Psalms 78
1 A Psalme to give instruction committed to Asaph. Heare my doctrine, O my people: incline your eares vnto the wordes of my mouth.
A Maskil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my instruction; listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will declare high sentences of olde.
I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the beginning,
3 Which we haue heard and knowen, and our fathers haue tolde vs.
that we have heard and known and our fathers have relayed to us.
4 Wee will not hide them from their children but to the generation to come we wil shewe the praises of the Lord his power also, and his wonderful woorkes that he hath done:
We will not hide them from their children, but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might, and the wonders He has performed.
5 How he established a testimonie in Iaakob, and ordeined a Law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they shoulde teache their children:
For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children,
6 That the posteritie might knowe it, and the children, which should be borne, should stand vp, and declare it to their children:
that the coming generation would know them— even children yet to be born— to arise and tell their own children
7 That they might set their hope on God, and not forget the workes of God but keepe his commandements:
that they should put their confidence in God, not forgetting His works, but keeping His commandments.
8 And not to bee as their fathers, a disobedient and rebellious generation: a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirite was not faithfull vnto God.
Then they will not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose heart was not loyal, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9 The children of Ephraim being armed and shooting with the bowe, turned backe in the day of battell.
The archers of Ephraim turned back on the day of battle.
10 They kept not the couenant of God, but refused to walke in his Lawe,
They failed to keep God’s covenant and refused to live by His law.
11 And forgate his Actes, and his wonderfull woorkes that he had shewed them.
They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them.
12 Hee did marueilous thinges in the sight of their fathers in the lande of Egypt: euen in the fielde of Zoan.
He worked wonders before their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
13 He deuided the Sea, and led them through: he made also the waters to stand as an heape.
He split the sea and brought them through; He set the waters upright like a wall.
14 In the day time also hee led them with a cloude, and all the night with a light of fire.
He led them with a cloud by day and with a light of fire all night.
15 He claue the rockes in the wildernes, and gaue them drinke as of the great depths.
He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as abundant as the seas.
16 He brought floods also out of the stonie rocke; so that hee made the waters to descend like the riuers.
He brought streams from the stone and made water flow down like rivers.
17 Yet they sinned stil against him, and prouoked the Highest in the wildernesse,
But they continued to sin against Him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High.
18 And tempted God in their heartes in requiring meate for their lust.
They willfully tested God by demanding the food they craved.
19 They spake against God also, saying, Can God prepare a table in the wildernesse?
They spoke against God, saying, “Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 Behold, he smote the rocke, that the water gushed out, and the streames ouerflowed: can hee giue bread also? or prepare flesh for his people?
When He struck the rock, water gushed out and torrents raged. But can He also give bread or supply His people with meat?”
21 Therefore the Lord heard and was angrie, and the fire was kindled in Iaakob, and also wrath came vpon Israel,
Therefore the LORD heard and was filled with wrath; so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and His anger flared against Israel,
22 Because they beleeued not in God, and trusted not in his helpe.
because they did not believe God or rely on His salvation.
23 Yet he had comanded the clouds aboue, and had opened the doores of heauen,
Yet He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of the heavens.
24 And had rained downe MAN vpon them for to eate, and had giuen them of the wheate of heauen.
He rained down manna for them to eat; He gave them grain from heaven.
25 Man did eate the bread of Angels: hee sent them meate ynough.
Man ate the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance.
26 He caused the Eastwinde to passe in the heauen, and through his power he brought in the Southwinde.
He stirred the east wind from the heavens and drove the south wind by His might.
27 Hee rained flesh also vpon them as dust, and feathered foule as the sand of the sea.
He rained meat on them like dust, and winged birds like the sand of the sea.
28 And hee made it fall in the middes of their campe euen round about their habitations.
He felled them in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings.
29 So they did eate and were well filled: for he gaue them their desire.
So they ate and were well filled, for He gave them what they craved.
30 They were not turned from their lust, but the meate was yet in their mouthes,
Yet before they had filled their desire, with the food still in their mouths,
31 When the wrath of God came euen vpon them, and slew the strongest of them, and smote downe the chosen men in Israel.
God’s anger flared against them, and He put to death their strongest and subdued the young men of Israel.
32 For all this, they sinned stil, and beleeued not his wonderous woorkes.
In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.
33 Therefore their daies did hee consume in vanitie, and their yeeres hastily.
So He ended their days in futility, and their years in sudden terror.
34 And when hee slewe them, they sought him and they returned, and sought God earely.
When He slew them, they would seek Him; they repented and searched for God.
35 And they remembred that God was their strength, and the most high God their redeemer.
And they remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.
36 But they flattered him with their mouth, and dissembled with him with their tongue.
But they deceived Him with their mouths, and lied to Him with their tongues.
