Psalms 78

1 Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

“A Maskil of Assaph.” Give ear, O my people, to my instruction: incline thy ear to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter dark sayings concerning days of old;

I will open with a parable my mouth: I will utter riddles out of ancient times;

3 That which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us,

Which we have heard and know, and which our fathers have related unto us.

4 We will not hide from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and His strength, and His wondrous works that He hath done.

We will not conceal them from their children, relating to the latest generation the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful deeds which he hath done.

5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children;

Yea, he established a testimony in Jacob, and instituted a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:

6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children that should be born; who should arise and tell them to their children,

In order that the latest generation might know them, even the children that are to be born; that they may arise and relate them to their children;

7 That they might put their confidence in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments;

That they may place in God their hope, and not forget the doings of God, but observe his commandments;

8 And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.

And that they may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that had not directed their heart firmly, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9 The children of Ephraim were as archers handling the bow, that turned back in the day of battle.

The children of Ephraim, like well-armed archers, that turn round on the day of battle,

10 They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in His law;

Kept not the covenant of God, and in his law they refused to walk;

11 And they forgot His doings, and His wondrous works that He had shown them.

And they forgot his deeds, as also his wonders, which he had permitted them to see.

12 Marvellous things did He in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

In the presence of their fathers did he do wonders, in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zo'an.

13 He cleaved the sea, and caused them to pass through; and He made the waters to stand as a heap.

He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters stand upright as a wall.

14 By day also He led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.

And he led them with the cloud by day, and all the night with a light of fire.

15 He cleaved rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as out of the great deep.

He split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the mighty deep.

16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

And he brought forth running streams out of the rock, and caused water to run down like rivers.

17 Yet went they on still to sin against Him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert.

But they repeated to sin yet more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.

18 And they tried God in their heart by asking food for their craving.

And they tempted God in their heart, by asking food for their desire.

19 Yea, they spoke against God; they said: 'Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

Yea, they spoke against God: they said, Will God be able to set in order a table in the wilderness?

20 Behold, He smote the rock, that waters gushed out, and streams overflowed; can He give bread also? or will He provide flesh for His people?'

Behold, he smote the rock, so that waters gushed out, and streams overflowed: shall he also be able to give bread? or can he provide flesh for his people?

21 Therefore the LORD heard, and was wroth; and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also went up against Israel;

Therefore, when the Lord heard this, he became wroth: and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also ascended against Israel,

22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in His salvation.

Because they had not believed in God, and had not trusted in his salvation.

23 And He commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven;

Then he ordained the skies from above, and the doors of heaven he opened;

24 And He caused manna to rain upon them for food, and gave them of the corn of heaven.

And he let rain down upon them manna to eat, and the corn of heaven gave he unto them.

25 Man did eat the bread of the mighty; He sent them provisions to the full.

Angels' bread did man eat: he sent them provision to satisfaction.

26 He caused the east wind to set forth in heaven; and by His power He brought on the south wind.

He caused an east wind to pass along the heavens; and he led forth by his strength the south wind.

27 He caused flesh also to rain upon them as the dust, and winged fowl as the sand of the seas;

And he let rain upon them flesh [as plentiful] as the dust, and winged birds like the sand of the sea;

28 And He let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their dwellings.

And he let them fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.

29 So they did eat, and were well filled; and He gave them that which they craved.

And they ate, and were greatly satisfied, and what they longed for he brought unto them.

30 They were not estranged from their craving, their food was yet in their mouths,

They were not estranged from their longing, yet was their food in their mouth:

31 When the anger of God went up against them, and slew of the lustieth among them, and smote down the young men of Israel.

When the wrath of God ascended against them, and he slew some of the fattest of them, and the young men of Israel did he strike down.

32 For all this they sinned still, and believed not in His wondrous works.

With all this they sinned again, and believed not in his wonders.

33 Therefore He ended their days as a breath, and their years in terror.

Therefore he caused their days to come to an end in nought, and their years in dread.

34 When He slew them, then they would inquire after Him, and turn back and seek God earnestly.

When he slew them, then did they seek him, and they returned and inquired earnestly after God.

35 And they remembered that God was their Rock, and the Most High God their redeemer.

And they remembered that God was their rock, and the most high God their redeemer.

36 But they beguiled Him with their mouth, and lied unto Him with their tongue.

Nevertheless they prayed insincerely to him with their mouth, and with their tongue they lied unto him.

37 For their heart was not stedfast with Him, neither were they faithful in His covenant.

For their heart was not firm with him, and they were not faithful in his covenant.

