Psalms 78
1 An Instruction of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings of my mouth.
[A Psalm] of instruction for Asaph. Give heed, O my people, to my law: incline your ear to the words of my mouth.
2 I open with a simile my mouth, I bring forth hidden things of old,
I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter dark sayings [which have been] from the beginning.
3 That we have heard and do know, And our fathers have recounted to us.
All which we have heard and known, and our fathers have declared to us.
4 We do not hide from their sons, To a later generation recounting praises of Jehovah, And His strength, and His wonders that He hath done.
They were not hid from their children to a second generations; [the fathers] declaring the praises of the Lord, and his mighty acts, and his wonders which he wrought.
5 And He raiseth up a testimony in Jacob, And a law hath placed in Israel, That He commanded our fathers, To make them known to their sons.
And he raised up a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, to make it known to their children:
6 So that a later generation doth know, Sons who are born, do rise and recount to their sons,
that another generation might know, even the sons which should be born; and they should arise and declare them to their children.
7 And place in God their confidence, And forget not the doings of God, But keep His commands.
That they might set their hope on God, and not forget the works of God, but diligently seek his commandments.
8 And they are not like their fathers, A generation apostate and rebellious, A generation! it hath not prepared its heart, Nor stedfast with God [is] its spirit.
That they should not be as their fathers, a perverse and provoking generation; a generation which set not its heart aright, and its spirit was not steadfast with God.
9 Sons of Ephraim — armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.
The children of Ephraim, bending and shooting [with] the bow, turned [back] in the day of battle.
10 They have not kept the covenant of God, And in His law they have refused to walk,
They kept not the covenant of God, and would not walk in his law.
11 And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He shewed them.
And they forgot his benefits, and his miracles which he [had] showed them;
12 Before their fathers He hath done wonders, In the land of Egypt — the field of Zoan.
the miracles which he wrought before their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the plain of Tanes.
13 He cleft a sea, and causeth them to pass over, Yea, He causeth waters to stand as a heap.
He clave the sea, and led them through: he made the waters to stand as [in] a bottle.
14 And leadeth them with a cloud by day, And all the night with a light of fire.
And he guided them with a cloud by day, and all the night with a light of fire.
15 He cleaveth rocks in a wilderness, And giveth drink — as the great deep.
he clave a rock in the wilderness, and made them drink as in a great deep.
16 And bringeth out streams from a rock, And causeth waters to come down as rivers.
And he brought water out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down as rivers.
17 And they add still to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.
And they sinned yet more against him; they provoked the Most High in the wilderness.
18 And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.
And they tempted God in their hearts, in asking meat for [the desire of] their souls.
19 And they speak against God — they said: 'Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?'
They spoke also against God, and said, Will God be able to prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 Lo, He hath smitten a rock, And waters flow, yea, streams overflow. 'Also — bread [is] He able to give? Doth He prepare flesh for His people?'
Forasmuch as he struck the rock, and the waters flowed, and the torrents ran abundantly; will he be able also to give bread, or prepare a table for his people?
21 Therefore hath Jehovah heard, And He sheweth Himself wroth, And fire hath been kindled against Jacob, And anger also hath gone up against Israel,
Therefore the Lord heard, and was provoked: and fire was kindled in Jacob, and wrath went up against Israel.
22 For they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation.
Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation.
23 And He commandeth clouds from above, Yea, doors of the heavens He hath opened.
Yet he commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,
24 And He raineth on them manna to eat, Yea, corn of heaven He hath given to them.
and rained upon them manna to eat, and gave them the bread of heaven.
25 Food of the mighty hath each eaten, Venison He sent to them to satiety.
Man ate angels' bread; he sent them provision to the full.
26 He causeth an east wind to journey in the heavens, And leadeth by His strength a south wind,
He removed the south wind from heaven; and by his might he brought in the southwest wind.
27 And He raineth on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas — winged fowl,
And he rained upon them flesh like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the seas.
28 And causeth [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Round about His tabernacles.
And they fell into the midst of their camp, round about their tents.
29 And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And their desire He bringeth to them.
So they ate, and were completely filled; and he gave them their desire.
30 They have not been estranged from their desire, Yet [is] their food in their mouth,
They were not disappointed of their desire: [but] when their food was yet in their mouth,
31 And the anger of God hath gone up against them, And He slayeth among their fat ones, And youths of Israel He caused to bend.
then the indignation of God rose up against them, and killed the fattest of them, and overthrew the choice men of Israel.
32 With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.
In the midst of all this they sinned yet more, and believed not his miracles.
33 And He consumeth in vanity their days, And their years in trouble.
And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years with anxiety.
34 If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and sought God earnestly,
When he killed them, they sought him: and they returned and called betimes upon God.
