Psalms 78
1 The lernyng of Asaph. Mi puple, perseyue ye my lawe; bowe youre eere in to the wordis of my mouth.
Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words 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 utter dark sayings of old:
3 Hou grete thingis han we herd, aud we han knowe tho; and oure fadris. telden to vs.
Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
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.
We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of Yhwh, and his strength, and his wonderful works 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;
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 that another generacioun knowe. Sones, that schulen be born, and schulen rise vp; schulen telle out to her sones.
That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them 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 in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:
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 might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with 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 carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.
10 Thei kepten not the testament of God; and thei nolden go in his lawe.
They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;
11 And thei foryaten hise benefices; and hise merueils, whiche he schewide to hem.
And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.
12 He dide merueils bifore the fadris of hem in the loond of Egipt; in the feeld of Taphneos.
Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 He brak the see, and ledde hem thorou; and he ordeynede the watris as in a bouge.
He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.
14 And he ledde hem forth in a cloude of the dai; and al niyt in the liytnyng of fier.
In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, 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 clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
16 And he ledde watir out of the stoon; and he ledde forth watris as floodis.
He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
17 And thei `leiden to yit to do synne ayens hym; thei excitiden hiye God in to ire, in a place with out water.
And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
18 And thei temptiden God in her hertis; that thei axiden meetis to her lyues.
And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
19 And thei spaken yuel of God; thei seiden, Whether God may make redi a bord in desert?
Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
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 rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide 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 Yhwh heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;
22 For thei bileueden not in God; nether hopiden in his heelthe.
Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:
23 And he comaundide to the cloudis aboue; and he openyde the yatis of heuene.
Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,
24 And he reynede to hem manna for to eete; and he yaf to hem breed of heuene.
And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the grain of heaven.
25 Man eet the breed of aungels; he sent to hem meetis in aboundance.
Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.
26 He turnede ouere the south wynde fro heuene; and he brouyte in bi his vertu the weste wynde.
He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.
27 And he reynede fleischis as dust on hem; and `he reinede volatils fethered, as the grauel of the see.
He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:
28 And tho felden doun in the myddis of her castels; aboute the tabernaclis of hem.
And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.
29 And thei eeten, and weren fillid greetli, and he brouyte her desire to hem;
So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;
30 thei weren not defraudid of her desier. Yit her metis weren in her mouth;
They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,
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.
The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.
32 In alle these thingis thei synneden yit; and bileuede not in the merueils of God.
For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.
33 And the daies of hem failiden in vanytee; and the yeeris of hem faileden with haste.
Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
34 Whanne he killide hem, thei souyten hym; and turneden ayen, and eerli thei camen to hym.
When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.
35 And thei bithouyten, that God is the helper of hem; and `the hiy God is the ayenbier of hem.
And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
36 And thei loueden hym in her mouth; and with her tunge thei lieden to hym.
Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.
37 Forsothe the herte of hem was not riytful with hym; nethir thei weren had feithful in his testament.
For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.
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.
But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 And he bithouyte, that thei ben fleische; a spirit goynge, and not turnynge ayen.
For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.
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 provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
41 And thei weren turned, and temptiden God; and thei wraththiden the hooli of Israel.
Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy 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 delivered them from the enemy.
43 As he settide hise signes in Egipt; and hise grete wondris in the feeld of Taphneos.
How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:
44 And he turnede the flodis of hem and the reynes of hem in to blood; that thei schulden not drynke.
And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.
45 He sente a fleisch flie in to hem, and it eet hem; and he sente a paddok, and it loste hem.
He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured 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 gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.
47 And he killide the vynes of hem bi hail; and the moore trees of hem bi a frost.
He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.
48 And he bitook the beestis of hem to hail; and the possessioun of hem to fier.
He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
49 He sente in to hem the ire of his indignacioun; indignacioun, and ire, and tribulacioun, sendingis in bi iuel aungels.
He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.
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 soul from death, but gave their life over 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 all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief 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 made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 And he ledde hem forth in hope, and thei dredden not; and the see hilide the enemyes of hem.
And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed 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 to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.
55 And he made the lynagis of Israel to dwelle in the tabernaclis of hem.
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 And thei temptiden, and wraththiden heiy God; and thei kepten not hise witnessyngis.
Yet they tempted and provoked 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 back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
58 Thei stiriden him in to ire in her litle hillis; and thei terriden hym to indignacioun of her grauen ymagis.
For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
59 God herde, and forsook; and brouyte to nouyt Israel greetli.
When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:
60 And he puttide awei the tabernacle of Sylo; his tabernacle where he dwellide among men.
So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed 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 delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand.
62 And he closide togidere his puple in swerd; and he dispiside his erytage.
He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.
63 Fier eet the yonge men of hem; and the virgyns of hem weren not biweilid.
The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.
64 The prestis of hem fellen doun bi swerd; and the widewis of hem weren not biwept.
Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.
65 And the Lord was reisid, as slepynge; as miyti greetli fillid of wiyn.
Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.
66 And he smoot hise enemyes on the hynderere partis; he yaf to hem euerlastyng schenschipe.
And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.
67 And he puttide awei the tabernacle of Joseph; and he chees not the lynage of Effraym.
Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, 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 Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.
69 And he as an vnicorn bildide his hooli place; in the lond, which he foundide in to worldis.
And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.
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 David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:
71 To feed Jacob his seruaunt; and Israel his eritage.
From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
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 integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
