Psalms 78
1 A psalm (maskil) of Asaph. Listen to what I have to teach you, my people; hear what I have to say.
The lernyng of Asaph. Mi puple, perseyue ye my lawe; bowe youre eere in to the wordis of my mouth.
2 I will tell you wise sayings; I will explain mysteries from the past
I schal opene my mouth in parablis; Y schal speke perfite resouns fro the bigynnyng.
3 that we have heard before and reflected on; stories our forefathers passed down to us.
Hou grete thingis han we herd, aud we han knowe tho; and oure fadris. telden to 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.
Tho ben not hid fro the sones of hem; in anothir generacioun. And thei telden the heriyngis of the Lord, and the vertues of hym; and hise merueilis, whyche he dide.
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 reiside witnessyng in Jacob; and he settide lawe in Israel. Hou grete thingis comaundide he to oure fadris, to make tho knowun to her sones;
6 so that the next generation—children yet to be born—would understand and grow up to teach their children.
that another generacioun knowe. Sones, that schulen be born, and schulen rise vp; schulen telle out to her sones.
7 In this way they should place their trust in God and not forget what God has done, and keep his commandments.
That thei sette her hope in God, and foryete not the werkis of God; and that thei seke hise comaundementis.
8 Then they would not be like their forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation that was untrustworthy and unfaithful.
Lest thei be maad a schrewid generacioun; and terrynge to wraththe, as the fadris of hem. A generacioun that dresside not his herte; and his spirit was not bileued with God.
9 The soldiers of Ephraim, though armed with bows, ran away on the day of battle.
The sones of Effraym, bendinge a bouwe and sendynge arowis; weren turned in the dai of batel.
10 They did not keep God's agreement, and refused to follow his laws.
Thei kepten not the testament of God; and thei nolden go in his lawe.
11 They ignored what he had done, and the amazing things he had shown them—
And thei foryaten hise benefices; and hise merueils, whiche he schewide to hem.
12 the miracles he had performed for their forefathers near Zoan in Egypt.
He dide merueils bifore the fadris of hem in the loond of Egipt; in the feeld of Taphneos.
13 He split the sea in two and led them through, making the water stand like walls on either side.
He brak the see, and ledde hem thorou; and he ordeynede the watris as in a bouge.
14 He led them with a cloud by day, and by night with a light of fire.
And he ledde hem forth in a cloude of the dai; and al niyt in the liytnyng of fier.
15 He split open rocks in the desert to give his people plenty to drink, water as deep as the ocean.
He brak a stoon in deseert; and he yaf watir to hem as in a myche depthe.
16 He made streams flow from the stone; water rushing down like rivers!
And he ledde watir out of the stoon; and he ledde forth watris as floodis.
17 But they repeatedly sinned against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
And thei `leiden to yit to do synne ayens hym; thei excitiden hiye God in to ire, in a place with out water.
18 They deliberately provoked God by demanding the foods they longed for.
And thei temptiden God in her hertis; that thei axiden meetis to her lyues.
19 They insulted God by saying, “Can God provide food here in the desert?
And thei spaken yuel of God; thei seiden, Whether God may make redi a bord in desert?
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?”
For he smoot a stoon, and watris flowiden; and streemys yeden out in aboundaunce. Whether also he may yyue breed; ether make redi a bord to his puple?
21 When he heard this, the Lord became very angry, burning like fire against the descendants of Jacob, furious with the people of Israel,
Therfor the Lord herde, and delaiede; and fier was kindelid in Jacob, and the ire of God stiede on Israel.
22 for they didn't believe in God and didn't trust him to take care of them.
For thei bileueden not in God; nether hopiden in his heelthe.
23 Even so he commanded the skies above and the doors of heaven to open,
And he comaundide to the cloudis aboue; and he openyde the yatis of heuene.
24 and he made manna rain down on them to eat, giving them bread from heaven.
And he reynede to hem manna for to eete; and he yaf to hem breed of heuene.
25 Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them more than enough food.
Man eet the breed of aungels; he sent to hem meetis in aboundance.
26 He sent the east wind blowing across the sky; by his power he drove the south wind.
He turnede ouere the south wynde fro heuene; and he brouyte in bi his vertu the weste wynde.
27 He rained down meat on them as plentiful as dust; birds as numerous as sand on a beach.
And he reynede fleischis as dust on hem; and `he reinede volatils fethered, as the grauel of the see.
28 He made them fall right in the middle of their camp, all around where they were living.
And tho felden doun in the myddis of her castels; aboute the tabernaclis of hem.
29 They ate until they were full. He gave them the food they longed for.
And thei eeten, and weren fillid greetli, and he brouyte her desire to hem;
30 But before they satisfied their appetite, while the meat was still in their mouths,
thei weren not defraudid of her desier. Yit her metis weren in her mouth;
31 God became angry with them and he killed their strongest men, striking them down in the prime of life.
and the ire of God stiede on hem. And he killide the fatte men of hem; and he lettide the chosene men of Israel.
32 Despite all this they went right on sinning. Despite the miracles, they refused to trust him.
In alle these thingis thei synneden yit; and bileuede not in the merueils of God.
33 So he snuffed out their futile lives, bringing them to an end in terror.
And the daies of hem failiden in vanytee; and the yeeris of hem faileden with haste.
34 When he began killing them, the rest came back to God in repentance, praying to him.
Whanne he killide hem, thei souyten hym; and turneden ayen, and eerli thei camen to hym.
35 They remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their Savior.
And thei bithouyten, that God is the helper of hem; and `the hiy God is the ayenbier of hem.
36 They flattered him by what they told him, but they were only lying.
And thei loueden hym in her mouth; and with her tunge thei lieden to hym.