35 And they remember that God [is] their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.
And they remembered that God was their helper, and the most high God was their redeemer.
36 And — they deceive Him with their mouth, And with their tongue do lie to Him,
Yet they loved him [only] with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.
37 And their heart hath not been right with Him, And they have not been stedfast in His covenant.
For their heart [was] not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant.
38 And He — the Merciful One, Pardoneth iniquity, and destroyeth not, And hath often turned back His anger, And waketh not up all His fury.
But he is compassionate, and will forgive their sins, and will not destroy [them]: yes, he will frequently turn away his wrath, and will not kindle all his anger.
39 And He remembereth that they [are] flesh, A wind going on — and it returneth not.
And he remembered that they are flesh; a wind that passes away, and returns not.
40 How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?
How often did they provoke him in the wilderness, [and] anger him in a dry land!
41 Yea, they turn back, and try God, And the Holy One of Israel have limited.
Yes, they turned back, and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.
They remembered not his hand, the day in which he delivered them from the hand of the oppressor.
43 When He set His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan,
How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanes:
44 And He turneth to blood their streams, And their floods they drink not.
and had changed their rivers into blood; and their streams, that they should not drink.
45 He sendeth among them the beetle, and it consumeth them, And the frog, and it destroyeth them,
He sent against them the dog-fly, and it devoured them; and the frog, and it spoiled them.
46 And giveth to the caterpillar their increase, And their labour to the locust.
And he gave their fruit to the canker worm, and their labours to the locust.
47 He destroyeth with hail their vine, And their sycamores with frost,
He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with frost.
48 And delivereth up to the hail their beasts, And their cattle to the burning flames.
And he gave up their cattle to hail, and their substance to the fire.
49 He sendeth on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress — A discharge of evil messengers.
He sent out against them the fury of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and affliction, a message by evil angels.
50 He pondereth a path for His anger, He kept not back their soul from death, Yea, their life to the pestilence He delivered up.
He made a way for his wrath; he spared not their souls from death, but consigned their cattle to death;
51 And He smiteth every first-born in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.
and struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt; the first fruits of their labours in the tents of Cham.
52 And causeth His people to journey as a flock, And guideth them as a drove in a wilderness,
And he removed his people like sheep; he led them as a flock in the wilderness.
53 And He leadeth them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And their enemies hath the sea covered.
And he guided them with hope, and they feared not: but the sea covered their enemies.
54 And He bringeth them in unto the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had got,
And he brought them in to the mountain of his sanctuary, this mountain which his right hand had purchased.
55 And casteth out nations from before them, And causeth them to fall in the line of inheritance, And causeth the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents,
And he cast out the nations from before them, and made them to inherit by a line of inheritance, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
56 And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And His testimonies have not kept.
Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies.
57 And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,
And they turned back, and broke covenant, even as also their fathers: they became like a crooked bow.
58 And make Him angry with their high places, And with their graven images make Him zealous,
And they provoked him with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
59 God hath heard, and sheweth Himself wroth. And kicketh exceedingly against Israel.
God heard and lightly regarded [them], and greatly despised Israel.
60 And He leaveth the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,
And he rejected the tabernacle of Selom, his tent where he lived amongst men.
61 And He giveth His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,
And he gave their strength into captivity, and their beauty into the enemy's hand.
62 And delivereth up to the sword His people, And with His inheritance shewed Himself angry.
And he gave his people to the sword; and disdained his inheritance.
63 His young men hath fire consumed, And His virgins have not been praised.
Fire devoured their young men; and their virgins mourned not.
64 His priests by the sword have fallen, And their widows weep not.
Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows shall not be wept for.
65 And the Lord waketh as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.
So the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, [and] as a mighty man who has been heated with wine.
66 And He smiteth His adversaries backward, A reproach age-during He hath put on them,
And he struck his enemies in the hinder parts: he brought on them a perpetual reproach.
67 And He kicketh against the tent of Joseph, And on the tribe of Ephraim hath not fixed.
And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim;
68 And He chooseth the tribe of Judah, With mount Zion that He loved,
but chose the tribe of Juda, the mount Sion which he loved.
69 And buildeth His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it to the age.
And he built his sanctuary as [the place] of unicorns; he founded it for ever on the earth.
70 And He fixeth on David His servant, And taketh him from the folds of a flock,
He chose David also his servant, and took him up from the flocks of sheep.
71 From behind suckling ones He hath brought him in, To rule over Jacob His people, And over Israel His inheritance.
He took him from following the ewes great with young, to be the shepherd of Jacob his servant, and Israel his inheritance.
72 And he ruleth them according to the integrity of his heart, And by the skilfulness of his hands leadeth them!
So he tended them in the innocency of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
