Psalms 78
1 [A contemplation by Asaph.] Hear my teaching, my people. Turn your ears to the words of my mouth.
A psalm (maskil) of Asaph. Listen to what I have to teach you, my people; hear what I have to say.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings since the beginning of the world,
I will tell you wise sayings; I will explain mysteries from the past
3 which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
that we have heard before and reflected on; stories our forefathers passed down to us.
4 We will not hide them from their descendants, telling to the generation to come the praises of YHWH, his strength, and his wondrous works that he has done.
We will not keep them from our children; we will tell the next generation about God's marvelous actions—about his power and the amazing things 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;
He gave his laws to the descendants of Jacob; his instructions to the people of Israel. He commanded our forefathers 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,
so that the next generation—children yet to be born—would understand and grow up to teach their children.
7 that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments,
In this way they should place their trust in God and not forget what God has done, and 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 forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation that was untrustworthy and unfaithful.
9 The people of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.
The soldiers of Ephraim, though armed with bows, ran away on the day of battle.
10 They did not keep God's covenant, and refused to walk by his Law.
They did not keep God's agreement, and refused to follow his laws.
11 They forgot his doings, his wondrous works that he had shown them.
They ignored what he had done, and the amazing things 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.
the miracles he had performed for their forefathers near Zoan in Egypt.
13 He split the sea, and caused them to pass through. He made the waters stand as a heap.
He split the sea in two and led them through, making the water stand like walls on either side.
14 In the daytime he also led them with a cloud, and all night with a light of fire.
He led them with a cloud by day, and by night with a light of fire.
15 He split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.
He split open rocks in the desert to give his people plenty to drink, water as deep as the ocean.
16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
He made streams flow from the stone; water rushing down like rivers!
17 Yet they still went on to sin against him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert.
But they repeatedly sinned against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 They tempted God in their heart by asking food according to their desire.
They deliberately provoked God by demanding the foods they longed for.
19 Yes, they spoke against God. They said, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
They insulted God by saying, “Can God provide food here in the desert?
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?"
Yes, he can strike a rock so that water gushes out like flowing rivers, but can he give us bread? Can he supply his people with meat?”
21 Therefore YHWH heard, and was angry. A fire was kindled against Jacob, anger also went up against Israel,
When he heard this, the Lord became very angry, burning like fire against the descendants of Jacob, furious with the people of Israel,
22 because they did not believe in God, and did not trust in his salvation.
for they didn't believe in God and didn't trust him to take care of them.
23 Yet he commanded the clouds above, and opened the doors of heaven.
Even so he commanded the skies above and the doors of heaven to open,
24 He rained down manna on them to eat, and gave them bread from heaven.
and he made manna rain down on them to eat, giving them bread from heaven.
25 Man ate the bread of the mighty ones. He sent them food to the full.
Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them more than enough food.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the sky. By his power he guided the south wind.
He sent the east wind blowing across the sky; by his power he drove 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 as plentiful as dust; birds as numerous as sand on a beach.
28 He let it fall in the midst of his camp, all around his tent.
He made them fall right in the middle of their camp, all around where they were living.
29 So they ate, and were well filled. He gave them their own desire.
They ate until they were full. He gave them the food they longed for.
30 They did not turn from their cravings. Their food was yet in their mouths,
But before they satisfied their appetite, while the meat 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.
God became angry with them and he killed their strongest men, striking them down in the prime of life.
32 For all this they still sinned, and did not believe in his wondrous works.
Despite all this they went right on sinning. Despite the miracles, they refused to trust him.
33 Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, and their years in terror.
So he snuffed out their futile lives, bringing them to an end in terror.
34 When he killed them, then they inquired after him. They returned and sought God earnestly.
When he began killing them, the rest came back to God in repentance, praying to him.
35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God, their redeemer.
They remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their Savior.
36 But they flattered him with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.
They flattered him by what they told him, but they were only lying.
37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they faithful in his covenant.
Deep down they were not sincere, and did not keep the agreement they had with him.
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.
But being compassionate he pardoned their guilt and did not destroy all of them. He often held back his anger—he did not pour out all his fury.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes away, and doesn't come again.
He remembered their mortality—that they were like a puff of wind that would 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, giving him grief in the desert!
41 They turned again and tempted God, and gave pain to the Holy One of Israel.
Again and again they provoked God, causing pain to 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 remember his strength when he rescued them from their oppressors,
43 how he set his signs in Egypt, his wonders in the field of Zoan,
performing miracles in Egypt, doing wonderful things on the plain of Zoan.
44 he turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, so that they could not drink.
There he turned their rivers and their streams into blood so that no one could drink from them.
45 He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
He sent flies among them to destroy them, and frogs to ruin everything.
46 He gave also their increase to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust.
He gave their crops to locusts; everything they worked had for was taken by locusts.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, their sycamore fig trees with frost.
He destroyed their vines with hail, and their fig trees with freezing rain.
48 He gave over their livestock also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
He handed over their cattle to hail and their flocks to lightning bolts.
49 He threw on them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, and a band of destroying angels.
He poured out on them his fierce anger—rage and hostility and anguish—sending a band of destroying angels against them.
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 sent his unrestrained anger against them; he did not spare them from death, handing them over to the plague.
51 and struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.
He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the first to be conceived in the tents of Ham.
52 But he led forth his own people like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
But he led out his people like sheep, and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
53 He led them safely, so that they weren't afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
He led them to safety, and they were not afraid. He drowned their enemies in the sea.
54 He brought them to the border of his sanctuary, to this mountain, which his right hand had taken.
He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountainous land that he had conquered for them.
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 heathen nations before them. He divided up the land for them to own. 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;
But they provoked God Most High, rebelling against him. They did not follow what he had told them.
57 but turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers. They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
Just like their forefathers they turned away from God and were unfaithful to him, as twisted as a defective bow.
58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their engraved images.
They made him angry with their pagan high places of worship; they made him jealous with their idols.
59 When God heard this, he was angry, and greatly abhorred Israel;
When God heard their worship he became furious and he totally rejected Israel.
60 So that he forsook the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among men;
He abandoned his place at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he lived among the people.
61 and delivered his strength into captivity, his glory into the adversary's hand.
He surrendered the Ark of his power, allowing it to be captured; handing it over into enemy hands.
62 He also gave his people over to the sword, and was angry with his inheritance.
He handed over his people to be slaughtered by the sword; he was furious with his chosen people.
63 Fire devoured their young men. Their virgins had no wedding song.
Their young men were destroyed by fire; their young women had no wedding songs.
64 Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows couldn't weep.
Their priests were killed by the sword; their widows were unable to mourn.
65 Then the Lord awakened as one out of sleep, like a mighty man who shouts by reason of wine.
Then the Lord woke up as if from sleep, as a warrior sobering up from drinking wine.
66 He struck his adversaries backward. He made them a permanent shame.
He defeated his enemies, striking them on the back, causing them everlasting shame.
67 Moreover he rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
He rejected the descendants of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which he loved.
Instead he chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion which he loves.
69 He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he has established forever.
There he built his sanctuary, high like the heavens, on earth that he made to last forever.
70 He also chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds;
He chose his servant David, taking him from the sheep pens,
71 from following the ewes that have their young, he brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob his servant, and Israel his inheritance.
taking him from caring for the sheep and lambs to be a shepherd to the descendants of Jacob—God's special people, Israel.
72 So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
Like a shepherd, he took care of them with sincere devotion, leading them with skillful hands.
