Psalms 78
1 A psalm (maskil) of Asaph. Listen to what I have to teach you, my people; hear what I have to say.
A Maskil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my instruction; listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will tell you wise sayings; I will explain mysteries from the past
I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the beginning,
3 that we have heard before and reflected on; stories our forefathers passed down to us.
that we have heard and known and our fathers have relayed to us.
4 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.
We will not hide them from their children, but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might, and the wonders He has performed.
5 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,
For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children,
6 so that the next generation—children yet to be born—would understand and grow up to teach their children.
that the coming generation would know them— even children yet to be born— to arise and tell their own children
7 In this way they should place their trust in God and not forget what God has done, and keep his commandments.
that they should put their confidence in God, not forgetting His works, but keeping His commandments.
8 Then they would not be like their forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation that was untrustworthy and unfaithful.
Then they will not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose heart was not loyal, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9 The soldiers of Ephraim, though armed with bows, ran away on the day of battle.
The archers of Ephraim turned back on the day of battle.
10 They did not keep God's agreement, and refused to follow his laws.
They failed to keep God’s covenant and refused to live by His law.
11 They ignored what he had done, and the amazing things he had shown them—
They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them.
12 the miracles he had performed for their forefathers near Zoan in Egypt.
He worked wonders before their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
13 He split the sea in two and led them through, making the water stand like walls on either side.
He split the sea and brought them through; He set the waters upright like a wall.
14 He led them with a cloud by day, and by night with a light of fire.
He led them with a cloud by day and with a light of fire all night.
15 He split open rocks in the desert to give his people plenty to drink, water as deep as the ocean.
He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as abundant as the seas.
16 He made streams flow from the stone; water rushing down like rivers!
He brought streams from the stone and made water flow down like rivers.
17 But they repeatedly sinned against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
But they continued to sin against Him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High.
18 They deliberately provoked God by demanding the foods they longed for.
They willfully tested God by demanding the food they craved.
19 They insulted God by saying, “Can God provide food here in the desert?
They spoke against God, saying, “Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 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?”
When He struck the rock, water gushed out and torrents raged. But can He also give bread or supply His people with meat?”
21 When he heard this, the Lord became very angry, burning like fire against the descendants of Jacob, furious with the people of Israel,
Therefore the LORD heard and was filled with wrath; so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and His anger flared against Israel,
22 for they didn't believe in God and didn't trust him to take care of them.
because they did not believe God or rely on His salvation.
23 Even so he commanded the skies above and the doors of heaven to open,
Yet He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of the heavens.
24 and he made manna rain down on them to eat, giving them bread from heaven.
He rained down manna for them to eat; He gave them grain from heaven.
25 Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them more than enough food.
Man ate the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance.
26 He sent the east wind blowing across the sky; by his power he drove the south wind.
He stirred the east wind from the heavens and drove the south wind by His might.
27 He rained down meat on them as plentiful as dust; birds as numerous as sand on a beach.
He rained meat on them like dust, and winged birds like the sand of the sea.
28 He made them fall right in the middle of their camp, all around where they were living.
He felled them in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings.
29 They ate until they were full. He gave them the food they longed for.
So they ate and were well filled, for He gave them what they craved.
30 But before they satisfied their appetite, while the meat was still in their mouths,
Yet before they had filled their desire, with the food still in their mouths,
31 God became angry with them and he killed their strongest men, striking them down in the prime of life.
God’s anger flared against them, and He put to death their strongest and subdued the young men of Israel.
32 Despite all this they went right on sinning. Despite the miracles, they refused to trust him.
In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.
33 So he snuffed out their futile lives, bringing them to an end in terror.
So He ended their days in futility, and their years in sudden terror.
34 When he began killing them, the rest came back to God in repentance, praying to him.
When He slew them, they would seek Him; they repented and searched for God.
35 They remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their Savior.
And they remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.
36 They flattered him by what they told him, but they were only lying.
But they deceived Him with their mouths, and lied to Him with their tongues.
37 Deep down they were not sincere, and did not keep the agreement they had with him.
Their hearts were disloyal to Him, and they were unfaithful to His covenant.
