had no wedding songs.
64 Their priests fell by the sword: and their widows did not mourn.
Their priests were killed by the sword; their widows were unable to mourn.
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 woke up as if from sleep, as a warrior sobering up from drinking wine.
66 And he smote his enemies on the hinder parts: he put them to an everlasting reproach.
He defeated his enemies, striking them on the back, causing them everlasting shame.
67 And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph: and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:
He rejected the descendants of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 But he chose the tribe of Juda, mount Sion which he loved.
Instead he chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion which he loves.
69 And he built his sanctuary as of unicorns, in the land which he founded for ever.
There he built his sanctuary, high like the heavens, on earth that he made to last 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 chose his servant David, taking him from the sheep pens,
71 To feed Jacob his servant, and Israel his inheritance.
taking him from caring for the sheep and lambs to be a shepherd to the descendants of Jacob—God's special people, Israel.
72 And he fed them in the innocence of his heart: and conducted them by the skillfulness of his hands.
Like a shepherd, he took care of them with sincere devotion, leading them with skillful hands.
