Psalms 78

1 “A Maskil of Assaph.” Give ear, O my people, to my instruction: incline thy ear to the words of my mouth.

The lernyng of Asaph. Mi puple, perseyue ye my lawe; bowe youre eere in to the wordis of my mouth.

2 I will open with a parable my mouth: I will utter riddles out of ancient times;

I schal opene my mouth in parablis; Y schal speke perfite resouns fro the bigynnyng.

3 Which we have heard and know, and which our fathers have related unto us.

Hou grete thingis han we herd, aud we han knowe tho; and oure fadris. telden to vs.

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.

Tho ben not hid fro the sones of hem; in anothir generacioun. And thei telden the heriyngis of the Lord, and the vertues of hym; and hise merueilis, whyche he dide.

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:

And he reiside witnessyng in Jacob; and he settide lawe in Israel. Hou grete thingis comaundide he to oure fadris, to make tho knowun to her sones;

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 another generacioun knowe. Sones, that schulen be born, and schulen rise vp; schulen telle out to her sones.

7 That they may place in God their hope, and not forget the doings of God, but observe his commandments;

That thei sette her hope in God, and foryete not the werkis of God; and that thei seke hise comaundementis.

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.

Lest thei be maad a schrewid generacioun; and terrynge to wraththe, as the fadris of hem. A generacioun that dresside not his herte; and his spirit was not bileued with God.

9 The children of Ephraim, like well-armed archers, that turn round on the day of battle,

The sones of Effraym, bendinge a bouwe and sendynge arowis; weren turned in the dai of batel.

10 Kept not the covenant of God, and in his law they refused to walk;

Thei kepten not the testament of God; and thei nolden go in his lawe.

11 And they forgot his deeds, as also his wonders, which he had permitted them to see.

And thei foryaten hise benefices; and hise merueils, whiche he schewide to hem.

12 In the presence of their fathers did he do wonders, in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zo'an.

He dide merueils bifore the fadris of hem in the loond of Egipt; in the feeld of Taphneos.

13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters stand upright as a wall.

He brak the see, and ledde hem thorou; and he ordeynede the watris as in a bouge.

14 And he led them with the cloud by day, and all the night with a light of fire.

And he ledde hem forth in a cloude of the dai; and al niyt in the liytnyng of fier.

15 He split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the mighty deep.

He brak a stoon in deseert; and he yaf watir to hem as in a myche depthe.

16 And he brought forth running streams out of the rock, and caused water to run down like rivers.

And he ledde watir out of the stoon; and he ledde forth watris as floodis.

17 But they repeated to sin yet more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.

And thei `leiden to yit to do synne ayens hym; thei excitiden hiye God in to ire, in a place with out water.

18 And they tempted God in their heart, by asking food for their desire.

And thei temptiden God in her hertis; that thei axiden meetis to her lyues.

19 Yea, they spoke against God: they said, Will God be able to set in order a table in the wilderness?

And thei spaken yuel of God; thei seiden, Whether God may make redi a bord in desert?

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?

For he smoot a stoon, and watris flowiden; and streemys yeden out in aboundaunce. Whether also he may yyue breed; ether make redi a bord to his puple?

21 Therefore, when the Lord heard this, he became wroth: and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also ascended against Israel,

Therfor the Lord herde, and delaiede; and fier was kindelid in Jacob, and the ire of God stiede on Israel.

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

For thei bileueden not in God; nether hopiden in his heelthe.

23 Then he ordained the skies from above, and the doors of heaven he opened;

And he comaundide to the cloudis aboue; and he openyde the yatis of heuene.

24 And he let rain down upon them manna to eat, and the corn of heaven gave he unto them.

And he reynede to hem manna for to eete; and he yaf to hem breed of heuene.

25 Angels' bread did man eat: he sent them provision to satisfaction.

Man eet the breed of aungels; he sent to hem meetis in aboundance.

26 He caused an east wind to pass along the heavens; and he led forth by his strength the south wind.

He turnede ouere the south wynde fro heuene; and he brouyte in bi his vertu the weste wynde.

27 And he let rain upon them flesh [as plentiful] as the dust, and winged birds like the sand of the sea;

And he reynede fleischis as dust on hem; and `he reinede volatils fethered, as the grauel of the see.

28 And he let them fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.

And tho felden doun in the myddis of her castels; aboute the tabernaclis of hem.

29 And they ate, and were greatly satisfied, and what they longed for he brought unto them.

And thei eeten, and weren fillid greetli, and he brouyte her desire to hem;

30 They were not estranged from their longing, yet was their food in their mouth:

thei weren not defraudid of her desier. Yit her metis weren in her mouth;

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.

and the ire of God stiede on hem. And he killide the fatte men of hem; and he lettide the chosene men of Israel.

32 With all this they sinned again, and believed not in his wonders.

In alle these thingis thei synneden yit; and bileuede not in the merueils of God.

33 Therefore he caused their days to come to an end in nought, and their years in dread.

And the daies of hem failiden in vanytee; and the yeeris of hem faileden with haste.

34 When he slew them, then did they seek him, and they returned and inquired earnestly after God.

Whanne he killide hem, thei souyten hym; and turneden ayen, and eerli thei camen to hym.

35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the most high God their redeemer.

And thei bithouyten, that God is the helper of hem; and `the hiy God is the ayenbier of hem.

36 Nevertheless they prayed insincerely to him with their mouth, and with their tongue they lied unto him.

And thei loueden hym in her mouth; and with her tunge thei lieden to hym.

37 For their heart was not firm with him, and they were not faithful in his covenant.

Forsothe the herte of hem was not riytful with hym; nethir thei weren had feithful in his testament.

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.

