Psalms 78
1 Understanding for Asaph. Attend, 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 parables: I will utter propositions from the beginning.
I will open my mouth in a psalm; I will utter sayings of ancient times.
3 How great things have we heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
What we have heard and learned, And our fathers have told us,
4 They have not been hidden from their children, in another generation. Declaring the praises of the Lord, and his powers, and his wonders 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 And he set up a testimony in Jacob: and made a law in Israel. How great things he commanded our fathers, that they should make the same 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 another generation might know them. The children that should be born and should rise up, and declare 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 That they may put their hope in God and may not forget the works of God: and may seek his commandments.
That they might put their trust in God, And not forget his deeds, But keep his commandments;
8 That they may not become like their fathers, a perverse and exasperating generation. A generation that set not their heart aright: and whose spirit was not faithful to 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 who bend and shoot with the bow: they have 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 in his law they would not walk.
They kept not the covenant of God, And refused to walk in his law;
11 And they forgot his benefits, and his wonders that he had shewn them.
And forgot his mighty deeds, And the wonders he had shown them.
12 Wonderful things did he do in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Tanis.
Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea and brought them through: and he made the waters to stand as in a vessel.
He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; Yea, he made the waters to stand as a heap.
14 And he conducted them with a cloud by day: and all the night with a light of fire.
By day he led them by a cloud, And all the night by a light of fire.
15 He struck the rock in the wilderness: and gave them to drink, as out of the great deep.
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink, as from the great deep.
16 He brought forth water out of the rock: and made streams run down as rivers.
From the rock he brought flowing streams, And made water to run down like rivers.
17 And they added yet more sin against him: they provoked the most High to wrath in the place without water.
Yet still they sinned against him, And provoked the Most High in the desert.
18 And they tempted God in their hearts, by asking meat for their desires.
They tempted God in their hearts, By asking food for their delight.
19 And they spoke ill of God: they said: Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
Yea, they spake against God, and said, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
20 Because he struck the rock, and the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed. Can he also give bread, or provide a table 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 the Lord heard, and was angry: and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and wrath came 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 trusted not in his salvation.
Because they believed not in God, And trusted not in his aid.
23 And he had commanded the clouds from above, and had opened the doors of heaven.
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 bread of heaven.
And had rained down upon them manna for food, And had given them the corn of heaven.
25 Man ate the bread of angels: he sent them provisions in abundance.
Every one ate the food of princes; He sent them bread to the full.
26 He removed the south wind from heaven: and by his power brought in the southwest 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 upon them flesh as dust: and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea.
He rained down flesh upon them as dust, And feathered fowls as the sand of the sea.
28 And they fell in the midst of their camp, round about their pavilions.
He caused them to fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their habitations.
29 So they did eat, and were filled exceedingly, and he gave them their desire:
So they did eat, and were filled; For he gave them their own desire.
30 They were not defrauded of that which they craved. As yet their meat was in their mouth:
Their desire was not yet satisfied, And their meat was yet in their mouths,
31 And the wrath of God came upon them. And he slew the fat ones amongst them, and brought 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 In all these things they sinned still: and they believed not for his wondrous works.
For all this they sinned still, And put no trust in his wondrous works.
33 And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years in haste.
Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, And their years in sudden destruction.
34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned, and came to him early in the morning.
When he slew them, they sought him; They returned, and sought earnestly for God;
35 And they remembered that God was their helper: and the most high God their redeemer.
And remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High their redeemer.
36 And they loved him with their mouth: and with their tongue they lied unto him:
But they only flattered him with their mouths, And spake falsely to him with their tongues.
37 But their heart was not right with him: nor were they counted faithful in his covenant.
For their hearts were not true to him, Nor were they steadfast in his covenant.
38 But he is merciful, and will forgive their sins: and will not destroy them. And many a time did he turn away his anger: and did not kindle all his wrath.
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 are flesh: a wind that goeth and returneth not.
