Psalms 78
1 The understanding of Asaph. O my people, attend to my law. Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
A psalm (maskil) of Asaph. Listen to what I have to teach you, my people; hear what I have to say.
2 I will open my mouth in parables. I will speak about concepts that are from the beginning.
I will tell you wise sayings; I will explain mysteries from the past
3 We have heard and known such great things, as our fathers have described to us.
that we have heard before and reflected on; stories our forefathers passed down to us.
4 These things have not been hidden from their sons in any generation: declaring the praises of the Lord, and his virtues, and the wonders that he has done.
We will not keep them from our children; we will tell the next generation about God's marvelous actions—about his power and the amazing things he has done.
5 And he has received testimony with Jacob, and he has set a law within Israel. Such great things, he has commanded our fathers, so as to make these things known to their sons,
He gave his laws to the descendants of Jacob; his instructions to the people of Israel. He commanded our forefathers to teach them to their children,
6 so that another generation might know them, and so that the sons, who will be born and who will grow up, shall describe them to their sons.
so that the next generation—children yet to be born—would understand and grow up to teach their children.
7 So then, may they put their hope in God, and may they not forget the works of God, and may they seek his commandments.
In this way they should place their trust in God and not forget what God has done, and keep his commandments.
8 May they not become like their fathers, a perverse and exasperating generation: a generation that does not straighten their heart and whose spirit is not trustworthy with God.
Then they would not be like their forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation that was untrustworthy and unfaithful.
9 The sons of Ephraim, who bend and shoot the bow, have been turned back in the day of battle.
The soldiers of Ephraim, though armed with bows, ran away on the day of battle.
10 They have not kept the covenant of God. And they were not willing to walk in his law.
They did not keep God's agreement, and refused to follow his laws.
11 And they have been forgetful of his benefits, and of his miracle, which he revealed to them.
They ignored what he had done, and the amazing things he had shown them—
12 He performed miracles in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Tanis.
the miracles he had performed for their forefathers near Zoan in Egypt.
13 He broke the sea and he led them through. And he stationed the waters, as if in a vessel.
He split the sea in two and led them through, making the water stand like walls on either side.
14 And he led them with a cloud by day, and with illumination by fire throughout the night.
He led them with a cloud by day, and by night with a light of fire.
15 He broke through the rock in the wasteland, and he gave them to drink, as if from the great abyss.
He split open rocks in the desert to give his people plenty to drink, water as deep as the ocean.
16 He brought forth water from the rock, and he conducted the waters, as if they were rivers.
He made streams flow from the stone; water rushing down like rivers!
17 And yet, they continued to sin against him. In a waterless place, they provoked the Most High with resentment.
But they repeatedly sinned against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 And they tempted God in their hearts, by asking for food according to their desires.
They deliberately provoked God by demanding the foods they longed for.
19 And they spoke badly about God. They said, “Would God be able to prepare a table in the desert?
They insulted God by saying, “Can God provide food here in the desert?
20 He struck the rock, and so waters flowed and the torrents flooded, but would even he be able to provide bread, or provide a table, for his people?”
Yes, he can strike a rock so that water gushes out like flowing rivers, but can he give us bread? Can he supply his people with meat?”
21 Therefore, the Lord heard, and he was dismayed, and a fire was kindled within Jacob, and an anger ascended into Israel.
When he heard this, the Lord became very angry, burning like fire against the descendants of Jacob, furious with the people of Israel,
22 For they neither put their trust in God, nor did they hope in his salvation.
for they didn't believe in God and didn't trust him to take care of them.
23 And he commanded the clouds from above, and he opened the doors of heaven.
Even so he commanded the skies above and the doors of heaven to open,
24 And he rained down manna upon them to eat, and he gave them the bread of heaven.
and he made manna rain down on them to eat, giving them bread from heaven.
25 Man ate the bread of Angels. He sent them provisions in abundance.
Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them more than enough food.
26 He transferred the south wind from heaven, and, in his virtue, he brought in the Southwest wind.
He sent the east wind blowing across the sky; by his power he drove the south wind.
27 And he rained down flesh upon them, as if it were dust, and feathered birds, as if they were the sand of the sea.
He rained down meat on them as plentiful as dust; birds as numerous as sand on a beach.
28 And they fell down in the midst of their camp, encircling their tabernacles.
He made them fall right in the middle of their camp, all around where they were living.
29 And they ate until they were greatly satisfied, and he brought to them according to their desires.
They ate until they were full. He gave them the food they longed for.
30 They were not cheated out of what they wanted. Their food was still in their mouth,
But before they satisfied their appetite, while the meat was still in their mouths,
31 and then the wrath of God came upon them. And he slew the fat ones among them, and he impeded the elect of Israel.
God became angry with them and he killed their strongest men, striking them down in the prime of life.
32 In all these things, they continued to sin, and they were not trustworthy with his miracles.
Despite all this they went right on sinning. Despite the miracles, they refused to trust him.
33 And their days faded away into vanity, and their years with haste.
So he snuffed out their futile lives, bringing them to an end in terror.
34 When he slew them, then they sought him. And they returned, and they drew near to him in the early morning.
When he began killing them, the rest came back to God in repentance, praying to him.
35 And they were mindful that God is their helper and that the Most High God is their redeemer.
They remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their Savior.