37 Deep down they were not sincere, and did not keep the agreement they had with him.
Forsothe the herte of hem was not riytful with hym; nethir thei weren had feithful in his testament.
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 is merciful, and he schal be maad merciful to the synnes of hem; and he schal not destrie hem. And he dide greetli, to turne awei his yre; and he kyndelide not al his ire.
39 He remembered their mortality—that they were like a puff of wind that would not return.
And he bithouyte, that thei ben fleische; a spirit goynge, and not turnynge ayen.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, giving him grief in the desert!
Hou oft maden thei hym wrooth in desert; thei stireden hym in to ire in a place with out watir.
41 Again and again they provoked God, causing pain to the Holy One of Israel.
And thei weren turned, and temptiden God; and thei wraththiden the hooli of Israel.
42 They did not remember his strength when he rescued them from their oppressors,
Thei bithouyten not on his hond; in the dai in the which he ayen bouyte hem fro the hond of the trobler.
43 performing miracles in Egypt, doing wonderful things on the plain of Zoan.
As he settide hise signes in Egipt; and hise grete wondris in the feeld of Taphneos.
44 There he turned their rivers and their streams into blood so that no one could drink from them.
And he turnede the flodis of hem and the reynes of hem in to blood; that thei schulden not drynke.
45 He sent flies among them to destroy them, and frogs to ruin everything.
He sente a fleisch flie in to hem, and it eet hem; and he sente a paddok, and it loste hem.
46 He gave their crops to locusts; everything they worked had for was taken by locusts.
And he yaf the fruytis of hem to rust; and he yaf the trauels of hem to locustis.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their fig trees with freezing rain.
And he killide the vynes of hem bi hail; and the moore trees of hem bi a frost.
48 He handed over their cattle to hail and their flocks to lightning bolts.
And he bitook the beestis of hem to hail; and the possessioun of hem to fier.
49 He poured out on them his fierce anger—rage and hostility and anguish—sending a band of destroying angels against them.
He sente in to hem the ire of his indignacioun; indignacioun, and ire, and tribulacioun, sendingis in bi iuel aungels.
50 He sent his unrestrained anger against them; he did not spare them from death, handing them over to the plague.
He made weie to the path of his ire, and he sparide not fro the deth of her lyues; and he closide togidere in deth the beestis of hem.
51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the first to be conceived in the tents of Ham.
And he smoot al the first gendrid thing in the lond of Egipt; the first fruytis of alle the trauel of hem in the tabernaclis of Cham.
52 But he led out his people like sheep, and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
And he took awei his puple as scheep; and he ledde hem forth as a flok in desert.
53 He led them to safety, and they were not afraid. He drowned their enemies in the sea.
And he ledde hem forth in hope, and thei dredden not; and the see hilide the enemyes of hem.
54 He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountainous land that he had conquered for them.
And he brouyte hem in to the hil of his halewyng; in to the hil which his riythond gat. And he castide out hethene men fro the face of hem; and bi lot he departide to hem the lond in a cord of delyng.
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 he made the lynagis of Israel to dwelle in the tabernaclis of hem.
56 But they provoked God Most High, rebelling against him. They did not follow what he had told them.
And thei temptiden, and wraththiden heiy God; and thei kepten not hise witnessyngis.
57 Just like their forefathers they turned away from God and were unfaithful to him, as twisted as a defective bow.
And thei turneden awei hem silf, and thei kepten not couenaunt; as her fadris weren turned in to a schrewid bouwe.
58 They made him angry with their pagan high places of worship; they made him jealous with their idols.
Thei stiriden him in to ire in her litle hillis; and thei terriden hym to indignacioun of her grauen ymagis.
59 When God heard their worship he became furious and he totally rejected Israel.
God herde, and forsook; and brouyte to nouyt Israel greetli.
60 He abandoned his place at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he lived among the people.
And he puttide awei the tabernacle of Sylo; his tabernacle where he dwellide among men.
61 He surrendered the Ark of his power, allowing it to be captured; handing it over into enemy hands.
And he bitook the vertu of hem in to caitiftee; and the fairnesse of hem in to the hondis of the enemye.
62 He handed over his people to be slaughtered by the sword; he was furious with his chosen people.
And he closide togidere his puple in swerd; and he dispiside his erytage.
63 Their young men were destroyed by fire; their young women had no wedding songs.
Fier eet the yonge men of hem; and the virgyns of hem weren not biweilid.
64 Their priests were killed by the sword; their widows were unable to mourn.
The prestis of hem fellen doun bi swerd; and the widewis of hem weren not biwept.
65 Then the Lord woke up as if from sleep, as a warrior sobering up from drinking wine.
And the Lord was reisid, as slepynge; as miyti greetli fillid of wiyn.
66 He defeated his enemies, striking them on the back, causing them everlasting shame.
And he smoot hise enemyes on the hynderere partis; he yaf to hem euerlastyng schenschipe.
67 He rejected the descendants of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
And he puttide awei the tabernacle of Joseph; and he chees not the lynage of Effraym.
68 Instead he chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion which he loves.
But he chees the lynage of Juda; he chees the hil of Syon, which he louede.
69 There he built his sanctuary, high like the heavens, on earth that he made to last forever.
And he as an vnicorn bildide his hooli place; in the lond, which he foundide in to worldis.
70 He chose his servant David, taking him from the sheep pens,
And he chees Dauid his seruaunt, and took hym vp fro the flockis of scheep; he took hym fro bihynde scheep with lambren.
71 taking him from caring for the sheep and lambs to be a shepherd to the descendants of Jacob—God's special people, Israel.
To feed Jacob his seruaunt; and Israel his eritage.
72 Like a shepherd, he took care of them with sincere devotion, leading them with skillful hands.
And he fedde hem in the innocens of his herte; and he ledde hem forth in the vndurstondyngis of his hondis.