He remembered that they were but flesh, —A breath, that passeth and cometh not back.
40 How often did they provoke him in the desert: and move him to wrath in the place without water?
How often did they provoke him in the wilderness! How often did they anger him in the desert!
41 And they turned back 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, in the day that he redeemed them from the hand of him that afflicted them:
They remembered not his hand, Nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy;
43 How he wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanis.
What signs he had wrought in Egypt, And what wonders in the fields of Zoan.
44 And he turned their rivers into blood, and their showers that they might, not drink.
He turned their rivers into blood, So that they could not drink of their streams.
45 He sent amongst them divers sores of flies, 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 up their fruits to the blast, and their labours to the locust.
He gave also their fruits to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.
47 And he destroyed their vineyards with hail, and their mulberry trees with hoarfrost.
He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycamore-trees with frost.
48 And he gave up their cattle to the hail, and their stock to the fire.
He also gave up their cattle to hail, And their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
49 And he sent upon them the wrath of his indignation: indignation and wrath and trouble, which he sent by evil angels.
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 a path to his anger: he spared not their souls from death, and their cattle he shut up in death.
He made a way for his anger, He spared them not from death, But gave up their lives to the pestilence.
51 And he killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt: the firstfruits of all their labour in the tabernacles of Cham.
He smote all the firstborn in Egypt; The first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 And he took away his own people as 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 brought them out in hope, and they feared not: band the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
He led them on safely, so that they feared not, While the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them into the mountain of his sanctuary: the mountain which his right hand had purchased. And he cast out the Gentiles before them: and by lot divided to them their land by a line of distribution.
He brought them to his own sacred border, Even to this mountain which his right hand had gained.
55 And he made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tabernacles.
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 Yet they tempted, and provoked the most high God: and they kept not his testimonies.
Yet they tempted and provoked God, the Most High, And kept not his statutes;
57 And they turned away, and kept not the covenant: even like their fathers they were turned aside as a crooked bow.
Like their fathers they were faithless, and turned back; They turned aside, like a deceitful bow.
58 They provoked him to anger on their hills: and moved him to jealousy with their graven things.
They provoked his anger by their high places, And stirred up his jealousy by their graven images.
59 God heard, and despised them, and he reduced Israel exceedingly as it were to nothing.
God saw this, and was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;
60 And he put away the tabernacle of Silo, his tabernacle where he dwelt among men.
So that he forsook the habitation at Shiloh, The tabernacle where he dwelt among men,
61 And he delivered their strength into captivity: and their beauty into the hands of the enemy.
And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the hand of the enemy.
62 And he shut up his people under the sword: and he despised his inheritance.
His own people he gave up to the sword, And was wroth with his own inheritance.
63 Fire consumed their young men: and their maidens were not lamented.
Fire consumed their young men, And their maidens did not bewail them.
64 Their priests fell by the sword: and their widows did not mourn.
Their priests fell by the sword, And their widows made no lamentation.
65 And the Lord was awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that hath been surfeited with wine.
But at length the Lord awaked as from sleep, As a hero who had been overpowered by wine;
66 And he smote his enemies on the hinder parts: he put them to an everlasting reproach.
He smote his enemies, and drove them back, And covered them with everlasting disgrace.
67 And he rejected the tabernacle 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 he chose the tribe of Juda, mount Sion which he loved.
But chose the tribe of Judah, The Mount Zion which he loved;
69 And he built his sanctuary as of unicorns, in the land which he founded for ever.
Where he built, like the heavens, his sanctuary; Like the earth, which he hath established for ever.
70 And he chose his servant David, and took him from the hocks of sheep: he brought him from following the ewes great with young,
And he chose David, his servant, And took him from the sheepfolds;
71 To feed Jacob his servant, 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 in the innocence of his heart: and conducted them by the skillfulness of his hands.
He fed them with an upright heart, And guided them with skilful hands.
