Psalms 78
1 The lernyng of Asaph. Mi puple, perseyue ye my lawe; bowe youre eere in to the wordis of my mouth.
A Psalme to give instruction committed to Asaph. Heare my doctrine, O my people: incline your eares vnto the wordes of my mouth.
2 I schal opene my mouth in parablis; Y schal speke perfite resouns fro the bigynnyng.
I will open my mouth in a parable: I will declare high sentences of olde.
3 Hou grete thingis han we herd, aud we han knowe tho; and oure fadris. telden to vs.
Which we haue heard and knowen, and our fathers haue tolde vs.
4 Tho ben not hid fro the sones of hem; in anothir generacioun. And thei telden the heriyngis of the Lord, and the vertues of hym; and hise merueilis, whyche he dide.
Wee will not hide them from their children but to the generation to come we wil shewe the praises of the Lord his power also, and his wonderful woorkes that he hath done:
5 And he reiside witnessyng in Jacob; and he settide lawe in Israel. Hou grete thingis comaundide he to oure fadris, to make tho knowun to her sones;
How he established a testimonie in Iaakob, and ordeined a Law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they shoulde teache their children:
6 that another generacioun knowe. Sones, that schulen be born, and schulen rise vp; schulen telle out to her sones.
That the posteritie might knowe it, and the children, which should be borne, should stand vp, and declare it to their children:
7 That thei sette her hope in God, and foryete not the werkis of God; and that thei seke hise comaundementis.
That they might set their hope on God, and not forget the workes of God but keepe his commandements:
8 Lest thei be maad a schrewid generacioun; and terrynge to wraththe, as the fadris of hem. A generacioun that dresside not his herte; and his spirit was not bileued with God.
And not to bee as their fathers, a disobedient and rebellious generation: a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirite was not faithfull vnto God.
9 The sones of Effraym, bendinge a bouwe and sendynge arowis; weren turned in the dai of batel.
The children of Ephraim being armed and shooting with the bowe, turned backe in the day of battell.
10 Thei kepten not the testament of God; and thei nolden go in his lawe.
They kept not the couenant of God, but refused to walke in his Lawe,
11 And thei foryaten hise benefices; and hise merueils, whiche he schewide to hem.
And forgate his Actes, and his wonderfull woorkes that he had shewed them.
12 He dide merueils bifore the fadris of hem in the loond of Egipt; in the feeld of Taphneos.
Hee did marueilous thinges in the sight of their fathers in the lande of Egypt: euen in the fielde of Zoan.
13 He brak the see, and ledde hem thorou; and he ordeynede the watris as in a bouge.
He deuided the Sea, and led them through: he made also the waters to stand as an heape.
14 And he ledde hem forth in a cloude of the dai; and al niyt in the liytnyng of fier.
In the day time also hee led them with a cloude, and all the night with a light of fire.
15 He brak a stoon in deseert; and he yaf watir to hem as in a myche depthe.
He claue the rockes in the wildernes, and gaue them drinke as of the great depths.
16 And he ledde watir out of the stoon; and he ledde forth watris as floodis.
He brought floods also out of the stonie rocke; so that hee made the waters to descend like the riuers.
17 And thei `leiden to yit to do synne ayens hym; thei excitiden hiye God in to ire, in a place with out water.
Yet they sinned stil against him, and prouoked the Highest in the wildernesse,
18 And thei temptiden God in her hertis; that thei axiden meetis to her lyues.
And tempted God in their heartes in requiring meate for their lust.
19 And thei spaken yuel of God; thei seiden, Whether God may make redi a bord in desert?
They spake against God also, saying, Can God prepare a table in the wildernesse?
20 For he smoot a stoon, and watris flowiden; and streemys yeden out in aboundaunce. Whether also he may yyue breed; ether make redi a bord to his puple?
Behold, he smote the rocke, that the water gushed out, and the streames ouerflowed: can hee giue bread also? or prepare flesh for his people?
21 Therfor the Lord herde, and delaiede; and fier was kindelid in Jacob, and the ire of God stiede on Israel.
Therefore the Lord heard and was angrie, and the fire was kindled in Iaakob, and also wrath came vpon Israel,
22 For thei bileueden not in God; nether hopiden in his heelthe.
Because they beleeued not in God, and trusted not in his helpe.
