תהילים 78
| משכיל לאסף האזינה עמי תורתי הטו אזנכם לאמרי-פי | 1 |
“A Maskil of Assaph.” Give ear, O my people, to my instruction: incline thy ear to the words of my mouth.
| אפתחה במשל פי אביעה חידות מני-קדם | 2 |
I will open with a parable my mouth: I will utter riddles out of ancient times;
| אשר שמענו ונדעם ואבותינו ספרו-לנו | 3 |
Which we have heard and know, and which our fathers have related unto us.
| לא נכחד מבניהם-- לדור אחרון מספרים תהלות יהוה ועזוזו ונפלאתיו אשר עשה | 4 |
We will not conceal them from their children, relating to the latest generation the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful deeds which he hath done.
| ויקם עדות ביעקב ותורה שם בישראל אשר צוה את-אבותינו-- להודיעם לבניהם | 5 |
Yea, he established a testimony in Jacob, and instituted a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:
| למען ידעו דור אחרון--בנים יולדו יקמו ויספרו לבניהם | 6 |
In order that the latest generation might know them, even the children that are to be born; that they may arise and relate them to their children;
| וישימו באלהים כסלם ולא ישכחו מעללי-אל ומצותיו ינצרו | 7 |
That they may place in God their hope, and not forget the doings of God, but observe his commandments;
| ולא יהיו כאבותם-- דור סורר ומרה דור לא-הכין לבו ולא-נאמנה את-אל רוחו | 8 |
And that they may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that had not directed their heart firmly, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.
| בני-אפרים נושקי רומי-קשת הפכו ביום קרב | 9 |
The children of Ephraim, like well-armed archers, that turn round on the day of battle,
| לא שמרו ברית אלהים ובתורתו מאנו ללכת | 10 |
Kept not the covenant of God, and in his law they refused to walk;
| וישכחו עלילותיו ונפלאותיו אשר הראם | 11 |
And they forgot his deeds, as also his wonders, which he had permitted them to see.
| נגד אבותם עשה פלא בארץ מצרים שדה-צען | 12 |
In the presence of their fathers did he do wonders, in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zo'an.
| בקע ים ויעבירם ויצב-מים כמו-נד | 13 |
He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters stand upright as a wall.
| וינחם בענן יומם וכל-הלילה באור אש | 14 |
And he led them with the cloud by day, and all the night with a light of fire.
| יבקע צרים במדבר וישק כתהמות רבה | 15 |
He split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the mighty deep.
| ויוצא נוזלים מסלע ויורד כנהרות מים | 16 |
And he brought forth running streams out of the rock, and caused water to run down like rivers.
| ויוסיפו עוד לחטא-לו-- למרות עליון בציה | 17 |
But they repeated to sin yet more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
| וינסו-אל בלבבם-- לשאל-אכל לנפשם | 18 |
And they tempted God in their heart, by asking food for their desire.
| וידברו באלהים אמרו היוכל אל--לערך שלחן במדבר | 19 |
Yea, they spoke against God: they said, Will God be able to set in order a table in the wilderness?
| הן הכה-צור ויזובו מים-- ונחלים ישטפו הגם-לחם יוכל תת אם-יכין שאר לעמו | 20 |
Behold, he smote the rock, so that waters gushed out, and streams overflowed: shall he also be able to give bread? or can he provide flesh for his people?
| לכן שמע יהוה-- ויתעבר ואש נשקה ביעקב וגם-אף עלה בישראל | 21 |
Therefore, when the Lord heard this, he became wroth: and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also ascended against Israel,
| כי לא האמינו באלהים ולא בטחו בישועתו | 22 |
Because they had not believed in God, and had not trusted in his salvation.
| ויצו שחקים ממעל ודלתי שמים פתח | 23 |
Then he ordained the skies from above, and the doors of heaven he opened;
| וימטר עליהם מן לאכל ודגן-שמים נתן למו | 24 |
And he let rain down upon them manna to eat, and the corn of heaven gave he unto them.
| לחם אבירים אכל איש צידה שלח להם לשבע | 25 |
Angels' bread did man eat: he sent them provision to satisfaction.
| יסע קדים בשמים וינהג בעזו תימן | 26 |
He caused an east wind to pass along the heavens; and he led forth by his strength the south wind.
| וימטר עליהם כעפר שאר וכחול ימים עוף כנף | 27 |
And he let rain upon them flesh [as plentiful] as the dust, and winged birds like the sand of the sea;
| ויפל בקרב מחנהו סביב למשכנתיו | 28 |
And he let them fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.
| ויאכלו וישבעו מאד ותאותם יבא להם | 29 |
And they ate, and were greatly satisfied, and what they longed for he brought unto them.
| לא-זרו מתאותם עוד אכלם בפיהם | 30 |
They were not estranged from their longing, yet was their food in their mouth:
| ואף אלהים עלה בהם ויהרג במשמניהם ובחורי ישראל הכריע | 31 |
When the wrath of God ascended against them, and he slew some of the fattest of them, and the young men of Israel did he strike down.
| בכל-זאת חטאו-עוד ולא-האמינו בנפלאותיו | 32 |
With all this they sinned again, and believed not in his wonders.
| ויכל-בהבל ימיהם ושנותם בבהלה | 33 |
Therefore he caused their days to come to an end in nought, and their years in dread.
| אם-הרגם ודרשוהו ושבו ושחרו-אל | 34 |
When he slew them, then did they seek him, and they returned and inquired earnestly after God.
| ויזכרו כי-אלהים צורם ואל עליון גאלם | 35 |
And they remembered that God was their rock, and the most high God their redeemer.
| ויפתוהו בפיהם ובלשונם יכזבו-לו | 36 |
Nevertheless they prayed insincerely to him with their mouth, and with their tongue they lied unto him.
