Psalms 78
1 The lernyng of Asaph. Mi puple, perseyue ye my lawe; bowe youre eere in to the wordis of my mouth.
A contemplation by Asaph. Hear my teaching, my people. Turn 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, telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, his strength, and his wondrous deeds 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;
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;
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, even the children who should be born; who 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 they might set their hope in God, and not forget God’s deeds, 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 didn’t make their hearts loyal, whose spirit was not steadfast 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 didn’t keep God’s covenant, and refused to walk in his law.
11 And thei foryaten hise benefices; and hise merueils, whiche he schewide to hem.
They forgot his doings, his wondrous deeds that 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 marvellous things 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 split the sea, and caused them to pass through. He made the waters stand as a heap.
14 And he ledde hem forth in a cloude of the dai; and al niyt in the liytnyng of fier.
In the daytime he also led them with a cloud, and all 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 split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as out of the 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.
Yet they still went on to sin against him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert.
18 And thei temptiden God in her hertis; that thei axiden meetis to her lyues.
They tempted God in their heart by asking food according to their desire.
19 And thei spaken yuel of God; thei seiden, Whether God may make redi a bord in desert?
Yes, they spoke against God. They said, “Can God prepare 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 struck the rock, so that waters gushed out, and streams overflowed. Can he give bread also? Will he provide meat 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 angry. A fire was kindled against Jacob, anger also went up against Israel,
22 For thei bileueden not in God; nether hopiden in his heelthe.
because they didn’t believe in God, and didn’t trust in his salvation.
23 And he comaundide to the cloudis aboue; and he openyde the yatis of heuene.
Yet he commanded the skies 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.
He rained down manna on them to eat, and gave them food from the sky.
25 Man eet the breed of aungels; he sent to hem meetis in aboundance.
Man 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 caused the east wind to blow in the sky. By his power he guided the south wind.
27 And he reynede fleischis as dust on hem; and `he reinede volatils fethered, as the grauel of the see.
He also rained meat on them as the dust, winged birds as the sand of the seas.
28 And tho felden doun in the myddis of her castels; aboute the tabernaclis of hem.
He let them fall in the middle of their camp, around their habitations.
29 And thei eeten, and weren fillid greetli, and he brouyte her desire to hem;
So they ate, and were well filled. He gave them their own desire.
30 thei weren not defraudid of her desier. Yit her metis weren in her mouth;
They didn’t turn from their cravings. Their food 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.
when the anger of God went up against them, killed some of their strongest, and struck down the young men of Israel.
32 In alle these thingis thei synneden yit; and bileuede not in the merueils of God.
For all this they still sinned, and didn’t believe in his wondrous works.
33 And the daies of hem failiden in vanytee; and the yeeris of hem faileden with haste.
Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, and their years in terror.
34 Whanne he killide hem, thei souyten hym; and turneden ayen, and eerli thei camen to hym.
When he killed them, then they enquired after him. They returned and sought God earnestly.
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, 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.
For their heart was not right with him, neither were they faithful 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 merciful, forgave iniquity, and didn’t destroy them. Yes, many times he turned his anger away, and didn’t stir up all his wrath.
39 And he bithouyte, that thei ben fleische; a spirit goynge, and not turnynge ayen.
He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes away, and doesn’t come again.
40 Hou oft maden thei hym wrooth in desert; thei stireden hym in to ire in a place with out watir.
How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, and grieved him in the desert!
41 And thei weren turned, and temptiden God; and thei wraththiden the hooli of Israel.
They turned again and tempted God, and provoked 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 didn’t remember his hand, nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;
43 As he settide hise signes in Egipt; and hise grete wondris in the feeld of Taphneos.
how he set his signs in Egypt, 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.
he turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, so 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 amongst them swarms of flies, 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 also gave their increase to the caterpillar, and their labour to 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, their sycamore fig trees with frost.
48 And he bitook the beestis of hem to hail; and the possessioun of hem to fier.
He also gave over their livestock 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 threw on them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, and a band of angels of evil.
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 path for his anger. He didn’t spare 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 struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief 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.
But he led out his own people 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.
He led them safely, so that they weren’t afraid, 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.
He brought them to the border of his sanctuary, to this mountain, which his right hand had taken.
55 And he made the lynagis of Israel to dwelle in the tabernaclis of hem.
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.
56 And thei temptiden, and wraththiden heiy God; and thei kepten not hise witnessyngis.
Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, and didn’t keep 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 treacherously like their fathers. They were twisted 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 engraved images.
59 God herde, and forsook; and brouyte to nouyt Israel greetli.
When God heard this, he was angry, and greatly abhorred Israel,
60 And he puttide awei the tabernacle of Sylo; his tabernacle where he dwellide among men.
so that he abandoned the tent of Shiloh, the tent which he placed amongst 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, his glory into the adversary’s hand.
62 And he closide togidere his puple in swerd; and he dispiside his erytage.
He also gave his people over to the sword, and was angry with his inheritance.
63 Fier eet the yonge men of hem; and the virgyns of hem weren not biweilid.
Fire devoured their young men. Their virgins had no wedding 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 couldn’t weep.
65 And the Lord was reisid, as slepynge; as miyti greetli fillid of wiyn.
Then the Lord awakened as one out of sleep, like a mighty man who shouts by reason of wine.
66 And he smoot hise enemyes on the hynderere partis; he yaf to hem euerlastyng schenschipe.
He struck his adversaries backward. 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 rejected the tent of Joseph, and didn’t choose 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, Mount Zion which he loved.
69 And he as an vnicorn bildide his hooli place; in the lond, which he foundide in to worldis.
He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he has established 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.
He also chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 To feed Jacob his seruaunt; and Israel his eritage.
from following the ewes that have their young, he brought him to be the shepherd of 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 was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
