Psalms 78
1 “A Maskil of Assaph.” Give ear, O my people, to my instruction: incline thy ear to the words of my mouth.
A Maskil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my instruction; listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open with a parable my mouth: I will utter riddles out of ancient times;
I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the beginning,
3 Which we have heard and know, and which our fathers have related unto us.
that we have heard and known and our fathers have relayed to us.
4 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.
We will not hide them from their children, but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might, and the wonders He has performed.
5 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:
For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children,
6 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;
that the coming generation would know them— even children yet to be born— to arise and tell their own children
7 That they may place in God their hope, and not forget the doings of God, but observe his commandments;
that they should put their confidence in God, not forgetting His works, but keeping His commandments.
8 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.
Then they will not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose heart was not loyal, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9 The children of Ephraim, like well-armed archers, that turn round on the day of battle,
The archers of Ephraim turned back on the day of battle.
10 Kept not the covenant of God, and in his law they refused to walk;
They failed to keep God’s covenant and refused to live by His law.
11 And they forgot his deeds, as also his wonders, which he had permitted them to see.
They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them.
12 In the presence of their fathers did he do wonders, in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zo'an.
He worked wonders before their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters stand upright as a wall.
He split the sea and brought them through; He set the waters upright like a wall.
14 And he led them with the cloud by day, and all the night with a light of fire.
He led them with a cloud by day and with a light of fire all night.
15 He split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the mighty deep.
He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as abundant as the seas.
16 And he brought forth running streams out of the rock, and caused water to run down like rivers.
He brought streams from the stone and made water flow down like rivers.
17 But they repeated to sin yet more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
But they continued to sin against Him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High.
18 And they tempted God in their heart, by asking food for their desire.
They willfully tested God by demanding the food they craved.
19 Yea, they spoke against God: they said, Will God be able to set in order a table in the wilderness?
They spoke against God, saying, “Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 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?
When He struck the rock, water gushed out and torrents raged. But can He also give bread or supply His people with meat?”
21 Therefore, when the Lord heard this, he became wroth: and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also ascended against Israel,
Therefore the LORD heard and was filled with wrath; so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and His anger flared against Israel,
22 Because they had not believed in God, and had not trusted in his salvation.
because they did not believe God or rely on His salvation.
23 Then he ordained the skies from above, and the doors of heaven he opened;
Yet He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of the heavens.
24 And he let rain down upon them manna to eat, and the corn of heaven gave he unto them.
He rained down manna for them to eat; He gave them grain from heaven.
25 Angels' bread did man eat: he sent them provision to satisfaction.
Man ate the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance.
26 He caused an east wind to pass along the heavens; and he led forth by his strength the south wind.
He stirred the east wind from the heavens and drove the south wind by His might.
27 And he let rain upon them flesh [as plentiful] as the dust, and winged birds like the sand of the sea;
He rained meat on them like dust, and winged birds like the sand of the sea.
28 And he let them fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.
He felled them in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings.
29 And they ate, and were greatly satisfied, and what they longed for he brought unto them.
So they ate and were well filled, for He gave them what they craved.
30 They were not estranged from their longing, yet was their food in their mouth:
Yet before they had filled their desire, with the food still in their mouths,
31 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.
God’s anger flared against them, and He put to death their strongest and subdued the young men of Israel.
32 With all this they sinned again, and believed not in his wonders.
In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.
33 Therefore he caused their days to come to an end in nought, and their years in dread.
So He ended their days in futility, and their years in sudden terror.
34 When he slew them, then did they seek him, and they returned and inquired earnestly after God.
When He slew them, they would seek Him; they repented and searched for 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, that God Most High was their Redeemer.
36 Nevertheless they prayed insincerely to him with their mouth, and with their tongue they lied unto him.
But they deceived Him with their mouths, and lied to Him with their tongues.
37 For their heart was not firm with him, and they were not faithful in his covenant.
Their hearts were disloyal to Him, and they were unfaithful to His covenant.
38 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.
And yet He was compassionate; He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. He often restrained His anger and did not unleash His full wrath.
