Psalms 78
1 An Instruction of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings of my mouth.
A maskil of Asaph. My people, attend to my teaching: bend your ears to the words of my mouth,
2 I open with a simile my mouth, I bring forth hidden things of old,
as I open my mouth in a poem on the riddling story of the past.
3 That we have heard and do know, And our fathers have recounted to us.
What we have heard and known, and what our ancestors 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. We will tell to the next generation the praises and might of the Lord, and the wonders that he has 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.
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 So that a later generation doth know, Sons who are born, do rise and recount to their sons,
that the next generation should know it, that the children yet to be born should arise and tell their children;
7 And place in God their confidence, And forget not the doings of God, But keep His commands.
that in God they might put their confidence, and not forget God’s works; but that they might 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 not be like their ancestors, a generation defiant and stubborn, a generation with heart unsteady, and spirit unfaithful towards God.
9 Sons of Ephraim — armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.
Ephraimites, armed bowmen, 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 did not keep God’s covenant, they refused to walk in his law.
11 And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He shewed them.
They forgot what he had done, and the wonders he had shown them.
12 Before their fathers He hath done wonders, In the land of Egypt — the field of Zoan.
He did wonders before their ancestors in the country of Zoan in Egypt.
13 He cleft a sea, and causeth them to pass over, Yea, He causeth waters to stand as a heap.
Through the sea which he split he brought them, making waters stand up like a heap;
14 And leadeth them with a cloud by day, And all the night with a light of fire.
he led them by day with a cloud, all the night with a light of fire.
15 He cleaveth rocks in a wilderness, And giveth drink — as the great deep.
From the rocks which he split in the wilderness, he gave them to drink as of ocean’s abundance.
16 And bringeth out streams from a rock, And causeth waters to come down as rivers.
He brought streams out of the rock, and made water run down like rivers.
17 And they add still to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.
Yet they still went on sinning against him, they defied the Most High in the desert.
18 And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.
They wilfully challenged God, demanding the food that they longed for.
19 And they speak against God — they said: 'Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?'
‘Is God able,’ such was their challenge, ‘to spread in the desert a table?
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?'
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 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 the Lord heard this, he was furious, and fire was kindled on Jacob, anger flared up against Israel.
22 For they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation.
For they put no trust in God, no confidence in his help.
23 And He commandeth clouds from above, Yea, doors of the heavens He hath opened.
So he summoned the clouds above; and, opening the doors of heaven,
24 And He raineth on them manna to eat, Yea, corn of heaven He hath given to them.
he rained manna upon them for food, and grain of heaven he gave them.
25 Food of the mighty hath each eaten, Venison He sent to them to satiety.
Everyone ate the bread of angels; he sent them food to the full.
26 He causeth an east wind to journey in the heavens, And leadeth by His strength a south wind,
He launched the east wind in the heavens, and guided the south by his power.
27 And He raineth on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas — winged fowl,
He rained meat upon them like dust, winged bird like the sand of the sea.
28 And causeth [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Round about His tabernacles.
In the midst of their camp he dropped it, all around their tents.
29 And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And their desire He bringeth to them.
They ate and were more than filled; he had brought them the thing they desired.
30 They have not been estranged from their desire, Yet [is] their food in their mouth,
But the thing they desired became loathsome: while their food was still 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.
the wrath of God rose against them. He slew the stoutest among them, and laid low the young men of Israel.
32 With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.
Yet for all this they sinned yet more, and refused to believe in his wonders.
33 And He consumeth in vanity their days, And their years in trouble.
So he ended their days in a breath, and their years in sudden dismay.
34 If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and sought God earnestly,
When he slew them, then they sought after him, they turned and sought God with diligence.
35 And they remember that God [is] their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.
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 flattered him 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.
Their heart was not steady with him, they were faithless to 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 full of pity: he pardons sin and destroys not. Often he turns his anger away, without stirring his wrath at all.
39 And He remembereth that they [are] flesh, A wind going on — and it returneth not.
So he remembered that they were but flesh, breath that passes and does not return.
40 How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?
But how often they rebelled in the desert, and caused him grief in the wilderness,
41 Yea, they turn back, and try God, And the Holy One of Israel have limited.
tempting God again and again, provoking the Holy One of Israel.
42 They have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.
They did not remember his strength, nor the day he redeemed from the foe,
43 When He set His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan,
how he set his signs in Egypt, in the country of Zoan his wonders.
44 And He turneth to blood their streams, And their floods they drink not.
He turned their canals into blood, their streams undrinkable.
45 He sendeth among them the beetle, and it consumeth them, And the frog, and it destroyeth them,
He sent forth flies, which devoured them; frogs, too, which destroyed them.
46 And giveth to the caterpillar their increase, And their labour to the locust.
Their crops he gave to the caterpillar, and the fruits of their toil to the locust.
47 He destroyeth with hail their vine, And their sycamores with frost,
He slew 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 delivered their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to bolts of fire.
49 He sendeth on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress — A discharge of evil messengers.
He let loose his hot anger among them, fury and wrath and distress, a band of destroying 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 cleared a path for his anger, did not spare them from death, but gave them over to pestilence.
51 And He smiteth every first-born in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.
He struck down 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,
He led forth his people like sheep, he was guide to his flock in the desert.
53 And He leadeth them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And their enemies hath the sea covered.
Securely he led them, and free from fear, while their foes were drowned in the sea.
54 And He bringeth them in unto the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had got,
To his holy realm he brought them, to the mountain 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,
He drove out the nations before them, and allotted their land for possession, and their tents for Israel to live in.
56 And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And His testimonies have not kept.
Yet they tempted and angered the Most High God, they did not observe his decrees.
57 And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,
They drew back, false like their ancestors; they failed like a treacherous bow.
58 And make Him angry with their high places, And with their graven images make Him zealous,
Their shrines stirred him to anger, their idols moved him to jealousy.
59 God hath heard, and sheweth Himself wroth. And kicketh exceedingly against Israel.
When God heard of this, he was furious, and he spurned Israel utterly.
60 And He leaveth the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,
He abandoned his home in Shiloh, the tent he had pitched among people.
61 And He giveth His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,
He gave his strength up to captivity, his glory to the hands of the foe.
62 And delivereth up to the sword His people, And with His inheritance shewed Himself angry.
He gave his people to the sword, he was furious with his own.
63 His young men hath fire consumed, And His virgins have not been praised.
Fire devoured their young men, and their maidens 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 could not weep.
65 And the Lord waketh as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a warrior flushed with wine;
66 And He smiteth His adversaries backward, A reproach age-during He hath put on them,
and he beat back his foes, putting them to perpetual scorn.
67 And He kicketh against the tent of Joseph, And on the tribe of Ephraim hath not fixed.
He disowned the tent of Joseph, he rejected the tribe of Ephraim;
68 And He chooseth the tribe of Judah, With mount Zion that He loved,
but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves.
69 And buildeth His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it to the age.
And he built like the heights his sanctuary, like the earth which he founded forever.
70 And He fixeth on David His servant, And taketh him from the folds of a flock,
And he chose David his servant, taking 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 the mother-ewes he brought him, to be shepherd to Jacob his people, and to Israel his inheritance.
72 And he ruleth them according to the integrity of his heart, And by the skilfulness of his hands leadeth them!
With upright heart did he shepherd them, and with skilful hands did he guide them.
