Psalms 78
1 Give ear, O my people, to my law: 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 in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
I open my mouth with an allegory, I bring forth hidden things of old,
3 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 them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of Yhwh, and his strength, and his wonderful 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 which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
So that a later generation knows, Sons who are born, rise and recount to their sons,
7 That they might set their hope 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, being armed, and carrying bows, 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 forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed 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 divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.
He cleft a sea, and causes them to pass over, Indeed, He causes waters to stand as a heap.
14 In the daytime 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 clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
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 And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
And they still add to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.
18 And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.
19 Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish 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 the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can 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 Yhwh heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came 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 Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,
And He commands clouds from above, Indeed, He has opened doors of the heavens.
24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the grain of heaven.
And He rains manna on them to eat, Indeed, He has given grain of the heavens to them.
25 Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.
Each has eaten food of the mighty, He sent provision to them to satiety.
26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.
He causes an east wind to journey in the heavens, And leads a south wind by His strength,
27 He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:
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 habitations.
And causes [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Around His dwelling places.
29 So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;
And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And He brings their desire to them.
30 They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,
They have not been estranged from their desire, Their food [is] yet in their mouth,
31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen 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 for his wondrous works.
With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.
33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
And He consumes their days in vanity, And their years in trouble.
34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.
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 high God their redeemer.
And they remember that God [is] their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.
36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.
And they deceive Him with their mouth, And lie to Him with their tongue,
37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast 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, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did 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 For 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 provoke 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 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited 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 delivered them from the enemy.
They have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.
43 How he had wrought 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 had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.
And He turns their streams to blood, And they do not drink their floods.
45 He sent divers sorts of flies among them, 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 caterpiller, 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 sycomore trees with frost.
He destroys their vine with hail, And their sycamores with frost,
48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
And delivers their beasts up to the hail, And their livestock to the burning flames.
49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.
He sends on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress—A discharge of evil messengers.
50 He made a way to 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 firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:
And He strikes every firstborn in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.
52 But 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 on safely, so that 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 the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.
And He brings them to the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had acquired,
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.
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 tempted and provoked the most high God, 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 unfaithfully 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 to anger 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 When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:
God has heard, and shows Himself angry. And kicks exceedingly against Israel.
60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed 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 enemy’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 The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.
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 out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.
And the Lord wakes as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.
66 And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.
And He strikes His adversaries backward, He has put a continuous reproach on them,
67 Moreover he refused the tabernacle 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 high palaces, like the earth which he hath established 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 great with young he brought him to feed 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 fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided 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!
