Psalms 78
1 GIVE ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
A maskil of Asaph. My people, attend to my teaching: bend your ears to the words of my mouth,
2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
as I open my mouth in a poem on the riddling story of the past.
3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
What we have heard and known, and what our ancestors have told us,
4 We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
we will not hide from their children. We will tell to the next generation the praises and might of the Lord, and the 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:
He set up a testimony in Jacob, a law he appointed in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to make known to their children,
6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
that the next generation should know it, that the children yet to be born should arise and tell their children;
7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:
that in God they might put their confidence, and not forget God’s works; but that they might keep 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 not be like their ancestors, a generation defiant and stubborn, a generation with heart unsteady, and spirit unfaithful towards God.
9 The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.
Ephraimites, armed bowmen, turned back in the day of battle.
10 They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;
They did not keep God’s covenant, they refused to walk in his law.
11 And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.
They forgot what he had done, and the wonders he had shown them.
12 Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
He did wonders before their ancestors in the country of Zoan in Egypt.
13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.
Through the sea which he split he brought them, making waters stand up like a heap;
14 In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.
he led them by day with a cloud, all the night with a light of fire.
15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
From the rocks which he split in the wilderness, he gave them to drink as of ocean’s abundance.
16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
He brought streams out of the rock, and made water run down like rivers.
17 And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
Yet they still went on sinning against him, they defied the Most High in the desert.
18 And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
They wilfully challenged God, demanding the food that they longed for.
19 Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
‘Is God able,’ such was their challenge, ‘to spread in the desert a table?
20 Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?
From the rock that he struck there gushed water, and torrents that overflowed; but can he also give bread, or provide his people with meat?’
21 Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;
When the Lord heard this, he was furious, and fire was kindled on Jacob, anger flared up against Israel.
22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:
For they put no trust in God, no confidence in his help.
23 Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,
So he summoned the clouds above; and, opening the doors of heaven,
24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.
he rained manna upon them for food, and grain of heaven he gave them.
25 Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.
Everyone ate the bread of angels; he sent them food to the full.
26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.
He launched the east wind in the heavens, and guided the south by his power.
27 He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:
He rained meat upon them like dust, winged bird like the sand of the sea.
28 And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.
In the midst of their camp he dropped it, all around their tents.
29 So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;
They ate and were more than filled; he had brought them the thing they desired.
30 They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,
But the thing they desired became loathsome: while their food was still in their mouths,
31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.
the wrath of God rose against them. He slew the stoutest among them, and laid low the young men of Israel.
32 For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.
Yet for all this they sinned yet more, and refused to believe in his wonders.
33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
So he ended their days in a breath, and their years in sudden dismay.
34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early after God.
When he slew them, then they sought after him, they turned and sought God with diligence.
35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
They remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God their redeemer.
36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.
But they flattered him with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.
37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.
Their heart was not steady with him, they were faithless to his covenant.
38 But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.
But he is full of pity: he pardons sin and destroys not. Often he turns his anger away, without stirring his wrath at all.
39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.
So he remembered that they were but flesh, breath that passes and does not return.
40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
But how often they rebelled in the desert, and caused him grief in the wilderness,
41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.
tempting God again and again, provoking the Holy One of Israel.
42 They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.
They did not remember his strength, nor the day he redeemed from the foe,
43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:
how he set his signs in Egypt, in the country of Zoan his wonders.
44 And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.
He turned their canals into blood, their streams undrinkable.
45 He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
He sent forth flies, which devoured them; frogs, too, which destroyed them.
46 He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.
Their crops he gave to the caterpillar, and the fruits of their toil to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.
He slew their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with frost.
48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
He delivered their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to bolts of fire.
49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.
He let loose his hot anger among them, fury and wrath and distress, a band of destroying angels.
50 He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;
He cleared a path for his anger, did not spare them from death, but gave them over to pestilence.
51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:
He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, the first fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
He led forth his people like sheep, he was guide to his flock in the desert.
53 And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
Securely he led them, and free from fear, while their foes were drowned in the sea.
54 And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.
To his holy realm he brought them, to the mountain his right hand had purchased.
55 He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
He drove out the nations before them, and allotted their land for possession, and their tents for Israel to live in.
56 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:
Yet they tempted and angered the Most High God, they did not observe his decrees.
57 But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
They drew back, false like their ancestors; they failed like a treacherous bow.
58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
Their shrines stirred him to anger, their idols moved him to jealousy.
59 When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:
When God heard of this, he was furious, and he spurned Israel utterly.
60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;
He abandoned his home in Shiloh, the tent he had pitched among people.
61 And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand.
He gave his strength up to captivity, his glory to the hands of the foe.
62 He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.
He gave his people to the sword, he was furious with his own.
63 The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.
Fire devoured their young men, and their maidens had no marriage-song.
64 Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.
Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows could not weep.
65 Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a warrior flushed with wine;
66 And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.
and he beat back his foes, putting them to perpetual scorn.
67 Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:
He disowned the tent of Joseph, he rejected the tribe of Ephraim;
68 But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.
but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves.
69 And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.
And he built like the heights his sanctuary, like the earth which he founded forever.
70 He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:
And he chose David his servant, taking him from the sheepfolds.
71 From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
From the mother-ewes he brought him, to be shepherd to Jacob his people, and to Israel his inheritance.
72 So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
With upright heart did he shepherd them, and with skilful hands did he guide them.
