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.
A contemplation by Asaph. Hear my teaching, my people. Turn 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 dark sayings 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 children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, his strength, and his wondrous deeds that he has 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 covenant in Jacob, and appointed a teaching 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, even the children who should be born; who should arise and tell 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 their hope in God, and not forget God’s deeds, but keep 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 didn’t make their hearts loyal, whose spirit was not steadfast with God.
9 The children of Ephraim, armed with bows, were turned back on the day of the fight.
The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, 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 didn’t keep God’s covenant, and refused to walk by his Torah.
11 They let his works go out of their memory, and the wonders which he had made them see.
They forgot his doings, his wondrous deeds that he had shown them.
12 He did great works before the eyes of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
He did marvelous things in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in 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 split the sea, and caused them to pass through. He made the waters 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.
In the daytime he also led them with a cloud, and all night with 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 split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.
16 He made streams come out of the rock; and waters came flowing down like rivers.
He brought streams also 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 to sin against him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert.
18 Testing God in their hearts, requesting meat for their desire.
They tempted God in their heart by asking food according to their desire.
19 They said bitter words against God, saying, Is God able to make ready a table in the waste land?
Yes, they spoke against God. They said, “Can God 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 struck the rock, so that waters gushed out, and streams overflowed. Can he give bread also? Will he provide meat 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 the LORD heard, and was angry. A fire was kindled against Jacob, anger also went up against Israel,
22 Because they had no faith in God, and no hope in his salvation.
because they didn’t believe in God, and didn’t trust in his salvation [yeshuat].
23 And he gave orders to the clouds on high, and the doors of heaven were open;
Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven.
24 And he sent down manna like rain for their food, and gave them the grain of heaven.
He rained down manna on them to eat, and gave them food from the sky.
25 Man took part in the food of strong ones; he sent them meat in full measure.
Man ate the bread of angels. He sent them food 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 blow in the sky. By his power he guided the south wind.
27 He sent down meat on them like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the sea,
He also rained meat on them as the dust, winged birds as the sand of the seas.
28 And he let it come down into their resting-place, round about their tents.
He let them fall in the middle of their camp, around their habitations.
29 So they had food and were full; for he gave them their desire;
So they ate, and were well filled. He gave them their own desire.
30 But they were not turned from their desires; and while the food was still in their mouths,
They didn’t turn from their cravings. Their food 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, killed some of their strongest, and struck down the young 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 still sinned, and didn’t believe in his wondrous works.
33 So their days were wasted like a breath, and their years in trouble.
Therefore 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 killed them, then they inquired after him. They returned and sought God earnestly.
35 In the memory that God was their Rock, and the Most High God their saviour.
They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God, 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 to 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 right with him, neither were they faithful 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, being merciful, forgave iniquity, and didn’t destroy them. Yes, many times he turned his anger away, and didn’t 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.
He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes away, and doesn’t come again.
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 rebelled against him in the wilderness, and grieved him in the desert!
41 Again they put God to the test, and gave pain to the Holy One of Israel.
They turned again and tempted God, and provoked 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 didn’t remember his hand, nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;
43 How he had done his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan;
how he set his signs in Egypt, his wonders 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.
he turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, so that they could not drink.
45 He sent different sorts of flies among them, poisoning their flesh; and frogs for their destruction.
He sent among them swarms of flies, 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.
He also gave their increase to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust.
47 He sent ice for the destruction of their vines; their trees were damaged by the bitter cold.
He destroyed their vines with hail, their sycamore fig trees with frost.
48 Ice was rained down on their cattle; thunderstorms sent destruction among the flocks.
He also gave over their livestock to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
49 He sent on them the heat of his wrath, his bitter disgust, letting loose evil angels among them.
He threw on them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, and a band of angels of evil.
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 path for his anger. He didn’t spare 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 struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief 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.
But he led out his own people 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.
He led them safely, so that they weren’t afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he was their guide to his holy land, even to the mountain, which his right hand had made his;
He brought them to the border of his sanctuary, to this mountain, which his right hand had taken.
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.
He also drove out the nations before them, 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;
Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, and didn’t keep his testimonies,
57 Their hearts were turned back and untrue like their fathers; they were turned to one side like a twisted bow.
but turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers. They were twisted like a deceitful bow.
58 They made him angry with their high places; moving him to wrath with their images.
For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their engraved images.
59 When this came to God's ears he was very angry, and gave up Israel completely;
When God heard this, he was angry, 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 that he abandoned the tent of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men,
61 And he let his strength be taken prisoner, and gave his glory into the hands of his hater.
and delivered his strength into captivity, his glory into the adversary’s hand.
62 He gave his people up to the sword, and was angry with his heritage.
He also gave his people over to the sword, and was angry with his inheritance.
63 Their young men were burned in the fire; and their virgins were not praised in the bride-song.
Fire devoured their young men. Their virgins had no wedding 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 couldn’t weep.
65 Then was the Lord like one awaking from sleep, and like a strong man crying out because of wine.
Then the Lord awakened as one out of sleep, like a mighty man who shouts by reason of wine.
66 His haters were turned back by his blows and shamed for ever.
He struck his adversaries backward. He put them to a perpetual reproach.
67 And he put the tent of Joseph on one side, and took not the tribe of Ephraim;
Moreover he rejected the tent of Joseph, and didn’t choose 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, 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.
He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he has established forever.
70 He took David to be his servant, taking him from the place of the flocks;
He also 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 ewes that have their young, he brought him to be the shepherd of 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.
So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
