Psalms 78
1 The lernyng of Asaph. Mi puple, perseyue ye my lawe; bowe youre eere in to the wordis of my mouth.
A maskil of Asaph. My people, attend to my teaching: bend your ears to the words of my mouth,
2 I schal opene my mouth in parablis; Y schal speke perfite resouns fro the bigynnyng.
as I open my mouth in a poem on the riddling story of the past.
3 Hou grete thingis han we herd, aud we han knowe tho; and oure fadris. telden to vs.
What we have heard and known, and what our ancestors 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 from their children. We will tell to the next generation the praises and might of the Lord, and the wonders that he has 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;
He set up a testimony in Jacob, a law he appointed in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to make 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 next generation should know it, that the children yet to be born should arise and tell their children;
7 That thei sette her hope in God, and foryete not the werkis of God; and that thei seke hise comaundementis.
that in God they might put their confidence, and not forget God’s works; but that they might 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 not be like their ancestors, a generation defiant and stubborn, a generation with heart unsteady, and spirit unfaithful towards God.
9 The sones of Effraym, bendinge a bouwe and sendynge arowis; weren turned in the dai of batel.
Ephraimites, armed bowmen, turned back in the day of battle.
10 Thei kepten not the testament of God; and thei nolden go in his lawe.
They did not keep God’s covenant, they refused to walk in his law.
11 And thei foryaten hise benefices; and hise merueils, whiche he schewide to hem.
They forgot what he had done, and the wonders he had shown them.
12 He dide merueils bifore the fadris of hem in the loond of Egipt; in the feeld of Taphneos.
He did wonders before their ancestors in the country of Zoan in Egypt.
13 He brak the see, and ledde hem thorou; and he ordeynede the watris as in a bouge.
Through the sea which he split he brought them, making waters stand up like a heap;
14 And he ledde hem forth in a cloude of the dai; and al niyt in the liytnyng of fier.
he led them by day with a cloud, 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.
From the rocks which he split in the wilderness, he gave them to drink as of ocean’s abundance.
16 And he ledde watir out of the stoon; and he ledde forth watris as floodis.
He brought streams out of the rock, and made water 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.
Yet they still went on sinning against him, they defied the Most High in the desert.
18 And thei temptiden God in her hertis; that thei axiden meetis to her lyues.
They wilfully challenged God, demanding the food that they longed for.
19 And thei spaken yuel of God; thei seiden, Whether God may make redi a bord in desert?
‘Is God able,’ such was their challenge, ‘to spread in the desert a table?
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?
From the rock that he struck there gushed water, and torrents that overflowed; but can he also give bread, or provide his people with meat?’
21 Therfor the Lord herde, and delaiede; and fier was kindelid in Jacob, and the ire of God stiede on Israel.
When the Lord heard this, he was furious, and fire was kindled on Jacob, anger flared up against Israel.
22 For thei bileueden not in God; nether hopiden in his heelthe.
For they put no trust in God, no confidence in his help.
23 And he comaundide to the cloudis aboue; and he openyde the yatis of heuene.
So he summoned the clouds above; and, opening the doors of heaven,
24 And he reynede to hem manna for to eete; and he yaf to hem breed of heuene.
he rained manna upon them for food, and grain of heaven he gave them.
25 Man eet the breed of aungels; he sent to hem meetis in aboundance.
Everyone ate the bread of angels; he sent them food to the full.
26 He turnede ouere the south wynde fro heuene; and he brouyte in bi his vertu the weste wynde.
He launched the east wind in the heavens, and guided the south by his power.
27 And he reynede fleischis as dust on hem; and `he reinede volatils fethered, as the grauel of the see.
He rained meat upon them like dust, winged bird like the sand of the sea.
28 And tho felden doun in the myddis of her castels; aboute the tabernaclis of hem.
In the midst of their camp he dropped it, all around their tents.
29 And thei eeten, and weren fillid greetli, and he brouyte her desire to hem;
They ate and were more than filled; he had brought them the thing they desired.
30 thei weren not defraudid of her desier. Yit her metis weren in her mouth;
But the thing they desired became loathsome: while their food was still 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 rose against them. He slew the stoutest among them, and laid low the young men of Israel.
32 In alle these thingis thei synneden yit; and bileuede not in the merueils of God.
Yet for all this they sinned yet more, and refused to believe in his wonders.
33 And the daies of hem failiden in vanytee; and the yeeris of hem faileden with haste.
So he ended their days in a breath, and their years in sudden dismay.
34 Whanne he killide hem, thei souyten hym; and turneden ayen, and eerli thei camen to hym.
When he slew them, then they sought after him, they turned and sought God with diligence.
35 And thei bithouyten, that God is the helper of hem; and `the hiy God is the ayenbier of hem.
They remembered that God was their rock, 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 lied to him with their tongue.
