Psalms 78
1 [A contemplation by Asaph.] Hear my teaching, my people. Turn your ears to the words of my mouth.
A maschil of Asaph. Hear my teaching, my people, listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings since the beginning of the world,
I will open my mouth in parables; I will sing about hidden things about the past.
3 which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
These are things that we have heard and learned, things that our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their descendants, telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, his strength, and his wondrous works that he has done.
We will not keep them from their descendants. We will tell the next generation about the praiseworthy deeds of Yahweh, his strength, and the wonders that he has done.
5 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a teaching in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children;
For he established covenant decrees in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel. He commanded our ancestors that they were to teach them to their children.
6 that the generation to come might know it, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell their children,
He commanded this so that the generation to come might know his decrees, the children not yet born, who should tell them in turn to their own children.
7 that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments,
Then they would place their hope in God and not forget his deeds but keep his commandments.
8 and might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not make their hearts loyal, whose spirit was not steadfast with God.
Then they would not be like their ancestors, who were a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose hearts were not right, and whose spirits were not committed and faithful to God.
9 The people of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.
The Ephraimites were armed with bows, but they turned back on the day of battle.
10 They did not keep God's covenant, and refused to walk by his Law.
They did not keep the covenant with God, and they refused to obey his law.
11 They forgot his doings, his wondrous works that he had shown them.
They forgot his deeds, the wonderful things that he had shown them.
12 He did marvelous things in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
They forgot the marvelous things he did in the sight of their ancestors in the land of Egypt, in the land of Zoan.
13 He split the sea, and caused them to pass through. He made the waters stand as a heap.
He divided the sea and led them across it; he made the waters to stand like walls.
14 In the daytime he also led them with a cloud, and all night with a light of fire.
In the daytime he led them with a cloud and all the night with the light of fire.
15 He split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.
He split the rocks in the wilderness, and he gave them water abundantly, enough to fill the depths of the sea.
16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
He made streams flow out of the rock and made the water flow like rivers.
17 Yet they still went on to sin against him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert.
Yet they continued to sin against him, rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.
18 They tempted God in their heart by asking food according to their desire.
They challenged God in their hearts by asking for food to satisfy their appetites.
19 Yes, they spoke against God. They said, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
They spoke against God; they said, “Can God really lay out a table for us in the wilderness?
20 Look, he struck the rock, so that waters gushed out, and streams overflowed. Can he give bread also? Will he provide flesh for his people?"
See, when he struck the rock, waters gushed out and streams overflowed. But can he give bread also? Will he provide meat for his people?”
21 Therefore the LORD heard, and was angry. A fire was kindled against Jacob, anger also went up against Israel,
When Yahweh heard this, he was angry; so his fire burned against Jacob, and his anger attacked Israel,
22 because they did not believe in God, and did not trust in his salvation.
because they did not believe in God and did not trust in his salvation.
23 Yet he commanded the clouds above, and opened the doors of heaven.
Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of the sky.
24 He rained down manna on them to eat, and gave them bread from heaven.
He rained down manna for them to eat, and gave them the grain from heaven.
25 Man ate the bread of the mighty ones. He sent them food to the full.
People ate the bread of angels. He sent them food in abundance.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the sky. By his power he guided the south wind.
He caused the east wind to blow in the sky, and by his power he guided the south wind.
27 He rained also flesh on them as the dust; winged birds as the sand of the seas.
He rained down meat on them like dust, birds as numerous as the sands of the sea.
28 He let it fall in the midst of his camp, all around his tent.
They fell in the middle of their camp, all around their tents.
29 So they ate, and were well filled. He gave them their own desire.
So they ate and were full. He gave them what they craved.
30 They did not turn from their cravings. Their food was yet in their mouths,
But they had not yet filled up; their food was still in their mouths.
31 when the anger of God went up against them, killed some of the fattest of them, and struck down the young men of Israel.
Then God's anger attacked them and killed the strongest of them. He brought down the young men of Israel.
32 For all this they still sinned, and did not believe in his wondrous works.
Despite this, they continued to sin and did not believe his wonderful deeds.
33 Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, and their years in terror.