38 But He, being full of compassion, forgiveth iniquity, and destroyeth not; yea, many a time doth He turn His anger away, and doth not stir up all His wrath.

But he, being merciful, forgave the iniquity, and destroyed [them] not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not awaken all his fury.

39 So He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

And he remembered that they are but flesh, a spirit that passeth away, and returneth not again.

40 How oft did they rebel against Him in the wilderness, and grieve Him in the desert!

How oft did they rebel against him in the wilderness, grieve him in the desert!

41 And still again they tried God, and set bounds to the Holy One of Israel.

Yea, they once more tempted God, and set limits to the Holy One of Israel.

42 They remembered not His hand, nor the day when He redeemed them from the adversary.

They remembered not his hand, the day when he ransomed them from the adversary;

43 How He set His signs in Egypt, and His wonders in the field of Zoan;

When he displayed in Egypt his signs, and his wonderful tokens in the fields of Zo'an.

44 And turned their rivers into blood, so that they could not drink their streams.

And he changed their rivers into blood; and their running streams, that they could not drink [of them].

45 He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

He sent out among them various wild beasts, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

46 He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, and their labour unto the locust.

And he gave unto the cricket their products, and their labor unto the locust.

47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamore-trees with frost.

He slew with hail their vines, and their sycamore-trees with ice-bolts.

48 He gave over their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to fiery bolts.

And he surrendered to the hail their cattle, and their herds to the lightning's flashes.

49 He sent forth upon them the fierceness of His anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, a sending of messengers of evil.

He let loose against them the fierceness of his anger, wrath and indignation, and distress, a host of angels of misfortune.

50 He levelled a path for His anger; He spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;

He leveled a path for his anger; he withheld not from death their soul, and their life he surrendered to the pestilence;

51 And smote all the first-born in Egypt, the first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham;

And he smote all the first-born in Egypt; the first of their strength in the tents of Ham;

52 But He made His own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

But he caused his own people to depart like flocks, and guided them like a drove in the wilderness.

53 And He led them safely, and they feared not; but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

And he led them in safety, so that they felt no dread; but the sea covered over their enemies.

54 And He brought them to His holy border, to the mountain, which His right hand had gotten.

And he brought them to his holy territory, even to this mount, which his right hand had acquired.

55 He drove out the nations also before them, and allotted them for an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

And he drove out from before them nations, and divided them by the measuring-line as an inheritance, and he caused to dwell in their tents the tribes of Israel.

56 Yet they tried and provoked God, the Most High, and kept not His testimonies;

Yet they tempted and rebelled against the most high God, and his testimonies they kept not;

57 But turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers; they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

But swerved aside, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers; they turned about like a deceitful bow.

58 For they provoked Him with their high places, and moved Him to jealousy with their graven images.

And they provoked him to anger with their high-places, and with their graven images they moved him to jealousy.

59 God heard, and was wroth, and He greatly abhorred Israel;

God heard this, and he became wroth, and felt greatly disgusted with Israel;

60 And He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which He had made to dwell among men;

And he cast off the dwelling at Shiloh, the tabernacle where he had dwelt among men;

61 And delivered His strength into captivity, and His glory into the adversary's hand.

And he gave up his strength unto captivity, and his glory into the adversary's hand.

62 He gave His people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with His inheritance.

And he surrendered his people unto the sword; and with his inheritance was he wroth.

63 Fire devoured their young men; and their virgins had no marriage-song.

His young men the fire devoured; and his virgins were not demanded in marriage.

64 Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.

His priests fell by the sword; and his widows did not weep.

65 Then the Lord awaked as one asleep, like a mighty man recovering from wine.

Then awoke the Lord as one that sleepeth, like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.

66 And He smote His adversaries backward; He put upon them a perpetual reproach.

And he smote his enemies backward: a perpetual disgrace on them.

67 Moreover He abhorred the tent of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim;

Yet was he disgusted with the tent of Joseph, and of the tribe of Ephraim he made not choice;

68 But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which He loved.

But he chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.

69 And He built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which He hath founded for ever.

And he built like high [mountains] his sanctuary, like the earth which he hath founded for ever.

70 He chose David also His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds;

And he made choice of David his servant, and took him from the sheep-folds:

71 From following the ewes that give suck He brought him, to be shepherd over Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance.

From following the ewes with young he brought him, to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

72 So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart; and lead them by the skilfulness of his hands.

And he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and by the skilfulness of his hands did he lead them.