Psalms 78

1 A psalm (maskil) of Asaph. Listen to what I have to teach you, my people; hear what I have to say.

AN INSTRUCTION OF ASAPH. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings of my mouth.

2 I will tell you wise sayings; I will explain mysteries from the past

I open my mouth with an allegory, I bring forth hidden things of old,

3 that we have heard before and reflected on; stories our forefathers passed down to us.

That we have heard and know, And our fathers have recounted 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 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 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,

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 so that the next generation—children yet to be born—would understand and grow up to teach their children.

So that a later generation knows, Sons who are born, rise and recount to their sons,

7 In this way they should place their trust in God and not forget what God has done, and keep his commandments.

And place their confidence in God, And do not forget the doings of God, But keep His commands.

8 Then they would not be like their forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation that was untrustworthy and unfaithful.

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 soldiers of Ephraim, though armed with bows, ran away on the day of battle.

Sons of Ephraim—armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.

10 They did not keep God's agreement, and refused to follow his laws.

They have not kept the covenant of God, And they have refused to walk in His law,

11 They ignored what he had done, and the amazing things he had shown them—

And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He showed them.

12 the miracles he had performed for their forefathers near Zoan in Egypt.

He has done wonders before their fathers, In the land of Egypt—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 cleft a sea, and causes them to pass over, Indeed, He causes waters to stand as a heap.

14 He led them with a cloud by day, and by 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 split open rocks in the desert to give his people plenty to drink, water as deep as the ocean.

He cleaves rocks in a wilderness, And gives drink—as the great deep.

16 He made streams flow from the stone; water rushing down like rivers!

And brings out streams from a rock, And causes waters to come down as rivers.

17 But they repeatedly sinned against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.

And they still add to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.

18 They deliberately provoked God by demanding the foods they longed for.

And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.

19 They insulted God by saying, “Can God provide food here in the desert?

And they speak against God—they said: “Is God able to array a table in a 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 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 When he heard this, the Lord became very angry, burning like fire against the descendants of Jacob, furious with the people of 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 for they didn't believe in God and didn't trust him to take care of them.

For they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation.

23 Even so he commanded the skies above and the doors of heaven to open,

And He commands clouds from above, Indeed, He has opened doors of the heavens.

24 and he made manna rain down on them to eat, giving them bread from heaven.

And He rains manna on them to eat, Indeed, He has given grain of the heavens to them.

25 Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them more than enough food.

Each has eaten food of the mighty, He sent provision to them to satiety.

26 He sent the east wind blowing across the sky; by his power he drove the south wind.

He causes an east wind to journey in the heavens, And leads a south wind by His strength,

27 He rained down meat on them as plentiful as dust; birds as numerous as sand on a beach.

And He rains on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas—winged bird,

28 He made them fall right in the middle of their camp, all around where they were living.

And causes [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Around His dwelling places.

29 They ate until they were full. He gave them the food they longed for.

And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And He brings their desire to them.

30 But before they satisfied their appetite, while the meat was still in their mouths,

They have not been estranged from their desire, Their food [is] yet in their mouth,

31 God became angry with them and he killed their strongest men, striking them down in the prime of life.

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 Despite all this they went right on sinning. Despite the miracles, they refused to trust him.

With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.

33 So he snuffed out their futile lives, bringing them to an end in terror.

And He consumes their days in vanity, And their years in trouble.

34 When he began killing them, the rest came back to God in repentance, praying to him.

If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and earnestly sought God,

35 They remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their Savior.

And they remember that God [is] their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.

36 They flattered him by what they told him, but they were only lying.

And they deceive Him with their mouth, And lie to Him with their tongue,

37 Deep down they were not sincere, and did not keep the agreement they had with him.

And their heart has not been right with Him, And they have not been 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.

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 He remembered their mortality—that they were like a puff of wind that would not return.

And He remembers that they [are] flesh, A wind going on—and it does not return.

40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, giving him grief in the desert!

How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?

41 Again and again they provoked God, causing pain to the Holy One of Israel.

Indeed, they turn back, and try God, And have limited the Holy One of Israel.

42 They did not remember his strength when he rescued them from their oppressors,

They have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.

43 performing miracles in Egypt, doing wonderful things on the plain of Zoan.

When He set 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 He turns their streams to blood, And they do not drink their floods.

45 He sent flies among them to destroy them, and frogs to ruin everything.

He sends among them the beetle, and it consumes them, And the frog, and it destroys them,

46 He gave their crops to locusts; everything they worked had for was taken by locusts.

And gives 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 destroys their vine with hail, And their sycamores with frost,

48 He handed over their cattle to hail and their flocks to lightning bolts.

And delivers their beasts up to the hail, And their livestock to the burning flames.

49 He poured out on them his fierce anger—rage and hostility and anguish—sending a band of destroying angels against them.

He sends on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress—A discharge of evil messengers.

50 He sent his unrestrained anger against them; he did not spare them from death, handing them over to the plague.

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 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the first to be conceived in the tents of Ham.

And He strikes every firstborn in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.

52 But he led out his people like sheep, and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.

And causes His people to journey as a flock, And guides them as a drove in a wilderness,

53 He led them to safety, and they were not afraid. He drowned their enemies in the sea.

And He leads them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And the sea has covered 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 brings them to the border of His sanctuary, This 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.

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 But they provoked God Most High, rebelling against him. They did not follow what he had told them.

And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And have not kept His testimonies.

57 Just like their forefathers they turned away from God and were unfaithful to him, as twisted as a defective bow.

And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,

58 They made him angry with their pagan high places of worship; they made him jealous with their idols.

And make Him angry with their high places, And make Him zealous with their carved images,

59 When God heard their worship he became furious and he totally rejected Israel.

God has heard, and shows Himself angry. And kicks exceedingly against Israel.

60 He abandoned his place at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he lived among the people.

And He leaves the Dwelling Place of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,

61 He surrendered the Ark of his power, allowing it to be captured; handing it over into enemy hands.

And He gives His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,

62 He handed over his people to be slaughtered by the sword; he was furious with his chosen people.

And delivers His people up to the sword, And showed Himself angry with His inheritance.

63 Their young men were destroyed by fire; their young women had no wedding songs.

Fire has consumed His young men, And His virgins have not been praised.

64 Their priests were killed by the sword; their widows were unable to mourn.

His priests have fallen by the sword, And their widows do not weep.

65 Then the Lord woke up as if from sleep, as a warrior sobering up from drinking wine.

And the Lord wakes as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.

66 He defeated his enemies, striking them on the back, causing them everlasting shame.

And He strikes His adversaries backward, He has put a continuous reproach on them,

67 He rejected the descendants of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.

And He kicks against the tent of Joseph, And has not fixed on the tribe of Ephraim.

68 Instead he chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion which he loves.

And He chooses the tribe of Judah, With Mount Zion that He loved,

69 There he built his sanctuary, high like the heavens, on earth that he made to last forever.

And builds His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it for all time.

70 He chose his servant David, taking him from the sheep pens,

And He fixes on His servant David, And takes him from the folds of a flock,

71 taking him from caring for the sheep and lambs to be a shepherd to the descendants of Jacob—God's special people, Israel.

He has brought him in from behind suckling ones, To rule over Jacob His people, And over Israel His inheritance.

72 Like a shepherd, he took care of them with sincere devotion, leading them with skillful hands.

And he rules them according to the integrity of his heart, And leads them by the skillfulness of his hands!