Psalms 78
1 A psalm (maskil) of Asaph. Listen to what I have to teach you, my people; hear what I have to say.
Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears 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 a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
3 that we have heard before and reflected on; stories our forefathers passed down to us.
Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told 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, showing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he has 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,
For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known 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 generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them 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 in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:
8 Then they would not be like their forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation that was untrustworthy and unfaithful.
And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.
9 The soldiers of Ephraim, though armed with bows, ran away on the day of battle.
The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.
10 They did not keep God's agreement, and refused to follow his laws.
They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;
11 They ignored what he had done, and the amazing things he had shown them—
And forgot his works, and his wonders that he had showed them.
12 the miracles he had performed for their forefathers near Zoan in Egypt.
Marvelous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 He split the sea in two and led them through, making the water stand like walls on either side.
He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.
14 He led them with a cloud by day, and by night with a light of fire.
In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, 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 split the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
16 He made streams flow from the stone; water rushing down like rivers!
He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
17 But they repeatedly sinned against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
18 They deliberately provoked God by demanding the foods they longed for.
And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
19 They insulted God by saying, “Can God provide food here in the desert?
Yes, they spoke against God; they said, Can God furnish 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?”
Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide 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 this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;
22 for they didn't believe in God and didn't trust him to take care of them.
Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:
23 Even so he commanded the skies above and the doors of heaven to open,
Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,
24 and he made manna rain down on them to eat, giving them bread from heaven.
And had rained down manna on them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.
25 Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them more than enough food.
Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.
26 He sent the east wind blowing across the sky; by his power he drove the south wind.
He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.
27 He rained down meat on them as plentiful as dust; birds as numerous as sand on a beach.
He rained flesh also on them as dust, and feathered fowls like 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 he let it fall in the middle of their camp, round about their habitations.
29 They ate until they were full. He gave them the food they longed for.
So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;
30 But before they satisfied their appetite, while the meat was still in their mouths,
They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,
31 God became angry with them and he killed their strongest men, striking them down in the prime of life.
The wrath of God came on them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.
32 Despite all this they went right on sinning. Despite the miracles, they refused to trust him.
For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.
33 So he snuffed out their futile lives, bringing them to an end in terror.
Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
34 When he began killing them, the rest came back to God in repentance, praying to him.
When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early after God.
35 They remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their Savior.
And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
36 They flattered him by what they told him, but they were only lying.
Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied to him with their tongues.
37 Deep down they were not sincere, and did not keep the agreement they had with him.
For their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in 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.
But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yes, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up 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 but flesh; a wind that passes away, and comes not again.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, giving him grief in the desert!
How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
41 Again and again they provoked God, causing pain to the Holy One of Israel.
Yes, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy 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 delivered them from the enemy.
43 performing miracles in Egypt, doing wonderful things on the plain of Zoan.
How he had worked his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan.
44 There he turned their rivers and their streams into blood so that no one could drink from them.
And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.
45 He sent flies among them to destroy them, and frogs to ruin everything.
He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave their crops to locusts; everything they worked had for was taken by locusts.
He gave also their increase to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their fig trees with freezing rain.
He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.
48 He handed over their cattle to hail and their flocks to lightning bolts.
He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
49 He poured out on them his fierce anger—rage and hostility and anguish—sending a band of destroying angels against them.
He cast on them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.
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 soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;
51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the first to be conceived in the tents of Ham.
And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief 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 made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 He led them to safety, and they were not afraid. He drowned their enemies in the sea.
And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed 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 to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had 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 heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
56 But they provoked God Most High, rebelling against him. They did not follow what he had told them.
Yet they tempted and provoked 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 back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
58 They made him angry with their pagan high places of worship; they made him jealous with their idols.
For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
59 When God heard their worship he became furious and he totally rejected Israel.
When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:
60 He abandoned his place at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he lived among the people.
So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;
61 He surrendered the Ark of his power, allowing it to be captured; handing it over into enemy hands.
And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand.
62 He handed over his people to be slaughtered by the sword; he was furious with his chosen people.
He gave his people over also to the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.
63 Their young men were destroyed by fire; their young women had no wedding songs.
The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.
64 Their priests were killed by the sword; their widows were unable to mourn.
Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the Lord woke up as if from sleep, as a warrior sobering up from drinking wine.
Then the LORD awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouts by reason of wine.
66 He defeated his enemies, striking them on the back, causing them everlasting shame.
And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.
67 He rejected the descendants of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, 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 Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.
69 There he built his sanctuary, high like the heavens, on earth that he made to last forever.
And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he has established for ever.
70 He chose his servant David, taking him from the sheep pens,
He chose David also 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 following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
72 Like a shepherd, he took care of them with sincere devotion, leading them with skillful hands.
So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
