תהילים 78
| משכיל לאסף האזינה עמי תורתי הטו אזנכם לאמרי-פי | 1 |
A psalm (maskil) of Asaph. Listen to what I have to teach you, my people; hear what I have to say.
| אפתחה במשל פי אביעה חידות מני-קדם | 2 |
I will tell you wise sayings; I will explain mysteries from the past
| אשר שמענו ונדעם ואבותינו ספרו-לנו | 3 |
that we have heard before and reflected on; stories our forefathers passed down to us.
| לא נכחד מבניהם-- לדור אחרון מספרים תהלות יהוה ועזוזו ונפלאתיו אשר עשה | 4 |
We will not keep them from our children; we will tell the next generation about God's marvelous actions—about his power and the amazing things he has done.
| ויקם עדות ביעקב ותורה שם בישראל אשר צוה את-אבותינו-- להודיעם לבניהם | 5 |
He gave his laws to the descendants of Jacob; his instructions to the people of Israel. He commanded our forefathers to teach them to their children,
| למען ידעו דור אחרון--בנים יולדו יקמו ויספרו לבניהם | 6 |
so that the next generation—children yet to be born—would understand and grow up to teach their children.
| וישימו באלהים כסלם ולא ישכחו מעללי-אל ומצותיו ינצרו | 7 |
In this way they should place their trust in God and not forget what God has done, and keep his commandments.
| ולא יהיו כאבותם-- דור סורר ומרה דור לא-הכין לבו ולא-נאמנה את-אל רוחו | 8 |
Then they would not be like their forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation that was untrustworthy and unfaithful.
| בני-אפרים נושקי רומי-קשת הפכו ביום קרב | 9 |
The soldiers of Ephraim, though armed with bows, ran away on the day of battle.
| לא שמרו ברית אלהים ובתורתו מאנו ללכת | 10 |
They did not keep God's agreement, and refused to follow his laws.
| וישכחו עלילותיו ונפלאותיו אשר הראם | 11 |
They ignored what he had done, and the amazing things he had shown them—
| נגד אבותם עשה פלא בארץ מצרים שדה-צען | 12 |
the miracles he had performed for their forefathers near Zoan in Egypt.
| בקע ים ויעבירם ויצב-מים כמו-נד | 13 |
He split the sea in two and led them through, making the water stand like walls on either side.
| וינחם בענן יומם וכל-הלילה באור אש | 14 |
He led them with a cloud by day, and by night with a light of fire.
| יבקע צרים במדבר וישק כתהמות רבה | 15 |
He split open rocks in the desert to give his people plenty to drink, water as deep as the ocean.
| ויוצא נוזלים מסלע ויורד כנהרות מים | 16 |
He made streams flow from the stone; water rushing down like rivers!
| ויוסיפו עוד לחטא-לו-- למרות עליון בציה | 17 |
But they repeatedly sinned against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
| וינסו-אל בלבבם-- לשאל-אכל לנפשם | 18 |
They deliberately provoked God by demanding the foods they longed for.
| וידברו באלהים אמרו היוכל אל--לערך שלחן במדבר | 19 |
They insulted God by saying, “Can God provide food here in the desert?
| הן הכה-צור ויזובו מים-- ונחלים ישטפו הגם-לחם יוכל תת אם-יכין שאר לעמו | 20 |
Yes, he can strike a rock so that water gushes out like flowing rivers, but can he give us bread? Can he supply his people with meat?”
| לכן שמע יהוה-- ויתעבר ואש נשקה ביעקב וגם-אף עלה בישראל | 21 |
When he heard this, the Lord became very angry, burning like fire against the descendants of Jacob, furious with the people of Israel,
| כי לא האמינו באלהים ולא בטחו בישועתו | 22 |
for they didn't believe in God and didn't trust him to take care of them.
| ויצו שחקים ממעל ודלתי שמים פתח | 23 |
Even so he commanded the skies above and the doors of heaven to open,
| וימטר עליהם מן לאכל ודגן-שמים נתן למו | 24 |
and he made manna rain down on them to eat, giving them bread from heaven.
| לחם אבירים אכל איש צידה שלח להם לשבע | 25 |
Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them more than enough food.
| יסע קדים בשמים וינהג בעזו תימן | 26 |
He sent the east wind blowing across the sky; by his power he drove the south wind.
| וימטר עליהם כעפר שאר וכחול ימים עוף כנף | 27 |
He rained down meat on them as plentiful as dust; birds as numerous as sand on a beach.
| ויפל בקרב מחנהו סביב למשכנתיו | 28 |
He made them fall right in the middle of their camp, all around where they were living.
| ויאכלו וישבעו מאד ותאותם יבא להם | 29 |
They ate until they were full. He gave them the food they longed for.
| לא-זרו מתאותם עוד אכלם בפיהם | 30 |
But before they satisfied their appetite, while the meat was still in their mouths,
| ואף אלהים עלה בהם ויהרג במשמניהם ובחורי ישראל הכריע | 31 |
God became angry with them and he killed their strongest men, striking them down in the prime of life.
| בכל-זאת חטאו-עוד ולא-האמינו בנפלאותיו | 32 |
Despite all this they went right on sinning. Despite the miracles, they refused to trust him.
| ויכל-בהבל ימיהם ושנותם בבהלה | 33 |
So he snuffed out their futile lives, bringing them to an end in terror.
| אם-הרגם ודרשוהו ושבו ושחרו-אל | 34 |
When he began killing them, the rest came back to God in repentance, praying to him.
| ויזכרו כי-אלהים צורם ואל עליון גאלם | 35 |
They remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their Savior.
