תהילים 78
| משכיל לאסף האזינה עמי תורתי הטו אזנכם לאמרי-פי | 1 |
“A psalm of Asaph.” Give ear, O my people, to my instruction! Incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
| אפתחה במשל פי אביעה חידות מני-קדם | 2 |
I will open my mouth in a psalm; I will utter sayings of ancient times.
| אשר שמענו ונדעם ואבותינו ספרו-לנו | 3 |
What we have heard and learned, And our fathers have told us,
| לא נכחד מבניהם-- לדור אחרון מספרים תהלות יהוה ועזוזו ונפלאתיו אשר עשה | 4 |
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.
| ויקם עדות ביעקב ותורה שם בישראל אשר צוה את-אבותינו-- להודיעם לבניהם | 5 |
For he appointed statutes in Jacob, And established a law in Israel, Which he commanded our fathers To make known to their children;
| למען ידעו דור אחרון--בנים יולדו יקמו ויספרו לבניהם | 6 |
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;
| וישימו באלהים כסלם ולא ישכחו מעללי-אל ומצותיו ינצרו | 7 |
That they might put their trust in God, And not forget his deeds, But keep his commandments;
| ולא יהיו כאבותם-- דור סורר ומרה דור לא-הכין לבו ולא-נאמנה את-אל רוחו | 8 |
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.
| בני-אפרים נושקי רומי-קשת הפכו ביום קרב | 9 |
The children of Ephraim were like armed bowmen, Who turn their backs in the day of battle.
| לא שמרו ברית אלהים ובתורתו מאנו ללכת | 10 |
They kept not the covenant of God, And refused to walk in his law;
| וישכחו עלילותיו ונפלאותיו אשר הראם | 11 |
And forgot his mighty deeds, And the wonders he had shown them.
| נגד אבותם עשה פלא בארץ מצרים שדה-צען | 12 |
Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
| בקע ים ויעבירם ויצב-מים כמו-נד | 13 |
He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; Yea, he made the waters to stand as a heap.
| וינחם בענן יומם וכל-הלילה באור אש | 14 |
By day he led them by a cloud, And all the night by a light of fire.
| יבקע צרים במדבר וישק כתהמות רבה | 15 |
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink, as from the great deep.
| ויוצא נוזלים מסלע ויורד כנהרות מים | 16 |
From the rock he brought flowing streams, And made water to run down like rivers.
| ויוסיפו עוד לחטא-לו-- למרות עליון בציה | 17 |
Yet still they sinned against him, And provoked the Most High in the desert.
| וינסו-אל בלבבם-- לשאל-אכל לנפשם | 18 |
They tempted God in their hearts, By asking food for their delight.
| וידברו באלהים אמרו היוכל אל--לערך שלחן במדבר | 19 |
Yea, they spake against God, and said, “Can God spread 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, and the water flowed, And streams gushed forth: Is he also able to give bread? Can he provide flesh for his people?”
| לכן שמע יהוה-- ויתעבר ואש נשקה ביעקב וגם-אף עלה בישראל | 21 |
When, therefore, the LORD heard this, he was wroth: So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger arose against Israel.
| כי לא האמינו באלהים ולא בטחו בישועתו | 22 |
Because they believed not in God, And trusted not in his aid.
| ויצו שחקים ממעל ודלתי שמים פתח | 23 |
Yet he had commanded the clouds above, And had opened the doors of heaven;
| וימטר עליהם מן לאכל ודגן-שמים נתן למו | 24 |
And had rained down upon them manna for food, And had given them the corn of heaven.
| לחם אבירים אכל איש צידה שלח להם לשבע | 25 |
Every one ate the food of princes; He sent them bread to the full.
| יסע קדים בשמים וינהג בעזו תימן | 26 |
Then he caused a strong wind to blow in the heavens, And by his power he brought a south wind;
| וימטר עליהם כעפר שאר וכחול ימים עוף כנף | 27 |
He rained down flesh upon them as dust, And feathered fowls as the sand of the sea.
| ויפל בקרב מחנהו סביב למשכנתיו | 28 |
He caused them to fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their habitations.
| ויאכלו וישבעו מאד ותאותם יבא להם | 29 |
So they did eat, and were filled; For he gave them their own desire.
| לא-זרו מתאותם עוד אכלם בפיהם | 30 |
Their desire was not yet satisfied, And their meat was yet in their mouths,
| ואף אלהים עלה בהם ויהרג במשמניהם ובחורי ישראל הכריע | 31 |
When the wrath of God came upon them, And slew their strong men, And smote down the chosen men of Israel.
| בכל-זאת חטאו-עוד ולא-האמינו בנפלאותיו | 32 |
For all this they sinned still, And put no trust in his wondrous works.
| ויכל-בהבל ימיהם ושנותם בבהלה | 33 |
Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, And their years in sudden destruction.
| אם-הרגם ודרשוהו ושבו ושחרו-אל | 34 |
When he slew them, they sought him; They returned, and sought earnestly for God;
| ויזכרו כי-אלהים צורם ואל עליון גאלם | 35 |
And remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High their redeemer.
| ויפתוהו בפיהם ובלשונם יכזבו-לו | 36 |
But they only flattered him with their mouths, And spake falsely to him with their tongues.