| ולבם לא-נכון עמו ולא נאמנו בבריתו | 37 |
For their heart was not firm with him, and they were not faithful in his covenant.
| והוא רחום יכפר עון-- ולא-ישחית והרבה להשיב אפו ולא-יעיר כל-חמתו | 38 |
But he, being merciful, forgave the iniquity, and destroyed [them] not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not awaken all his fury.
| ויזכר כי-בשר המה רוח הולך ולא ישוב | 39 |
And he remembered that they are but flesh, a spirit that passeth away, and returneth not again.
| כמה ימרוהו במדבר יעציבוהו בישימון | 40 |
How oft did they rebel against him in the wilderness, grieve him in the desert!
| וישובו וינסו אל וקדוש ישראל התוו | 41 |
Yea, they once more tempted God, and set limits to the Holy One of Israel.
| לא-זכרו את-ידו יום אשר-פדם מני-צר | 42 |
They remembered not his hand, the day when he ransomed them from the adversary;
| אשר-שם במצרים אתותיו ומופתיו בשדה-צען | 43 |
When he displayed in Egypt his signs, and his wonderful tokens in the fields of Zo'an.
| ויהפך לדם יאריהם ונזליהם בל-ישתיון | 44 |
And he changed their rivers into blood; and their running streams, that they could not drink [of them].
| ישלח בהם ערב ויאכלם וצפרדע ותשחיתם | 45 |
He sent out among them various wild beasts, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
| ויתן לחסיל יבולם ויגיעם לארבה | 46 |
And he gave unto the cricket their products, and their labor unto the locust.
| יהרג בברד גפנם ושקמותם בחנמל | 47 |
He slew with hail their vines, and their sycamore-trees with ice-bolts.
| ויסגר לברד בעירם ומקניהם לרשפים | 48 |
And he surrendered to the hail their cattle, and their herds to the lightning's flashes.
| ישלח-בם חרון אפו--עברה וזעם וצרה משלחת מלאכי רעים | 49 |
He let loose against them the fierceness of his anger, wrath and indignation, and distress, a host of angels of misfortune.
| יפלס נתיב לאפו לא-חשך ממות נפשם וחיתם לדבר הסגיר | 50 |
He leveled a path for his anger; he withheld not from death their soul, and their life he surrendered to the pestilence;
| ויך כל-בכור במצרים ראשית אונים באהלי-חם | 51 |
And he smote all the first-born in Egypt; the first of their strength in the tents of Ham;
| ויסע כצאן עמו וינהגם כעדר במדבר | 52 |
But he caused his own people to depart like flocks, and guided them like a drove in the wilderness.
| וינחם לבטח ולא פחדו ואת-אויביהם כסה הים | 53 |
And he led them in safety, so that they felt no dread; but the sea covered over their enemies.
| ויביאם אל-גבול קדשו הר-זה קנתה ימינו | 54 |
And he brought them to his holy territory, even to this mount, which his right hand had acquired.
| ויגרש מפניהם גוים-- ויפילם בחבל נחלה וישכן באהליהם שבטי ישראל | 55 |
And he drove out from before them nations, and divided them by the measuring-line as an inheritance, and he caused to dwell in their tents the tribes of Israel.
| וינסו וימרו את-אלהים עליון ועדותיו לא שמרו | 56 |
Yet they tempted and rebelled against the most high God, and his testimonies they kept not;
| ויסגו ויבגדו כאבותם נהפכו כקשת רמיה | 57 |
But swerved aside, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers; they turned about like a deceitful bow.
| ויכעיסוהו בבמותם ובפסיליהם יקניאוהו | 58 |
And they provoked him to anger with their high-places, and with their graven images they moved him to jealousy.
| שמע אלהים ויתעבר וימאס מאד בישראל | 59 |
God heard this, and he became wroth, and felt greatly disgusted with Israel;
| ויטש משכן שלו אהל שכן באדם | 60 |
And he cast off the dwelling at Shiloh, the tabernacle where he had dwelt among men;
| ויתן לשבי עזו ותפארתו ביד-צר | 61 |
And he gave up his strength unto captivity, and his glory into the adversary's hand.
| ויסגר לחרב עמו ובנחלתו התעבר | 62 |
And he surrendered his people unto the sword; and with his inheritance was he wroth.
| בחוריו אכלה-אש ובתולתיו לא הוללו | 63 |
His young men the fire devoured; and his virgins were not demanded in marriage.
| כהניו בחרב נפלו ואלמנתיו לא תבכינה | 64 |
His priests fell by the sword; and his widows did not weep.
| ויקץ כישן אדני כגבור מתרונן מיין | 65 |
Then awoke the Lord as one that sleepeth, like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.
| ויך-צריו אחור חרפת עולם נתן למו | 66 |
And he smote his enemies backward: a perpetual disgrace on them.
| וימאס באהל יוסף ובשבט אפרים לא בחר | 67 |
Yet was he disgusted with the tent of Joseph, and of the tribe of Ephraim he made not choice;
| ויבחר את-שבט יהודה את-הר ציון אשר אהב | 68 |
But he chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.
| ויבן כמו-רמים מקדשו כארץ יסדה לעולם | 69 |
And he built like high [mountains] his sanctuary, like the earth which he hath founded for ever.
| ויבחר בדוד עבדו ויקחהו ממכלאת צאן | 70 |
And he made choice of David his servant, and took him from the sheep-folds:
| מאחר עלות הביאו לרעות ביעקב עמו ובישראל נחלתו | 71 |
From following the ewes with young he brought him, to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
| וירעם כתם לבבו ובתבונות כפיו ינחם | 72 |
And he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and by the skilfulness of his hands did he lead them.
