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 maschil of Asaph. Hear my teaching, my people, 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 sing about hidden things about the past.
3 Which we haue heard and knowen, and our fathers haue tolde vs.
These are things that we have heard and learned, things that our ancestors have 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 not keep them from their descendants. We will tell the next generation about the praiseworthy deeds of Yahweh, his strength, and the wonders 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:
For he established covenant decrees in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel. He commanded our ancestors that they were 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:
He commanded this so that the generation to come might know his decrees, the children not yet born, who should tell them in turn to their own children.
7 That they might set their hope on God, and not forget the workes of God but keepe his commandements:
Then they would place their hope in God and not forget his deeds but 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 ancestors, who were a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose hearts were not right, and whose spirits were not committed and faithful to God.
9 The children of Ephraim being armed and shooting with the bowe, turned backe in the day of battell.
The Ephraimites were armed with bows, but they turned back on the day of battle.
10 They kept not the couenant of God, but refused to walke in his Lawe,
They did not keep the covenant with God, and they refused to obey his law.
11 And forgate his Actes, and his wonderfull woorkes that he had shewed them.
They forgot his deeds, the wonderful things that 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.
They forgot the marvelous things he did in the sight of their ancestors in the land of Egypt, in the land of Zoan.
13 He deuided the Sea, and led them through: he made also the waters to stand as an heape.
He divided the sea and led them across it; he made the waters to stand like walls.
14 In the day time also hee led them with a cloude, and all the night with a light of fire.
In the daytime he led them with a cloud and all the night with the light of fire.
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 he gave them water abundantly, enough to fill the depths of the sea.
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 out of the rock and made the water flow like rivers.
17 Yet they sinned stil against him, and prouoked the Highest in the wildernesse,
Yet they continued to sin against him, rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.
18 And tempted God in their heartes in requiring meate for their lust.
They challenged God in their hearts by asking for food to satisfy their appetites.
19 They spake against God also, saying, Can God prepare a table in the wildernesse?
They spoke against God; they said, “Can God really lay out a table for us 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?
See, when he struck the rock, waters gushed out and streams overflowed. But can he give bread also? Will he provide meat for his people?”
21 Therefore the Lord heard and was angrie, and the fire was kindled in Iaakob, and also wrath came vpon Israel,
When Yahweh heard this, he was angry; so his fire burned against Jacob, and his anger attacked Israel,
22 Because they beleeued not in God, and trusted not in his helpe.
because they did not believe in God and did not trust in his salvation.
23 Yet he had comanded the clouds aboue, and had opened the doores of heauen,
Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of the sky.
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, and gave them the grain from heaven.
25 Man did eate the bread of Angels: hee sent them meate ynough.
People 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 caused the east wind to blow in the sky, and by his power he guided 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 like dust, birds as numerous as the sands of the sea.
28 And hee made it fall in the middes of their campe euen round about their habitations.
They fell in the middle of their camp, all around their tents.
29 So they did eate and were well filled: for he gaue them their desire.
So they ate and were full. He gave them what they craved.
30 They were not turned from their lust, but the meate was yet in their mouthes,
But they had not yet filled up; their food 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.
Then God's anger attacked them and killed the strongest of them. He brought down the young men of Israel.
32 For all this, they sinned stil, and beleeued not his wonderous woorkes.
Despite this, they continued to sin and did not believe his wonderful deeds.
33 Therefore their daies did hee consume in vanitie, and their yeeres hastily.
Therefore God cut short their days; their years were filled with terror.
34 And when hee slewe them, they sought him and they returned, and sought God earely.
Whenever God afflicted them, they would start to seek him, and they would return and look earnestly for him.
35 And they remembred that God was their strength, and the most high God their redeemer.
They would call to mind that God was their rock and that the Most High God was their rescuer.
36 But they flattered him with their mouth, and dissembled with him with their tongue.
But they would flatter him with their mouth and lie to him with their words.
