Psalms 78

1 Maschil. Of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law; let your ears be bent down to the words of my mouth.

An Instructive Psalm. Asaph’s. Give ear, O my people, to mine instruction, Bend your ear to the sayings of my mouth;

2 Opening my mouth I will give out a story, even the dark sayings of old times;

I will open, in a parable, my mouth, I will pour forth enigmas out of antiquity; —

3 Which have come to our hearing and our knowledge, as they were given to us by our fathers.

Which we have heard, and come to know, And, our fathers, have recounted to us;

4 We will not keep them secret from our children; we will make clear to the coming generation the praises of the Lord and his strength, and the great works of wonder which he has done.

We will not withhold [them] from their children, To a later generation, recounting the praises of Yahweh, Even his might and his wonders which he wrought;

5 He put up a witness in Jacob, and made a law in Israel; which he gave to our fathers so that they might give knowledge of them to their children;

When he set up a testimony in Jacob, And, a law, appointed in Israel, —Which he commanded our fathers, That they might make them known to their children;

6 So that the generation to come might have knowledge of them, even the children of the future, who would give word of them to their children;

To the end, A later generation, might come to know, Children who should be born, Who should arise, and recount [them] to their children;

7 So that they might put their hope in God, and not let God's works go out of their minds, but keep his laws;

That they might set, in Elohim, their confidence, —And not forget the doings of El, But, his commandments, might observe;

8 And not be like their fathers, a stiff-necked and uncontrolled generation; a generation whose heart was hard, whose spirit was not true to God.

And not become, like their fathers, a generation stubborn and rebellious, —A generation that fixed not their heart, Neither was their spirit, faithful with GOD.

9 The children of Ephraim, armed with bows, were turned back on the day of the fight.

The sons of Ephraim—armed bowmen, Turned in the day of battle;

10 They were not ruled by God's word, and they would not go in the way of his law;

They kept not the covenant of God, And, in his law, refused to walk;

11 They let his works go out of their memory, and the wonders which he had made them see.

And forgat His doings, And his wonders which he had showed them:

12 He did great works before the eyes of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.

In presence of their fathers, wrought he, wondrously, —In the land of Egypt—the field of Zoan:

13 The sea was cut in two so that they might go through; the waters were massed together on this side and on that.

He clave the sea, and caused them to pass through, And reared up the waters like a mound;

14 In the daytime he was guiding them in the cloud, and all through the night with a light of fire.

And led them, by a cloud, in the daytime, And all the night, by a light of fire;

15 The rocks of the waste land were broken by his power, and he gave them drink as out of the deep waters.

He used to cleave rocks in the desert, And let them drink as out of mighty deeps;

16 He made streams come out of the rock; and waters came flowing down like rivers.

And he brought forth streams out of the cliff, And caused waters to flow down, like rivers.

17 And they went on sinning against him even more, turning away from the Most High in the waste land;

But again, once more sinned they against him, Resisting the Most High in a land of drought:

18 Testing God in their hearts, requesting meat for their desire.

They put GOD to the proof in their heart, By asking food to their mind:

19 They said bitter words against God, saying, Is God able to make ready a table in the waste land?

Yea they spake against Elohim, —They said, Can GOD prepare a table in the desert?

20 See, the rock was cut open by his power, so that the water came rushing out, and overflowing streams; is he able to give us bread? is he able to get meat for his people?

Lo! he hath smitten a rock, And waters, have gushed out, Yea, torrents, have rushed along, —Food also, can he give? Or provide flesh for his people?