39 And he remembered that they are but flesh, a spirit that passeth away, and returneth not again.
He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.
40 How oft did they rebel against him in the wilderness, grieve him in the desert!
How often they disobeyed Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert!
41 Yea, they once more tempted God, and set limits to the Holy One of Israel.
Again and again they tested God and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They remembered not his hand, the day when he ransomed them from the adversary;
They did not remember His power — the day He redeemed them from the adversary,
43 When he displayed in Egypt his signs, and his wonderful tokens in the fields of Zo'an.
when He performed His signs in Egypt and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.
44 And he changed their rivers into blood; and their running streams, that they could not drink [of them].
He turned their rivers to blood, and from their streams they could not drink.
45 He sent out among them various wild beasts, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them.
46 And he gave unto the cricket their products, and their labor unto the locust.
He gave their crops to the grasshopper, the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47 He slew with hail their vines, and their sycamore-trees with ice-bolts.
He killed their vines with hailstones and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48 And he surrendered to the hail their cattle, and their herds to the lightning's flashes.
He abandoned their cattle to the hail and their livestock to bolts of lightning.
49 He let loose against them the fierceness of his anger, wrath and indignation, and distress, a host of angels of misfortune.
He unleashed His fury against them, wrath, indignation, and calamity— a band of destroying angels.
50 He leveled a path for his anger; he withheld not from death their soul, and their life he surrendered to the pestilence;
He cleared a path for His anger; He did not spare them from death but delivered their lives to the plague.
51 And he smote all the first-born in Egypt; the first of their strength in the tents of Ham;
He struck all the firstborn of Egypt, the virility in the tents of Ham.
52 But he caused his own people to depart like flocks, and guided them like a drove in the wilderness.
He led out His people like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
53 And he led them in safety, so that they felt no dread; but the sea covered over their enemies.
He led them safely, so they did not fear, but the sea engulfed their enemies.
54 And he brought them to his holy territory, even to this mount, which his right hand had acquired.
He brought them to His holy land, to the mountain His right hand had acquired.
55 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.
He drove out nations before them and apportioned their inheritance; He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 Yet they tempted and rebelled against the most high God, and his testimonies they kept not;
But they tested and disobeyed God Most High, for they did not keep His decrees.
57 But swerved aside, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers; they turned about like a deceitful bow.
They turned back and were faithless like their fathers, twisted like a faulty bow.
58 And they provoked him to anger with their high-places, and with their graven images they moved him to jealousy.
They enraged Him with their high places and provoked His jealousy with their idols.
59 God heard this, and he became wroth, and felt greatly disgusted with Israel;
On hearing it, God was furious and rejected Israel completely.
60 And he cast off the dwelling at Shiloh, the tabernacle where he had dwelt among men;
He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent He had pitched among men.
61 And he gave up his strength unto captivity, and his glory into the adversary's hand.
He delivered His strength to captivity, and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.
62 And he surrendered his people unto the sword; and with his inheritance was he wroth.
He surrendered His people to the sword because He was enraged by His heritage.
63 His young men the fire devoured; and his virgins were not demanded in marriage.
Fire consumed His young men, and their maidens were left without wedding songs.
64 His priests fell by the sword; and his widows did not weep.
His priests fell by the sword, but their widows could not lament.
65 Then awoke the Lord as one that sleepeth, like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a mighty warrior overcome by wine.
66 And he smote his enemies backward: a perpetual disgrace on them.
He beat back His foes; He put them to everlasting shame.
67 Yet was he disgusted with the tent of Joseph, and of the tribe of Ephraim he made not choice;
He rejected the tent of Joseph and refused the tribe of Ephraim.
68 But he chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.
But He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which He loved.
69 And he built like high [mountains] his sanctuary, like the earth which he hath founded for ever.
He built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth He has established forever.
70 And he made choice of David his servant, and took him from the sheep-folds:
He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 From following the ewes with young he brought him, to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
from tending the ewes He brought him to be shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance.
72 And he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and by the skilfulness of his hands did he lead them.
So David shepherded them with integrity of heart and guided them with skillful hands.
