Psalms 78
1 An instruction. Of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
“A psalm of Asaph.” Give ear, O my people, to my instruction! Incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter riddles from of old,
I will open my mouth in a psalm; I will utter sayings of ancient times.
3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us:
What we have heard and learned, And our fathers have told us,
4 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.
We will not hide from their children; Showing to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, His might, and the wonders he hath wrought.
5 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;
For he appointed statutes in Jacob, And established a law in Israel, Which he commanded our fathers To make known to their children;
6 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,
So that the generation to come might know them; The children, which should be born, and rise up, Who should declare them to their children;
7 And that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but observe his commandments;
That they might put their trust in God, And not forget his deeds, But keep his commandments;
8 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.
And might not be, like their forefathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, —A generation whose heart was not fixed upon God, And whose spirit was not steadfast toward the Almighty.
9 The sons of Ephraim, armed bowmen, turned back in the day of battle.
The children of Ephraim were like armed bowmen, Who turn their backs in the day of battle.
10 They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;
They kept not the covenant of God, And refused to walk in his law;
11 And forgot his doings, and his marvellous works which he had shewn them.
And forgot his mighty deeds, And the wonders he had shown them.
12 In the sight of their fathers had he done wonders, in the land of Egypt, the field of Zoan.
Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 He clave the sea, and caused them to pass through; and made the waters to stand as a heap;
He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; Yea, he made the waters to stand as a heap.
14 And he led them with a cloud in the daytime, and all the night with the light of fire.
By day he led them by a cloud, And all the night by a light of fire.
15 He clave rocks in the wilderness, and gave [them] drink as out of the depths, abundantly;
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink, as from the great deep.
16 And he brought streams out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
From the rock he brought flowing streams, And made water to run down like rivers.
17 Yet they still went on sinning against him, provoking the Most High in the desert;
Yet still they sinned against him, And provoked the Most High in the desert.
18 And they tempted God in their heart, by asking meat for their lust;
They tempted God in their hearts, By asking food for their delight.
19 And they spoke against God: they said, Is God able to prepare a table in the wilderness?
Yea, they spake against God, and said, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
20 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?
Behold! he smote the rock, and the water flowed, And streams gushed forth: Is he also able to give bread? Can he provide flesh for his people?”
21 Therefore Jehovah heard, and was wroth; and fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also went up against Israel:
When, therefore, the LORD heard this, he was wroth: So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger arose against Israel.
22 Because they believed not in God, and confided not in his salvation;
Because they believed not in God, And trusted not in his aid.
23 Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and had opened the doors of the heavens,
Yet he had commanded the clouds above, And had opened the doors of heaven;
24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them the corn of the heavens.
And had rained down upon them manna for food, And had given them the corn of heaven.
25 Man did eat the bread of the mighty; he sent them provision to the full.
Every one ate the food of princes; He sent them bread to the full.
26 He caused the east wind to rise in the heavens, and by his strength he brought the south wind;
Then he caused a strong wind to blow in the heavens, And by his power he brought a south wind;
27 And he rained flesh upon them as dust, and feathered fowl as the sand of the seas,
He rained down flesh upon them as dust, And feathered fowls as the sand of the sea.
28 And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations:
He caused them to fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their habitations.
29 And they did eat, and were well filled; for that they lusted after, he brought to them.
So they did eat, and were filled; For he gave them their own desire.
30 They were not alienated from their lust, their meat was yet in their mouths,
Their desire was not yet satisfied, And their meat was yet in their mouths,
31 When the anger of God went up against them; and he slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.
When the wrath of God came upon them, And slew their strong men, And smote down the chosen men of Israel.
32 For all this, they sinned still, and believed not in his marvellous works;
For all this they sinned still, And put no trust in his wondrous works.
33 And he consumed their days in vanity, and their years in terror.
Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, And their years in sudden destruction.
34 When he slew them, then they sought him, and returned and sought early after God;
When he slew them, they sought him; They returned, and sought earnestly for God;
35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and God, the Most High, their redeemer.
And remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High their redeemer.
36 But they flattered him with their mouth, and lied unto him with their tongue;
But they only flattered him with their mouths, And spake falsely to him with their tongues.
