Psalms 78

1 AN INSTRUCTION OF ASAPH. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings of my mouth.

Maschil. Of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law; let your ears be bent down to the words of my mouth.

2 I open my mouth with an allegory, I bring forth hidden things of old,

Opening my mouth I will give out a story, even the dark sayings of old times;

3 That we have heard and know, And our fathers have recounted to us.

Which have come to our hearing and our knowledge, as they were given to us by our fathers.

4 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.

We will not keep them secret from our children; we will make clear to the coming generation the praises of the Lord and his strength, and the great works of wonder which he has done.

5 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.

He put up a witness in Jacob, and made a law in Israel; which he gave to our fathers so that they might give knowledge of them to their children;

6 So that a later generation knows, Sons who are born, rise and recount to their sons,

So that the generation to come might have knowledge of them, even the children of the future, who would give word of them to their children;

7 And place their confidence in God, And do not forget the doings of God, But keep His commands.

So that they might put their hope in God, and not let God's works go out of their minds, but keep his laws;

8 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.

And not be like their fathers, a stiff-necked and uncontrolled generation; a generation whose heart was hard, whose spirit was not true to God.

9 Sons of Ephraim—armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.

The children of Ephraim, armed with bows, were turned back on the day of the fight.

10 They have not kept the covenant of God, And they have refused to walk in His law,

They were not ruled by God's word, and they would not go in the way of his law;

11 And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He showed them.

They let his works go out of their memory, and the wonders which he had made them see.

12 He has done wonders before their fathers, In the land of Egypt—the field of Zoan.

He did great works before the eyes of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.

13 He cleft a sea, and causes them to pass over, Indeed, He causes waters to stand as a heap.

The sea was cut in two so that they might go through; the waters were massed together on this side and on that.

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

In the daytime he was guiding them in the cloud, and all through the night with a light of fire.

15 He cleaves rocks in a wilderness, And gives drink—as the great deep.

The rocks of the waste land were broken by his power, and he gave them drink as out of the deep waters.

16 And brings out streams from a rock, And causes waters to come down as rivers.

He made streams come out of the rock; and waters came flowing down like rivers.

17 And they still add to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.

And they went on sinning against him even more, turning away from the Most High in the waste land;

18 And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.

Testing God in their hearts, requesting meat for their desire.

19 And they speak against God—they said: “Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?”

They said bitter words against God, saying, Is God able to make ready a table in the waste land?

20 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?”

See, the rock was cut open by his power, so that the water came rushing out, and overflowing streams; is he able to give us bread? is he able to get meat for his people?

21 Therefore YHWH has heard, And He shows Himself angry, And fire has been kindled against Jacob, And anger has also gone up against Israel,

So these things came to the Lord's ears, and he was angry; and a fire was lighted against Jacob, and wrath came up against Israel;

22 For they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation.

Because they had no faith in God, and no hope in his salvation.

23 And He commands clouds from above, Indeed, He has opened doors of the heavens.

And he gave orders to the clouds on high, and the doors of heaven were open;

24 And He rains manna on them to eat, Indeed, He has given grain of the heavens to them.

And he sent down manna like rain for their food, and gave them the grain of heaven.

25 Each has eaten food of the mighty, He sent provision to them to satiety.

Man took part in the food of strong ones; he sent them meat in full measure.

26 He causes an east wind to journey in the heavens, And leads a south wind by His strength,

He sent an east wind from heaven, driving on the south wind by his power.

27 And He rains on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas—winged bird,

He sent down meat on them like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the sea,

28 And causes [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Around His dwelling places.

And he let it come down into their resting-place, round about their tents.

29 And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And He brings their desire to them.

So they had food and were full; for he gave them their desire;

30 They have not been estranged from their desire, Their food [is] yet in their mouth,

But they were not turned from their desires; and while the food was still in their mouths,

31 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.

The wrath of God came on them, and put to death the fattest of them, and put an end to the young men of Israel.

32 With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.

For all this they went on sinning even more, and had no faith in his great wonders.

33 And He consumes their days in vanity, And their years in trouble.

So their days were wasted like a breath, and their years in trouble.

34 If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and earnestly sought God,

When he sent death on them, then they made search for him; turning to him and looking for him with care;

35 And they remember that God [is] their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.

In the memory that God was their Rock, and the Most High God their saviour.

36 And they deceive Him with their mouth, And lie to Him with their tongue,

But their lips were false to him, and their tongues were untrue to him;

37 And their heart has not been right with Him, And they have not been steadfast in His covenant.

And their hearts were not right with him, and they did not keep their agreement with him.