37 For their heart was not vpright with him: neither were they faithfull in his couenant.
For their hearts were not firmly fixed on him, and they were not faithful 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.
Yet he, being merciful, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. Yes, many times he held back his anger and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 For he remembered that they were flesh: yea, a winde that passeth and commeth not againe.
He called to mind that they were made of flesh, a wind that passes away and does 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 and grieved him in the barren regions!
41 Yea, they returned, and tempted God, and limited the Holie one of Israel.
Again and again they challenged God and offended the Holy One of Israel.
42 They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he deliuered them from the enemie,
They did not think about his power, how he had rescued them from the enemy
43 Nor him that set his signes in Egypt, and his wonders in the fielde of Zoan,
when he performed his terrifying signs in Egypt and his wonders in the region of Zoan.
44 And turned their riuers into blood, and their floods, that they could not drinke.
He turned the Egyptians' rivers to blood so that they could not drink from their streams.
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 overran their land.
46 He gaue also their fruites vnto the caterpiller, and their labour vnto the grassehopper.
He gave their crops to the grasshopper and their labor to the locust.
47 He destroied their vines with haile, and their wilde figge trees with the hailestone.
He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore trees with more hail.
48 He gaue their cattell also to the haile, and their flockes to the thunderboltes.
He rained hail on their cattle and hurled lightning bolts at their livestock.
49 Hee cast vpon them the fiercenesse of his anger, indignation and wrath, and vexation by the sending out of euill Angels.
The fierceness of his anger lashed out against them. He sent wrath, fury, and trouble like agents who bring disaster.
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; he did not spare them from death but gave 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 killed all the firstborn in Egypt, the firstborn 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.
He led his own people out like sheep and guided them through the wilderness like a flock.
53 Yea, he caried them out safely, and they feared not, and the Sea couered their enemies.
He led them secure and unafraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them vnto the borders of his Sanctuarie: euen to this Mountaine, which his right hand purchased.
Then he brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountain that his right hand 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 the nations from before them and assigned them 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,
Yet they challenged and defied the Most High God and did not keep his solemn commands.
57 But turned backe and delt falsely like their fathers: they turned like a deceitfull bowe.
They were unfaithful and acted treacherously like their fathers; they were as undependable as a faulty bow.
58 And they prouoked him to anger with their high places, and mooued him to wrath with their grauen images.
For they made him angry with their high places and provoked him to jealous anger with their idols.
59 God heard this and was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel,
When God heard this, he was angry and completely rejected Israel.
60 So that hee forsooke the habitation of Shilo, euen the Tabernacle where hee dwelt among men,
He abandoned the sanctuary of Shiloh, the tent where he had lived among people.
61 And deliuered his power into captiuitie, and his beautie into the enemies hand.
He allowed his strength to be captured and gave his glory into the enemy's hand.
62 And hee gaue vp his people to the sworde, and was angrie with his inheritance.
He handed his people over to the sword, and he was angry with his heritage.
63 The fire deuoured their chosen men, and their maides were not praised.
Fire devoured their young men, and their young women had no wedding songs.
64 Their Priestes fell by the sworde, and their widowes lamented not.
Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows could not weep.
65 But the Lord awaked as one out of sleepe, and as a strong man that after his wine crieth out,
Then the Lord awakened as one from sleep, like a warrior who shouts because of wine.
66 And smote his enemies in the hinder parts, and put them to a perpetuall shame.
He drove his adversaries back; 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 he did not chose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 But chose the tribe of Iudah, and mount Zion which he loued.
He chose the tribe of Judah and Mount Zion that 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 heavens, like the earth that 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.
He took him from following the ewes with their young, and he brought him to be shepherd of Jacob, his people, and of Israel, his heritage.
72 So he fed them according to the simplicitie of his heart, and guided them by the discretion of his hands.
David shepherded them with the integrity of his heart, and he guided them with the skill of his hands.
