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 contemplation by Asaph. Hear my teaching, my people. Turn 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, telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, his strength, and his wondrous deeds 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 covenant in Jacob, and appointed a teaching 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, even the children who should be born; who should arise and tell 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 God’s deeds, 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 didn’t make their hearts loyal, 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 didn’t keep God’s covenant, and refused to walk in his law.
11 They ignored what he had done, and the amazing things he had shown them—
They forgot his doings, his wondrous deeds that he had shown them.
12 the miracles he had performed for their forefathers near Zoan in Egypt.
He did marvellous things 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 split the sea, and caused them to pass through. He made the waters stand as a heap.
14 He led them with a cloud by day, and by night with a light of fire.
In the daytime he also led them with a cloud, and all 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 rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as out of the 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.
Yet they still went on to sin against him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert.
18 They deliberately provoked God by demanding the foods they longed for.
They tempted God in their heart by asking food according to their desire.
19 They insulted God by saying, “Can God provide food here in the desert?
Yes, they spoke against God. They said, “Can God 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?”
Behold, he struck the rock, so that waters gushed out, and streams overflowed. Can he give bread also? Will he provide meat 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 angry. A fire was kindled against Jacob, anger also went up against Israel,
22 for they didn't believe in God and didn't trust him to take care of them.
because they didn’t believe in God, and didn’t trust in his salvation.
23 Even so he commanded the skies above and the doors of heaven to open,
Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven.
24 and he made manna rain down on them to eat, giving them bread from heaven.
He rained down manna on them to eat, and gave them food from the sky.
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 to the full.
26 He sent the east wind blowing across the sky; by his power he drove the south wind.
He caused the east wind to blow in the sky. By his power he guided the south wind.
27 He rained down meat on them as plentiful as dust; birds as numerous as sand on a beach.
He also rained meat on them as the dust, winged birds as the sand of the seas.
28 He made them fall right in the middle of their camp, all around where they were living.
He let them fall in the middle of their camp, around their habitations.
29 They ate until they were full. He gave them the food they longed for.
So they ate, and were well filled. He gave them their own desire.
30 But before they satisfied their appetite, while the meat was still in their mouths,
They didn’t turn from their cravings. Their food 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.
when the anger of God went up against them, killed some of their strongest, and struck down the young men of Israel.
32 Despite all this they went right on sinning. Despite the miracles, they refused to trust him.
For all this they still sinned, and didn’t believe in his wondrous works.
33 So he snuffed out their futile lives, bringing them to an end in terror.
Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, and their years in terror.
34 When he began killing them, the rest came back to God in repentance, praying to him.
When he killed them, then they enquired after him. They returned and sought God earnestly.
35 They remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their Savior.
They remembered that God was their rock, 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 lied to 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 right with him, neither were they faithful 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 merciful, forgave iniquity, and didn’t destroy them. Yes, many times he turned his anger away, and didn’t stir up all his 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 wind that passes away, and doesn’t come again.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, giving him grief in the desert!
How often they rebelled against 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.
They turned again and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his strength when he rescued them from their oppressors,
They didn’t remember his hand, nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;
43 performing miracles in Egypt, doing wonderful things on the plain of Zoan.
how he set his signs in Egypt, 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.
he turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, so that they could not drink.
45 He sent flies among them to destroy them, and frogs to ruin everything.
He sent amongst them swarms of flies, 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 also gave their increase to the caterpillar, and their labour to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their fig trees with freezing rain.
He destroyed their vines with hail, their sycamore fig trees with frost.
48 He handed over their cattle to hail and their flocks to lightning bolts.
He also gave over their livestock 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 threw on them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, and a band of angels of evil.
50 He sent his unrestrained anger against them; he did not spare them from death, handing them over to the plague.
He made a path for his anger. He didn’t spare 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 struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 But he led out his people like sheep, and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
But he led out his own people 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.
He led them safely, so that they weren’t afraid, 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.
He brought them to the border of his sanctuary, to this mountain, which his right hand had taken.
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 also drove out the nations before them, allotted them for 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 rebelled against the Most High God, and didn’t keep 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 treacherously like their fathers. They were twisted 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 engraved images.
59 When God heard their worship he became furious and he totally rejected Israel.
When God heard this, he was angry, and greatly abhorred Israel,
60 He abandoned his place at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he lived among the people.
so that he abandoned the tent of Shiloh, the tent which he placed amongst 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, his glory into the adversary’s hand.
62 He handed over his people to be slaughtered by the sword; he was furious with his chosen people.
He also gave his people over to the sword, and was angry with his inheritance.
63 Their young men were destroyed by fire; their young women had no wedding songs.
Fire devoured their young men. Their virgins had no wedding song.
64 Their priests were killed by the sword; their widows were unable to mourn.
Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows couldn’t weep.
65 Then the Lord woke up as if from sleep, as a warrior sobering up from drinking wine.
Then the Lord awakened as one out of sleep, like a mighty man who shouts by reason of wine.
66 He defeated his enemies, striking them on the back, causing them everlasting shame.
He struck his adversaries backward. He put them to a perpetual reproach.
67 He rejected the descendants of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
Moreover he rejected the tent of Joseph, and didn’t choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 Instead he chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion which he loves.
But 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 which he has established forever.
70 He chose his servant David, taking him from the sheep pens,
He also 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 following the ewes that have their young, he brought him to be the shepherd of 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 was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