But he is merciful, and he schal be maad merciful to the synnes of hem; and he schal not destrie hem. And he dide greetli, to turne awei his yre; and he kyndelide not al his ire.

39 And he remembered that they are but flesh, a spirit that passeth away, and returneth not again.

And he bithouyte, that thei ben fleische; a spirit goynge, and not turnynge ayen.

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

Hou oft maden thei hym wrooth in desert; thei stireden hym in to ire in a place with out watir.

41 Yea, they once more tempted God, and set limits to the Holy One of Israel.

And thei weren turned, and temptiden God; and thei wraththiden the hooli of Israel.

42 They remembered not his hand, the day when he ransomed them from the adversary;

Thei bithouyten not on his hond; in the dai in the which he ayen bouyte hem fro the hond of the trobler.

43 When he displayed in Egypt his signs, and his wonderful tokens in the fields of Zo'an.

As he settide hise signes in Egipt; and hise grete wondris in the feeld of Taphneos.

44 And he changed their rivers into blood; and their running streams, that they could not drink [of them].

And he turnede the flodis of hem and the reynes of hem in to blood; that thei schulden not drynke.

45 He sent out among them various wild beasts, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

He sente a fleisch flie in to hem, and it eet hem; and he sente a paddok, and it loste hem.

46 And he gave unto the cricket their products, and their labor unto the locust.

And he yaf the fruytis of hem to rust; and he yaf the trauels of hem to locustis.

47 He slew with hail their vines, and their sycamore-trees with ice-bolts.

And he killide the vynes of hem bi hail; and the moore trees of hem bi a frost.

48 And he surrendered to the hail their cattle, and their herds to the lightning's flashes.

And he bitook the beestis of hem to hail; and the possessioun of hem to fier.

49 He let loose against them the fierceness of his anger, wrath and indignation, and distress, a host of angels of misfortune.

He sente in to hem the ire of his indignacioun; indignacioun, and ire, and tribulacioun, sendingis in bi iuel aungels.

50 He leveled a path for his anger; he withheld not from death their soul, and their life he surrendered to the pestilence;

He made weie to the path of his ire, and he sparide not fro the deth of her lyues; and he closide togidere in deth the beestis of hem.

51 And he smote all the first-born in Egypt; the first of their strength in the tents of Ham;

And he smoot al the first gendrid thing in the lond of Egipt; the first fruytis of alle the trauel of hem in the tabernaclis of Cham.

52 But he caused his own people to depart like flocks, and guided them like a drove in the wilderness.

And he took awei his puple as scheep; and he ledde hem forth as a flok in desert.

53 And he led them in safety, so that they felt no dread; but the sea covered over their enemies.

And he ledde hem forth in hope, and thei dredden not; and the see hilide the enemyes of hem.

54 And he brought them to his holy territory, even to this mount, which his right hand had acquired.

And he brouyte hem in to the hil of his halewyng; in to the hil which his riythond gat. And he castide out hethene men fro the face of hem; and bi lot he departide to hem the lond in a cord of delyng.

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.

And he made the lynagis of Israel to dwelle in the tabernaclis of hem.

56 Yet they tempted and rebelled against the most high God, and his testimonies they kept not;

And thei temptiden, and wraththiden heiy God; and thei kepten not hise witnessyngis.

57 But swerved aside, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers; they turned about like a deceitful bow.

And thei turneden awei hem silf, and thei kepten not couenaunt; as her fadris weren turned in to a schrewid bouwe.

58 And they provoked him to anger with their high-places, and with their graven images they moved him to jealousy.

Thei stiriden him in to ire in her litle hillis; and thei terriden hym to indignacioun of her grauen ymagis.

59 God heard this, and he became wroth, and felt greatly disgusted with Israel;

God herde, and forsook; and brouyte to nouyt Israel greetli.

60 And he cast off the dwelling at Shiloh, the tabernacle where he had dwelt among men;

And he puttide awei the tabernacle of Sylo; his tabernacle where he dwellide among men.

61 And he gave up his strength unto captivity, and his glory into the adversary's hand.

And he bitook the vertu of hem in to caitiftee; and the fairnesse of hem in to the hondis of the enemye.

62 And he surrendered his people unto the sword; and with his inheritance was he wroth.

And he closide togidere his puple in swerd; and he dispiside his erytage.

63 His young men the fire devoured; and his virgins were not demanded in marriage.

Fier eet the yonge men of hem; and the virgyns of hem weren not biweilid.

64 His priests fell by the sword; and his widows did not weep.

The prestis of hem fellen doun bi swerd; and the widewis of hem weren not biwept.

65 Then awoke the Lord as one that sleepeth, like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.

And the Lord was reisid, as slepynge; as miyti greetli fillid of wiyn.

66 And he smote his enemies backward: a perpetual disgrace on them.

And he smoot hise enemyes on the hynderere partis; he yaf to hem euerlastyng schenschipe.

67 Yet was he disgusted with the tent of Joseph, and of the tribe of Ephraim he made not choice;

And he puttide awei the tabernacle of Joseph; and he chees not the lynage of Effraym.

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

But he chees the lynage of Juda; he chees the hil of Syon, which he louede.

69 And he built like high [mountains] his sanctuary, like the earth which he hath founded for ever.

And he as an vnicorn bildide his hooli place; in the lond, which he foundide in to worldis.

70 And he made choice of David his servant, and took him from the sheep-folds:

And he chees Dauid his seruaunt, and took hym vp fro the flockis of scheep; he took hym fro bihynde scheep with lambren.

71 From following the ewes with young he brought him, to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

To feed Jacob his seruaunt; and Israel his eritage.

72 And he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and by the skilfulness of his hands did he lead them.

And he fedde hem in the innocens of his herte; and he ledde hem forth in the vndurstondyngis of his hondis.