| ולבם לא-נכון עמו ולא נאמנו בבריתו | 37 |
For their hearts were not true to him, Nor were they steadfast in his covenant.
| והוא רחום יכפר עון-- ולא-ישחית והרבה להשיב אפו ולא-יעיר כל-חמתו | 38 |
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.
| ויזכר כי-בשר המה רוח הולך ולא ישוב | 39 |
He remembered that they were but flesh, —A breath, that passeth and cometh not back.
| כמה ימרוהו במדבר יעציבוהו בישימון | 40 |
How often did they provoke him in the wilderness! How often did they anger him in the desert!
| וישובו וינסו אל וקדוש ישראל התוו | 41 |
Again and again they tempted God, And offended the Holy One of Israel.
| לא-זכרו את-ידו יום אשר-פדם מני-צר | 42 |
They remembered not his hand, Nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy;
| אשר-שם במצרים אתותיו ומופתיו בשדה-צען | 43 |
What signs he had wrought in Egypt, And what wonders in the fields of Zoan.
| ויהפך לדם יאריהם ונזליהם בל-ישתיון | 44 |
He turned their rivers into blood, So that they could not drink of their streams.
| ישלח בהם ערב ויאכלם וצפרדע ותשחיתם | 45 |
He sent amongst them flies, which devoured them, And frogs, which destroyed them.
| ויתן לחסיל יבולם ויגיעם לארבה | 46 |
He gave also their fruits to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.
| יהרג בברד גפנם ושקמותם בחנמל | 47 |
He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycamore-trees with frost.
| ויסגר לברד בעירם ומקניהם לרשפים | 48 |
He also gave up their cattle to hail, And their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
| ישלח-בם חרון אפו--עברה וזעם וצרה משלחת מלאכי רעים | 49 |
He sent against them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, indignation, and woe, —A host of angels of evil.
| יפלס נתיב לאפו לא-חשך ממות נפשם וחיתם לדבר הסגיר | 50 |
He made a way for his anger, He spared them not from death, But gave up their lives to the pestilence.
| ויך כל-בכור במצרים ראשית אונים באהלי-חם | 51 |
He smote all the firstborn in Egypt; The first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
| ויסע כצאן עמו וינהגם כעדר במדבר | 52 |
But he led forth his own people like sheep, And guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
| וינחם לבטח ולא פחדו ואת-אויביהם כסה הים | 53 |
He led them on safely, so that they feared not, While the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
| ויביאם אל-גבול קדשו הר-זה קנתה ימינו | 54 |
He brought them to his own sacred border, Even to this mountain which his right hand had gained.
| ויגרש מפניהם גוים-- ויפילם בחבל נחלה וישכן באהליהם שבטי ישראל | 55 |
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.
| וינסו וימרו את-אלהים עליון ועדותיו לא שמרו | 56 |
Yet they tempted and provoked God, the Most High, And kept not his statutes;
| ויסגו ויבגדו כאבותם נהפכו כקשת רמיה | 57 |
Like their fathers they were faithless, and turned back; They turned aside, like a deceitful bow.
| ויכעיסוהו בבמותם ובפסיליהם יקניאוהו | 58 |
They provoked his anger by their high places, And stirred up his jealousy by their graven images.
| שמע אלהים ויתעבר וימאס מאד בישראל | 59 |
God saw this, and was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;
| ויטש משכן שלו אהל שכן באדם | 60 |
So that he forsook the habitation at Shiloh, The tabernacle where he dwelt among men,
| ויתן לשבי עזו ותפארתו ביד-צר | 61 |
And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the hand of the enemy.
| ויסגר לחרב עמו ובנחלתו התעבר | 62 |
His own people he gave up to the sword, And was wroth with his own inheritance.
| בחוריו אכלה-אש ובתולתיו לא הוללו | 63 |
Fire consumed their young men, And their maidens did not bewail them.
| כהניו בחרב נפלו ואלמנתיו לא תבכינה | 64 |
Their priests fell by the sword, And their widows made no lamentation.
| ויקץ כישן אדני כגבור מתרונן מיין | 65 |
But at length the Lord awaked as from sleep, As a hero who had been overpowered by wine;
| ויך-צריו אחור חרפת עולם נתן למו | 66 |
He smote his enemies, and drove them back, And covered them with everlasting disgrace.
| וימאס באהל יוסף ובשבט אפרים לא בחר | 67 |
Yet he rejected the tents of Joseph, And chose not the tribe of Ephraim;
| ויבחר את-שבט יהודה את-הר ציון אשר אהב | 68 |
But chose the tribe of Judah, The Mount Zion which he loved;
| ויבן כמו-רמים מקדשו כארץ יסדה לעולם | 69 |
Where he built, like the heavens, his sanctuary; Like the earth, which he hath established for ever.
| ויבחר בדוד עבדו ויקחהו ממכלאת צאן | 70 |
And he chose David, his servant, And took him from the sheepfolds;
| מאחר עלות הביאו לרעות ביעקב עמו ובישראל נחלתו | 71 |
From tending the suckling ewes he brought him To feed Jacob his people, And Israel his inheritance.
| וירעם כתם לבבו ובתבונות כפיו ינחם | 72 |
He fed them with an upright heart, And guided them with skilful hands.
