Psalms 78
1 My friends, listen to what I am going to teach you; pay careful attention [IDM] to what I say.
[A contemplation by Asaph.] Hear my teaching, my people. Turn 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 since the beginning of the world,
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 descendants, telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, his strength, and his wondrous works that he has 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 teaching 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 it, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell 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 did not make their hearts loyal, whose 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 people 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 did not keep God's covenant, and refused to walk by his Law.
11 They forgot what he had done; they forgot about the miracles that they had seen him perform.
They forgot his doings, his wondrous works that he had shown them.
12 While our ancestors were watching, God performed miracles in the area around Zoan [city] in Egypt.
He did marvelous things 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 split the sea, and caused them to pass through. He made the waters stand as a heap.
14 He led them by a [bright] cloud during the day and by a fiery light during the night.
In the daytime he also led them with a cloud, and all 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 split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as out of the 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.
Yet they still went on to sin against him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert.
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.
They tempted God in their heart by asking food according to their desire.
19 They insulted God by saying, “We don’t think he can supply food for us [here] in this desert!
Yes, they spoke against God. They said, "Can God 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]
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?"
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 angry. A fire was kindled against Jacob, anger also 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 did not believe in God, and did not trust 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 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).
He rained down manna on them to eat, and gave them bread from heaven.
25 [So] the people ate the food that angels eat, [and] God gave to them all the manna that they wanted.
Man ate the bread of the mighty ones. He sent them food 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 the east wind to blow in the sky. By his power he guided the south wind.
27 and the wind brought birds which were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.
He rained also flesh on them as the dust; winged birds as 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.
He let it fall in the midst of his camp, all around his tent.
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 well filled. He gave them their own desire.
30 But before they had eaten all that they wanted, and while they were still eating it,
They did not turn from their cravings. Their food 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.
when the anger of God went up against them, killed some of the fattest of them, and struck down the young 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 still sinned, and did not believe in 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 he consumed their days in vanity, and their years in terror.
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 killed them, then they inquired after him. They returned and sought God earnestly.
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.
They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God, their redeemer.
36 But they [tried to] deceive God by what they said [MTY]; their words [MTY] were [all] lies.
But they flattered him 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 faithful 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 merciful, forgave iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many times he turned 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.
He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes away, and doesn't come again.
40 Many times our ancestors rebelled against God in the desert and caused him to become very sad.
How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, and grieved 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.
They turned again and tempted God, and gave pain to 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 did not remember his hand, nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;
43 They forgot about when he performed many miracles in the area near Zoan [city] in Egypt.
how he set his signs in Egypt, 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.
he turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, so 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 among them swarms of flies, 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 to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust.
47 He sent hail that destroyed the grapevines, and sent frost that ruined the figs.
He destroyed their vines with hail, their sycamore fig trees with frost.
48 He sent hail that killed their cattle and sent lightning that killed their sheep and cows.
He gave over their livestock 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 threw on them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, and a band of destroying 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 path for his anger. He did not spare 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 struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tents 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 he led forth his own people 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.
He led them safely, so that they weren't afraid, 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].
He brought them to the border of his sanctuary, to this mountain, which his right hand had taken.
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 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.
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 rebelled against the Most High God, and did not keep 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 treacherously 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 engraved images.
59 He saw what they were doing and became very angry, so he rejected the Israeli people.
When God heard this, he was angry, 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 at Shiloh, the 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 delivered his strength into captivity, his glory into the adversary's hand.
62 Because he was angry with his people, he allowed them to be killed [MTY] [by their enemies].
He also gave his people over to the sword, and was angry with 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. Their virgins had no wedding song.
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 couldn't weep.
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 awakened as one out of sleep, like a mighty man who shouts 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].
He struck his adversaries backward. He made them a permanent shame.
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 rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose 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, 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.
He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he has established forever.
70 He chose David, who served him [faithfully], and took him from the pastures
He also chose David 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 that have their young, he brought him 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 was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
