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 psalm (maskil) of Asaph. Listen to what I have to teach you, my people; hear what I have to say.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will declare high sentences of olde.
I will tell you wise sayings; I will explain mysteries from the past
3 Which we haue heard and knowen, and our fathers haue tolde vs.
that we have heard before and reflected on; stories our forefathers passed down 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 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.
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:
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,
6 That the posteritie might knowe it, and the children, which should be borne, should stand vp, and declare it to their children:
so that the next generation—children yet to be born—would understand and grow up to teach their children.
7 That they might set their hope on God, and not forget the workes of God but keepe his commandements:
In this way they should place their trust in God and not forget what God has done, and keep 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 would not be like their forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation that was untrustworthy and unfaithful.
9 The children of Ephraim being armed and shooting with the bowe, turned backe in the day of battell.
The soldiers of Ephraim, though armed with bows, ran away on the day of battle.
10 They kept not the couenant of God, but refused to walke in his Lawe,
They did not keep God's agreement, and refused to follow his laws.
11 And forgate his Actes, and his wonderfull woorkes that he had shewed them.
They ignored what he had done, and the amazing things 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.
the miracles he had performed for their forefathers near Zoan in Egypt.
13 He deuided the Sea, and led them through: he made also the waters to stand as an heape.
He split the sea in two and led them through, making the water stand like walls on either side.
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 by night with a light of fire.
15 He claue the rockes in the wildernes, and gaue them drinke as of the great depths.
He split open rocks in the desert to give his people plenty to drink, water as deep as the ocean.
16 He brought floods also out of the stonie rocke; so that hee made the waters to descend like the riuers.
He made streams flow from the stone; water rushing down like rivers!
17 Yet they sinned stil against him, and prouoked the Highest in the wildernesse,
But they repeatedly sinned against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 And tempted God in their heartes in requiring meate for their lust.
They deliberately provoked God by demanding the foods they longed for.
19 They spake against God also, saying, Can God prepare a table in the wildernesse?
They insulted God by saying, “Can God provide food here in the desert?
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?
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?”
21 Therefore the Lord heard and was angrie, and the fire was kindled in Iaakob, and also wrath came vpon Israel,
When he heard this, the Lord became very angry, burning like fire against the descendants of Jacob, furious with the people of Israel,
22 Because they beleeued not in God, and trusted not in his helpe.
for they didn't believe in God and didn't trust him to take care of them.
23 Yet he had comanded the clouds aboue, and had opened the doores of heauen,
Even so he commanded the skies above and the doors of heaven to open,
24 And had rained downe MAN vpon them for to eate, and had giuen them of the wheate of heauen.
and he made manna rain down on them to eat, giving them bread from heaven.
25 Man did eate the bread of Angels: hee sent them meate ynough.
Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them more than enough food.
26 He caused the Eastwinde to passe in the heauen, and through his power he brought in the Southwinde.
He sent the east wind blowing across the sky; by his power he drove the south wind.
27 Hee rained flesh also vpon them as dust, and feathered foule as the sand of the sea.
He rained down meat on them as plentiful as dust; birds as numerous as sand on a beach.
28 And hee made it fall in the middes of their campe euen round about their habitations.
He made them fall right in the middle of their camp, all around where they were living.
29 So they did eate and were well filled: for he gaue them their desire.
They ate until they were full. He gave them the food they longed for.
30 They were not turned from their lust, but the meate was yet in their mouthes,
But before they satisfied their appetite, while the meat was 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 became angry with them and he killed their strongest men, striking them down in the prime of life.
32 For all this, they sinned stil, and beleeued not his wonderous woorkes.
Despite all this they went right on sinning. Despite the miracles, they refused to trust him.
33 Therefore their daies did hee consume in vanitie, and their yeeres hastily.
So he snuffed out their futile lives, bringing them to an end in terror.
34 And when hee slewe them, they sought him and they returned, and sought God earely.
When he began killing them, the rest came back to God in repentance, praying to him.
35 And they remembred that God was their strength, and the most high God their redeemer.
They remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their Savior.
36 But they flattered him with their mouth, and dissembled with him with their tongue.
They flattered him by what they told him, but they were only lying.
37 For their heart was not vpright with him: neither were they faithfull in his couenant.
Deep down they were not sincere, and did not keep the agreement they had with him.
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.
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.