23 And he comaundide to the cloudis aboue; and he openyde the yatis of heuene.
Yet he had comanded the clouds aboue, and had opened the doores of heauen,
24 And he reynede to hem manna for to eete; and he yaf to hem breed of heuene.
And had rained downe MAN vpon them for to eate, and had giuen them of the wheate of heauen.
25 Man eet the breed of aungels; he sent to hem meetis in aboundance.
Man did eate the bread of Angels: hee sent them meate ynough.
26 He turnede ouere the south wynde fro heuene; and he brouyte in bi his vertu the weste wynde.
He caused the Eastwinde to passe in the heauen, and through his power he brought in the Southwinde.
27 And he reynede fleischis as dust on hem; and `he reinede volatils fethered, as the grauel of the see.
Hee rained flesh also vpon them as dust, and feathered foule as the sand of the sea.
28 And tho felden doun in the myddis of her castels; aboute the tabernaclis of hem.
And hee made it fall in the middes of their campe euen round about their habitations.
29 And thei eeten, and weren fillid greetli, and he brouyte her desire to hem;
So they did eate and were well filled: for he gaue them their desire.
30 thei weren not defraudid of her desier. Yit her metis weren in her mouth;
They were not turned from their lust, but the meate was yet in their mouthes,
31 and the ire of God stiede on hem. And he killide the fatte men of hem; and he lettide the chosene men of Israel.
When the wrath of God came euen vpon them, and slew the strongest of them, and smote downe the chosen men in Israel.
32 In alle these thingis thei synneden yit; and bileuede not in the merueils of God.
For all this, they sinned stil, and beleeued not his wonderous woorkes.
33 And the daies of hem failiden in vanytee; and the yeeris of hem faileden with haste.
Therefore their daies did hee consume in vanitie, and their yeeres hastily.
34 Whanne he killide hem, thei souyten hym; and turneden ayen, and eerli thei camen to hym.
And when hee slewe them, they sought him and they returned, and sought God earely.
35 And thei bithouyten, that God is the helper of hem; and `the hiy God is the ayenbier of hem.
And they remembred that God was their strength, and the most high God their redeemer.
36 And thei loueden hym in her mouth; and with her tunge thei lieden to hym.
But they flattered him with their mouth, and dissembled with him with their tongue.
37 Forsothe the herte of hem was not riytful with hym; nethir thei weren had feithful in his testament.
For their heart was not vpright with him: neither were they faithfull in his couenant.
38 But he is merciful, and he schal be maad merciful to the synnes of hem; and he schal not destrie hem. And he dide greetli, to turne awei his yre; and he kyndelide not al his ire.
Yet he being merciful forgaue their iniquitie, and destroied them not, but oft times called backe his anger, and did not stirre vp all his wrath.
39 And he bithouyte, that thei ben fleische; a spirit goynge, and not turnynge ayen.
For he remembered that they were flesh: yea, a winde that passeth and commeth not againe.
40 Hou oft maden thei hym wrooth in desert; thei stireden hym in to ire in a place with out watir.
How oft did they prouoke him in the wildernes? and grieue him in the desert?
41 And thei weren turned, and temptiden God; and thei wraththiden the hooli of Israel.
Yea, they returned, and tempted God, and limited the Holie one of Israel.
42 Thei bithouyten not on his hond; in the dai in the which he ayen bouyte hem fro the hond of the trobler.
They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he deliuered them from the enemie,
43 As he settide hise signes in Egipt; and hise grete wondris in the feeld of Taphneos.
Nor him that set his signes in Egypt, and his wonders in the fielde of Zoan,
44 And he turnede the flodis of hem and the reynes of hem in to blood; that thei schulden not drynke.
And turned their riuers into blood, and their floods, that they could not drinke.
45 He sente a fleisch flie in to hem, and it eet hem; and he sente a paddok, and it loste hem.
Hee sent a swarme of flies among them, which deuoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 And he yaf the fruytis of hem to rust; and he yaf the trauels of hem to locustis.
He gaue also their fruites vnto the caterpiller, and their labour vnto the grassehopper.
47 And he killide the vynes of hem bi hail; and the moore trees of hem bi a frost.
He destroied their vines with haile, and their wilde figge trees with the hailestone.
48 And he bitook the beestis of hem to hail; and the possessioun of hem to fier.
He gaue their cattell also to the haile, and their flockes to the thunderboltes.
