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 with a simile my mouth, 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 do 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, To a later generation recounting praises of Jehovah, And His strength, and His wonders that He hath 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 raiseth up a testimony in Jacob, And a law hath placed 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 doth know, Sons who are born, do 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 in God their confidence, And forget not 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 apostate and rebellious, A generation! it hath not prepared its heart, Nor stedfast with God [is] its spirit.

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 in His law they have refused to walk,

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

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

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

Before their fathers He hath done wonders, 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 causeth them to pass over, Yea, He causeth 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 leadeth them with a cloud by day, And all the night with a light of fire.

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

He cleaveth rocks in a wilderness, And giveth drink — as the great deep.

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

And bringeth out streams from a rock, And causeth 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 add still 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?

Lo, He hath smitten a rock, And waters flow, yea, streams overflow. 'Also — bread [is] He able to give? Doth 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 hath Jehovah heard, And He sheweth Himself wroth, And fire hath been kindled against Jacob, And anger also hath 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 commandeth clouds from above, Yea, doors of the heavens He hath opened.

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

And He raineth on them manna to eat, Yea, corn of heaven He hath given to them.

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

Food of the mighty hath each eaten, Venison He sent to them to satiety.

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

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

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

And He raineth on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas — winged fowl,

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

And causeth [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Round about His tabernacles.

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 their desire He bringeth 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, Yet [is] their food 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 hath gone up against them, And He slayeth among their fat ones, And youths of Israel He caused 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 consumeth in vanity their days, 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 sought God earnestly,

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 with their tongue do lie to Him,

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

And their heart hath not been right with Him, And they have not been stedfast 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, Pardoneth iniquity, and destroyeth not, And hath often turned back His anger, And waketh not up all His fury.

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

And He remembereth that they [are] flesh, A wind going on — and it returneth not.

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:

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

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 turneth to blood their streams, And their floods they drink not.

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

He sendeth among them the beetle, and it consumeth them, And the frog, and it destroyeth them,

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

And giveth to the caterpillar their increase, And their labour to the locust.

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

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

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

And delivereth up to the hail their beasts, And their cattle 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 sendeth 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 pondereth a path for His anger, He kept not back their soul from death, Yea, their life to the pestilence He delivered up.

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

And He smiteth every first-born 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 causeth His people to journey as a flock, And guideth 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 leadeth them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And their enemies hath the sea covered.

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

And He bringeth them in unto the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had got,

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 casteth out nations from before them, And causeth them to fall in the line of inheritance, And causeth 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 His testimonies have not kept.

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 with their graven images make Him zealous,

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

God hath heard, and sheweth Himself wroth. And kicketh exceedingly against Israel.

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

And He leaveth the tabernacle 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 giveth 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 delivereth up to the sword His people, And with His inheritance shewed Himself angry.

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

His young men hath fire consumed, 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 by the sword have fallen, And their widows weep not.

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

And the Lord waketh 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 smiteth His adversaries backward, A reproach age-during He hath put on them,

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

And He kicketh against the tent of Joseph, And on the tribe of Ephraim hath not fixed.

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

And He chooseth 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 buildeth His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it to the age.

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

And He fixeth on David His servant, And taketh 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.

From behind suckling ones He hath brought him in, 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 ruleth them according to the integrity of his heart, And by the skilfulness of his hands leadeth them!