Psalms 78
1 My friends, listen to what I am going to teach you; pay careful attention [IDM] to what I say.
[A Psalm] of instruction for Asaph. Give heed, O my people, to my law: incline your ear to the words of my mouth.
2 I am going to give you some sayings that wise people have said. They will be sayings about things that happened long ago, things that were difficult to understand [MET],
I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter dark sayings [which have been] from the beginning.
3 things that we have heard and known previously, things that our parents and grandparents told us.
All which we have heard and known, and our fathers have declared to us.
4 We will tell these things to our children [LIT], and we will also tell to our grandchildren [about] Yahweh’s power and the glorious/great things that he has done.
They were not hid from their children to a second generations; [the fathers] declaring the praises of the Lord, and his mighty acts, and his wonders which he wrought.
5 He gave laws and commandments to the Israeli people, [those who are the descendants of] Jacob [DOU], and he told our ancestors to teach them to their children
And he raised up a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, to make it known to their children:
6 in order that their children would [also] know them and then they would teach them to their children.
that another generation might know, even the sons which should be born; and they should arise and declare them to their children.
7 In that way, they also would trust in God, and not forget the things that he has done; instead, they would obey his commandments.
That they might set their hope on God, and not forget the works of God, but diligently seek his commandments.
8 They would not be like their ancestors, who were very stubborn and kept rebelling [against God]; they did not continue firmly trusting in God, and they did not worship only him.
That they should not be as their fathers, a perverse and provoking generation; a generation which set not its heart aright, and its spirit was not steadfast with God.
9 [The soldiers of] the tribe of Ephraim had bows [and arrows] but they ran away [from their enemies] on the day that they fought a battle with their enemies.
The children of Ephraim, bending and shooting [with] the bow, turned [back] in the day of battle.
10 They did not do what they had agreed with God that they would do; they refused to obey his laws.
They kept not the covenant of God, and would not walk in his law.
11 They forgot what he had done; they forgot about the miracles that they had seen him perform.
And they forgot his benefits, and his miracles which he [had] shewed them;
12 While our ancestors were watching, God performed miracles in the area around Zoan [city] in Egypt.
the miracles which he wrought before their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the plain of Tanes.
13 [Then] he caused the [Red] Sea to divide, causing the water [on each side] to pile up like a wall, with the result that [our ancestors] walked through it [on dry ground].
He clave the sea, and led them through: he made the waters to stand as [in] a bottle.
14 He led them by a [bright] cloud during the day and by a fiery light during the night.
And he guided them with a cloud by day, and all the night with a light of fire.
15 He split rocks open in the desert, giving to our ancestors plenty of water from deep inside the earth.
he clave a rock in the wilderness, and made them drink as in a great deep.
16 He caused a stream of water to flow from the rock; the water flowed like a river [DOU].
And he brought water out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down as rivers.
17 But [our ancestors] continued to sin against God; in the desert they rebelled against the one who is greater than any other god.
And they sinned yet more against him; they provoked the Most High in the wilderness.
18 By demanding that God give them the food that they desired, they tried to find out if he would always do what they requested him to do.
And they tempted God in their hearts, in asking meat for [the desire of] their souls.
19 They insulted God by saying, “We don’t think he can supply food for us [here] in this desert!
They spoke also against God, and said, Will God be able to prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 [It is true that] he struck the rock, with the result that water gushed/flowed out, [but] (can he also provide bread and meat for [us], his people?/we doubt that he can also provide bread and meat for us, his people.)” [RHQ]
Forasmuch as he smote the rock, and the waters flowed, and the torrents ran abundantly; will he be able also to give bread, or prepare a table for his people?
21 So, when Yahweh heard that, he became very angry, and he sent a fire to burn up [some of] his Israeli [people]. [MTY, DOU]
Therefore the Lord heard, and was provoked: and fire was kindled in Jacob, and wrath went up against Israel.
22 [He did that] because they did not trust in him, and they did not believe that he would rescue them.
Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation.
23 But God spoke to the sky above them; he commanded it to open [like] a door,
Yet he commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,
24 and [then food] fell down like rain, [food which they named] ‘manna’; God gave them grain from (heaven/the sky).
and rained upon them manna to eat, and gave them the bread of heaven.
