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 Asaph.” Give ear, O my people, to my instruction! 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 in a psalm; I will utter sayings of ancient times.

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

What we have heard and learned, 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; Showing to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, His might, and the wonders he hath 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.

For he appointed statutes in Jacob, And established a law in Israel, Which he commanded our fathers To make known to their children;

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

So that the generation to come might know them; The children, which should be born, and rise up, Who should 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 put their trust in God, And not forget his deeds, 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, like their forefathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, —A generation whose heart was not fixed upon God, And whose spirit was not steadfast toward the Almighty.

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

The children of Ephraim were like armed bowmen, Who turn their backs 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 forgot his mighty deeds, And the wonders 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 divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; Yea, 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 he led them by a cloud, And all the night by a light of fire.

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

He clave the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink, as from the great deep.

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

From the rock he brought flowing streams, And made water to run down like rivers.

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

Yet still they sinned against him, And provoked the Most High in the desert.

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

They tempted God in their hearts, By asking food for their delight.

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

Yea, they spake against God, and said, “Can God spread 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, and the water flowed, And streams gushed forth: Is he also able to give bread? Can 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,

When, therefore, the LORD heard this, he was wroth: So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger arose 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 aid.

23 And He commandeth clouds from above, Yea, doors of the heavens He hath opened.

Yet he had commanded the clouds above, And had opened the doors of heaven;

24 And He raineth on them manna to eat, Yea, corn of heaven He hath given to them.

And had rained down upon them manna for food, And had given them the corn of heaven.

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

Every one ate the food of princes; He sent them bread to the full.

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

Then he caused a strong wind to blow in the heavens, And by his power he brought a south wind;

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

He rained down flesh upon them as dust, And feathered fowls as the sand of the sea.

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

He caused them to fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their habitations.

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

So they did eat, and were filled; For he gave them their own desire.

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

Their desire was not yet satisfied, And their meat 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 wrath of God came upon them, And slew their strong men, And smote down the chosen 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 put no trust in his wondrous works.

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

Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, And their years in sudden destruction.

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

When he slew them, they sought him; They returned, and sought earnestly for God;

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

And remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High their redeemer.

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

But they only flattered him with their mouths, And spake falsely to him with their tongues.

37 And their heart hath not been right with Him, And they have not been stedfast in His covenant.

For their hearts were not true to him, Nor 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.

Yet, being full of compassion, he forgave their iniquity, And would not utterly destroy them; Often he restrained his indignation, And stirred not up all his anger.

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

He remembered that they were but flesh, —A breath, that passeth and cometh not back.

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! How often did they anger him in the desert!

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

Again and again they tempted God, And offended 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 delivered them from the enemy;

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

What signs he had wrought in Egypt, And what wonders in the fields of Zoan.

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

He turned their rivers into blood, So that they could not drink of their streams.

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

He sent amongst them 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 fruits to the caterpillar, And their labor to 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 also gave up their cattle to hail, And their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

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

He sent against them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, indignation, and woe, —A host of angels 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 made a way for his anger, He spared them not from death, But gave up their lives to the pestilence.

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

He smote all the firstborn 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 led forth his own people like sheep, And guided them like a flock in the wilderness.

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

He led them on safely, so that they feared not, While the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

54 And He bringeth them in unto the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had got,

He brought them to his own sacred border, Even to this mountain which his right hand had gained.

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 cast out the nations before them, And divided their land by a measuring-line, as an inheritance, And caused 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 God, the Most High, And kept not his statutes;

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

Like their fathers they were faithless, and turned back; They turned aside, like a deceitful bow.

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

They provoked his anger by their high places, And stirred up his jealousy by their graven images.

59 God hath heard, and sheweth Himself wroth. And kicketh exceedingly against Israel.

God saw this, and was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;

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

So that he forsook the habitation at Shiloh, The tabernacle where he dwelt 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 hand of the enemy.

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

His own people he gave up to the sword, And was wroth with his own inheritance.

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

Fire consumed their young men, And their maidens did not bewail them.

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.

But at length the Lord awaked as from sleep, As a hero who had been overpowered by wine;

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

He smote his enemies, and drove them back, And covered them with everlasting disgrace.

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

Yet he rejected the tents 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.

Where he built, like the heavens, his sanctuary; Like the earth, which he hath established for ever.

70 And He fixeth on David His servant, And taketh him from the folds of a flock,

And he chose David, 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 tending the suckling ewes he brought him To feed 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!

He fed them with an upright heart, And guided them with skilful hands.