Psalms 78
1 A psalm (maskil) of Asaph. Listen to what I have to teach you, my people; hear what I have to say.
“A psalm of Asaph.” Give ear, O my people, to my instruction! Incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 I will tell you wise sayings; I will explain mysteries from the past
I will open my mouth in a psalm; I will utter sayings of ancient times.
3 that we have heard before and reflected on; stories our forefathers passed down to us.
What we have heard and learned, And our fathers have told us,
4 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.
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 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,
For he appointed statutes in Jacob, And established a law in Israel, Which he commanded our fathers To make known to their children;
6 so that the next generation—children yet to be born—would understand and grow up to teach 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 In this way they should place their trust in God and not forget what God has done, and keep his commandments.
That they might put their trust in God, And not forget his deeds, But keep his commandments;
8 Then they would not be like their forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation that was untrustworthy and unfaithful.
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 soldiers of Ephraim, though armed with bows, ran away on the day of battle.
The children of Ephraim were like armed bowmen, Who turn their backs in the day of battle.
10 They did not keep God's agreement, and refused to follow his laws.
They kept not the covenant of God, And refused to walk in his law;
11 They ignored what he had done, and the amazing things he had shown them—
And forgot his mighty deeds, And the wonders he had shown them.
12 the miracles he had performed for their forefathers near Zoan in Egypt.
Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 He split the sea in two and led them through, making the water stand like walls on either side.
He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; Yea, he made the waters to stand as a heap.
14 He led them with a cloud by day, and by 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 split open rocks in the desert to give his people plenty to drink, water as deep as the ocean.
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink, as from the great deep.
16 He made streams flow from the stone; water rushing down like rivers!
From the rock he brought flowing streams, And made water to run down like rivers.
17 But they repeatedly sinned against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
Yet still they sinned against him, And provoked the Most High in the desert.
18 They deliberately provoked God by demanding the foods they longed for.
They tempted God in their hearts, By asking food for their delight.
19 They insulted God by saying, “Can God provide food here in the desert?
Yea, they spake against God, and said, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
20 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?”
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 When he heard this, the Lord became very angry, burning like fire against the descendants of Jacob, furious with the people of Israel,
When, therefore, the LORD heard this, he was wroth: So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger arose against Israel.
22 for they didn't believe in God and didn't trust him to take care of them.
Because they believed not in God, And trusted not in his aid.
23 Even so he commanded the skies above and the doors of heaven to open,
Yet he had commanded the clouds above, And had opened the doors of heaven;
24 and he made manna rain down on them to eat, giving them bread from heaven.
And had rained down upon them manna for food, And had given them the corn of heaven.
25 Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them more than enough food.
Every one ate the food of princes; He sent them bread to the full.
26 He sent the east wind blowing across the sky; by his power he drove the south wind.
Then he caused a strong wind to blow in the heavens, And by his power he brought a south wind;
27 He rained down meat on them as plentiful as dust; birds as numerous as sand on a beach.
He rained down flesh upon them as dust, And feathered fowls as the sand of the sea.
28 He made them fall right in the middle of their camp, all around where they were living.
He caused them to fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their habitations.
29 They ate until they were full. He gave them the food they longed for.
So they did eat, and were filled; For he gave them their own desire.
30 But before they satisfied their appetite, while the meat was still in their mouths,
Their desire was not yet satisfied, And their meat was yet in their mouths,
31 God became angry with them and he killed their strongest men, striking them down in the prime of life.
When the wrath of God came upon them, And slew their strong men, And smote down the chosen men of Israel.
32 Despite all this they went right on sinning. Despite the miracles, they refused to trust him.
For all this they sinned still, And put no trust in his wondrous works.
33 So he snuffed out their futile lives, bringing them to an end in terror.
Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, And their years in sudden destruction.
34 When he began killing them, the rest came back to God in repentance, praying to him.
When he slew them, they sought him; They returned, and sought earnestly for God;
35 They remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their Savior.
And remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High their redeemer.
36 They flattered him by what they told him, but they were only lying.
But they only flattered him with their mouths, And spake falsely to him with their tongues.
37 Deep down they were not sincere, and did not keep the agreement they had with him.
For their hearts were not true to him, Nor were they steadfast in his covenant.