37 For their heart was not vpright with him: neither were they faithfull in his couenant.
Their hearts were disloyal to Him, and they were unfaithful to His covenant.
38 Yet he being merciful forgaue their iniquitie, and destroied them not, but oft times called backe his anger, and did not stirre vp all his wrath.
And yet He was compassionate; He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. He often restrained His anger and did not unleash His full wrath.
39 For he remembered that they were flesh: yea, a winde that passeth and commeth not againe.
He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.
40 How oft did they prouoke him in the wildernes? and grieue him in the desert?
How often they disobeyed Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert!
41 Yea, they returned, and tempted God, and limited the Holie one of Israel.
Again and again they tested God and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he deliuered them from the enemie,
They did not remember His power — the day He redeemed them from the adversary,
43 Nor him that set his signes in Egypt, and his wonders in the fielde of Zoan,
when He performed His signs in Egypt and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.
44 And turned their riuers into blood, and their floods, that they could not drinke.
He turned their rivers to blood, and from their streams they could not drink.
45 Hee sent a swarme of flies among them, which deuoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.
He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them.
46 He gaue also their fruites vnto the caterpiller, and their labour vnto the grassehopper.
He gave their crops to the grasshopper, the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47 He destroied their vines with haile, and their wilde figge trees with the hailestone.
He killed their vines with hailstones and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48 He gaue their cattell also to the haile, and their flockes to the thunderboltes.
He abandoned their cattle to the hail and their livestock to bolts of lightning.
49 Hee cast vpon them the fiercenesse of his anger, indignation and wrath, and vexation by the sending out of euill Angels.
He unleashed His fury against them, wrath, indignation, and calamity— a band of destroying angels.
50 He made a way to his anger: he spared not their soule from death, but gaue their life to the pestilence,
He cleared a path for His anger; He did not spare them from death but delivered their lives to the plague.
51 And smote al the firstborne in Egypt, euen the beginning of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham.
He struck all the firstborn of Egypt, the virility in the tents of Ham.
52 But hee made his people to goe out like sheepe, and led them in the wildernes like a flocke.
He led out His people like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
53 Yea, he caried them out safely, and they feared not, and the Sea couered their enemies.
He led them safely, so they did not fear, but the sea engulfed their enemies.
54 And he brought them vnto the borders of his Sanctuarie: euen to this Mountaine, which his right hand purchased.
He brought them to His holy land, to the mountain His right hand had acquired.
55 He cast out the heathe also before them, and caused them to fall to the lot of his inheritance, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tabernacles.
He drove out nations before them and apportioned their inheritance; He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 Yet they tempted, and prouoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies,
But they tested and disobeyed God Most High, for they did not keep His decrees.
57 But turned backe and delt falsely like their fathers: they turned like a deceitfull bowe.
They turned back and were faithless like their fathers, twisted like a faulty bow.
58 And they prouoked him to anger with their high places, and mooued him to wrath with their grauen images.
They enraged Him with their high places and provoked His jealousy with their idols.
59 God heard this and was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel,
On hearing it, God was furious and rejected Israel completely.
60 So that hee forsooke the habitation of Shilo, euen the Tabernacle where hee dwelt among men,
He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent He had pitched among men.
61 And deliuered his power into captiuitie, and his beautie into the enemies hand.
He delivered His strength to captivity, and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.
62 And hee gaue vp his people to the sworde, and was angrie with his inheritance.
He surrendered His people to the sword because He was enraged by His heritage.
63 The fire deuoured their chosen men, and their maides were not praised.
Fire consumed His young men, and their maidens were left without wedding songs.
64 Their Priestes fell by the sworde, and their widowes lamented not.
His priests fell by the sword, but their widows could not lament.
65 But the Lord awaked as one out of sleepe, and as a strong man that after his wine crieth out,
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a mighty warrior overcome by wine.
66 And smote his enemies in the hinder parts, and put them to a perpetuall shame.
He beat back His foes; He put them to everlasting shame.
67 Yet he refused the tabernacle of Ioseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:
He rejected the tent of Joseph and refused the tribe of Ephraim.
68 But chose the tribe of Iudah, and mount Zion which he loued.
But He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which He loved.
69 And he built his Sanctuarie as an high palace, like the earth, which he stablished for euer.
He built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth He has established forever.
70 He chose Dauid also his seruant, and tooke him from the shepefolds.
He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 Euen from behinde the ewes with yong brought he him to feede his people in Iaakob, and his inheritance in Israel.
from tending the ewes He brought him to be shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance.
72 So he fed them according to the simplicitie of his heart, and guided them by the discretion of his hands.
So David shepherded them with integrity of heart and guided them with skillful hands.