38 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.

But he, being full of pity, has forgiveness for sin, and does not put an end to man: frequently turning back his wrath, and not being violently angry.

39 And He remembers that they [are] flesh, A wind going on—and it does not return.

So he kept in mind that they were only flesh; a breath which is quickly gone, and will not come again.

40 How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?

How frequently did they go against him in the waste land, and give him cause for grief in the dry places!

41 Indeed, they turn back, and try God, And have limited the Holy One of Israel.

Again they put God to the test, and gave pain to the Holy One of Israel.

42 They have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.

They did not keep in mind the work of his hand, or the day when he took them from the power of their haters;

43 When He set His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan,

How he had done his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan;

44 And He turns their streams to blood, And they do not drink their floods.

So that their rivers were turned to blood, and they were not able to get drink from their streams.

45 He sends among them the beetle, and it consumes them, And the frog, and it destroys them,

He sent different sorts of flies among them, poisoning their flesh; and frogs for their destruction.

46 And gives their increase to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.

He gave the increase of their fields to worms, the fruits of their industry to the locusts.

47 He destroys their vine with hail, And their sycamores with frost,

He sent ice for the destruction of their vines; their trees were damaged by the bitter cold.

48 And delivers their beasts up to the hail, And their livestock to the burning flames.

Ice was rained down on their cattle; thunderstorms sent destruction among the flocks.

49 He sends on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress—A discharge of evil messengers.

He sent on them the heat of his wrath, his bitter disgust, letting loose evil angels among them.

50 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.

He let his wrath have its way; he did not keep back their soul from death, but gave their life to disease.

51 And He strikes every firstborn in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.

He gave to destruction all the first sons of Egypt; the first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham;

52 And causes His people to journey as a flock, And guides them as a drove in a wilderness,

But he took his people out like sheep, guiding them in the waste land like a flock.

53 And He leads them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And the sea has covered their enemies.

He took them on safely so that they had no fear; but their haters were covered by the sea.

54 And He brings them to the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had acquired,

And he was their guide to his holy land, even to the mountain, which his right hand had made his;

55 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,

Driving out nations before them, marking out the line of their heritage, and giving the people of Israel their tents for a resting-place.

56 And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And have not kept His testimonies.

But they were bitter against the Most High God, testing him, and not keeping his laws;

57 And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,

Their hearts were turned back and untrue like their fathers; they were turned to one side like a twisted bow.

58 And make Him angry with their high places, And make Him zealous with their carved images,

They made him angry with their high places; moving him to wrath with their images.

59 God has heard, and shows Himself angry. And kicks exceedingly against Israel.

When this came to God's ears he was very angry, and gave up Israel completely;

60 And He leaves the Dwelling Place of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,

So that he went away from the holy place in Shiloh, the tent which he had put among men;

61 And He gives His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,

And he let his strength be taken prisoner, and gave his glory into the hands of his hater.

62 And delivers His people up to the sword, And showed Himself angry with His inheritance.

He gave his people up to the sword, and was angry with his heritage.

63 Fire has consumed His young men, And His virgins have not been praised.

Their young men were burned in the fire; and their virgins were not praised in the bride-song.

64 His priests have fallen by the sword, And their widows do not weep.

Their priests were put to death by the sword, and their widows made no weeping for them.

65 And the Lord wakes as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.

Then was the Lord like one awaking from sleep, and like a strong man crying out because of wine.

66 And He strikes His adversaries backward, He has put a continuous reproach on them,

His haters were turned back by his blows and shamed for ever.

67 And He kicks against the tent of Joseph, And has not fixed on the tribe of Ephraim.

And he put the tent of Joseph on one side, and took not the tribe of Ephraim;

68 And He chooses the tribe of Judah, With Mount Zion that He loved,

But he took the tribe of Judah for himself, and the mountain of Zion, in which he had pleasure.

69 And builds His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it for all time.

And he made his holy place like the high heaven, like the earth which is fixed by him for ever.

70 And He fixes on His servant David, And takes him from the folds of a flock,

He took David to be his servant, taking him from the place of the flocks;

71 He has brought him in from behind suckling ones, To rule over Jacob His people, And over Israel His inheritance.

From looking after the sheep which were giving milk, he took him to give food to Jacob his people, and to Israel his heritage.

72 And he rules them according to the integrity of his heart, And leads them by the skillfulness of his hands!

So he gave them food with an upright heart, guiding them by the wisdom of his hands.