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 Psalme to give instruction committed to Asaph. Heare my doctrine, O my people: incline your eares vnto the wordes of my mouth.
2 I will tell you wise sayings; I will explain mysteries from the past
I will open my mouth in a parable: I will declare high sentences of olde.
3 that we have heard before and reflected on; stories our forefathers passed down to us.
Which we haue heard and knowen, and our fathers haue tolde vs.
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.
Wee will not hide them from their children but to the generation to come we wil shewe the praises of the Lord his power also, and his wonderful woorkes that he hath done:
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,
How he established a testimonie in Iaakob, and ordeined a Law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they shoulde teache their children:
6 so that the next generation—children yet to be born—would understand and grow up to teach their children.
That the posteritie might knowe it, and the children, which should be borne, should stand vp, and declare it to their 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 might set their hope on God, and not forget the workes of God but keepe his commandements:
8 Then they would not be like their forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation that was untrustworthy and unfaithful.
And not to bee as their fathers, a disobedient and rebellious generation: a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirite was not faithfull vnto God.
9 The soldiers of Ephraim, though armed with bows, ran away on the day of battle.
The children of Ephraim being armed and shooting with the bowe, turned backe in the day of battell.
10 They did not keep God's agreement, and refused to follow his laws.
They kept not the couenant of God, but refused to walke in his Lawe,
11 They ignored what he had done, and the amazing things he had shown them—
And forgate his Actes, and his wonderfull woorkes that he had shewed them.
12 the miracles he had performed for their forefathers near Zoan in Egypt.
Hee did marueilous thinges in the sight of their fathers in the lande of Egypt: euen in the fielde of Zoan.
13 He split the sea in two and led them through, making the water stand like walls on either side.
He deuided the Sea, and led them through: he made also the waters to stand as an heape.
14 He led them with a cloud by day, and by night with a light of fire.
In the day time also hee led them with a cloude, and all the night with a light of fire.
15 He split open rocks in the desert to give his people plenty to drink, water as deep as the ocean.
He claue the rockes in the wildernes, and gaue them drinke as of the great depths.
16 He made streams flow from the stone; water rushing down like rivers!
He brought floods also out of the stonie rocke; so that hee made the waters to descend like the riuers.
17 But they repeatedly sinned against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
Yet they sinned stil against him, and prouoked the Highest in the wildernesse,
18 They deliberately provoked God by demanding the foods they longed for.
And tempted God in their heartes in requiring meate for their lust.
19 They insulted God by saying, “Can God provide food here in the desert?
They spake against God also, saying, Can God prepare a table in the wildernesse?
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?”
Behold, he smote the rocke, that the water gushed out, and the streames ouerflowed: can hee giue bread also? or prepare flesh for his people?
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 angrie, and the fire was kindled in Iaakob, and also wrath came vpon Israel,
22 for they didn't believe in God and didn't trust him to take care of them.
Because they beleeued not in God, and trusted not in his helpe.
23 Even so he commanded the skies above and the doors of heaven to open,
Yet he had comanded the clouds aboue, and had opened the doores of heauen,
24 and he made manna rain down on them to eat, giving them bread from heaven.
And had rained downe MAN vpon them for to eate, and had giuen them of the wheate of heauen.
25 Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them more than enough food.
Man did eate the bread of Angels: hee sent them meate ynough.
26 He sent the east wind blowing across the sky; by his power he drove the south wind.
He caused the Eastwinde to passe in the heauen, and through his power he brought in the Southwinde.
27 He rained down meat on them as plentiful as dust; birds as numerous as sand on a beach.
Hee rained flesh also vpon them as dust, and feathered foule as the sand of the sea.
28 He made them fall right in the middle of their camp, all around where they were living.
And hee made it fall in the middes of their campe euen round about their habitations.
29 They ate until they were full. He gave them the food they longed for.
So they did eate and were well filled: for he gaue them their desire.
30 But before they satisfied their appetite, while the meat was still in their mouths,
They were not turned from their lust, but the meate was yet in their mouthes,
31 God became angry with them and he killed their strongest men, striking them down in the prime of life.
When the wrath of God came euen vpon them, and slew the strongest of them, and smote downe the chosen men in Israel.
32 Despite all this they went right on sinning. Despite the miracles, they refused to trust him.
For all this, they sinned stil, and beleeued not his wonderous woorkes.
33 So he snuffed out their futile lives, bringing them to an end in terror.
Therefore their daies did hee consume in vanitie, and their yeeres hastily.
34 When he began killing them, the rest came back to God in repentance, praying to him.
And when hee slewe them, they sought him and they returned, and sought God earely.
35 They remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their Savior.
And they remembred that God was their strength, and the most high God their redeemer.
36 They flattered him by what they told him, but they were only lying.
But they flattered him with their mouth, and dissembled with him with their tongue.
37 Deep down they were not sincere, and did not keep the agreement they had with him.
For their heart was not vpright with him: neither were they faithfull in his couenant.