49 He sente in to hem the ire of his indignacioun; indignacioun, and ire, and tribulacioun, sendingis in bi iuel aungels.
Hee cast vpon them the fiercenesse of his anger, indignation and wrath, and vexation by the sending out of euill Angels.
50 He made weie to the path of his ire, and he sparide not fro the deth of her lyues; and he closide togidere in deth the beestis of hem.
He made a way to his anger: he spared not their soule from death, but gaue their life to the pestilence,
51 And he smoot al the first gendrid thing in the lond of Egipt; the first fruytis of alle the trauel of hem in the tabernaclis of Cham.
And smote al the firstborne in Egypt, euen the beginning of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham.
52 And he took awei his puple as scheep; and he ledde hem forth as a flok in desert.
But hee made his people to goe out like sheepe, and led them in the wildernes like a flocke.
53 And he ledde hem forth in hope, and thei dredden not; and the see hilide the enemyes of hem.
Yea, he caried them out safely, and they feared not, and the Sea couered their enemies.
54 And he brouyte hem in to the hil of his halewyng; in to the hil which his riythond gat. And he castide out hethene men fro the face of hem; and bi lot he departide to hem the lond in a cord of delyng.
And he brought them vnto the borders of his Sanctuarie: euen to this Mountaine, which his right hand purchased.
55 And he made the lynagis of Israel to dwelle in the tabernaclis of hem.
He cast out the heathe also before them, and caused them to fall to the lot of his inheritance, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tabernacles.
56 And thei temptiden, and wraththiden heiy God; and thei kepten not hise witnessyngis.
Yet they tempted, and prouoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies,
57 And thei turneden awei hem silf, and thei kepten not couenaunt; as her fadris weren turned in to a schrewid bouwe.
But turned backe and delt falsely like their fathers: they turned like a deceitfull bowe.
58 Thei stiriden him in to ire in her litle hillis; and thei terriden hym to indignacioun of her grauen ymagis.
And they prouoked him to anger with their high places, and mooued him to wrath with their grauen images.
59 God herde, and forsook; and brouyte to nouyt Israel greetli.
God heard this and was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel,
60 And he puttide awei the tabernacle of Sylo; his tabernacle where he dwellide among men.
So that hee forsooke the habitation of Shilo, euen the Tabernacle where hee dwelt among men,
61 And he bitook the vertu of hem in to caitiftee; and the fairnesse of hem in to the hondis of the enemye.
And deliuered his power into captiuitie, and his beautie into the enemies hand.
62 And he closide togidere his puple in swerd; and he dispiside his erytage.
And hee gaue vp his people to the sworde, and was angrie with his inheritance.
63 Fier eet the yonge men of hem; and the virgyns of hem weren not biweilid.
The fire deuoured their chosen men, and their maides were not praised.
64 The prestis of hem fellen doun bi swerd; and the widewis of hem weren not biwept.
Their Priestes fell by the sworde, and their widowes lamented not.
65 And the Lord was reisid, as slepynge; as miyti greetli fillid of wiyn.
But the Lord awaked as one out of sleepe, and as a strong man that after his wine crieth out,
66 And he smoot hise enemyes on the hynderere partis; he yaf to hem euerlastyng schenschipe.
And smote his enemies in the hinder parts, and put them to a perpetuall shame.
67 And he puttide awei the tabernacle of Joseph; and he chees not the lynage of Effraym.
Yet he refused the tabernacle of Ioseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:
68 But he chees the lynage of Juda; he chees the hil of Syon, which he louede.
But chose the tribe of Iudah, and mount Zion which he loued.
69 And he as an vnicorn bildide his hooli place; in the lond, which he foundide in to worldis.
And he built his Sanctuarie as an high palace, like the earth, which he stablished for euer.
70 And he chees Dauid his seruaunt, and took hym vp fro the flockis of scheep; he took hym fro bihynde scheep with lambren.
He chose Dauid also his seruant, and tooke him from the shepefolds.
71 To feed Jacob his seruaunt; and Israel his eritage.
Euen from behinde the ewes with yong brought he him to feede his people in Iaakob, and his inheritance in Israel.
72 And he fedde hem in the innocens of his herte; and he ledde hem forth in the vndurstondyngis of his hondis.
So he fed them according to the simplicitie of his heart, and guided them by the discretion of his hands.