37 For their heart was not firm toward him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.
For their hearts were not true to him, Nor were they steadfast in his covenant.
38 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:
Yet, being full of compassion, he forgave their iniquity, And would not utterly destroy them; Often he restrained his indignation, And stirred not up all his anger.
39 And he remembered that they were flesh, a breath that passeth away and cometh not again.
He remembered that they were but flesh, —A breath, that passeth and cometh not back.
40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
How often did they provoke him in the wilderness! How often did they anger him in the desert!
41 And they turned again and tempted God, and grieved the Holy One of Israel.
Again and again they tempted God, And offended the Holy One of Israel.
42 They remembered not his hand, the day when he delivered them from the oppressor,
They remembered not his hand, Nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy;
43 How he set his signs in Egypt, and his miracles in the field of Zoan;
What signs he had wrought in Egypt, And what wonders in the fields of Zoan.
44 And turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, that they could not drink;
He turned their rivers into blood, So that they could not drink of their streams.
45 He sent dog-flies among them, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them;
He sent amongst them flies, which devoured them, And frogs, which destroyed them.
46 And he gave their increase unto the caterpillar, and their labour unto the locust;
He gave also their fruits to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.
47 He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with hail-stones;
He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycamore-trees with frost.
48 And he delivered up their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to thunderbolts.
He also gave up their cattle to hail, And their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and distress, — a mission of angels of woes.
He sent against them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, indignation, and woe, —A host of angels of evil.
50 He made a way for his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;
He made a way for his anger, He spared them not from death, But gave up their lives to the pestilence.
51 And he smote all the firstborn in Egypt, the first-fruits of their vigour in the tents of Ham.
He smote all the firstborn in Egypt; The first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 And he made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock;
But he led forth his own people like sheep, And guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
53 And he led them safely, so that they were without fear; and the sea covered their enemies.
He led them on safely, so that they feared not, While the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them to his holy border, this mountain, which his right hand purchased;
He brought them to his own sacred border, Even to this mountain which his right hand had gained.
55 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.
He cast out the nations before them, And divided their land by a measuring-line, as an inheritance, And caused the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
56 But they tempted and provoked God, the Most High, and kept not his testimonies,
Yet they tempted and provoked God, the Most High, And kept not his statutes;
57 And they drew back and dealt treacherously like their fathers: they turned like a deceitful bow.
Like their fathers they were faithless, and turned back; They turned aside, like a deceitful bow.
58 And they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
They provoked his anger by their high places, And stirred up his jealousy by their graven images.
59 God heard, and was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:
God saw this, and was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;
60 And he forsook the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tent where he had dwelt among men,
So that he forsook the habitation at Shiloh, The tabernacle where he dwelt among men,
61 And gave his strength into captivity, and his glory into the hand of the oppressor;
And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the hand of the enemy.
62 And delivered up his people unto the sword, and was very wroth with his inheritance:
His own people he gave up to the sword, And was wroth with his own inheritance.
63 The fire consumed their young men, and their maidens were not praised in [nuptial] song;
Fire consumed their young men, And their maidens did not bewail them.
64 Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation.
Their priests fell by the sword, And their widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the Lord awoke as one out of sleep, like a mighty man that shouteth aloud by reason of wine;
But at length the Lord awaked as from sleep, As a hero who had been overpowered by wine;
66 And he smote his adversaries in the hinder part, and put them to everlasting reproach.
He smote his enemies, and drove them back, And covered them with everlasting disgrace.
67 And he rejected the tent of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim,
Yet he rejected the tents of Joseph, And chose not the tribe of Ephraim;
68 But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved;
But chose the tribe of Judah, The Mount Zion which he loved;
69 And he built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he hath founded for ever.
Where he built, like the heavens, his sanctuary; Like the earth, which he hath established for ever.
70 And he chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:
And he chose David, his servant, And took him from the sheepfolds;
71 From following the suckling-ewes, he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
From tending the suckling ewes he brought him To feed Jacob his people, And Israel his inheritance.
72 And he fed them according to the integrity of his heart, and led them by the skilfulness of his hands.
He fed them with an upright heart, And guided them with skilful hands.