38 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.
And yet He was compassionate; He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. He often restrained His anger and did not unleash His full wrath.
39 He remembered their mortality—that they were like a puff of wind that would not return.
He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, giving him grief in the desert!
How often they disobeyed Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert!
41 Again and again they provoked God, causing pain to the Holy One of Israel.
Again and again they tested God and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his strength when he rescued them from their oppressors,
They did not remember His power — the day He redeemed them from the adversary,
43 performing miracles in Egypt, doing wonderful things on the plain of Zoan.
when He performed His signs in Egypt and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.
44 There he turned their rivers and their streams into blood so that no one could drink from them.
He turned their rivers to blood, and from their streams they could not drink.
45 He sent flies among them to destroy them, and frogs to ruin everything.
He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them.
46 He gave their crops to locusts; everything they worked had for was taken by locusts.
He gave their crops to the grasshopper, the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their fig trees with freezing rain.
He killed their vines with hailstones and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48 He handed over their cattle to hail and their flocks to lightning bolts.
He abandoned their cattle to the hail and their livestock to bolts of lightning.
49 He poured out on them his fierce anger—rage and hostility and anguish—sending a band of destroying angels against them.
He unleashed His fury against them, wrath, indignation, and calamity— a band of destroying angels.
50 He sent his unrestrained anger against them; he did not spare them from death, handing them over to the plague.
He cleared a path for His anger; He did not spare them from death but delivered their lives to the plague.
51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the first to be conceived in the tents of Ham.
He struck all the firstborn of Egypt, the virility in the tents of Ham.
52 But he led out his people like sheep, and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
He led out His people like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
53 He led them to safety, and they were not afraid. He drowned their enemies in the sea.
He led them safely, so they did not fear, but the sea engulfed their enemies.
54 He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountainous land that he had conquered for them.
He brought them to His holy land, to the mountain His right hand had acquired.
55 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.
He drove out nations before them and apportioned their inheritance; He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 But they provoked God Most High, rebelling against him. They did not follow what he had told them.
But they tested and disobeyed God Most High, for they did not keep His decrees.
57 Just like their forefathers they turned away from God and were unfaithful to him, as twisted as a defective bow.
They turned back and were faithless like their fathers, twisted like a faulty bow.
58 They made him angry with their pagan high places of worship; they made him jealous with their idols.
They enraged Him with their high places and provoked His jealousy with their idols.
59 When God heard their worship he became furious and he totally rejected Israel.
On hearing it, God was furious and rejected Israel completely.
60 He abandoned his place at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he lived among the people.
He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent He had pitched among men.
61 He surrendered the Ark of his power, allowing it to be captured; handing it over into enemy hands.
He delivered His strength to captivity, and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.
62 He handed over his people to be slaughtered by the sword; he was furious with his chosen people.
He surrendered His people to the sword because He was enraged by His heritage.
63 Their young men were destroyed by fire; their young women had no wedding songs.
Fire consumed His young men, and their maidens were left without wedding songs.
64 Their priests were killed by the sword; their widows were unable to mourn.
His priests fell by the sword, but their widows could not lament.
65 Then the Lord woke up as if from sleep, as a warrior sobering up from drinking wine.
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a mighty warrior overcome by wine.
66 He defeated his enemies, striking them on the back, causing them everlasting shame.
He beat back His foes; He put them to everlasting shame.
67 He rejected the descendants of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
He rejected the tent of Joseph and refused the tribe of Ephraim.
68 Instead he chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion which he loves.
But He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which He loved.
69 There he built his sanctuary, high like the heavens, on earth that he made to last forever.
He built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth He has established forever.
70 He chose his servant David, taking him from the sheep pens,
He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 taking him from caring for the sheep and lambs to be a shepherd to the descendants of Jacob—God's special people, Israel.
from tending the ewes He brought him to be shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance.
72 Like a shepherd, he took care of them with sincere devotion, leading them with skillful hands.
So David shepherded them with integrity of heart and guided them with skillful hands.
