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 instruction. Of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

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

I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter riddles from of old,

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

Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told 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 hide [them] from their sons, shewing forth to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, and his strength, and his marvellous works which he hath done.

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;

For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should 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;

That the generation to come might know [them], the children that should be born; that they might rise up and tell [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;

And that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but observe his commandments;

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 might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that prepared not their heart, and whose spirit was not stedfast 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 back 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 refused to walk in his law;

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

And forgot his doings, and his marvellous works which he had shewn them.

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

In the sight of their fathers had he done wonders, 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 made the waters to stand as a heap;

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

And he led them with a cloud in the daytime, and all the night with the 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 clave rocks in the wilderness, and gave [them] drink as out of the depths, abundantly;

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

And he brought streams out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

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

Yet they still went on sinning against him, provoking the Most High in the desert;

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

And they tempted God in their heart, by asking meat for their lust;

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

And they spoke against God: they said, Is God able to prepare a table in the wilderness?

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?

Behold, he smote the rock, and waters gushed out, and streams overflowed; is he able to give bread also, 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 Jehovah heard, and was wroth; and fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also went up against Israel:

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

Because they believed not in God, and confided not 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 clouds from above, and had opened the doors of the heavens,

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

And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them the corn of the heavens.

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

Man did eat the bread of the mighty; he sent them provision to the full.

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

He caused the east wind to rise in the heavens, and by his strength he brought the south wind;

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

And he rained flesh upon them as dust, and feathered fowl as the sand of the seas,

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

And he let it 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;

And they did eat, and were well filled; for that they lusted after, he brought to them.

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

They were not alienated from their lust, their meat was yet in their mouths,

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 went up against them; and he slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

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

For all this, they sinned still, and believed not in his marvellous works;

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

And he consumed their days in vanity, and their years in terror.

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

When he slew them, then they sought him, and returned and sought early after God;

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

And they remembered that God was their rock, and God, the Most High, their redeemer.

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

But they flattered him with their mouth, and lied unto him with their tongue;

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

For their heart was not firm toward him, neither were they stedfast 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.

But he was merciful: he forgave the iniquity, and destroyed [them] not; but many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his fury:

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

And he remembered that they were flesh, a breath that passeth away and cometh not again.

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

How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

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

And they turned again and tempted God, and grieved the Holy One of Israel.

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 delivered them from the oppressor,

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

How he set his signs in Egypt, and his miracles in the field of Zoan;

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

And turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, that they could not drink;

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

He sent dog-flies among them, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them;

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

And he gave their increase unto the caterpillar, and their labour unto the locust;

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

He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with hail-stones;

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

And he delivered up their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to thunderbolts.

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

He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and distress, — a mission of angels of woes.

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

He made a way for his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;

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

And he smote all the firstborn in Egypt, the first-fruits of their vigour 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 made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock;

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

And he led them safely, so that they were without fear; and the sea covered their enemies.

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

And he brought them to his holy border, this mountain, which his right hand purchased;

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.

And he drove out the nations before them, and allotted them for an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

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

But they tempted and provoked God, the Most High, and kept not his testimonies,

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

And they drew back and dealt treacherously like their fathers: they turned like a deceitful bow.

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

And they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.

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;

And he forsook the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tent where he had dwelt among men,

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

And gave his strength into captivity, and his glory into the hand of the oppressor;

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

And delivered up his people unto the sword, and was very wroth with his inheritance:

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

The fire consumed their young men, and their maidens were not praised in [nuptial] song;

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

Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation.

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

Then the Lord awoke as one out of sleep, like a mighty man that shouteth aloud by reason of wine;

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

And he smote his adversaries in the hinder part, and put them to everlasting reproach.

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

And he rejected the tent of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim,

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

But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount 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 he built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he hath founded for ever.

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

And he chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:

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 following the suckling-ewes, he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

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

And he fed them according to the integrity of his heart, and led them by the skilfulness of his hands.