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.

My friends, listen to what I am going to teach you; pay careful attention [IDM] to what I say.

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

I am going to give you some sayings that wise people have said. They will be sayings about things that happened long ago, things that were difficult to understand [MET],

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

things that we have heard and known previously, things that our parents and grandparents told 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 tell these things to our children [LIT], and we will also tell to our grandchildren [about] Yahweh’s power and the glorious/great things that 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 laws and commandments to the Israeli people, [those who are the descendants of] Jacob [DOU], and he told our ancestors 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:

in order that their children would [also] know them and then they would teach them to their children.

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

In that way, they also would trust in God, and not forget the things that he has done; instead, they would obey 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.

They would not be like their ancestors, who were very stubborn and kept rebelling [against God]; they did not continue firmly trusting in God, and they did not worship only him.

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

[The soldiers of] the tribe of Ephraim had bows [and arrows] but they ran away [from their enemies] on the day that they fought a battle with their enemies.

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

They did not do what they had agreed with God that they would do; they refused to obey his laws.

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

They forgot what he had done; they forgot about the miracles that they had seen him perform.

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

While our ancestors were watching, God performed miracles in the area around Zoan [city] in Egypt.

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

[Then] he caused the [Red] Sea to divide, causing the water [on each side] to pile up like a wall, with the result that [our ancestors] walked through it [on dry ground].

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

He led them by a [bright] cloud during the day and by a fiery light during the night.

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

He split rocks open in the desert, giving to our ancestors plenty of water from deep inside the earth.

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

He caused a stream of water to flow from the rock; the water flowed like a river [DOU].

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

But [our ancestors] continued to sin against God; in the desert they rebelled against the one who is greater than any other god.

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

By demanding that God give them the food that they desired, they tried to find out if he would always do what they requested him to do.

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

They insulted God by saying, “We don’t think he can supply food for us [here] in this 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?

[It is true that] he struck the rock, with the result that water gushed/flowed out, [but] (can he also provide bread and meat for [us], his people?/we doubt that he can also provide bread and meat for us, his people.)” [RHQ]

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

So, when Yahweh heard that, he became very angry, and he sent a fire to burn up [some of] his Israeli [people]. [MTY, DOU]

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

[He did that] because they did not trust in him, and they did not believe that he would rescue them.

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

But God spoke to the sky above them; he commanded it to open [like] a door,

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

and [then food] fell down like rain, [food which they named] ‘manna’; God gave them grain from (heaven/the sky).

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

[So] the people ate the food that angels eat, [and] God gave to them all the manna that they wanted.

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

[Later], he caused the wind to blow from the east, and by his power he also sent wind from the south,

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

and the wind brought birds which were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.

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

God caused those birds to fall [dead] in the middle of (their camp)/the area where the people had put up their tents. [There were dead birds] all around their tents.

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

[So] the people [cooked the birds and] ate the meat and their stomachs were full, because God had given them what they wanted.

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

But before they had eaten all that they wanted, and while they were still eating it,

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 was [still] very angry with them, and he caused their strongest men to die; he got rid of [many of] the finest [young] Israeli men.

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

In spite of all that, the people continued to sin; in spite of all the miracles that God had performed, they still did not trust that he [would take care of them].

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

So, he caused their lives to end as quickly as a puff of wind ends; they died when disasters suddenly struck them.

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

When God caused [some of] them to die, [the others] turned to God; they repented and earnestly asked God [to save them].

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

They remembered that God is [like] a huge rock ledge [under which they would be safe] [MET], and that he, who was greater than any other god, is the one who protected/rescued them.

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

But they [tried to] deceive God by what they said [MTY]; their words [MTY] were [all] lies.

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

They were not loyal to him; they disregarded/ignored the agreement that he had made with them.

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 God was merciful to his people. He forgave them for having sinned and did not get rid of them. Many times he refrained from becoming angry [with them] and restrained from furiously/severely [punishing them] [MTY].