39 For he remembered that they were flesh: yea, a winde that passeth and commeth not againe.
He remembered their mortality—that they were like a puff of wind that would not return.
40 How oft did they prouoke him in the wildernes? and grieue him in the desert?
How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, giving him grief in the desert!
41 Yea, they returned, and tempted God, and limited the Holie one of Israel.
Again and again they provoked God, causing pain to 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 strength when he rescued them from their oppressors,
43 Nor him that set his signes in Egypt, and his wonders in the fielde of Zoan,
performing miracles in Egypt, doing wonderful things on the plain of Zoan.
44 And turned their riuers into blood, and their floods, that they could not drinke.
There he turned their rivers and their streams into blood so that no one could drink from them.
45 Hee sent a swarme of flies among them, which deuoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.
He sent flies among them to destroy them, and frogs to ruin everything.
46 He gaue also their fruites vnto the caterpiller, and their labour vnto the grassehopper.
He gave their crops to locusts; everything they worked had for was taken by locusts.
47 He destroied their vines with haile, and their wilde figge trees with the hailestone.
He destroyed their vines with hail, and their fig trees with freezing rain.
48 He gaue their cattell also to the haile, and their flockes to the thunderboltes.
He handed over their cattle to hail and their flocks to lightning bolts.
49 Hee cast vpon them the fiercenesse of his anger, indignation and wrath, and vexation by the sending out of euill Angels.
He poured out on them his fierce anger—rage and hostility and anguish—sending a band of destroying angels against them.
50 He made a way to his anger: he spared not their soule from death, but gaue their life to the pestilence,
He sent his unrestrained anger against them; he did not spare them from death, handing them over to the plague.
51 And smote al the firstborne in Egypt, euen the beginning of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham.
He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the first to be conceived 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.
But 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 to safety, and they were not afraid. He drowned their enemies in the sea.
54 And he brought them vnto the borders of his Sanctuarie: euen to this Mountaine, which his right hand purchased.
He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountainous land that he had conquered for them.
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 the heathen nations before them. He divided up the land for them to own. 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 provoked God Most High, rebelling against him. They did not follow what he had told them.
57 But turned backe and delt falsely like their fathers: they turned like a deceitfull bowe.
Just like their forefathers they turned away from God and were unfaithful to him, as twisted as a defective bow.
58 And they prouoked him to anger with their high places, and mooued him to wrath with their grauen images.
They made him angry with their pagan high places of worship; they made him jealous with their idols.
59 God heard this and was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel,
When God heard their worship he became furious and he totally rejected Israel.
60 So that hee forsooke the habitation of Shilo, euen the Tabernacle where hee dwelt among men,
He abandoned his place at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he lived among the people.
61 And deliuered his power into captiuitie, and his beautie into the enemies hand.
He surrendered the Ark of his power, allowing it to be captured; handing it over into enemy hands.
62 And hee gaue vp his people to the sworde, and was angrie with his inheritance.
He handed over his people to be slaughtered by the sword; he was furious with his chosen people.
63 The fire deuoured their chosen men, and their maides were not praised.
Their young men were destroyed by fire; their young women had no wedding songs.
64 Their Priestes fell by the sworde, and their widowes lamented not.
Their priests were killed by the sword; their widows were unable to mourn.
65 But the Lord awaked as one out of sleepe, and as a strong man that after his wine crieth out,
Then the Lord woke up as if from sleep, as a warrior sobering up from drinking wine.
66 And smote his enemies in the hinder parts, and put them to a perpetuall shame.
He defeated his enemies, striking them on the back, causing them everlasting shame.
67 Yet he refused the tabernacle of Ioseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:
He rejected the descendants of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 But chose the tribe of Iudah, and mount Zion which he loued.
Instead he chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion which he loves.
69 And he built his Sanctuarie as an high palace, like the earth, which he stablished for euer.
There he built his sanctuary, high like the heavens, on earth that he made to last forever.
70 He chose Dauid also his seruant, and tooke him from the shepefolds.
He chose his servant David, taking him from the sheep pens,
71 Euen from behinde the ewes with yong brought he him to feede his people in Iaakob, and his inheritance in Israel.
taking him from caring for the sheep and lambs to be a shepherd to the descendants of Jacob—God's special people, Israel.
72 So he fed them according to the simplicitie of his heart, and guided them by the discretion of his hands.
Like a shepherd, he took care of them with sincere devotion, leading them with skillful hands.