21 So these things came to the Lord's ears, and he was angry; and a fire was lighted against Jacob, and wrath came up against Israel;

Therefore, Yahweh hearkened, and became wroth, —And, a fire, was kindled against Jacob, Moreover also, anger, mounted against Israel;

22 Because they had no faith in God, and no hope in his salvation.

Because, They believed not in God, Nor trusted in his salvation;

23 And he gave orders to the clouds on high, and the doors of heaven were open;

Though he had commanded the skies above, And, the doors of the heavens, had opened;

24 And he sent down manna like rain for their food, and gave them the grain of heaven.

And had rained on them manna to eat, And, the corn of the heavens, had given to them:

25 Man took part in the food of strong ones; he sent them meat in full measure.

The food of the mighty, each one did eat, Nourishment, sent he them to the full;

26 He sent an east wind from heaven, driving on the south wind by his power.

He let loose an east wind in the heavens, Then guided he, in his might, a south wind;

27 He sent down meat on them like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the sea,

And rained upon them flesh as the dust, And, like the sand of the seas, birds of wing;

28 And he let it come down into their resting-place, round about their tents.

And let them fall in the midst of their camp, —Round about their habitations.

29 So they had food and were full; for he gave them their desire;

So they did eat and were abundantly filled, When, what they longed for, he had brought them: —

30 But they were not turned from their desires; and while the food was still in their mouths,

They had not turned away from what they had longed for, Yet was their food in their mouth,

31 The wrath of God came on them, and put to death the fattest of them, and put an end to the young men of Israel.

When, the anger of God, mounted against them, And he slew of their vigorous youths, And, the choice young men of Israel, caused he to bow down in death.

32 For all this they went on sinning even more, and had no faith in his great wonders.

For all this, sinned they still, And believed not in his wonders;

33 So their days were wasted like a breath, and their years in trouble.

So he ended, in a breath, their days, And their years, in a sudden terror!

34 When he sent death on them, then they made search for him; turning to him and looking for him with care;

If he slew [of] them, then they sought him, Yea they turned, and did earnestly seek GOD;

35 In the memory that God was their Rock, and the Most High God their saviour.

And remembered that, Elohim, was their rock, Yea, EL Most High, their Redeemer:

36 But their lips were false to him, and their tongues were untrue to him;

So they spake him fair with their mouth, And, with their tongue, did promise him falsely;

37 And their hearts were not right with him, and they did not keep their agreement with him.

But, their heart, was not fixed with him, Nor were they trusty in his covenant:

38 But he, being full of pity, has forgiveness for sin, and does not put an end to man: frequently turning back his wrath, and not being violently angry.

Yet, he, full of compassion, would put a propitiatory-covering over iniquity, and not destroy, —Yea, many a time, turned he back his anger, And would not stir up all his wrath.

39 So he kept in mind that they were only flesh; a breath which is quickly gone, and will not come again.

So then he remembered, That, Flesh, they were, A Wind departing, that returneth not.

40 How frequently did they go against him in the waste land, and give him cause for grief in the dry places!

How often they, Resisted him in the desert, Vexed him, in the waste:

41 Again they put God to the test, and gave pain to the Holy One of Israel.

Yea they again put GOD to the test, And, to the Holy One of Israel, caused they sorrow:

42 They did not keep in mind the work of his hand, or the day when he took them from the power of their haters;

They remembered not his hand—The day, When he ransomed them from the adversary;

43 How he had done his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan;

When he set, in Egypt, his signs, And his wonders, in the plain of Zoan;

44 So that their rivers were turned to blood, and they were not able to get drink from their streams.

When he turned, into blood, their Nile-streams, And, their own rivers, could they not drink;

45 He sent different sorts of flies among them, poisoning their flesh; and frogs for their destruction.

He sent among them, The gad-fly, and it devoured them, And the frog, and it despoiled them;

46 He gave the increase of their fields to worms, the fruits of their industry to the locusts.

When he gave to the corn-locust their produce, And their toil, to the swarming locust;

47 He sent ice for the destruction of their vines; their trees were damaged by the bitter cold.

He killed, with hail, their vine, And their sycomores, with frost:

48 Ice was rained down on their cattle; thunderstorms sent destruction among the flocks.

When he gave up, to hail-storms, their beasts, And their cattle, to pestilent fevers;

