Psalms 78
1 A psalm (maskil) of Asaph. Listen to what I have to teach you, my people; hear what I have to say.
| משכיל לאסף האזינה עמי תורתי הטו אזנכם לאמרי פי׃ |
2 I will tell you wise sayings; I will explain mysteries from the past
| אפתחה במשל פי אביעה חידות מני קדם׃ |
3 that we have heard before and reflected on; stories our forefathers passed down to us.
| אשר שמענו ונדעם ואבותינו ספרו לנו׃ |
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.
| לא נכחד מבניהם לדור אחרון מספרים תהלות יהוה ועזוזו ונפלאותיו אשר עשה׃ |
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,
| ויקם עדות ביעקב ותורה שם בישראל אשר צוה את אבותינו להודיעם לבניהם׃ |
6 so that the next generation—children yet to be born—would understand and grow up to teach their children.
| למען ידעו דור אחרון בנים יולדו יקמו ויספרו לבניהם׃ |
7 In this way they should place their trust in God and not forget what God has done, and keep his commandments.
| וישימו באלהים כסלם ולא ישכחו מעללי אל ומצותיו ינצרו׃ |
8 Then they would not be like their forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation that was untrustworthy and unfaithful.
| ולא יהיו כאבותם דור סורר ומרה דור לא הכין לבו ולא נאמנה את אל רוחו׃ |
9 The soldiers of Ephraim, though armed with bows, ran away on the day of battle.
| בני אפרים נושקי רומי קשת הפכו ביום קרב׃ |
10 They did not keep God's agreement, and refused to follow his laws.
| לא שמרו ברית אלהים ובתורתו מאנו ללכת׃ |
11 They ignored what he had done, and the amazing things he had shown them—
| וישכחו עלילותיו ונפלאותיו אשר הראם׃ |
12 the miracles he had performed for their forefathers near Zoan in Egypt.
| נגד אבותם עשה פלא בארץ מצרים שדה צען׃ |
13 He split the sea in two and led them through, making the water stand like walls on either side.
| בקע ים ויעבירם ויצב מים כמו נד׃ |
14 He led them with a cloud by day, and by night with a light of fire.
| וינחם בענן יומם וכל הלילה באור אש׃ |
15 He split open rocks in the desert to give his people plenty to drink, water as deep as the ocean.
| יבקע צרים במדבר וישק כתהמות רבה׃ |
16 He made streams flow from the stone; water rushing down like rivers!
| ויוצא נוזלים מסלע ויורד כנהרות מים׃ |
17 But they repeatedly sinned against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
| ויוסיפו עוד לחטא לו למרות עליון בציה׃ |
18 They deliberately provoked God by demanding the foods they longed for.
| וינסו אל בלבבם לשאל אכל לנפשם׃ |
19 They insulted God by saying, “Can God provide food here in the desert?
| וידברו באלהים אמרו היוכל אל לערך שלחן במדבר׃ |
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?”
| הן הכה צור ויזובו מים ונחלים ישטפו הגם לחם יוכל תת אם יכין שאר לעמו׃ |
21 When he heard this, the Lord became very angry, burning like fire against the descendants of Jacob, furious with the people of Israel,
| לכן שמע יהוה ויתעבר ואש נשקה ביעקב וגם אף עלה בישראל׃ |
22 for they didn't believe in God and didn't trust him to take care of them.
| כי לא האמינו באלהים ולא בטחו בישועתו׃ |
23 Even so he commanded the skies above and the doors of heaven to open,
| ויצו שחקים ממעל ודלתי שמים פתח׃ |
24 and he made manna rain down on them to eat, giving them bread from heaven.
| וימטר עליהם מן לאכל ודגן שמים נתן למו׃ |
25 Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them more than enough food.
| לחם אבירים אכל איש צידה שלח להם לשבע׃ |
26 He sent the east wind blowing across the sky; by his power he drove the south wind.
| יסע קדים בשמים וינהג בעזו תימן׃ |
27 He rained down meat on them as plentiful as dust; birds as numerous as sand on a beach.
| וימטר עליהם כעפר שאר וכחול ימים עוף כנף׃ |
28 He made them fall right in the middle of their camp, all around where they were living.
| ויפל בקרב מחנהו סביב למשכנתיו׃ |
29 They ate until they were full. He gave them the food they longed for.
| ויאכלו וישבעו מאד ותאותם יבא להם׃ |
30 But before they satisfied their appetite, while the meat was still in their mouths,
| לא זרו מתאותם עוד אכלם בפיהם׃ |
31 God became angry with them and he killed their strongest men, striking them down in the prime of life.
| ואף אלהים עלה בהם ויהרג במשמניהם ובחורי ישראל הכריע׃ |
32 Despite all this they went right on sinning. Despite the miracles, they refused to trust him.
| בכל זאת חטאו עוד ולא האמינו בנפלאותיו׃ |
33 So he snuffed out their futile lives, bringing them to an end in terror.
| ויכל בהבל ימיהם ושנותם בבהלה׃ |
34 When he began killing them, the rest came back to God in repentance, praying to him.
| אם הרגם ודרשוהו ושבו ושחרו אל׃ |
35 They remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their Savior.
| ויזכרו כי אלהים צורם ואל עליון גאלם׃ |
36 They flattered him by what they told him, but they were only lying.
| ויפתוהו בפיהם ובלשונם יכזבו לו׃ |
37 Deep down they were not sincere, and did not keep the agreement they had with him.
| ולבם לא נכון עמו ולא נאמנו בבריתו׃ |
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.
