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.

An Instructive Psalm. Asaph’s. Give ear, O my people, to mine instruction, Bend your ear to the sayings of my mouth;

2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will declare high sentences of olde.

I will open, in a parable, my mouth, I will pour forth enigmas out of antiquity; —

3 Which we haue heard and knowen, and our fathers haue tolde vs.

Which we have heard, and come to know, And, our fathers, have recounted 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 withhold [them] from their children, To a later generation, recounting the praises of Yahweh, Even his might and his wonders which he wrought;

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:

When he set up a testimony in Jacob, And, a law, appointed in Israel, —Which he commanded our fathers, That they might make them known 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:

To the end, A later generation, might come to know, Children who should be born, Who should arise, and recount [them] to their children;

7 That they might set their hope on God, and not forget the workes of God but keepe his commandements:

That they might set, in Elohim, their confidence, —And not forget the doings of El, But, his commandments, might observe;

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.

And not become, like their fathers, a generation stubborn and rebellious, —A generation that fixed not their heart, Neither was their spirit, faithful with GOD.

9 The children of Ephraim being armed and shooting with the bowe, turned backe in the day of battell.

The sons of Ephraim—armed bowmen, Turned in the day of battle;

10 They kept not the couenant of God, but refused to walke in his Lawe,

They kept not the covenant of God, And, in his law, refused to walk;

11 And forgate his Actes, and his wonderfull woorkes that he had shewed them.

And forgat His doings, And his wonders which he had showed them:

12 Hee did marueilous thinges in the sight of their fathers in the lande of Egypt: euen in the fielde of Zoan.

In presence of their fathers, wrought he, wondrously, —In the land of Egypt—the field of Zoan:

13 He deuided the Sea, and led them through: he made also the waters to stand as an heape.

He clave the sea, and caused them to pass through, And reared up the waters like a mound;

14 In the day time also hee led them with a cloude, and all the night with a light of fire.

And led them, by a cloud, in the daytime, And all the night, by a light of fire;

15 He claue the rockes in the wildernes, and gaue them drinke as of the great depths.

He used to cleave rocks in the desert, And let them drink as out of mighty deeps;

16 He brought floods also out of the stonie rocke; so that hee made the waters to descend like the riuers.

And he brought forth streams out of the cliff, And caused waters to flow down, like rivers.

17 Yet they sinned stil against him, and prouoked the Highest in the wildernesse,

But again, once more sinned they against him, Resisting the Most High in a land of drought:

18 And tempted God in their heartes in requiring meate for their lust.

They put GOD to the proof in their heart, By asking food to their mind:

19 They spake against God also, saying, Can God prepare a table in the wildernesse?

Yea they spake against Elohim, —They said, Can GOD prepare a table 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?

Lo! he hath smitten a rock, And waters, have gushed out, Yea, torrents, have rushed along, —Food also, can he give? Or provide flesh for his people?

21 Therefore the Lord heard and was angrie, and the fire was kindled in Iaakob, and also wrath came vpon Israel,

Therefore, Yahweh hearkened, and became wroth, —And, a fire, was kindled against Jacob, Moreover also, anger, mounted against Israel;

22 Because they beleeued not in God, and trusted not in his helpe.

Because, They believed not in God, Nor trusted in his salvation;

23 Yet he had comanded the clouds aboue, and had opened the doores of heauen,

Though he had commanded the skies above, And, the doors of the heavens, had opened;

24 And had rained downe MAN vpon them for to eate, and had giuen them of the wheate of heauen.

And had rained on them manna to eat, And, the corn of the heavens, had given to them:

25 Man did eate the bread of Angels: hee sent them meate ynough.

The food of the mighty, each one did eat, Nourishment, sent he them to the full;

26 He caused the Eastwinde to passe in the heauen, and through his power he brought in the Southwinde.

He let loose an east wind in the heavens, Then guided he, in his might, a south wind;

27 Hee rained flesh also vpon them as dust, and feathered foule as the sand of the sea.

And rained upon them flesh as the dust, And, like the sand of the seas, birds of wing;

28 And hee made it fall in the middes of their campe euen round about their habitations.

And let them fall in the midst of their camp, —Round about their habitations.

29 So they did eate and were well filled: for he gaue them their desire.

So they did eat and were abundantly filled, When, what they longed for, he had brought them: —

30 They were not turned from their lust, but the meate was yet in their mouthes,

They had not turned away from what they had longed for, Yet was their food in their mouth,

31 When the wrath of God came euen vpon them, and slew the strongest of them, and smote downe the chosen men in Israel.

When, the anger of God, mounted against them, And he slew of their vigorous youths, And, the choice young men of Israel, caused he to bow down in death.

32 For all this, they sinned stil, and beleeued not his wonderous woorkes.

For all this, sinned they still, And believed not in his wonders;

33 Therefore their daies did hee consume in vanitie, and their yeeres hastily.

So he ended, in a breath, their days, And their years, in a sudden terror!

34 And when hee slewe them, they sought him and they returned, and sought God earely.

If he slew [of] them, then they sought him, Yea they turned, and did earnestly seek GOD;

35 And they remembred that God was their strength, and the most high God their redeemer.

And remembered that, Elohim, was their rock, Yea, EL Most High, their Redeemer:

36 But they flattered him with their mouth, and dissembled with him with their tongue.

So they spake him fair with their mouth, And, with their tongue, did promise him falsely;

37 For their heart was not vpright with him: neither were they faithfull in his couenant.

But, their heart, was not fixed with him, Nor were they trusty in 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.

