Psalms 78
1 Understanding for Asaph. Attend, 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 parables: I will utter propositions from the beginning.
I open my mouth with an allegory, I bring forth hidden things of old,
3 How great things have we heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
That we have heard and know, And our fathers have recounted 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 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 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:
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 That another generation might know them. The children that should be born and should rise up, and declare them to their children.
So that a later generation knows, Sons who are born, rise and recount to their sons,
7 That they may put their hope in God and may not forget the works of God: and may seek his commandments.
And place their confidence in God, And do not forget the doings of God, But keep His commands.
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 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 with the bow: they have 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 in his law they would not walk.
They have not kept the covenant of God, And they have refused to walk in His law,
11 And they forgot his benefits, and his wonders that he had shewn them.
And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He showed them.
12 Wonderful things did he do 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 divided the sea and brought them through: and he made the waters to stand as 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 conducted them with a cloud by day: and all the night with a light of fire.
And leads them with a cloud by day, And with a light of fire all the night.
15 He struck the rock in the wilderness: and gave them to drink, as out of the great deep.
He cleaves rocks in a wilderness, And gives drink—as the great deep.
16 He brought forth water out of the rock: and made streams run down as rivers.
And brings out streams from a rock, And causes waters to come down as rivers.
17 And they added yet more sin against him: they provoked the most High to wrath in the place without water.
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 meat for their desires.
And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.
19 And they spoke ill of God: they said: Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
And they speak against God—they said: “Is God able to array a table in a 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 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 was angry: and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and wrath came up against 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 Because they believed not in God: and trusted not in his salvation.
For they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation.
23 And he had commanded the clouds from above, and had opened the doors of heaven.
And He commands clouds from above, Indeed, He has opened doors of the heavens.
24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given 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 removed the south wind from heaven: and by his power 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 upon them flesh as dust: and feathered fowls like as 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 in the midst of their camp, round about their pavilions.
And causes [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Around His dwelling places.
29 So they did eat, and were filled exceedingly, and he gave them their desire:
And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And He brings their desire to them.
30 They were not defrauded of that which they craved. As yet their meat was in their mouth:
They have not been estranged from their desire, Their food [is] yet in their mouth,
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.
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 sinned still: and they believed not for his wondrous works.
With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.
33 And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years in 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 came to him early in the morning.
If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and earnestly sought God,
35 And they remembered that God was their helper: and the most high God their redeemer.
And they remember that God [is] their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.
36 And they loved him with their mouth: and with their tongue they lied unto him:
And they deceive Him with their mouth, And lie to Him with their tongue,
37 But their heart was not right with him: nor were they counted faithful in his covenant.
And their heart has not been right with Him, And they have not been steadfast 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.
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: a wind that goeth and returneth not.
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 move him to wrath in the place without water?
How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?
41 And they turned back and tempted God: and grieved the holy one of Israel.
Indeed, they turn back, and try God, And have limited 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 have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.
43 How he wrought 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, and their showers that they might, not drink.
And He turns their streams to blood, And they do not drink their floods.
45 He sent amongst them divers sores of flies, which devoured them: and frogs which destroyed 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 the blast, and their labours to the locust.
And gives 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 destroys their vine with hail, And their sycamores with frost,
48 And he gave up their cattle to the hail, and their stock to the fire.
And delivers their beasts up to the hail, And their livestock to the burning flames.
49 And he sent upon them the wrath of his indignation: indignation and wrath and trouble, which he sent 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 a way for a path to his anger: he spared not their souls from death, and their cattle he shut up 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 killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt: the firstfruits of all their labour in the tabernacles of Cham.
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 as sheep: and guided them in 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 brought them out in hope, and they feared not: band the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
And He leads them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And the sea has covered 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.
And He brings them to the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had acquired,
55 And he made 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 provoked the most high God: and they kept not his testimonies.
And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And have not kept His testimonies.
57 And they turned away, and kept not the covenant: even like their fathers they were turned aside as a crooked bow.
And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,
58 They provoked him to anger on their hills: and moved him to jealousy with their graven things.
And make Him angry with their high places, And make Him zealous with their carved images,
59 God heard, and despised them, and he reduced Israel exceedingly as it were to nothing.
God has heard, and shows Himself angry. And kicks exceedingly against Israel.
60 And he put away the tabernacle of Silo, his tabernacle where he dwelt among men.
And He leaves the Dwelling Place of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,
61 And he delivered their strength 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 shut up his people under the sword: and he despised 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 maidens 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 mourn.
His priests have fallen by the sword, And their widows do not weep.
65 And the Lord was awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that hath been surfeited with wine.
And the Lord wakes as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.
66 And he smote his enemies on the hinder parts: he put them to an everlasting reproach.
And He strikes His adversaries backward, He has put a continuous reproach on them,
67 And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph: and chose not 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 Juda, mount Sion which he loved.
And He chooses the tribe of Judah, With Mount Zion that He loved,
69 And he built his sanctuary as of unicorns, in the land which he founded for ever.
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 took him from the hocks of sheep: he brought him from following the ewes great with young,
And He fixes on His servant David, And takes him from the folds of a flock,
71 To feed 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 in the innocence of his heart: and conducted them by the skillfulness of his hands.
And he rules them according to the integrity of his heart, And leads them by the skillfulness of his hands!
