Psalms 78
1 A maschil of Asaph. Hear my teaching, my people, listen to the words of my mouth.
“A psalm of Asaph.” Give ear, O my people, to my instruction! Incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 I will open my mouth in parables; I will sing about hidden things about the past.
I will open my mouth in a psalm; I will utter sayings of ancient times.
3 These are things that we have heard and learned, things that our ancestors have told us.
What we have heard and learned, And our fathers have told us,
4 We will not keep them from their descendants. We will tell the next generation about the praiseworthy deeds of Yahweh, his strength, and the wonders that he has done.
We will not hide from their children; Showing to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, His might, and the wonders he hath wrought.
5 For he established covenant decrees in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel. He commanded our ancestors that they were to teach them to their children.
For he appointed statutes in Jacob, And established a law in Israel, Which he commanded our fathers To make known to their children;
6 He commanded this so that the generation to come might know his decrees, the children not yet born, who should tell them in turn to their own children.
So that the generation to come might know them; The children, which should be born, and rise up, Who should declare them to their children;
7 Then they would place their hope in God and not forget his deeds but keep his commandments.
That they might put their trust in God, And not forget his deeds, But keep his commandments;
8 Then they would not be like their ancestors, who were a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose hearts were not right, and whose spirits were not committed and faithful to God.
And might not be, like their forefathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, —A generation whose heart was not fixed upon God, And whose spirit was not steadfast toward the Almighty.
9 The Ephraimites were armed with bows, but they turned back on the day of battle.
The children of Ephraim were like armed bowmen, Who turn their backs in the day of battle.
10 They did not keep the covenant with God, and they refused to obey his law.
They kept not the covenant of God, And refused to walk in his law;
11 They forgot his deeds, the wonderful things that he had shown them.
And forgot his mighty deeds, And the wonders he had shown them.
12 They forgot the marvelous things he did in the sight of their ancestors in the land of Egypt, in the land of Zoan.
Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea and led them across it; he made the waters to stand like walls.
He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; Yea, he made the waters to stand as a heap.
14 In the daytime he led them with a cloud and all the night with the light of fire.
By day he led them by a cloud, And all the night by a light of fire.
15 He split the rocks in the wilderness, and he gave them water abundantly, enough to fill the depths of the sea.
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink, as from the great deep.
16 He made streams flow out of the rock and made the water flow like rivers.
From the rock he brought flowing streams, And made water to run down like rivers.
17 Yet they continued to sin against him, rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.
Yet still they sinned against him, And provoked the Most High in the desert.
18 They challenged God in their hearts by asking for food to satisfy their appetites.
They tempted God in their hearts, By asking food for their delight.
19 They spoke against God; they said, “Can God really lay out a table for us in the wilderness?
Yea, they spake against God, and said, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
20 See, when he struck the rock, waters gushed out and streams overflowed. But can he give bread also? Will he provide meat for his people?”
Behold! he smote the rock, and the water flowed, And streams gushed forth: Is he also able to give bread? Can he provide flesh for his people?”
21 When Yahweh heard this, he was angry; so his fire burned against Jacob, and his anger attacked Israel,
When, therefore, the LORD heard this, he was wroth: So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger arose against Israel.
22 because they did not believe in God and did not trust in his salvation.
Because they believed not in God, And trusted not in his aid.
23 Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of the sky.
Yet he had commanded the clouds above, And had opened the doors of heaven;
24 He rained down manna for them to eat, and gave them the grain from heaven.
And had rained down upon them manna for food, And had given them the corn of heaven.
25 People ate the bread of angels. He sent them food in abundance.
Every one ate the food of princes; He sent them bread to the full.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the sky, and by his power he guided the south wind.
Then he caused a strong wind to blow in the heavens, And by his power he brought a south wind;
27 He rained down meat on them like dust, birds as numerous as the sands of the sea.
He rained down flesh upon them as dust, And feathered fowls as the sand of the sea.
28 They fell in the middle of their camp, all around their tents.
He caused them to fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their habitations.
29 So they ate and were full. He gave them what they craved.
So they did eat, and were filled; For he gave them their own desire.
30 But they had not yet filled up; their food was still in their mouths.
Their desire was not yet satisfied, And their meat was yet in their mouths,
31 Then God's anger attacked them and killed the strongest of them. He brought down the young men of Israel.
When the wrath of God came upon them, And slew their strong men, And smote down the chosen men of Israel.
32 Despite this, they continued to sin and did not believe his wonderful deeds.
For all this they sinned still, And put no trust in his wondrous works.
33 Therefore God cut short their days; their years were filled with terror.
Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, And their years in sudden destruction.
34 Whenever God afflicted them, they would start to seek him, and they would return and look earnestly for him.
When he slew them, they sought him; They returned, and sought earnestly for God;
35 They would call to mind that God was their rock and that the Most High God was their rescuer.
And remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High their redeemer.