49 He sent on them the heat of his wrath, his bitter disgust, letting loose evil angels among them.

He sent among them the heat of his anger, Wrath and indignation and distress, —A mission of messengers of misfortune:

50 He let his wrath have its way; he did not keep back their soul from death, but gave their life to disease.

He leveled a path for his anger, Withheld not, from death, their soul, But, their life—to the pestilence, he delivered:

51 He gave to destruction all the first sons of Egypt; the first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham;

So he smote, Every first-born in Egypt, The beginning of their strength, in the tents of Ham;

52 But he took his people out like sheep, guiding them in the waste land like a flock.

And he set forth, like sheep, his people, And guided them, like a flock in the desert;

53 He took them on safely so that they had no fear; but their haters were covered by the sea.

Yea he led them securely, and they dreaded not, And, their enemies, the sea did cover.

54 And he was their guide to his holy land, even to the mountain, which his right hand had made his;

Then brought he them within his own holy bounds, The mountain-range, which his right hand made his own:

55 Driving out nations before them, marking out the line of their heritage, and giving the people of Israel their tents for a resting-place.

So he drave out, before them, [whole] nations, And allotted them, by line, an inheritance, And caused to dwell, in their own homes, the tribes of Israel.

56 But they were bitter against the Most High God, testing him, and not keeping his laws;

But they tested and resisted God Most High, And, his testimonies, did not observe;

57 Their hearts were turned back and untrue like their fathers; they were turned to one side like a twisted bow.

But drew back and dealt treacherously, like their fathers, They turned aside, like deceitful bowmen;

58 They made him angry with their high places; moving him to wrath with their images.

And provoked him to anger with their high places, And, with their images, used to move him to jealousy.

59 When this came to God's ears he was very angry, and gave up Israel completely;

God heard and was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;

60 So that he went away from the holy place in Shiloh, the tent which he had put among men;

So he gave up the habitation of Shiloh, The tent he had set up among Men;

61 And he let his strength be taken prisoner, and gave his glory into the hands of his hater.

Yea he gave up, into captivity, his strength, And his beauty into the hand of an adversary;

62 He gave his people up to the sword, and was angry with his heritage.

And delivered up, to the sword, his people, And, with his own inheritance, was he wroth;

63 Their young men were burned in the fire; and their virgins were not praised in the bride-song.

His young men, were devoured by fire, And, his virgins, were not praised in song;

64 Their priests were put to death by the sword, and their widows made no weeping for them.

His priests, by the sword, did fall, And, his widows, were not able to bewail.

65 Then was the Lord like one awaking from sleep, and like a strong man crying out because of wine.

Then awoke, as one that had slept, Adonay, As a warrior exulting with wine!

66 His haters were turned back by his blows and shamed for ever.

So he smote his adversaries in the rear, Reproach age-abiding, laid he upon them.

67 And he put the tent of Joseph on one side, and took not the tribe of Ephraim;

Howbeit he rejected the tent of Joseph, And, the tribe of Ephraim, did not choose:

68 But he took the tribe of Judah for himself, and the mountain of Zion, in which he had pleasure.

But made choice of the tribe of Judah, The mountain of Zion, which he loved;

69 And he made his holy place like the high heaven, like the earth which is fixed by him for ever.

And built, like the heights, his sanctuary, Like the earth, he founded it to times age-abiding.

70 He took David to be his servant, taking him from the place of the flocks;

And made choice of David his servant, And took him from among the folds of the sheep:

71 From looking after the sheep which were giving milk, he took him to give food to Jacob his people, and to Israel his heritage.

From after the sucking ewes, he brought him in, —To be shepherd to Jacob his people, And to Israel, his inheritance.

72 So he gave them food with an upright heart, guiding them by the wisdom of his hands.

So he did shepherd them, according to the singleness of his heart, And, with the discernment of his hands, used he to guide them.