Yet, he, full of compassion, would put a propitiatory-covering over iniquity, and not destroy, —Yea, many a time, turned he back his anger, And would not stir up all his wrath.

39 For he remembered that they were flesh: yea, a winde that passeth and commeth not againe.

So then he remembered, That, Flesh, they were, A Wind departing, that returneth not.

40 How oft did they prouoke him in the wildernes? and grieue him in the desert?

How often they, Resisted him in the desert, Vexed him, in the waste:

41 Yea, they returned, and tempted God, and limited the Holie one of Israel.

Yea they again put GOD to the test, And, to the Holy One of Israel, caused they sorrow:

42 They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he deliuered them from the enemie,

They remembered not his hand—The day, When he ransomed them from the adversary;

43 Nor him that set his signes in Egypt, and his wonders in the fielde of Zoan,

When he set, in Egypt, his signs, And his wonders, in the plain of Zoan;

44 And turned their riuers into blood, and their floods, that they could not drinke.

When he turned, into blood, their Nile-streams, And, their own rivers, could they not drink;

45 Hee sent a swarme of flies among them, which deuoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.

He sent among them, The gad-fly, and it devoured them, And the frog, and it despoiled them;

46 He gaue also their fruites vnto the caterpiller, and their labour vnto the grassehopper.

When he gave to the corn-locust their produce, And their toil, to the swarming locust;

47 He destroied their vines with haile, and their wilde figge trees with the hailestone.

He killed, with hail, their vine, And their sycomores, with frost:

48 He gaue their cattell also to the haile, and their flockes to the thunderboltes.

When he gave up, to hail-storms, their beasts, And their cattle, to pestilent fevers;

49 Hee cast vpon them the fiercenesse of his anger, indignation and wrath, and vexation by the sending out of euill Angels.

He sent among them the heat of his anger, Wrath and indignation and distress, —A mission of messengers of misfortune:

50 He made a way to his anger: he spared not their soule from death, but gaue their life to the pestilence,

He leveled a path for his anger, Withheld not, from death, their soul, But, their life—to the pestilence, he delivered:

51 And smote al the firstborne in Egypt, euen the beginning of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham.

So he smote, Every first-born in Egypt, The beginning of their strength, 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.

And he set forth, like sheep, his people, And guided them, like a flock in the desert;

53 Yea, he caried them out safely, and they feared not, and the Sea couered their enemies.

Yea he led them securely, and they dreaded not, And, their enemies, the sea did cover.

54 And he brought them vnto the borders of his Sanctuarie: euen to this Mountaine, which his right hand purchased.

Then brought he them within his own holy bounds, The mountain-range, which his right hand made his own:

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.

So he drave out, before them, [whole] nations, And allotted them, by line, an inheritance, And caused to dwell, in their own homes, the tribes of Israel.

56 Yet they tempted, and prouoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies,

But they tested and resisted God Most High, And, his testimonies, did not observe;

57 But turned backe and delt falsely like their fathers: they turned like a deceitfull bowe.

But drew back and dealt treacherously, like their fathers, They turned aside, like deceitful bowmen;

58 And they prouoked him to anger with their high places, and mooued him to wrath with their grauen images.

And provoked him to anger with their high places, And, with their images, used to move him to jealousy.

59 God heard this and was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel,

God heard and was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;

60 So that hee forsooke the habitation of Shilo, euen the Tabernacle where hee dwelt among men,

So he gave up the habitation of Shiloh, The tent he had set up among Men;

61 And deliuered his power into captiuitie, and his beautie into the enemies hand.

Yea he gave up, into captivity, his strength, And his beauty into the hand of an adversary;

62 And hee gaue vp his people to the sworde, and was angrie with his inheritance.

And delivered up, to the sword, his people, And, with his own inheritance, was he wroth;

63 The fire deuoured their chosen men, and their maides were not praised.

His young men, were devoured by fire, And, his virgins, were not praised in song;

64 Their Priestes fell by the sworde, and their widowes lamented not.

His priests, by the sword, did fall, And, his widows, were not able to bewail.

65 But the Lord awaked as one out of sleepe, and as a strong man that after his wine crieth out,

Then awoke, as one that had slept, Adonay, As a warrior exulting with wine!

66 And smote his enemies in the hinder parts, and put them to a perpetuall shame.

So he smote his adversaries in the rear, Reproach age-abiding, laid he upon them.

67 Yet he refused the tabernacle of Ioseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:

Howbeit he rejected the tent of Joseph, And, the tribe of Ephraim, did not choose:

68 But chose the tribe of Iudah, and mount Zion which he loued.

But made choice of the tribe of Judah, The mountain of Zion, which he loved;

69 And he built his Sanctuarie as an high palace, like the earth, which he stablished for euer.

And built, like the heights, his sanctuary, Like the earth, he founded it to times age-abiding.

70 He chose Dauid also his seruant, and tooke him from the shepefolds.

And made choice of David his servant, And took him from among the folds of the sheep:

71 Euen from behinde the ewes with yong brought he him to feede his people in Iaakob, and his inheritance in Israel.

From after the sucking ewes, he brought him in, —To be shepherd to Jacob his people, And to 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 he did shepherd them, according to the singleness of his heart, And, with the discernment of his hands, used he to guide them.