Psalms 78
1 [A Psalm] of instruction for Asaph. Give heed, O my people, to my law: incline your ear to the words of my mouth.
“A psalm of Asaph.” Give ear, O my people, to my instruction! Incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter dark sayings [which have been] from the beginning.
I will open my mouth in a psalm; I will utter sayings of ancient times.
3 All which we have heard and known, and our fathers have declared to us.
What we have heard and learned, And our fathers have told us,
4 They were not hid from their children to a second generations; [the fathers] declaring the praises of the Lord, and his mighty acts, and his wonders which he wrought.
We will not hide from their children; Showing to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, His might, and the wonders he hath wrought.
5 And he raised up a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, to make it known to their children:
For he appointed statutes in Jacob, And established a law in Israel, Which he commanded our fathers To make known to their children;
6 that another generation might know, even the sons which should be born; and they should arise and declare them to their children.
So that the generation to come might know them; The children, which should be born, and rise up, Who should declare them to their children;
7 That they might set their hope on God, and not forget the works of God, but diligently seek his commandments.
That they might put their trust in God, And not forget his deeds, But keep his commandments;
8 That they should not be as their fathers, a perverse and provoking generation; a generation which set not its heart aright, and its spirit was not steadfast with God.
And might not be, like their forefathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, —A generation whose heart was not fixed upon God, And whose spirit was not steadfast toward the Almighty.
9 The children of Ephraim, bending and shooting [with] the bow, turned [back] in the day of battle.
The children of Ephraim were like armed bowmen, Who turn their backs in the day of battle.
10 They kept not the covenant of God, and would not walk in his law.
They kept not the covenant of God, And refused to walk in his law;
11 And they forgot his benefits, and his miracles which he [had] showed them;
And forgot his mighty deeds, And the wonders he had shown them.
12 the miracles which he wrought before their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the plain of Tanes.
Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 He clave the sea, and led them through: he made the waters to stand as [in] a bottle.
He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; Yea, he made the waters to stand as a heap.
14 And he guided them with a cloud by day, and all the night with a light of fire.
By day he led them by a cloud, And all the night by a light of fire.
15 he clave a rock in the wilderness, and made them drink as in a great deep.
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink, as from the great deep.
16 And he brought water out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down as rivers.
From the rock he brought flowing streams, And made water to run down like rivers.
17 And they sinned yet more against him; they provoked the Most High in the wilderness.
Yet still they sinned against him, And provoked the Most High in the desert.
18 And they tempted God in their hearts, in asking meat for [the desire of] their souls.
They tempted God in their hearts, By asking food for their delight.
19 They spoke also against God, and said, Will God be able to prepare a table in the wilderness?
Yea, they spake against God, and said, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
20 Forasmuch as he struck the rock, and the waters flowed, and the torrents ran abundantly; will he be able also to give bread, or prepare a table for his people?
Behold! he smote the rock, and the water flowed, And streams gushed forth: Is he also able to give bread? Can he provide flesh for his people?”
21 Therefore the Lord heard, and was provoked: and fire was kindled in Jacob, and wrath went up against Israel.
When, therefore, the LORD heard this, he was wroth: So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger arose against Israel.
22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation.
Because they believed not in God, And trusted not in his aid.
23 Yet he commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,
Yet he had commanded the clouds above, And had opened the doors of heaven;
24 and rained upon them manna to eat, and gave them the bread of heaven.
And had rained down upon them manna for food, And had given them the corn of heaven.
25 Man ate angels' bread; he sent them provision to the full.
Every one ate the food of princes; He sent them bread to the full.
26 He removed the south wind from heaven; and by his might he brought in the southwest wind.
Then he caused a strong wind to blow in the heavens, And by his power he brought a south wind;
27 And he rained upon them flesh like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the seas.
He rained down flesh upon them as dust, And feathered fowls as the sand of the sea.
28 And they fell into the midst of their camp, round about their tents.
He caused them to fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their habitations.
29 So they ate, and were completely filled; and he gave them their desire.
So they did eat, and were filled; For he gave them their own desire.
30 They were not disappointed of their desire: [but] when their food was yet in their mouth,
Their desire was not yet satisfied, And their meat was yet in their mouths,
31 then the indignation of God rose up against them, and killed the fattest of them, and overthrew the choice men of Israel.
When the wrath of God came upon them, And slew their strong men, And smote down the chosen men of Israel.
32 In the midst of all this they sinned yet more, and believed not his miracles.
For all this they sinned still, And put no trust in his wondrous works.
33 And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years with anxiety.
Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, And their years in sudden destruction.
34 When he killed them, they sought him: and they returned and called betimes upon God.
When he slew them, they sought him; They returned, and sought earnestly for God;
35 And they remembered that God was their helper, and the most high God was their redeemer.
And remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High their redeemer.