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.
Yet he being merciful forgaue their iniquitie, and destroied them not, but oft times called backe his anger, and did not stirre vp all his wrath.
39 He remembered their mortality—that they were like a puff of wind that would not return.
For he remembered that they were flesh: yea, a winde that passeth and commeth not againe.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, giving him grief in the desert!
How oft did they prouoke him in the wildernes? and grieue him in the desert?
41 Again and again they provoked God, causing pain to the Holy One of Israel.
Yea, they returned, and tempted God, and limited the Holie one of Israel.
42 They did not remember his strength when he rescued them from their oppressors,
They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he deliuered them from the enemie,
43 performing miracles in Egypt, doing wonderful things on the plain of Zoan.
Nor him that set his signes in Egypt, and his wonders in the fielde of Zoan,
44 There he turned their rivers and their streams into blood so that no one could drink from them.
And turned their riuers into blood, and their floods, that they could not drinke.
45 He sent flies among them to destroy them, and frogs to ruin everything.
Hee sent a swarme of flies among them, which deuoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave their crops to locusts; everything they worked had for was taken by locusts.
He gaue also their fruites vnto the caterpiller, and their labour vnto the grassehopper.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their fig trees with freezing rain.
He destroied their vines with haile, and their wilde figge trees with the hailestone.
48 He handed over their cattle to hail and their flocks to lightning bolts.
He gaue their cattell also to the haile, and their flockes to the thunderboltes.
49 He poured out on them his fierce anger—rage and hostility and anguish—sending a band of destroying angels against them.
Hee cast vpon them the fiercenesse of his anger, indignation and wrath, and vexation by the sending out of euill Angels.
50 He sent his unrestrained anger against them; he did not spare them from death, handing them over to the plague.
He made a way to his anger: he spared not their soule from death, but gaue their life to the pestilence,
51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the first to be conceived in the tents of Ham.
And smote al the firstborne in Egypt, euen the beginning of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham.
52 But he led out his people like sheep, and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
But hee made his people to goe out like sheepe, and led them in the wildernes like a flocke.
53 He led them to safety, and they were not afraid. He drowned their enemies in the sea.
Yea, he caried them out safely, and they feared not, and the Sea couered their enemies.
54 He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountainous land that he had conquered for them.
And he brought them vnto the borders of his Sanctuarie: euen to this Mountaine, which his right hand purchased.
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 cast out the heathe also before them, and caused them to fall to the lot of his inheritance, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tabernacles.
56 But they provoked God Most High, rebelling against him. They did not follow what he had told them.
Yet they tempted, and prouoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies,
57 Just like their forefathers they turned away from God and were unfaithful to him, as twisted as a defective bow.
But turned backe and delt falsely like their fathers: they turned like a deceitfull bowe.
58 They made him angry with their pagan high places of worship; they made him jealous with their idols.
And they prouoked him to anger with their high places, and mooued him to wrath with their grauen images.
59 When God heard their worship he became furious and he totally rejected Israel.
God heard this and was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel,
60 He abandoned his place at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he lived among the people.
So that hee forsooke the habitation of Shilo, euen the Tabernacle where hee dwelt among men,
61 He surrendered the Ark of his power, allowing it to be captured; handing it over into enemy hands.
And deliuered his power into captiuitie, and his beautie into the enemies hand.
62 He handed over his people to be slaughtered by the sword; he was furious with his chosen people.
And hee gaue vp his people to the sworde, and was angrie with his inheritance.
63 Their young men were destroyed by fire; their young women had no wedding songs.
The fire deuoured their chosen men, and their maides were not praised.
64 Their priests were killed by the sword; their widows were unable to mourn.
Their Priestes fell by the sworde, and their widowes lamented not.
65 Then the Lord woke up as if from sleep, as a warrior sobering up from drinking wine.
But the Lord awaked as one out of sleepe, and as a strong man that after his wine crieth out,
66 He defeated his enemies, striking them on the back, causing them everlasting shame.
And smote his enemies in the hinder parts, and put them to a perpetuall shame.
67 He rejected the descendants of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
Yet he refused the tabernacle of Ioseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:
68 Instead he chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion which he loves.
But chose the tribe of Iudah, and mount Zion which he loued.
69 There he built his sanctuary, high like the heavens, on earth that he made to last forever.
And he built his Sanctuarie as an high palace, like the earth, which he stablished for euer.
70 He chose his servant David, taking him from the sheep pens,
He chose Dauid also his seruant, and tooke him from the shepefolds.
71 taking him from caring for the sheep and lambs to be a shepherd to the descendants of Jacob—God's special people, Israel.
Euen from behinde the ewes with yong brought he him to feede his people in Iaakob, and his inheritance in Israel.
72 Like a shepherd, he took care of them with sincere devotion, leading them with skillful hands.
So he fed them according to the simplicitie of his heart, and guided them by the discretion of his hands.
