Psalms 78

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

AN INSTRUCTION OF ASAPH. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings of my mouth.

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

I open my mouth with an allegory, I bring forth hidden things of old,

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

That we have heard and know, And our fathers have recounted to 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 do not hide from their sons, Recounting praises of YHWH to a later generation, And His strength, and His wonders that He has 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;

And He raises up a testimony in Jacob, And has placed a law in Israel, That He commanded our fathers, To make them known to their sons.

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,

So that a later generation knows, Sons who are born, rise and recount to their sons,

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

And place their confidence in God, And do not forget the doings of God, But keep His commands.

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 they are not like their fathers, A generation apostatizing and being rebellious, A generation—it has not prepared its heart, Nor [is] its spirit steadfast with God.

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

Sons of Ephraim—armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.

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

They have not kept the covenant of God, And they have refused to walk in His law,

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

And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He showed them.

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

He has done wonders before their fathers, In the land of Egypt—the field of Zoan.

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

He cleft a sea, and causes them to pass over, Indeed, He causes waters to stand as a heap.

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

And leads them with a cloud by day, And with a light of fire all the night.

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

He cleaves rocks in a wilderness, And gives drink—as the great deep.

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

And brings out streams from a rock, And causes waters to come down as rivers.

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

And they still add to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.

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

And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.

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

And they speak against God—they said: “Is God able to array a table in a 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 has struck a rock, And waters flow, indeed, streams overflow. “Also, [is] He able to give bread? Does He prepare 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 YHWH has heard, And He shows Himself angry, And fire has been kindled against Jacob, And anger has also gone up against Israel,

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

For they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation.

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

And He commands clouds from above, Indeed, He has opened doors of the heavens.

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

And He rains manna on them to eat, Indeed, He has given grain of the heavens to them.

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

Each has eaten food of the mighty, He sent provision to them to satiety.

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

He causes an east wind to journey in the heavens, And leads a south wind by His strength,

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

And He rains on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas—winged bird,

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

And causes [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Around His dwelling places.

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

And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And He brings their desire to them.

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

They have not been estranged from their desire, Their food [is] yet 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.

And the anger of God has gone up against them, And He slays among their fat ones, And He caused youths of Israel to bend.

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

With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.

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

And He consumes their days in vanity, And their years in trouble.

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

If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and earnestly sought God,

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

And they remember that God [is] their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.

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

And they deceive Him with their mouth, And lie to Him with their tongue,

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

And their heart has not been right with Him, And they have not been steadfast 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.

And He, the Merciful One, pardons iniquity, and does not destroy, And has often turned back His anger, And does 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 remembers that they [are] flesh, A wind going on—and it does not return.

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

How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?

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

Indeed, they turn back, and try God, And have limited the Holy One of Israel.

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

They have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.

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

When He set His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan,

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

And He turns their streams to blood, And they do not drink their floods.

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

He sends among them the beetle, and it consumes them, And the frog, and it destroys them,

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

And gives their increase to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.

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

He destroys their vine with hail, And their sycamores with frost,

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

And delivers their beasts up to the hail, And their livestock to the burning flames.

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

He sends on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress—A discharge of evil messengers.

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

He ponders a path for His anger, He did not keep back their soul from death, Indeed, He delivered up their life 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 strikes every firstborn in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.

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

And causes His people to journey as a flock, And guides them as a drove in a wilderness,

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

And He leads them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And the sea has covered their enemies.

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

And He brings them to the border of His sanctuary, This mountain 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 casts out nations from before them, And causes them to fall in the line of inheritance, And causes the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents,

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

And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And have not kept His testimonies.

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

And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,

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

And make Him angry with their high places, And make Him zealous with their carved images,

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

God has heard, and shows Himself angry. And kicks exceedingly against Israel.

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

And He leaves the Dwelling Place of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,

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

And He gives His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,

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

And delivers His people up to the sword, And showed Himself angry with His inheritance.

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

Fire has consumed His young men, And His virgins have not been praised.

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

His priests have fallen by the sword, And their widows do not weep.

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

And the Lord wakes as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.

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

And He strikes His adversaries backward, He has put a continuous reproach on them,

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

And He kicks against the tent of Joseph, And has not fixed on the tribe of Ephraim.

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

And He chooses the tribe of Judah, With Mount Zion that He loved,

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

And builds His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it for all time.

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

And He fixes on His servant David, And takes him from the folds of a flock,

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

He has brought him in from behind suckling ones, To rule over Jacob His people, And over 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 rules them according to the integrity of his heart, And leads them by the skillfulness of his hands!