36 Yet they loved him [only] with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.
But they only flattered him with their mouths, And spake falsely to him with their tongues.
37 For their heart [was] not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant.
For their hearts were not true to him, Nor were they steadfast in his covenant.
38 But he is compassionate, and will forgive their sins, and will not destroy [them]: yes, he will frequently turn away his wrath, and will not kindle all his anger.
Yet, being full of compassion, he forgave their iniquity, And would not utterly destroy them; Often he restrained his indignation, And stirred not up all his anger.
39 And he remembered that they are flesh; a wind that passes away, and returns not.
He remembered that they were but flesh, —A breath, that passeth and cometh not back.
40 How often did they provoke him in the wilderness, [and] anger him in a dry land!
How often did they provoke him in the wilderness! How often did they anger him in the desert!
41 Yes, they turned back, and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
Again and again they tempted God, And offended the Holy One of Israel.
42 They remembered not his hand, the day in which he delivered them from the hand of the oppressor.
They remembered not his hand, Nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy;
43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanes:
What signs he had wrought in Egypt, And what wonders in the fields of Zoan.
44 and had changed their rivers into blood; and their streams, that they should not drink.
He turned their rivers into blood, So that they could not drink of their streams.
45 He sent against them the dog-fly, and it devoured them; and the frog, and it spoiled them.
He sent amongst them flies, which devoured them, And frogs, which destroyed them.
46 And he gave their fruit to the canker worm, and their labors to the locust.
He gave also their fruits to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.
47 He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with frost.
He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycamore-trees with frost.
48 And he gave up their cattle to hail, and their substance to the fire.
He also gave up their cattle to hail, And their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
49 He sent out against them the fury of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and affliction, a message by evil angels.
He sent against them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, indignation, and woe, —A host of angels of evil.
50 He made a way for his wrath; he spared not their souls from death, but consigned their cattle to death;
He made a way for his anger, He spared them not from death, But gave up their lives to the pestilence.
51 and struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt; the first fruits of their labors in the tents of Cham.
He smote all the firstborn in Egypt; The first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 And he removed his people like sheep; he led them as a flock in the wilderness.
But he led forth his own people like sheep, And guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
53 And he guided them with hope, and they feared not: but the sea covered their enemies.
He led them on safely, so that they feared not, While the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them in to the mountain of his sanctuary, this mountain which his right hand had purchased.
He brought them to his own sacred border, Even to this mountain which his right hand had gained.
55 And he cast out the nations from before them, and made them to inherit by a line of inheritance, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
He cast out the nations before them, And divided their land by a measuring-line, as an inheritance, And caused the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
56 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies.
Yet they tempted and provoked God, the Most High, And kept not his statutes;
57 And they turned back, and broke covenant, even as also their fathers: they became like a crooked bow.
Like their fathers they were faithless, and turned back; They turned aside, like a deceitful bow.
58 And they provoked him with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
They provoked his anger by their high places, And stirred up his jealousy by their graven images.
59 God heard and lightly regarded [them], and greatly despised Israel.
God saw this, and was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;
60 And he rejected the tabernacle of Selom, his tent where he lived among men.
So that he forsook the habitation at Shiloh, The tabernacle where he dwelt among men,
61 And he gave their strength into captivity, and their beauty into the enemy's hand.
And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the hand of the enemy.
62 And he gave his people to the sword; and disdained his inheritance.
His own people he gave up to the sword, And was wroth with his own inheritance.
63 Fire devoured their young men; and their virgins mourned not.
Fire consumed their young men, And their maidens did not bewail them.
64 Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows shall not be wept for.
Their priests fell by the sword, And their widows made no lamentation.
65 So the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, [and] as a mighty man who has been heated with wine.
But at length the Lord awaked as from sleep, As a hero who had been overpowered by wine;
66 And he struck his enemies in the hinder parts: he brought on them a perpetual reproach.
He smote his enemies, and drove them back, And covered them with everlasting disgrace.
67 And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim;
Yet he rejected the tents of Joseph, And chose not the tribe of Ephraim;
68 but chose the tribe of Juda, the mount Sion which he loved.
But chose the tribe of Judah, The Mount Zion which he loved;
69 And he built his sanctuary as [the place] of unicorns; he founded it for ever on the earth.
Where he built, like the heavens, his sanctuary; Like the earth, which he hath established for ever.
70 He chose David also his servant, and took him up from the flocks of sheep.
And he chose David, his servant, And took him from the sheepfolds;
71 He took him from following the ewes great with young, to be the shepherd of Jacob his servant, and Israel his inheritance.
From tending the suckling ewes he brought him To feed Jacob his people, And Israel his inheritance.
72 So he tended them in the innocency of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
He fed them with an upright heart, And guided them with skilful hands.
