Psalms 78
1 A maschil of Asaph. Hear my teaching, my people, listen to the words of my mouth.
Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ear 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 parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
3 These are things that we have heard and learned, things that our ancestors have told us.
Which we have heard and known, 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 them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
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 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 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.
That the generation to come might know them, even the children who should be born; who should arise and 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 set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, 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 as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.
9 The Ephraimites were armed with bows, but they turned back on the day of battle.
The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back 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 works, and his wonders that 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; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.
14 In the daytime he led them with a cloud and all the night with the light of fire.
In the day time also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with 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 split the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
16 He made streams flow out of the rock and made the water flow like rivers.
He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
17 Yet they continued to sin against him, rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.
And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
18 They challenged God in their hearts by asking for food to satisfy their appetites.
And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
19 They spoke against God; they said, “Can God really lay out a table for us in the wilderness?
Yea, they spoke against God; they said, Can God furnish 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, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? 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,
Therefore the LORD heard this, and was full of wrath: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up 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 salvation:
23 Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of the sky.
Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and 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 manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the grain of heaven.
25 People ate the bread of angels. He sent them food in abundance.
Man ate angels’ food: he sent them food to the full.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the sky, and by his power he guided the south wind.
He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.
27 He rained down meat on them like dust, birds as numerous as the sands of the sea.
He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:
28 They fell in the middle of their camp, all around their tents.
And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, around their habitations.
29 So they ate and were full. He gave them what they craved.
So they ate, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;
30 But they had not yet filled up; their food was still in their mouths.
They were not estranged from their lust. But while 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.
The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, 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 believed not for his wondrous works.
33 Therefore God cut short their days; their years were filled with terror.
Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
34 Whenever God afflicted them, they would start to seek him, and they would return and look earnestly for him.
When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.
35 They would call to mind that God was their rock and that the Most High God was their rescuer.
And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
36 But they would flatter him with their mouth and lie to him with their words.
Nevertheless they would flatter him with their mouth, and they lied 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 heart was not right with him, neither 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.
But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time he turned his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 He called to mind that they were made of flesh, a wind that passes away and does not return.
For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the barren regions!
How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
41 Again and again they challenged God and offended the Holy One of Israel.
Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited 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.
How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:
44 He turned the Egyptians' rivers to blood so that they could not drink from their streams.
And had turned their rivers into blood; and their streams, that they could not drink.
45 He sent swarms of flies that devoured them and frogs that overran their land.
He sent swarms of flies among them, 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 increase to the caterpiller, and their labour 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 gave up their cattle also to the 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 cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.
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 to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;
51 He killed all the firstborn in Egypt, the firstborn of their strength in the tents of Ham.
And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:
52 He led his own people out like sheep and guided them through the wilderness like a flock.
But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 He led them secure and unafraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but 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.
And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.
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 heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made 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 the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:
57 They were unfaithful and acted treacherously like their fathers; they were as undependable as a faulty bow.
But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were 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.
For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
59 When God heard this, he was angry and completely rejected Israel.
When God heard this, he was filled with wrath, and greatly abhorred Israel:
60 He abandoned the sanctuary of Shiloh, the tent where he had lived among people.
So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed 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 enemy’s hand.
62 He handed his people over to the sword, and he was angry with his heritage.
He gave over his people also to the sword; and was filled with wrath with his inheritance.
63 Fire devoured their young men, and their young women had no wedding songs.
The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.
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.
Then the Lord awoke as if from sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.
66 He drove his adversaries back; he put them to everlasting shame.
And he smote his enemies in the hinder part: he put them to a perpetual reproach.
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph, and he did not chose the tribe of Ephraim.
Moreover he refused the tabernacle 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.
And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.
70 He chose David, his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds.
He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheep folds:
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 following the ewes great with young 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.
So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