| והוא רחום יכפר עון ולא ישחית והרבה להשיב אפו ולא יעיר כל חמתו׃ |
39 He remembered their mortality—that they were like a puff of wind that would not return.
| ויזכר כי בשר המה רוח הולך ולא ישוב׃ |
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, giving him grief in the desert!
| כמה ימרוהו במדבר יעציבוהו בישימון׃ |
41 Again and again they provoked God, causing pain to the Holy One of Israel.
| וישובו וינסו אל וקדוש ישראל התוו׃ |
42 They did not remember his strength when he rescued them from their oppressors,
| לא זכרו את ידו יום אשר פדם מני צר׃ |
43 performing miracles in Egypt, doing wonderful things on the plain of Zoan.
| אשר שם במצרים אתותיו ומופתיו בשדה צען׃ |
44 There he turned their rivers and their streams into blood so that no one could drink from them.
| ויהפך לדם יאריהם ונזליהם בל ישתיון׃ |
45 He sent flies among them to destroy them, and frogs to ruin everything.
| ישלח בהם ערב ויאכלם וצפרדע ותשחיתם׃ |
46 He gave their crops to locusts; everything they worked had for was taken by locusts.
| ויתן לחסיל יבולם ויגיעם לארבה׃ |
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their fig trees with freezing rain.
| יהרג בברד גפנם ושקמותם בחנמל׃ |
48 He handed over their cattle to hail and their flocks to lightning bolts.
| ויסגר לברד בעירם ומקניהם לרשפים׃ |
49 He poured out on them his fierce anger—rage and hostility and anguish—sending a band of destroying angels against them.
| ישלח בם חרון אפו עברה וזעם וצרה משלחת מלאכי רעים׃ |
50 He sent his unrestrained anger against them; he did not spare them from death, handing them over to the plague.
| יפלס נתיב לאפו לא חשך ממות נפשם וחיתם לדבר הסגיר׃ |
51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the first to be conceived in the tents of Ham.
| ויך כל בכור במצרים ראשית אונים באהלי חם׃ |
52 But he led out his people like sheep, and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
| ויסע כצאן עמו וינהגם כעדר במדבר׃ |
53 He led them to safety, and they were not afraid. He drowned their enemies in the sea.
| וינחם לבטח ולא פחדו ואת אויביהם כסה הים׃ |
54 He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountainous land that he had conquered for them.
| ויביאם אל גבול קדשו הר זה קנתה ימינו׃ |
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.
| ויגרש מפניהם גוים ויפילם בחבל נחלה וישכן באהליהם שבטי ישראל׃ |
56 But they provoked God Most High, rebelling against him. They did not follow what he had told them.
| וינסו וימרו את אלהים עליון ועדותיו לא שמרו׃ |
57 Just like their forefathers they turned away from God and were unfaithful to him, as twisted as a defective bow.
| ויסגו ויבגדו כאבותם נהפכו כקשת רמיה׃ |
58 They made him angry with their pagan high places of worship; they made him jealous with their idols.
| ויכעיסוהו בבמותם ובפסיליהם יקניאוהו׃ |
59 When God heard their worship he became furious and he totally rejected Israel.
| שמע אלהים ויתעבר וימאס מאד בישראל׃ |
60 He abandoned his place at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he lived among the people.
| ויטש משכן שלו אהל שכן באדם׃ |
61 He surrendered the Ark of his power, allowing it to be captured; handing it over into enemy hands.
| ויתן לשבי עזו ותפארתו ביד צר׃ |
62 He handed over his people to be slaughtered by the sword; he was furious with his chosen people.
| ויסגר לחרב עמו ובנחלתו התעבר׃ |
63 Their young men were destroyed by fire; their young women had no wedding songs.
| בחוריו אכלה אש ובתולתיו לא הוללו׃ |
64 Their priests were killed by the sword; their widows were unable to mourn.
| כהניו בחרב נפלו ואלמנתיו לא תבכינה׃ |
65 Then the Lord woke up as if from sleep, as a warrior sobering up from drinking wine.
| ויקץ כישן אדני כגבור מתרונן מיין׃ |
66 He defeated his enemies, striking them on the back, causing them everlasting shame.
| ויך צריו אחור חרפת עולם נתן למו׃ |
67 He rejected the descendants of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
| וימאס באהל יוסף ובשבט אפרים לא בחר׃ |
68 Instead he chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion which he loves.
| ויבחר את שבט יהודה את הר ציון אשר אהב׃ |
69 There he built his sanctuary, high like the heavens, on earth that he made to last forever.
| ויבן כמו רמים מקדשו כארץ יסדה לעולם׃ |
70 He chose his servant David, taking him from the sheep pens,
| ויבחר בדוד עבדו ויקחהו ממכלאת צאן׃ |
71 taking him from caring for the sheep and lambs to be a shepherd to the descendants of Jacob—God's special people, Israel.
| מאחר עלות הביאו לרעות ביעקב עמו ובישראל נחלתו׃ |
72 Like a shepherd, he took care of them with sincere devotion, leading them with skillful hands.
| וירעם כתם לבבו ובתבונות כפיו ינחם׃ |
