Psalms 78
1 A contemplation by Asaph. Hear my teaching, my people. Turn your ears to the words of my mouth.
A Maskil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my instruction; listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings of old,
I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the beginning,
3 which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
that we have heard and known and our fathers have relayed to us.
4 We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, his strength, and his wondrous deeds that he has done.
We will not hide them from their children, but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might, and the wonders He has performed.
5 For he established a covenant in Jacob, and appointed a teaching in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children;
For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children,
6 that the generation to come might know, even the children who should be born; who should arise and tell their children,
that the coming generation would know them— even children yet to be born— to arise and tell their own children
7 that they might set their hope in God, and not forget God’s deeds, but keep his commandments,
that they should put their confidence in God, not forgetting His works, but keeping His commandments.
8 and might not be as their fathers— a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that didn’t make their hearts loyal, whose spirit was not steadfast with God.
Then they will not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose heart was not loyal, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9 The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.
The archers of Ephraim turned back on the day of battle.
10 They didn’t keep God’s covenant, and refused to walk in his law.
They failed to keep God’s covenant and refused to live by His law.
11 They forgot his doings, his wondrous deeds that he had shown them.
They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them.
12 He did marvellous things in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
He worked wonders before their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
13 He split the sea, and caused them to pass through. He made the waters stand as a heap.
He split the sea and brought them through; He set the waters upright like a wall.
14 In the daytime he also led them with a cloud, and all night with a light of fire.
He led them with a cloud by day and with a light of fire all night.
15 He split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.
He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as abundant as the seas.
16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
He brought streams from the stone and made water flow down like rivers.
17 Yet they still went on to sin against him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert.
But they continued to sin against Him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High.
18 They tempted God in their heart by asking food according to their desire.
They willfully tested God by demanding the food they craved.
19 Yes, they spoke against God. They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
They spoke against God, saying, “Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 Behold, he struck the rock, so that waters gushed out, and streams overflowed. Can he give bread also? Will he provide meat for his people?”
When He struck the rock, water gushed out and torrents raged. But can He also give bread or supply His people with meat?”
21 Therefore the LORD heard, and was angry. A fire was kindled against Jacob, anger also went up against Israel,
Therefore the LORD heard and was filled with wrath; so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and His anger flared against Israel,
22 because they didn’t believe in God, and didn’t trust in his salvation.
because they did not believe God or rely on His salvation.
23 Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven.
Yet He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of the heavens.
24 He rained down manna on them to eat, and gave them food from the sky.
He rained down manna for them to eat; He gave them grain from heaven.
25 Man ate the bread of angels. He sent them food to the full.
Man ate the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the sky. By his power he guided the south wind.
He stirred the east wind from the heavens and drove the south wind by His might.
27 He also rained meat on them as the dust, winged birds as the sand of the seas.
He rained meat on them like dust, and winged birds like the sand of the sea.
28 He let them fall in the middle of their camp, around their habitations.
He felled them in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings.
29 So they ate, and were well filled. He gave them their own desire.
So they ate and were well filled, for He gave them what they craved.
30 They didn’t turn from their cravings. Their food was yet in their mouths,
Yet before they had filled their desire, with the food still in their mouths,
31 when the anger of God went up against them, killed some of their strongest, and struck down the young men of Israel.
God’s anger flared against them, and He put to death their strongest and subdued the young men of Israel.
32 For all this they still sinned, and didn’t believe in his wondrous works.
In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.
33 Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, and their years in terror.
So He ended their days in futility, and their years in sudden terror.
34 When he killed them, then they enquired after him. They returned and sought God earnestly.
When He slew them, they would seek Him; they repented and searched for God.
35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God, their redeemer.
And they remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.
36 But they flattered him with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.
But they deceived Him with their mouths, and lied to Him with their tongues.
37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they faithful in his covenant.
Their hearts were disloyal to Him, and they were unfaithful to His covenant.
38 But he, being merciful, forgave iniquity, and didn’t destroy them. Yes, many times he turned his anger away, and didn’t stir up all his wrath.
And yet He was compassionate; He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. He often restrained His anger and did not unleash His full wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes away, and doesn’t come again.
He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, and grieved him in the desert!
How often they disobeyed Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert!
41 They turned again and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
Again and again they tested God and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They didn’t remember his hand, nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;
They did not remember His power — the day He redeemed them from the adversary,
43 how he set his signs in Egypt, his wonders in the field of Zoan,
when He performed His signs in Egypt and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.
44 he turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, so that they could not drink.
He turned their rivers to blood, and from their streams they could not drink.
45 He sent amongst them swarms of flies, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them.
46 He also gave their increase to the caterpillar, and their labour to the locust.
He gave their crops to the grasshopper, the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, their sycamore fig trees with frost.
He killed their vines with hailstones and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48 He also gave over their livestock to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
He abandoned their cattle to the hail and their livestock to bolts of lightning.
49 He threw on them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, and a band of angels of evil.
He unleashed His fury against them, wrath, indignation, and calamity— a band of destroying angels.
50 He made a path for his anger. He didn’t spare their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence,
He cleared a path for His anger; He did not spare them from death but delivered their lives to the plague.
51 and struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.
He struck all the firstborn of Egypt, the virility in the tents of Ham.
52 But he led out his own people like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
He led out His people like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
53 He led them safely, so that they weren’t afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
He led them safely, so they did not fear, but the sea engulfed their enemies.
54 He brought them to the border of his sanctuary, to this mountain, which his right hand had taken.
He brought them to His holy land, to the mountain His right hand had acquired.
55 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.
He drove out nations before them and apportioned their inheritance; He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, and didn’t keep his testimonies,
But they tested and disobeyed God Most High, for they did not keep His decrees.
57 but turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers. They were twisted like a deceitful bow.
They turned back and were faithless like their fathers, twisted like a faulty bow.
58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their engraved images.
They enraged Him with their high places and provoked His jealousy with their idols.
59 When God heard this, he was angry, and greatly abhorred Israel,
On hearing it, God was furious and rejected Israel completely.
60 so that he abandoned the tent of Shiloh, the tent which he placed amongst men,
He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent He had pitched among men.
61 and delivered his strength into captivity, his glory into the adversary’s hand.
He delivered His strength to captivity, and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.
62 He also gave his people over to the sword, and was angry with his inheritance.
He surrendered His people to the sword because He was enraged by His heritage.
63 Fire devoured their young men. Their virgins had no wedding song.
Fire consumed His young men, and their maidens were left without wedding songs.
64 Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows couldn’t weep.
His priests fell by the sword, but their widows could not lament.
65 Then the Lord awakened as one out of sleep, like a mighty man who shouts by reason of wine.
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a mighty warrior overcome by wine.
66 He struck his adversaries backward. He put them to a perpetual reproach.
He beat back His foes; He put them to everlasting shame.
67 Moreover he rejected the tent of Joseph, and didn’t choose the tribe of Ephraim,
He rejected the tent of Joseph and refused the tribe of Ephraim.
68 But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which he loved.
But He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which He loved.
69 He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he has established forever.
He built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth He has established forever.
70 He also chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds;
He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 from following the ewes that have their young, he brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.
from tending the ewes He brought him to be shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance.
72 So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
So David shepherded them with integrity of heart and guided them with skillful hands.
