Psalms 78
1 An Instruction of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings of my mouth.
A contemplation by Asaph. Hear my teaching, my people. Turn 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 parable. I will utter dark sayings of old,
3 That we have heard and do know, And our fathers have recounted to us.
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 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 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 covenant in Jacob, and appointed a teaching 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, even the children who should be born; who 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 they might set their hope in God, and not forget God’s 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 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 Sons of Ephraim — armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.
The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, 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 didn’t keep God’s covenant, and refused to walk in his law.
11 And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He shewed them.
They forgot his doings, his wondrous deeds that he had shown them.
12 Before their fathers He hath done wonders, In the land of Egypt — the field of Zoan.
He did marvellous things 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 split the sea, and caused them to pass through. He made the waters stand as a heap.
14 And leadeth them with a cloud by day, And all the night with a light of fire.
In the daytime he also led them with a cloud, and all night with a light of fire.
15 He cleaveth rocks in a wilderness, And giveth drink — as the great deep.
He split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.
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 they still went on 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.
They tempted God in their heart by asking food according to their desire.
19 And they speak against God — they said: 'Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?'
Yes, 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 struck the rock, so that waters gushed out, and streams overflowed. Can he give bread also? Will he provide meat 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 angry. A fire was kindled against Jacob, anger also went up against Israel,
22 For they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation.
because they didn’t believe in God, and didn’t trust in his salvation.
23 And He commandeth clouds from above, Yea, doors of the heavens He hath opened.
Yet 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.
He rained down manna on them to eat, and gave them food from the sky.
25 Food of the mighty hath each eaten, Venison He sent to them to satiety.
Man 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 caused the east wind to blow in the sky. By his power he guided the south wind.
27 And He raineth on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas — winged fowl,
He also rained meat on them as the dust, winged birds as the sand of the seas.
28 And causeth [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Round about His tabernacles.
He let them fall in the middle of their camp, around their habitations.
29 And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And their desire He bringeth to them.
So they ate, and were well filled. He gave them their own desire.
30 They have not been estranged from their desire, Yet [is] their food in their mouth,
They didn’t turn from their cravings. 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, killed some of their strongest, and struck 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 still sinned, and didn’t believe 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 terror.
34 If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and sought God earnestly,
When he killed them, then they enquired after him. They returned and sought God earnestly.
35 And they remember that God [is] their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.
They remembered that God was their rock, 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.
For their heart was not right 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 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 remembereth that they [are] flesh, A wind going on — and it returneth not.
He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes away, and doesn’t come again.
40 How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?
How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, and grieved him in the desert!
41 Yea, they turn back, and try God, And the Holy One of Israel have limited.
They turned again 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 didn’t remember 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, his wonders in the field of Zoan,
44 And He turneth to blood their streams, And their floods they drink not.
he turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, so that they could not drink.
45 He sendeth among them the beetle, and it consumeth them, And the frog, and it destroyeth them,
He sent amongst 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 also gave their increase to the caterpillar, and their labour to the locust.
47 He destroyeth with hail their vine, And their sycamores with frost,
He destroyed their vines with hail, their sycamore fig trees with frost.
48 And delivereth up to the hail their beasts, And their cattle to the burning flames.
He also gave over their livestock to the 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 threw on them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, and a band 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 path for his anger. He didn’t spare 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 struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief 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 out his own people 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.
He led them safely, so that they weren’t afraid, 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,
He brought them to the border of his sanctuary, to this mountain, which his right hand had taken.
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 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 they tempt and provoke God Most High, And His testimonies have not kept.
Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, and didn’t keep 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 twisted 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 to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their engraved images.
59 God hath heard, and sheweth Himself wroth. And kicketh exceedingly against Israel.
When God heard this, he was angry, and greatly abhorred Israel,
60 And He leaveth the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,
so that he abandoned the tent of Shiloh, the tent which he placed amongst men,
61 And He giveth His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,
and delivered his strength into captivity, his glory into the adversary’s hand.
62 And delivereth up to the sword His people, And with His inheritance shewed Himself angry.
He also gave his people over to the sword, and was angry with his inheritance.
63 His young men hath fire consumed, And His virgins have not been praised.
Fire devoured their young men. Their virgins had no wedding song.
64 His priests by the sword have fallen, And their widows weep not.
Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows couldn’t weep.
65 And the Lord waketh as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.
Then the Lord awakened as one out of sleep, like a mighty man who shouts by reason of wine.
66 And He smiteth His adversaries backward, A reproach age-during He hath put on them,
He struck his adversaries backward. He put them to a perpetual reproach.
67 And He kicketh against the tent of Joseph, And on the tribe of Ephraim hath not fixed.
Moreover he rejected the tent of Joseph, and didn’t choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 And He chooseth the tribe of Judah, With mount Zion that He loved,
But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which he loved.
69 And buildeth His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it to the age.
He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he has established forever.
70 And He fixeth on David His servant, And taketh him from the folds of a flock,
He also 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 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 ruleth them according to the integrity of his heart, And by the skilfulness of his hands leadeth them!
So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