36 And they chose him with their mouth, and then they lied to him with their tongue.
They flattered him by what they told him, but they were only lying.
37 For their heart was not upright with him, nor have they been living faithfully in his covenant.
Deep down they were not sincere, and did not keep the agreement they had with him.
38 Yet he is merciful, and he will pardon their sins. And he will not destroy them. And he has abundantly turned aside his own wrath. And he did not enflame his wrath entirely.
But being compassionate he pardoned their guilt and did not destroy all of them. He often held back his anger—he did not pour out all his fury.
39 And he remembered that they are flesh: with a spirit that goes forth and does not return.
He remembered their mortality—that they were like a puff of wind that would not return.
40 How often did they provoke him in the desert and stir him to wrath in a waterless place?
How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, giving him grief in the desert!
41 And they turned back and tempted God, and they exasperated the Holy One of Israel.
Again and again they provoked God, causing pain to the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his hand, in the day that he redeemed them from the hand of the one troubling them.
They did not remember his strength when he rescued them from their oppressors,
43 Thus, he positioned his signs in Egypt and his wonders in the field of Tanis.
performing miracles in Egypt, doing wonderful things on the plain of Zoan.
44 And he turned their rivers into blood, along with their rain showers, so that they could not drink.
There he turned their rivers and their streams into blood so that no one could drink from them.
45 He sent among them the common fly, and it devoured them, and the frog, and it scattered them.
He sent flies among them to destroy them, and frogs to ruin everything.
46 And he gave up their fruits to mold and their labors to the locust.
He gave their crops to locusts; everything they worked had for was taken by locusts.
47 And he slew their vineyards with hail and their mulberry trees with severe frost.
He destroyed their vines with hail, and their fig trees with freezing rain.
48 And he delivered their cattle to the hail and their possessions to fire.
He handed over their cattle to hail and their flocks to lightning bolts.
49 And he sent the wrath of his indignation among them: indignation and wrath and tribulation, sent forth by evil angels.
He poured out on them his fierce anger—rage and hostility and anguish—sending a band of destroying angels against them.
50 He made way for the path of his anger. He did not spare their souls from death. And he enclosed their beasts of burden in death.
He sent his unrestrained anger against them; he did not spare them from death, handing them over to the plague.
51 And he struck all the first-born in the land of Egypt: the first-fruits of all their labor in the tabernacles of Ham.
He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the first to be conceived in the tents of Ham.
52 And he took away his own people like sheep, and he led them through the wilderness like a flock.
But he led out his people like sheep, and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
53 And he led them out in hope, and they did not fear. And the sea covered their enemies.
He led them to safety, and they were not afraid. He drowned their enemies in the sea.
54 And he led them to the mountain of his sanctification: the mountain that his right hand had acquired. And he cast out the Gentiles before their face. And he divided their land by lot to them, with a line of distribution.
He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountainous land that he had conquered for them.
55 And he caused the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tabernacles.
He drove out the heathen nations before them. He divided up the land for them to own. He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 Yet they tempted and aggravated God Most High, and they did not keep his testaments.
But they provoked God Most High, rebelling against him. They did not follow what he had told them.
57 And they turned themselves aside, and they did not serve the covenant. In the same manner as their fathers, they were turned backwards, like a crooked bow.
Just like their forefathers they turned away from God and were unfaithful to him, as twisted as a defective bow.
58 They impelled him to anger on their hills, and they provoked him to rivalry with their graven images.
They made him angry with their pagan high places of worship; they made him jealous with their idols.
59 God listened, and he spurned them, and he reduced Israel greatly, almost to nothing.
When God heard their worship he became furious and he totally rejected Israel.
60 And he rejected the tabernacle of Shiloh, his tabernacle where he had dwelt among men.
He abandoned his place at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he lived among the people.
61 And he delivered their virtue into captivity, and their beauty into the hands of the enemy.
He surrendered the Ark of his power, allowing it to be captured; handing it over into enemy hands.
62 And he enclosed his people with the sword, and he spurned his inheritance.
He handed over his people to be slaughtered by the sword; he was furious with his chosen people.
63 Fire consumed their young men, and their virgins were not lamented.
Their young men were destroyed by fire; their young women had no wedding songs.
64 Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows did not weep.
Their priests were killed by the sword; their widows were unable to mourn.
65 And the Lord was awakened, as if out of sleep, and like a powerful man impaired by wine.
Then the Lord woke up as if from sleep, as a warrior sobering up from drinking wine.
66 And he struck his enemies on the back. He gave them over to everlasting disgrace.
He defeated his enemies, striking them on the back, causing them everlasting shame.
67 And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph, and he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
He rejected the descendants of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 But he chose the tribe of Judah: mount Zion, which he loved.
Instead he chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion which he loves.
69 And he built up his sanctuary, like a single-horned beast, in the land that he founded for all ages.
There he built his sanctuary, high like the heavens, on earth that he made to last forever.
70 And he chose his servant David, and he took him from the flocks of the sheep: he received him from following the ewes with their young,
He chose his servant David, taking him from the sheep pens,
71 in order to pasture Jacob his servant and Israel his inheritance.
taking him from caring for the sheep and lambs to be a shepherd to the descendants of Jacob—God's special people, Israel.
72 And he fed them with the innocence of his heart. And he led them with the understanding of his hands.
Like a shepherd, he took care of them with sincere devotion, leading them with skillful hands.