37 Forsothe the herte of hem was not riytful with hym; nethir thei weren had feithful in his testament.
Their heart was not steady with him, they were faithless to 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 is full of pity: he pardons sin and destroys not. Often he turns his anger away, without stirring his wrath at all.
39 And he bithouyte, that thei ben fleische; a spirit goynge, and not turnynge ayen.
So he remembered that they were but flesh, breath that passes and does not return.
40 Hou oft maden thei hym wrooth in desert; thei stireden hym in to ire in a place with out watir.
But how often they rebelled in the desert, and caused him grief in the wilderness,
41 And thei weren turned, and temptiden God; and thei wraththiden the hooli of Israel.
tempting God again and again, provoking 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 did not remember his strength, nor the day he redeemed from the foe,
43 As he settide hise signes in Egipt; and hise grete wondris in the feeld of Taphneos.
how he set his signs in Egypt, in the country of Zoan his wonders.
44 And he turnede the flodis of hem and the reynes of hem in to blood; that thei schulden not drynke.
He turned their canals into blood, their streams undrinkable.
45 He sente a fleisch flie in to hem, and it eet hem; and he sente a paddok, and it loste hem.
He sent forth flies, which devoured them; frogs, too, which destroyed them.
46 And he yaf the fruytis of hem to rust; and he yaf the trauels of hem to locustis.
Their crops he gave to the caterpillar, and the fruits of their toil to the locust.
47 And he killide the vynes of hem bi hail; and the moore trees of hem bi a frost.
He slew their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with frost.
48 And he bitook the beestis of hem to hail; and the possessioun of hem to fier.
He delivered their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to bolts of fire.
49 He sente in to hem the ire of his indignacioun; indignacioun, and ire, and tribulacioun, sendingis in bi iuel aungels.
He let loose his hot anger among them, fury and wrath and distress, a band of destroying 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 cleared a path for his anger, did not spare them from death, but gave them over to 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.
He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, the first fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 And he took awei his puple as scheep; and he ledde hem forth as a flok in desert.
He led forth his people like sheep, he was guide to his flock in the desert.
53 And he ledde hem forth in hope, and thei dredden not; and the see hilide the enemyes of hem.
Securely he led them, and free from fear, while their foes were drowned in the sea.
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.
To his holy realm he brought them, to the mountain his right hand had purchased.
55 And he made the lynagis of Israel to dwelle in the tabernaclis of hem.
He drove out the nations before them, and allotted their land for possession, and their tents for Israel to live in.
56 And thei temptiden, and wraththiden heiy God; and thei kepten not hise witnessyngis.
Yet they tempted and angered the Most High God, they did not observe his decrees.
57 And thei turneden awei hem silf, and thei kepten not couenaunt; as her fadris weren turned in to a schrewid bouwe.
They drew back, false like their ancestors; they failed like a treacherous bow.
58 Thei stiriden him in to ire in her litle hillis; and thei terriden hym to indignacioun of her grauen ymagis.
Their shrines stirred him to anger, their idols moved him to jealousy.
59 God herde, and forsook; and brouyte to nouyt Israel greetli.
When God heard of this, he was furious, and he spurned Israel utterly.
60 And he puttide awei the tabernacle of Sylo; his tabernacle where he dwellide among men.
He abandoned his home in Shiloh, the tent he had pitched among people.
61 And he bitook the vertu of hem in to caitiftee; and the fairnesse of hem in to the hondis of the enemye.
He gave his strength up to captivity, his glory to the hands of the foe.
62 And he closide togidere his puple in swerd; and he dispiside his erytage.
He gave his people to the sword, he was furious with his own.
63 Fier eet the yonge men of hem; and the virgyns of hem weren not biweilid.
Fire devoured their young men, and their maidens had no marriage-song.
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 could not weep.
65 And the Lord was reisid, as slepynge; as miyti greetli fillid of wiyn.
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a warrior flushed with wine;
66 And he smoot hise enemyes on the hynderere partis; he yaf to hem euerlastyng schenschipe.
and he beat back his foes, putting them to perpetual scorn.
67 And he puttide awei the tabernacle of Joseph; and he chees not the lynage of Effraym.
He disowned the tent of Joseph, he rejected the tribe of Ephraim;
68 But he chees the lynage of Juda; he chees the hil of Syon, which he louede.
but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves.
69 And he as an vnicorn bildide his hooli place; in the lond, which he foundide in to worldis.
And he built like the heights his sanctuary, like the earth which he founded forever.
70 And he chees Dauid his seruaunt, and took hym vp fro the flockis of scheep; he took hym fro bihynde scheep with lambren.
And he chose David his servant, taking him from the sheepfolds.
71 To feed Jacob his seruaunt; and Israel his eritage.
From the mother-ewes he brought him, to be shepherd to Jacob his people, and to 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.
With upright heart did he shepherd them, and with skilful hands did he guide them.