25 [So] the people ate the food that angels eat, [and] God gave to them all the manna that they wanted.
Man ate angels' bread; he sent them provision to the full.
26 [Later], he caused the wind to blow from the east, and by his power he also sent wind from the south,
He removed the south wind from heaven; and by his might he brought in the south-west wind.
27 and the wind brought birds which were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.
And he rained upon them flesh like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the seas.
28 God caused those birds to fall [dead] in the middle of (their camp)/the area where the people had put up their tents. [There were dead birds] all around their tents.
And they fell into the midst of their camp, round about their tents.
29 [So] the people [cooked the birds and] ate the meat and their stomachs were full, because God had given them what they wanted.
So they ate, and were completely filled; and he gave them their desire.
30 But before they had eaten all that they wanted, and while they were still eating it,
They were not disappointed of their desire: [but] when their food was yet in their mouth,
31 God was [still] very angry with them, and he caused their strongest men to die; he got rid of [many of] the finest [young] Israeli men.
then the indignation of God rose up against them, and slew the fattest of them, and overthrew the choice men of Israel.
32 In spite of all that, the people continued to sin; in spite of all the miracles that God had performed, they still did not trust that he [would take care of them].
In the midst of all this they sinned yet more, and believed not his miracles.
33 So, he caused their lives to end as quickly as a puff of wind ends; they died when disasters suddenly struck them.
And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years with anxiety.
34 When God caused [some of] them to die, [the others] turned to God; they repented and earnestly asked God [to save them].
When he slew them, they sought him: and they returned and called betimes upon God.
35 They remembered that God is [like] a huge rock ledge [under which they would be safe] [MET], and that he, who was greater than any other god, is the one who protected/rescued them.
And they remembered that God was their helper, and the most high God was their redeemer.
36 But they [tried to] deceive God by what they said [MTY]; their words [MTY] were [all] lies.
Yet they loved him [only] with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.
37 They were not loyal to him; they disregarded/ignored the agreement that he had made with them.
For their heart [was] not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant.
38 But God was merciful to his people. He forgave them for having sinned and did not get rid of them. Many times he refrained from becoming angry [with them] and restrained from furiously/severely [punishing them] [MTY].
But he is compassionate, and will forgive their sins, and will not destroy [them]: yea, he will frequently turn away his wrath, and will not kindle all his anger.
39 He remembered/considered that they were only humans who die; they [disappear quickly] [SIM], like a wind that blows by and then is gone.
And he remembered that they are flesh; a wind that passes away, and returns not.
40 Many times our ancestors rebelled against God in the desert and caused him to become very sad.
How often did they provoke him in the wilderness, [and] anger him in a dry land!
41 Many times they did evil things, to find out [if they could do those things without God punishing them]. They frequently caused the holy God of Israel to become disgusted/sad.
Yea, they turned back, and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They forgot about his [great] power, and they (forgot/did not think) about the time when he rescued them from their enemies.
They remembered not his hand, the day in which he delivered them from the hand of the oppressor.
43 They forgot about when he performed many miracles in the area near Zoan [city] in Egypt.
How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanes:
44 He caused the [Nile] River (OR, their sources of water) to become [red like] blood, with the result that the people of Egypt had no water to drink.
and had changed their rivers into blood; and their streams, that they should not drink.
45 He sent among the people of Egypt swarms of flies that bit them, and he sent frogs that ate up everything.
He sent against them the dog-fly, and it devoured them; and the frog, and it spoiled them.
46 He sent locusts to eat their crops and the other things that grew in their fields.
And he gave their fruit to the canker worm, and their labours to the locust.
47 He sent hail that destroyed the grapevines, and sent frost that ruined the figs.
He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with frost.
48 He sent hail that killed their cattle and sent lightning that killed their sheep and cows.
And he gave up their cattle to hail, and their substance to the fire.
49 Because God was fiercely angry with the people of Egypt, he caused them to be very distressed. The disasters that struck them were like a group of angels that destroyed [everything].