36 But they would flatter him with their mouth and lie to him with their words.
But they only flattered him with their mouths, And spake falsely to him with their tongues.
37 For their hearts were not firmly fixed on him, and they were not faithful to his covenant.
For their hearts were not true to him, Nor were they steadfast in his covenant.
38 Yet he, being merciful, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. Yes, many times he held back his anger and did not stir up all his wrath.
Yet, being full of compassion, he forgave their iniquity, And would not utterly destroy them; Often he restrained his indignation, And stirred not up all his anger.
39 He called to mind that they were made of flesh, a wind that passes away and does not return.
He remembered that they were but flesh, —A breath, that passeth and cometh not back.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the barren regions!
How often did they provoke him in the wilderness! How often did they anger him in the desert!
41 Again and again they challenged God and offended the Holy One of Israel.
Again and again they tempted God, And offended the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not think about his power, how he had rescued them from the enemy
They remembered not his hand, Nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy;
43 when he performed his terrifying signs in Egypt and his wonders in the region of Zoan.
What signs he had wrought in Egypt, And what wonders in the fields of Zoan.
44 He turned the Egyptians' rivers to blood so that they could not drink from their streams.
He turned their rivers into blood, So that they could not drink of their streams.
45 He sent swarms of flies that devoured them and frogs that overran their land.
He sent amongst them flies, which devoured them, And frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper and their labor to the locust.
He gave also their fruits to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore trees with more hail.
He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycamore-trees with frost.
48 He rained hail on their cattle and hurled lightning bolts at their livestock.
He also gave up their cattle to hail, And their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
49 The fierceness of his anger lashed out against them. He sent wrath, fury, and trouble like agents who bring disaster.
He sent against them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, indignation, and woe, —A host of angels of evil.
50 He leveled a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague.
He made a way for his anger, He spared them not from death, But gave up their lives to the pestilence.
51 He killed all the firstborn in Egypt, the firstborn of their strength in the tents of Ham.
He smote all the firstborn in Egypt; The first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 He led his own people out like sheep and guided them through the wilderness like a flock.
But he led forth his own people like sheep, And guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
53 He led them secure and unafraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
He led them on safely, so that they feared not, While the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 Then he brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountain that his right hand acquired.
He brought them to his own sacred border, Even to this mountain which his right hand had gained.
55 He drove out the nations from before them and assigned them their inheritance. He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
He cast out the nations before them, And divided their land by a measuring-line, as an inheritance, And caused the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
56 Yet they challenged and defied the Most High God and did not keep his solemn commands.
Yet they tempted and provoked God, the Most High, And kept not his statutes;
57 They were unfaithful and acted treacherously like their fathers; they were as undependable as a faulty bow.
Like their fathers they were faithless, and turned back; They turned aside, like a deceitful bow.
58 For they made him angry with their high places and provoked him to jealous anger with their idols.
They provoked his anger by their high places, And stirred up his jealousy by their graven images.
59 When God heard this, he was angry and completely rejected Israel.
God saw this, and was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;
60 He abandoned the sanctuary of Shiloh, the tent where he had lived among people.
So that he forsook the habitation at Shiloh, The tabernacle where he dwelt among men,
61 He allowed his strength to be captured and gave his glory into the enemy's hand.
And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the hand of the enemy.
62 He handed his people over to the sword, and he was angry with his heritage.
His own people he gave up to the sword, And was wroth with his own inheritance.
63 Fire devoured their young men, and their young women had no wedding songs.
Fire consumed their young men, And their maidens did not bewail them.
64 Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows could not weep.
Their priests fell by the sword, And their widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the Lord awakened as one from sleep, like a warrior who shouts because of wine.
But at length the Lord awaked as from sleep, As a hero who had been overpowered by wine;
66 He drove his adversaries back; he put them to everlasting shame.
He smote his enemies, and drove them back, And covered them with everlasting disgrace.
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph, and he did not chose the tribe of Ephraim.
Yet he rejected the tents of Joseph, And chose not the tribe of Ephraim;
68 He chose the tribe of Judah and Mount Zion that he loved.
But chose the tribe of Judah, The Mount Zion which he loved;
69 He built his sanctuary like the heavens, like the earth that he has established forever.
Where he built, like the heavens, his sanctuary; Like the earth, which he hath established for ever.
70 He chose David, his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds.
And he chose David, his servant, And took him from the sheepfolds;
71 He took him from following the ewes with their young, and he brought him to be shepherd of Jacob, his people, and of Israel, his heritage.
From tending the suckling ewes he brought him To feed Jacob his people, And Israel his inheritance.
72 David shepherded them with the integrity of his heart, and he guided them with the skill of his hands.
He fed them with an upright heart, And guided them with skilful hands.
