Psalms 78

1 A maskil of Asaph. My people, attend to my teaching: bend your ears to the words of my mouth,

AN INSTRUCTION OF ASAPH. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings of my mouth.

2 as I open my mouth in a poem on the riddling story of the past.

I open my mouth with an allegory, I bring forth hidden things of old,

3 What we have heard and known, and what our ancestors have told us,

That we have heard and know, And our fathers have recounted to us.

4 we will not hide from their children. We will tell to the next generation the praises and might of the Lord, and the wonders that he has done.

We do not hide from their sons, Recounting praises of YHWH to a later generation, And His strength, and His wonders that He has done.

5 He set up a testimony in Jacob, a law he appointed in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to make known to their children,

And He raises up a testimony in Jacob, And has placed a law in Israel, That He commanded our fathers, To make them known to their sons.

6 that the next generation should know it, that the children yet to be born should arise and tell their children;

So that a later generation knows, Sons who are born, rise and recount to their sons,

7 that in God they might put their confidence, and not forget God’s works; but that they might keep his commandments,

And place their confidence in God, And do not forget the doings of God, But keep His commands.

8 and not be like their ancestors, a generation defiant and stubborn, a generation with heart unsteady, and spirit unfaithful towards God.

And they are not like their fathers, A generation apostatizing and being rebellious, A generation—it has not prepared its heart, Nor [is] its spirit steadfast with God.

9 Ephraimites, armed bowmen, turned back in the day of battle.

Sons of Ephraim—armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.

10 They did not keep God’s covenant, they refused to walk in his law.

They have not kept the covenant of God, And they have refused to walk in His law,

11 They forgot what he had done, and the wonders he had shown them.

And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He showed them.

12 He did wonders before their ancestors in the country of Zoan in Egypt.

He has done wonders before their fathers, In the land of Egypt—the field of Zoan.

13 Through the sea which he split he brought them, making waters stand up like a heap;

He cleft a sea, and causes them to pass over, Indeed, He causes waters to stand as a heap.

14 he led them by day with a cloud, all the night with a light of fire.

And leads them with a cloud by day, And with a light of fire all the night.

15 From the rocks which he split in the wilderness, he gave them to drink as of ocean’s abundance.

He cleaves rocks in a wilderness, And gives drink—as the great deep.

16 He brought streams out of the rock, and made water run down like rivers.

And brings out streams from a rock, And causes waters to come down as rivers.

17 Yet they still went on sinning against him, they defied the Most High in the desert.

And they still add to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.

18 They wilfully challenged God, demanding the food that they longed for.

And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.

19 ‘Is God able,’ such was their challenge, ‘to spread in the desert a table?

And they speak against God—they said: “Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?”

20 From the rock that he struck there gushed water, and torrents that overflowed; but can he also give bread, or provide his people with meat?’

Behold, He has struck a rock, And waters flow, indeed, streams overflow. “Also, [is] He able to give bread? Does He prepare flesh for His people?”

21 When the Lord heard this, he was furious, and fire was kindled on Jacob, anger flared up against Israel.

Therefore YHWH has heard, And He shows Himself angry, And fire has been kindled against Jacob, And anger has also gone up against Israel,

22 For they put no trust in God, no confidence in his help.

For they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation.

23 So he summoned the clouds above; and, opening the doors of heaven,

And He commands clouds from above, Indeed, He has opened doors of the heavens.

24 he rained manna upon them for food, and grain of heaven he gave them.

And He rains manna on them to eat, Indeed, He has given grain of the heavens to them.

25 Everyone ate the bread of angels; he sent them food to the full.

Each has eaten food of the mighty, He sent provision to them to satiety.

26 He launched the east wind in the heavens, and guided the south by his power.

He causes an east wind to journey in the heavens, And leads a south wind by His strength,

27 He rained meat upon them like dust, winged bird like the sand of the sea.

And He rains on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas—winged bird,

28 In the midst of their camp he dropped it, all around their tents.

And causes [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Around His dwelling places.

29 They ate and were more than filled; he had brought them the thing they desired.

And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And He brings their desire to them.

30 But the thing they desired became loathsome: while their food was still in their mouths,

They have not been estranged from their desire, Their food [is] yet in their mouth,

31 the wrath of God rose against them. He slew the stoutest among them, and laid low the young men of Israel.

And the anger of God has gone up against them, And He slays among their fat ones, And He caused youths of Israel to bend.

32 Yet for all this they sinned yet more, and refused to believe in his wonders.

With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.

33 So he ended their days in a breath, and their years in sudden dismay.

And He consumes their days in vanity, And their years in trouble.