He sent out against them the fury of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and affliction, a message by evil angels.
50 He did not lessen his being angry [with them], and he did not (spare their lives/prevent them from dying); he sent a (plague/serious illness) that killed [many of] them.
He made a way for his wrath; he spared not their souls from death, but consigned their cattle to death;
51 He also caused all the firstborn sons of the people of Egypt to die.
and smote every first-born in the land of Egypt; the first-fruits of their labours in the tents of Cham.
52 Then he led his people out [of Egypt] like [a shepherd leads] his sheep [SIM], and he guided them [while they walked] through the desert.
And he removed his people like sheep; he led them as a flock in the wilderness.
53 He led them safely, and they were not afraid, but their enemies were drowned in the sea.
And he guided them with hope, and they feared not: but the sea covered their enemies.
54 [Later] he brought them to [Canaan], his sacred land, to [Zion] Hill (OR, the hilly area) and by his power [MTY] he enabled them to conquer [the people who were living there].
And he brought them in to the mountain of his sanctuary, this mountain which his right hand had purchased.
55 He expelled the people-groups while his people were advancing; he allotted part of the land for [each tribe] to possess, and he gave to the Israeli people the houses of those people who had been expelled.
And he cast out the nations from before them, and made them to inherit by a line of inheritance, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
56 However, the Israeli people rebelled against God, who is greater than any other god, and they did many evil things to see if they could do those things without God punishing them, and they did not obey his commandments.
Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies.
57 Instead, like their ancestors did, they rebelled against God and (were not loyal to/did not faithfully [obey]) him; they were as [unreliable as] a crooked arrow [that does not go straight] [SIM].
And they turned back, and broke covenant, even as also their fathers: they became like a crooked bow.
58 Because they [worshiped] carved images of their gods on the tops of hills, they caused God to become angry [DOU].
And they provoked him with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
59 He saw what they were doing and became very angry, so he rejected the Israeli people.
God heard and lightly regarded [them], and greatly despised Israel.
60 He no longer appeared to them at Shiloh in the tent where he had lived among them.
And he rejected the tabernacle of Selom, his tent where he dwelt among men.
61 He allowed their enemies to capture [the sacred chest], [which was the symbol of] his power and his glory.
And he gave their strength into captivity, and their beauty into the enemy's hand.
62 Because he was angry with his people, he allowed them to be killed [MTY] [by their enemies].
And he gave his people to the sword; and disdained his inheritance.
63 Young men were killed in battles, with the result that the young women had no one to marry.
Fire devoured their young men; and their virgins mourned not.
64 [Many] priests were killed by [their enemies’] swords, and (the people did not allow the priests’ widows/the priests’ widows were not allowed) to mourn.
Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows shall not be wept for.
65 Later, [it was as though] the Lord awoke from sleeping; he was like a strong man who (became stimulated/felt that he was strong) by (OR, became sober after) [drinking] a lot of wine [SIM].
So the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, [and] as a mighty man who has been heated with wine.
66 He pushed their enemies back and caused them to be [very] ashamed for a long time [HYP] [because they had been defeated].
And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he brought on them a perpetual reproach.
67 [But] he did not set up his tent where [the people of] the tribe of Ephraim lived; he did not choose their area [to do that].
And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim;
68 Instead he chose [the area where] the tribe of Judah [lived]; he chose Zion Hill, which he loves.
but chose the tribe of Juda, the mount Sion which he loved.
69 He [decided to have] his temple built [there], high up, like [his home in] heaven; he caused it to be firm, [and intended that] his temple would last forever, like the earth.
And he built his sanctuary as [the place] of unicorns; he founded it for ever on the earth.
70 He chose David, who served him [faithfully], and took him from the pastures
He chose David also his servant, and took him up from the flocks of sheep.
71 where he was taking care of his [father’s] sheep, and appointed him to be the leader [MET] of the Israeli people, the people who belong to God.
He took him from following the ewes great with young, to be the shepherd of Jacob his servant, and Israel his inheritance.
72 David took care of the Israeli people sincerely and wholeheartedly, and guided them skillfully/wisely.
So he tended them in the innocency of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
