Psalms 78

1 An Instructive Psalm. Asaph’s. Give ear, O my people, to mine instruction, Bend your ear to the sayings of my mouth;

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

2 I will open, in a parable, my mouth, I will pour forth enigmas out of antiquity; —

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

3 Which we have heard, and come to know, And, our fathers, have recounted to us;

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

4 We will not withhold [them] from their children, To a later generation, recounting the praises of Yahweh, Even his might and his wonders which he wrought;

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.

5 When he set up a testimony in Jacob, And, a law, appointed in Israel, —Which he commanded our fathers, That they might make them known to their children;

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.

6 To the end, A later generation, might come to know, Children who should be born, Who should arise, and recount [them] to their children;

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

7 That they might set, in Elohim, their confidence, —And not forget the doings of El, But, his commandments, might observe;

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

8 And not become, like their fathers, a generation stubborn and rebellious, —A generation that fixed not their heart, Neither was their spirit, faithful with GOD.

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.

9 The sons of Ephraim—armed bowmen, Turned in the day of battle;

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

10 They kept not the covenant of God, And, in his law, refused to walk;

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

11 And forgat His doings, And his wonders which he had showed them:

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

12 In presence of their fathers, wrought he, wondrously, —In the land of Egypt—the field of Zoan:

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

13 He clave the sea, and caused them to pass through, And reared up the waters like a mound;

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

14 And led them, by a cloud, in the daytime, And all the night, by a light of fire;

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

15 He used to cleave rocks in the desert, And let them drink as out of mighty deeps;

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

16 And he brought forth streams out of the cliff, And caused waters to flow down, like rivers.

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

17 But again, once more sinned they against him, Resisting the Most High in a land of drought:

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

18 They put GOD to the proof in their heart, By asking food to their mind:

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

19 Yea they spake against Elohim, —They said, Can GOD prepare a table in the desert?

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

20 Lo! he hath smitten a rock, And waters, have gushed out, Yea, torrents, have rushed along, —Food also, can he give? Or provide flesh for his people?

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?”

21 Therefore, Yahweh hearkened, and became wroth, —And, a fire, was kindled against Jacob, Moreover also, anger, mounted against Israel;

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

22 Because, They believed not in God, Nor trusted in his salvation;

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

23 Though he had commanded the skies above, And, the doors of the heavens, had opened;

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

24 And had rained on them manna to eat, And, the corn of the heavens, had given to them:

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

25 The food of the mighty, each one did eat, Nourishment, sent he them to the full;

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

26 He let loose an east wind in the heavens, Then guided he, in his might, a south wind;

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

27 And rained upon them flesh as the dust, And, like the sand of the seas, birds of wing;

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

28 And let them fall in the midst of their camp, —Round about their habitations.

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

29 So they did eat and were abundantly filled, When, what they longed for, he had brought them: —

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

30 They had not turned away from what they had longed for, Yet was their food in their mouth,

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

31 When, the anger of God, mounted against them, And he slew of their vigorous youths, And, the choice young men of Israel, caused he to bow down in death.

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.

32 For all this, sinned they still, And believed not in his wonders;

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

33 So he ended, in a breath, their days, And their years, in a sudden terror!

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

34 If he slew [of] them, then they sought him, Yea they turned, and did earnestly seek GOD;

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

35 And remembered that, Elohim, was their rock, Yea, EL Most High, their Redeemer:

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

36 So they spake him fair with their mouth, And, with their tongue, did promise him falsely;

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

37 But, their heart, was not fixed with him, Nor were they trusty in his covenant:

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

38 Yet, he, full of compassion, would put a propitiatory-covering over iniquity, and not destroy, —Yea, many a time, turned he back his anger, And would not stir up all his wrath.

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.

39 So then he remembered, That, Flesh, they were, A Wind departing, that returneth not.

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

40 How often they, Resisted him in the desert, Vexed him, in the waste:

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

41 Yea they again put GOD to the test, And, to the Holy One of Israel, caused they sorrow:

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

42 They remembered not his hand—The day, When he ransomed them from the adversary;

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

43 When he set, in Egypt, his signs, And his wonders, in the plain of Zoan;

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

44 When he turned, into blood, their Nile-streams, And, their own rivers, could they not drink;

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

45 He sent among them, The gad-fly, and it devoured them, And the frog, and it despoiled them;

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

46 When he gave to the corn-locust their produce, And their toil, to the swarming locust;

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

47 He killed, with hail, their vine, And their sycomores, with frost:

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

48 When he gave up, to hail-storms, their beasts, And their cattle, to pestilent fevers;

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

49 He sent among them the heat of his anger, Wrath and indignation and distress, —A mission of messengers of misfortune:

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

50 He leveled a path for his anger, Withheld not, from death, their soul, But, their life—to the pestilence, he delivered:

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.

51 So he smote, Every first-born in Egypt, The beginning of their strength, in the tents of Ham;

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

52 And he set forth, like sheep, his people, And guided them, like a flock in the desert;

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

53 Yea he led them securely, and they dreaded not, And, their enemies, the sea did cover.

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

54 Then brought he them within his own holy bounds, The mountain-range, which his right hand made his own:

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

55 So he drave out, before them, [whole] nations, And allotted them, by line, an inheritance, And caused to dwell, in their own homes, the tribes of Israel.

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,

56 But they tested and resisted God Most High, And, his testimonies, did not observe;

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

57 But drew back and dealt treacherously, like their fathers, They turned aside, like deceitful bowmen;

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

58 And provoked him to anger with their high places, And, with their images, used to move him to jealousy.

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

59 God heard and was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;

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

60 So he gave up the habitation of Shiloh, The tent he had set up among Men;

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

61 Yea he gave up, into captivity, his strength, And his beauty into the hand of an adversary;

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

62 And delivered up, to the sword, his people, And, with his own inheritance, was he wroth;

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

63 His young men, were devoured by fire, And, his virgins, were not praised in song;

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

64 His priests, by the sword, did fall, And, his widows, were not able to bewail.

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

65 Then awoke, as one that had slept, Adonay, As a warrior exulting with wine!

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

66 So he smote his adversaries in the rear, Reproach age-abiding, laid he upon them.

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

67 Howbeit he rejected the tent of Joseph, And, the tribe of Ephraim, did not choose:

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

68 But made choice of the tribe of Judah, The mountain of Zion, which he loved;

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

69 And built, like the heights, his sanctuary, Like the earth, he founded it to times age-abiding.

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

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

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

71 From after the sucking ewes, he brought him in, —To be shepherd to Jacob his people, And to Israel, his inheritance.

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

72 So he did shepherd them, according to the singleness of his heart, And, with the discernment of his hands, used he to guide them.

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