Therefore God cut short their days; their years were filled with terror.
34 When he killed them, then they inquired after him. They returned and sought God earnestly.
Whenever God afflicted them, they would start to seek him, and they would return and look earnestly for him.
35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God, their redeemer.
They would call to mind that God was their rock and that the Most High God was their rescuer.
36 But they flattered him with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.
But they would flatter him with their mouth and lie to him with their words.
37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they faithful in his covenant.
For their hearts were not firmly fixed on him, and they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 But he, being merciful, forgave iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many times he turned his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.
Yet he, being merciful, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. Yes, many times he held back his anger and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes away, and doesn't come again.
He called to mind that they were made of flesh, a wind that passes away and does not return.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, and grieved him in the desert.
How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the barren regions!
41 They turned again and tempted God, and gave pain to the Holy One of Israel.
Again and again they challenged God and offended the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his hand, nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;
They did not think about his power, how he had rescued them from the enemy
43 how he set his signs in Egypt, his wonders in the field of Zoan,
when he performed his terrifying signs in Egypt and his wonders in the region of Zoan.
44 he turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, so that they could not drink.
He turned the Egyptians' rivers to blood so that they could not drink from their streams.
45 He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
He sent swarms of flies that devoured them and frogs that overran their land.
46 He gave also their increase to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust.
He gave their crops to the grasshopper and their labor to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, their sycamore fig trees with frost.
He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore trees with more hail.
48 He gave over their livestock also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
He rained hail on their cattle and hurled lightning bolts at their livestock.
49 He threw on them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, and a band of destroying angels.
The fierceness of his anger lashed out against them. He sent wrath, fury, and trouble like agents who bring disaster.
50 He made a path for his anger. He did not spare their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence,
He leveled a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague.
51 and struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.
He killed all the firstborn in Egypt, the firstborn of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 But he led forth his own people like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
He led his own people out like sheep and guided them through the wilderness like a flock.
53 He led them safely, so that they weren't afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
He led them secure and unafraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 He brought them to the border of his sanctuary, to this mountain, which his right hand had taken.
Then he brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountain that his right hand acquired.
55 He also drove out the nations before them, allotted them for an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
He drove out the nations from before them and assigned them their inheritance. He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, and did not keep his testimonies;
Yet they challenged and defied the Most High God and did not keep his solemn commands.
57 but turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers. They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
They were unfaithful and acted treacherously like their fathers; they were as undependable as a faulty bow.
58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their engraved images.
For they made him angry with their high places and provoked him to jealous anger with their idols.
59 When God heard this, he was angry, and greatly abhorred Israel;
When God heard this, he was angry and completely rejected Israel.
60 So that he forsook the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among men;
He abandoned the sanctuary of Shiloh, the tent where he had lived among people.
61 and delivered his strength into captivity, his glory into the adversary's hand.
He allowed his strength to be captured and gave his glory into the enemy's hand.
62 He also gave his people over to the sword, and was angry with his inheritance.
He handed his people over to the sword, and he was angry with his heritage.
63 Fire devoured their young men. Their virgins had no wedding song.
Fire devoured their young men, and their young women had no wedding songs.
64 Their cohanim fell by the sword, and their widows couldn't weep.
Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows could not weep.
65 Then the Lord awakened as one out of sleep, like a mighty man who shouts by reason of wine.
Then the Lord awakened as one from sleep, like a warrior who shouts because of wine.
66 He struck his adversaries backward. He made them a permanent shame.
He drove his adversaries back; he put them to everlasting shame.
67 Moreover he rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
He rejected the tent of Joseph, and he did not chose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which he loved.
He chose the tribe of Judah and Mount Zion that he loved.
69 He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he has established forever.
He built his sanctuary like the heavens, like the earth that he has established forever.
70 He also chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds;
He chose David, his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds.
71 from following the ewes that have their young, he brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob his servant, and Israel his inheritance.
He took him from following the ewes with their young, and he brought him to be shepherd of Jacob, his people, and of Israel, his heritage.
72 So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
David shepherded them with the integrity of his heart, and he guided them with the skill of his hands.
