Psalms 78

1 My friends, listen to what I am going to teach you; pay careful attention [IDM] to what I say.

Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears 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 a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:

3 things that we have heard and known previously, things that our parents and grandparents told us.

Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told 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.

We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of Yhwh, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.

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

For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:

6 in order that their children would [also] know them and then they would teach them to their children.

That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who 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 in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep 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.

And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast 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, being armed, and carrying bows, 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 refused to walk in his law;

11 They forgot what he had done; they forgot about the miracles that they had seen him perform.

And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.

12 While our ancestors were watching, God performed miracles in the area around Zoan [city] in Egypt.

Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

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 divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.

14 He led them by a [bright] cloud during the day and by a fiery light during the night.

In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, 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 the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.

16 He caused a stream of water to flow from the rock; the water flowed like a river [DOU].

He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like 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 by provoking 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 heart by asking meat for their lust.

19 They insulted God by saying, “We don’t think he can supply food for us [here] in this desert!

Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish 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]

Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh 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 Yhwh heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came 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,

Though he had 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 had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the grain of heaven.

25 [So] the people ate the food that angels eat, [and] God gave to them all the manna that they wanted.

Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat 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 caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.

27 and the wind brought birds which were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.

He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:

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 he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.

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 did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;

30 But before they had eaten all that they wanted, and while they were still eating it,

They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,

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.

The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen 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].

For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.

33 So, he caused their lives to end as quickly as a puff of wind ends; they died when disasters suddenly struck them.

Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.

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, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after 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 rock, and the high God their redeemer.

36 But they [tried to] deceive God by what they said [MTY]; their words [MTY] were [all] lies.

Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.

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 stedfast 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, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.

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.

For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

40 Many times our ancestors rebelled against God in the desert and caused him to become very sad.

How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

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 limited 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, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.

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 Zoan:

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 turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could 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 divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

46 He sent locusts to eat their crops and the other things that grew in their fields.

He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.

47 He sent hail that destroyed the grapevines, and sent frost that ruined the figs.

He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.

48 He sent hail that killed their cattle and sent lightning that killed their sheep and cows.

He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

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 cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.

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 to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;

51 He also caused all the firstborn sons of the people of Egypt to die.

And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:

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.

But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

53 He led them safely, and they were not afraid, but their enemies were drowned in the sea.

And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed 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 to the border of his sanctuary, even to 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.

He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, 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].

But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

58 Because they [worshiped] carved images of their gods on the tops of hills, they caused God to become angry [DOU].

For they provoked him to anger 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.

When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:

60 He no longer appeared to them at Shiloh in the tent where he had lived among them.

So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;

61 He allowed their enemies to capture [the sacred chest], [which was the symbol of] his power and his glory.

And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand.

62 Because he was angry with his people, he allowed them to be killed [MTY] [by their enemies].

He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.

63 Young men were killed in battles, with the result that the young women had no one to marry.

The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.

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 made no lamentation.

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].

Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of 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 put them to 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].

Moreover he refused 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 Judah, the mount Zion 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 like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.

70 He chose David, who served him [faithfully], and took him from the pastures

He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:

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.

From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

72 David took care of the Israeli people sincerely and wholeheartedly, and guided them skillfully/wisely.

So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.