38 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.
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 He remembered their mortality—that they were like a puff of wind that would not return.
He remembered that they were but flesh, —A breath, that passeth and cometh not back.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, giving him grief in the desert!
How often did they provoke him in the wilderness! How often did they anger him in the desert!
41 Again and again they provoked God, causing pain to the Holy One of Israel.
Again and again they tempted God, And offended the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his strength when he rescued them from their oppressors,
They remembered not his hand, Nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy;
43 performing miracles in Egypt, doing wonderful things on the plain of Zoan.
What signs he had wrought in Egypt, And what wonders in the fields of Zoan.
44 There he turned their rivers and their streams into blood so that no one could drink from them.
He turned their rivers into blood, So that they could not drink of their streams.
45 He sent flies among them to destroy them, and frogs to ruin everything.
He sent amongst them flies, which devoured them, And frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave their crops to locusts; everything they worked had for was taken by locusts.
He gave also their fruits to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their fig trees with freezing rain.
He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycamore-trees with frost.
48 He handed over their cattle to hail and their flocks to lightning bolts.
He also gave up their cattle to hail, And their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
49 He poured out on them his fierce anger—rage and hostility and anguish—sending a band of destroying angels against them.
He sent against them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, indignation, and woe, —A host of angels of evil.
50 He sent his unrestrained anger against them; he did not spare them from death, handing them over to the plague.
He made a way for his anger, He spared them not from death, But gave up their lives to the pestilence.
51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the first to be conceived in the tents of Ham.
He smote all the firstborn in Egypt; The first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 But he led out his people like sheep, and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
But he led forth his own people like sheep, And guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
53 He led them to safety, and they were not afraid. He drowned their enemies in the sea.
He led them on safely, so that they feared not, While the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountainous land that he had conquered for them.
He brought them to his own sacred border, Even to this mountain which his right hand had gained.
55 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.
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 provoked God Most High, rebelling against him. They did not follow what he had told them.
Yet they tempted and provoked God, the Most High, And kept not his statutes;
57 Just like their forefathers they turned away from God and were unfaithful to him, as twisted as a defective bow.
Like their fathers they were faithless, and turned back; They turned aside, like a deceitful bow.
58 They made him angry with their pagan high places of worship; they made him jealous with their idols.
They provoked his anger by their high places, And stirred up his jealousy by their graven images.
59 When God heard their worship he became furious and he totally rejected Israel.
God saw this, and was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;
60 He abandoned his place at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he lived among the people.
So that he forsook the habitation at Shiloh, The tabernacle where he dwelt among men,
61 He surrendered the Ark of his power, allowing it to be captured; handing it over into enemy hands.
And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the hand of the enemy.
62 He handed over his people to be slaughtered by the sword; he was furious with his chosen people.
His own people he gave up to the sword, And was wroth with his own inheritance.
63 Their young men were destroyed by fire; their young women had no wedding songs.
Fire consumed their young men, And their maidens did not bewail them.
64 Their priests were killed by the sword; their widows were unable to mourn.
Their priests fell by the sword, And their widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the Lord woke up as if from sleep, as a warrior sobering up from drinking wine.
But at length the Lord awaked as from sleep, As a hero who had been overpowered by wine;
66 He defeated his enemies, striking them on the back, causing them everlasting shame.
He smote his enemies, and drove them back, And covered them with everlasting disgrace.
67 He rejected the descendants of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
Yet he rejected the tents of Joseph, And chose not the tribe of Ephraim;
68 Instead he chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion which he loves.
But chose the tribe of Judah, The Mount Zion which he loved;
69 There he built his sanctuary, high like the heavens, on earth that he made to last forever.
Where he built, like the heavens, his sanctuary; Like the earth, which he hath established for ever.
70 He chose his servant David, taking him from the sheep pens,
And he chose David, his servant, And took him from the sheepfolds;
71 taking him from caring for the sheep and lambs to be a shepherd to the descendants of Jacob—God's special people, Israel.
From tending the suckling ewes he brought him To feed Jacob his people, And Israel his inheritance.
72 Like a shepherd, he took care of them with sincere devotion, leading them with skillful hands.
He fed them with an upright heart, And guided them with skilful hands.