34 When he slew them, then they sought after him, they turned and sought God with diligence.

If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and earnestly sought God,

35 They remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God their redeemer.

And they remember that God [is] their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.

36 But they flattered him with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.

And they deceive Him with their mouth, And lie to Him with their tongue,

37 Their heart was not steady with him, they were faithless to his covenant.

And their heart has not been right with Him, And they have not been steadfast in His covenant.

38 But he is full of pity: he pardons sin and destroys not. Often he turns his anger away, without stirring his wrath at all.

And He, the Merciful One, pardons iniquity, and does not destroy, And has often turned back His anger, And does not awaken all His fury.

39 So he remembered that they were but flesh, breath that passes and does not return.

And He remembers that they [are] flesh, A wind going on—and it does not return.

40 But how often they rebelled in the desert, and caused him grief in the wilderness,

How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?

41 tempting God again and again, provoking the Holy One of Israel.

Indeed, they turn back, and try God, And have limited the Holy One of Israel.

42 They did not remember his strength, nor the day he redeemed from the foe,

They have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.

43 how he set his signs in Egypt, in the country of Zoan his wonders.

When He set His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan,

44 He turned their canals into blood, their streams undrinkable.

And He turns their streams to blood, And they do not drink their floods.

45 He sent forth flies, which devoured them; frogs, too, which destroyed them.

He sends among them the beetle, and it consumes them, And the frog, and it destroys them,

46 Their crops he gave to the caterpillar, and the fruits of their toil to the locust.

And gives their increase to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.

47 He slew their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with frost.

He destroys their vine with hail, And their sycamores with frost,

48 He delivered their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to bolts of fire.

And delivers their beasts up to the hail, And their livestock to the burning flames.

49 He let loose his hot anger among them, fury and wrath and distress, a band of destroying angels.

He sends on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress—A discharge of evil messengers.

50 He cleared a path for his anger, did not spare them from death, but gave them over to pestilence.

He ponders a path for His anger, He did not keep back their soul from death, Indeed, He delivered up their life to the pestilence.

51 He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, the first fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.

And He strikes every firstborn in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.

52 He led forth his people like sheep, he was guide to his flock in the desert.

And causes His people to journey as a flock, And guides them as a drove in a wilderness,

53 Securely he led them, and free from fear, while their foes were drowned in the sea.

And He leads them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And the sea has covered their enemies.

54 To his holy realm he brought them, to the mountain his right hand had purchased.

And He brings them to the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had acquired,

55 He drove out the nations before them, and allotted their land for possession, and their tents for Israel to live in.

And casts out nations from before them, And causes them to fall in the line of inheritance, And causes the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents,

56 Yet they tempted and angered the Most High God, they did not observe his decrees.

And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And have not kept His testimonies.

57 They drew back, false like their ancestors; they failed like a treacherous bow.

And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,

58 Their shrines stirred him to anger, their idols moved him to jealousy.

And make Him angry with their high places, And make Him zealous with their carved images,

59 When God heard of this, he was furious, and he spurned Israel utterly.

God has heard, and shows Himself angry. And kicks exceedingly against Israel.

60 He abandoned his home in Shiloh, the tent he had pitched among people.

And He leaves the Dwelling Place of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,

61 He gave his strength up to captivity, his glory to the hands of the foe.

And He gives His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,

62 He gave his people to the sword, he was furious with his own.

And delivers His people up to the sword, And showed Himself angry with His inheritance.

63 Fire devoured their young men, and their maidens had no marriage-song.

Fire has consumed His young men, And His virgins have not been praised.

64 Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows could not weep.

His priests have fallen by the sword, And their widows do not weep.

65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a warrior flushed with wine;

And the Lord wakes as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.

66 and he beat back his foes, putting them to perpetual scorn.

And He strikes His adversaries backward, He has put a continuous reproach on them,

67 He disowned the tent of Joseph, he rejected the tribe of Ephraim;

And He kicks against the tent of Joseph, And has not fixed on the tribe of Ephraim.

68 but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves.

And He chooses the tribe of Judah, With Mount Zion that He loved,

69 And he built like the heights his sanctuary, like the earth which he founded forever.

And builds His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it for all time.

70 And he chose David his servant, taking him from the sheepfolds.

And He fixes on His servant David, And takes him from the folds of a flock,

71 From the mother-ewes he brought him, to be shepherd to Jacob his people, and to Israel his inheritance.

He has brought him in from behind suckling ones, To rule over Jacob His people, And over Israel His inheritance.

72 With upright heart did he shepherd them, and with skilful hands did he guide them.

And he rules them according to the integrity of his heart, And leads them by the skillfulness of his hands!