Psalms 78

1 An Instruction of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings of my mouth.

Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears 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 with a parable; I will utter dark sayings concerning days of old;

3 That we have heard and do know, And our fathers have recounted to us.

That which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told 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.

We will not hide from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and His strength, and His wondrous works that He hath done.

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.

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 So that a later generation doth know, Sons who are born, do rise and recount to their sons,

That the generation to come might know them, even the children that should be born; who should arise and tell 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 put their confidence in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep 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.

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 Sons of Ephraim — armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.

The children of Ephraim were as archers handling the bow, that 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 refused to walk in His law;

11 And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He shewed them.

And they forgot His doings, and His wondrous works that He had shown them.

12 Before their fathers He hath done wonders, In the land of Egypt — the field of Zoan.

Marvellous things did He in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

13 He cleft a sea, and causeth them to pass over, Yea, He causeth waters to stand as a heap.

He cleaved the sea, and caused them to pass through; and He made the waters to stand as a heap.

14 And leadeth them with a cloud by day, And all the night with a light of fire.

By day also He led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.

15 He cleaveth rocks in a wilderness, And giveth drink — as the great deep.

He cleaved rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as out of the great deep.

16 And bringeth out streams from a rock, And causeth waters to come down as rivers.

He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

17 And they add still to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.

Yet went they on still to sin against Him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert.

18 And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.

And they tried God in their heart by asking food for their craving.

19 And they speak against God — they said: 'Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?'

Yea, they spoke against God; they said: 'Can God 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?'

Behold, He smote the rock, that waters gushed out, and streams overflowed; can He give bread also? or will He provide flesh 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 wroth; and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also 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.

And He commanded the skies 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 He caused manna to rain upon them for food, and gave them of the corn of heaven.

25 Food of the mighty hath each eaten, Venison He sent to them to satiety.

Man did eat the bread of the mighty; He sent them provisions to the full.

26 He causeth an east wind to journey in the heavens, And leadeth by His strength a south wind,

He caused the east wind to set forth in heaven; and by His power He brought on the south wind.

27 And He raineth on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas — winged fowl,

He caused flesh also to rain upon them as the dust, and winged fowl as the sand of the seas;

28 And causeth [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Round about His tabernacles.

And He let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their dwellings.

29 And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And their desire He bringeth to them.

So they did eat, and were well filled; and He gave them that which they craved.

30 They have not been estranged from their desire, Yet [is] their food in their mouth,

They were not estranged from their craving, their food was yet in their mouths,

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.

When the anger of God went up against them, and slew of the lustieth among them, and smote down the young men of Israel.

32 With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.

For all this they sinned still, and believed not in His wondrous works.

33 And He consumeth in vanity their days, And their years in trouble.

Therefore He ended their days as a breath, and their years in terror.

34 If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and sought God earnestly,

When He slew them, then they would inquire after Him, and turn back and seek God earnestly.

35 And they remember that God [is] their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.

And they remembered that God was their Rock, and the Most High God their redeemer.

36 And — they deceive Him with their mouth, And with their tongue do lie to Him,

But they beguiled Him with their mouth, and lied unto 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 stedfast with Him, neither were they faithful 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, being full of compassion, forgiveth iniquity, and destroyeth not; yea, many a time doth He turn His anger away, and doth not stir up all His wrath.

39 And He remembereth that they [are] flesh, A wind going on — and it returneth not.

So He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

40 How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?

How oft did they rebel against Him in the wilderness, and grieve Him in the desert!

41 Yea, they turn back, and try God, And the Holy One of Israel have limited.

And still again they tried God, and set bounds to 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, nor the day when He redeemed them from the adversary.

43 When He set His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan,

How He set His signs in Egypt, and His wonders in the field of Zoan;

44 And He turneth to blood their streams, And their floods they drink not.

And turned their rivers into blood, so that they could not drink their streams.

45 He sendeth among them the beetle, and it consumeth them, And the frog, and it destroyeth them,

He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

46 And giveth to the caterpillar their increase, And their labour to the locust.

He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, and their labour unto the locust.

47 He destroyeth with hail their vine, And their sycamores with frost,

He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamore-trees with frost.

48 And delivereth up to the hail their beasts, And their cattle to the burning flames.

He gave over their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to fiery bolts.

49 He sendeth on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress — A discharge of evil messengers.

He sent forth upon them the fierceness of His anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, a sending of messengers of evil.

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 levelled a path for His anger; He spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;

51 And He smiteth every first-born in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.

And smote all the first-born in Egypt, the first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham;

52 And causeth His people to journey as a flock, And guideth them as a drove in a wilderness,

But He made His own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

53 And He leadeth them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And their enemies hath the sea covered.

And He led them safely, and they feared not; but the sea overwhelmed 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 to His holy border, to the mountain, which His right hand had gotten.

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,

He drove out the nations also before them, and allotted them for an inheritance by line, 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 tried and provoked God, the Most High, and kept not His testimonies;

57 And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,

But turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers; they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

58 And make Him angry with their high places, And with their graven images make Him zealous,

For 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 was wroth, and He greatly abhorred Israel;

60 And He leaveth the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,

And He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which He had made to dwell among men;

61 And He giveth His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,

And delivered His strength into captivity, and His glory into the adversary's hand.

62 And delivereth up to the sword His people, And with His inheritance shewed Himself angry.

He gave His people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with His inheritance.

63 His young men hath fire consumed, And His virgins have not been praised.

Fire devoured their young men; and their virgins had no marriage-song.

64 His priests by the sword have fallen, And their widows weep not.

Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.

65 And the Lord waketh as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.

Then the Lord awaked as one asleep, like a mighty man recovering from wine.

66 And He smiteth His adversaries backward, A reproach age-during He hath put on them,

And He smote His adversaries backward; He put upon them a perpetual reproach.

67 And He kicketh against the tent of Joseph, And on the tribe of Ephraim hath not fixed.

Moreover He abhorred the tent 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 Judah, the mount Zion 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 like the heights, like the earth which He hath founded for ever.

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 from the sheepfolds;

71 From behind suckling ones He hath brought him in, To rule over Jacob His people, And over Israel His inheritance.

From following the ewes that give suck He brought him, to be shepherd over Jacob His people, 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 shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart; and lead them by the skilfulness of his hands.