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

He remembered/considered that they were only humans who die; they [disappear quickly] [SIM], like a wind that blows by and then is gone.

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

Many times our ancestors rebelled against God in the desert and caused him to become very sad.

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

Many times they did evil things, to find out [if they could do those things without God punishing them]. They frequently caused the holy God of Israel to become disgusted/sad.

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

They forgot about his [great] power, and they (forgot/did not think) about the time when he rescued them from their enemies.

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

They forgot about when he performed many miracles in the area near Zoan [city] in Egypt.

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

He caused the [Nile] River (OR, their sources of water) to become [red like] blood, with the result that the people of Egypt had no water to drink.

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

He sent among the people of Egypt swarms of flies that bit them, and he sent frogs that ate up everything.

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

He sent locusts to eat their crops and the other things that grew in their fields.

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

He sent hail that destroyed the grapevines, and sent frost that ruined the figs.

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

He sent hail that killed their cattle and sent lightning that killed their sheep and cows.

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

Because God was fiercely angry with the people of Egypt, he caused them to be very distressed. The disasters that struck them were like a group of angels that destroyed [everything].

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

He did not lessen his being angry [with them], and he did not (spare their lives/prevent them from dying); he sent a (plague/serious illness) that killed [many of] them.

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

He also caused all the firstborn sons of the people of Egypt to die.

52 But hee made his people to goe out like sheepe, and led them in the wildernes like a flocke.

Then he led his people out [of Egypt] like [a shepherd leads] his sheep [SIM], and he guided them [while they walked] through the desert.

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

He led them safely, and they were not afraid, but their enemies were drowned in the sea.

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

[Later] he brought them to [Canaan], his sacred land, to [Zion] Hill (OR, the hilly area) and by his power [MTY] he enabled them to conquer [the people who were living there].

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 expelled the people-groups while his people were advancing; he allotted part of the land for [each tribe] to possess, and he gave to the Israeli people the houses of those people who had been expelled.

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

However, the Israeli people rebelled against God, who is greater than any other god, and they did many evil things to see if they could do those things without God punishing them, and they did not obey his commandments.

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

Instead, like their ancestors did, they rebelled against God and (were not loyal to/did not faithfully [obey]) him; they were as [unreliable as] a crooked arrow [that does not go straight] [SIM].

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

Because they [worshiped] carved images of their gods on the tops of hills, they caused God to become angry [DOU].

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

He saw what they were doing and became very angry, so he rejected the Israeli people.

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

He no longer appeared to them at Shiloh in the tent where he had lived among them.

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

He allowed their enemies to capture [the sacred chest], [which was the symbol of] his power and his glory.

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

Because he was angry with his people, he allowed them to be killed [MTY] [by their enemies].

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

Young men were killed in battles, with the result that the young women had no one to marry.

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

[Many] priests were killed by [their enemies’] swords, and (the people did not allow the priests’ widows/the priests’ widows were not allowed) to mourn.

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

Later, [it was as though] the Lord awoke from sleeping; he was like a strong man who (became stimulated/felt that he was strong) by (OR, became sober after) [drinking] a lot of wine [SIM].

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

He pushed their enemies back and caused them to be [very] ashamed for a long time [HYP] [because they had been defeated].

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

[But] he did not set up his tent where [the people of] the tribe of Ephraim lived; he did not choose their area [to do that].

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

Instead he chose [the area where] the tribe of Judah [lived]; he chose Zion Hill, which he loves.

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

He [decided to have] his temple built [there], high up, like [his home in] heaven; he caused it to be firm, [and intended that] his temple would last forever, like the earth.

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

He chose David, who served him [faithfully], and took him from the pastures

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

where he was taking care of his [father’s] sheep, and appointed him to be the leader [MET] of the Israeli people, the people who belong to God.

72 So he fed them according to the simplicitie of his heart, and guided them by the discretion of his hands.

David took care of the Israeli people sincerely and wholeheartedly, and guided them skillfully/wisely.