| ויפתוהו בפיהם ובלשונם יכזבו-לו | 36 |
They flattered him by what they told him, but they were only lying.
| ולבם לא-נכון עמו ולא נאמנו בבריתו | 37 |
Deep down they were not sincere, and did not keep the agreement they had with him.
| והוא רחום יכפר עון-- ולא-ישחית והרבה להשיב אפו ולא-יעיר כל-חמתו | 38 |
But being compassionate he pardoned their guilt and did not destroy all of them. He often held back his anger—he did not pour out all his fury.
| ויזכר כי-בשר המה רוח הולך ולא ישוב | 39 |
He remembered their mortality—that they were like a puff of wind that would not return.
| כמה ימרוהו במדבר יעציבוהו בישימון | 40 |
How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, giving him grief in the desert!
| וישובו וינסו אל וקדוש ישראל התוו | 41 |
Again and again they provoked God, causing pain to the Holy One of Israel.
| לא-זכרו את-ידו יום אשר-פדם מני-צר | 42 |
They did not remember his strength when he rescued them from their oppressors,
| אשר-שם במצרים אתותיו ומופתיו בשדה-צען | 43 |
performing miracles in Egypt, doing wonderful things on the plain of Zoan.
| ויהפך לדם יאריהם ונזליהם בל-ישתיון | 44 |
There he turned their rivers and their streams into blood so that no one could drink from them.
| ישלח בהם ערב ויאכלם וצפרדע ותשחיתם | 45 |
He sent flies among them to destroy them, and frogs to ruin everything.
| ויתן לחסיל יבולם ויגיעם לארבה | 46 |
He gave their crops to locusts; everything they worked had for was taken by locusts.
| יהרג בברד גפנם ושקמותם בחנמל | 47 |
He destroyed their vines with hail, and their fig trees with freezing rain.
| ויסגר לברד בעירם ומקניהם לרשפים | 48 |
He handed over their cattle to hail and their flocks to lightning bolts.
| ישלח-בם חרון אפו--עברה וזעם וצרה משלחת מלאכי רעים | 49 |
He poured out on them his fierce anger—rage and hostility and anguish—sending a band of destroying angels against them.
| יפלס נתיב לאפו לא-חשך ממות נפשם וחיתם לדבר הסגיר | 50 |
He sent his unrestrained anger against them; he did not spare them from death, handing them over to the plague.
| ויך כל-בכור במצרים ראשית אונים באהלי-חם | 51 |
He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the first to be conceived in the tents of Ham.
| ויסע כצאן עמו וינהגם כעדר במדבר | 52 |
But he led out his people like sheep, and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
| וינחם לבטח ולא פחדו ואת-אויביהם כסה הים | 53 |
He led them to safety, and they were not afraid. He drowned their enemies in the sea.
| ויביאם אל-גבול קדשו הר-זה קנתה ימינו | 54 |
He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountainous land that he had conquered for them.
| ויגרש מפניהם גוים-- ויפילם בחבל נחלה וישכן באהליהם שבטי ישראל | 55 |
He drove out the heathen nations before them. He divided up the land for them to own. He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
| וינסו וימרו את-אלהים עליון ועדותיו לא שמרו | 56 |
But they provoked God Most High, rebelling against him. They did not follow what he had told them.
| ויסגו ויבגדו כאבותם נהפכו כקשת רמיה | 57 |
Just like their forefathers they turned away from God and were unfaithful to him, as twisted as a defective bow.
| ויכעיסוהו בבמותם ובפסיליהם יקניאוהו | 58 |
They made him angry with their pagan high places of worship; they made him jealous with their idols.
| שמע אלהים ויתעבר וימאס מאד בישראל | 59 |
When God heard their worship he became furious and he totally rejected Israel.
| ויטש משכן שלו אהל שכן באדם | 60 |
He abandoned his place at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he lived among the people.
| ויתן לשבי עזו ותפארתו ביד-צר | 61 |
He surrendered the Ark of his power, allowing it to be captured; handing it over into enemy hands.
| ויסגר לחרב עמו ובנחלתו התעבר | 62 |
He handed over his people to be slaughtered by the sword; he was furious with his chosen people.
| בחוריו אכלה-אש ובתולתיו לא הוללו | 63 |
Their young men were destroyed by fire; their young women had no wedding songs.
| כהניו בחרב נפלו ואלמנתיו לא תבכינה | 64 |
Their priests were killed by the sword; their widows were unable to mourn.
| ויקץ כישן אדני כגבור מתרונן מיין | 65 |
Then the Lord woke up as if from sleep, as a warrior sobering up from drinking wine.
| ויך-צריו אחור חרפת עולם נתן למו | 66 |
He defeated his enemies, striking them on the back, causing them everlasting shame.
| וימאס באהל יוסף ובשבט אפרים לא בחר | 67 |
He rejected the descendants of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
| ויבחר את-שבט יהודה את-הר ציון אשר אהב | 68 |
Instead he chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion which he loves.
| ויבן כמו-רמים מקדשו כארץ יסדה לעולם | 69 |
There he built his sanctuary, high like the heavens, on earth that he made to last forever.
| ויבחר בדוד עבדו ויקחהו ממכלאת צאן | 70 |
He chose his servant David, taking him from the sheep pens,
| מאחר עלות הביאו לרעות ביעקב עמו ובישראל נחלתו | 71 |
taking him from caring for the sheep and lambs to be a shepherd to the descendants of Jacob—God's special people, Israel.
| וירעם כתם לבבו ובתבונות כפיו ינחם | 72 |
Like a shepherd, he took care of them with sincere devotion, leading them with skillful hands.
