Psalms 78
1 “A psalm of Asaph.” Give ear, O my people, to my instruction! Incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
A maskil of Asaph. My people, attend to my teaching: bend your ears to the words of my mouth,
2 I will open my mouth in a psalm; I will utter sayings of ancient times.
as I open my mouth in a poem on the riddling story of the past.
3 What we have heard and learned, And our fathers have told us,
What we have heard and known, and what our ancestors have told us,
4 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.
we will not hide from their children. We will tell to the next generation the praises and might of the Lord, and the wonders that he has done.
5 For he appointed statutes in Jacob, And established a law in Israel, Which he commanded our fathers To make known to their children;
He set up a testimony in Jacob, a law he appointed in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to make known to their children,
6 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;
that the next generation should know it, that the children yet to be born should arise and tell their children;
7 That they might put their trust in God, And not forget his deeds, But keep his commandments;
that in God they might put their confidence, and not forget God’s works; but that they might keep his commandments,
8 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.
and not be like their ancestors, a generation defiant and stubborn, a generation with heart unsteady, and spirit unfaithful towards God.
9 The children of Ephraim were like armed bowmen, Who turn their backs in the day of battle.
Ephraimites, armed bowmen, turned back in the day of battle.
10 They kept not the covenant of God, And refused to walk in his law;
They did not keep God’s covenant, they refused to walk in his law.
11 And forgot his mighty deeds, And the wonders he had shown them.
They forgot what he had done, and the wonders he had shown them.
12 Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
He did wonders before their ancestors in the country of Zoan in Egypt.
13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; Yea, he made the waters to stand as a heap.
Through the sea which he split he brought them, making waters stand up like a heap;
14 By day he led them by a cloud, And all the night by a light of fire.
he led them by day with a cloud, all the night with a light of fire.
15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink, as from the great deep.
From the rocks which he split in the wilderness, he gave them to drink as of ocean’s abundance.
16 From the rock he brought flowing streams, And made water to run down like rivers.
He brought streams out of the rock, and made water run down like rivers.
17 Yet still they sinned against him, And provoked the Most High in the desert.
Yet they still went on sinning against him, they defied the Most High in the desert.
18 They tempted God in their hearts, By asking food for their delight.
They willfully challenged God, demanding the food that they longed for.
19 Yea, they spake against God, and said, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
“Is God able,” such was their challenge, “to spread in the desert a table?
20 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?”
From the rock that he struck there gushed water, and torrents that overflowed; but can he also give bread, or provide his people with meat?”
21 When, therefore, the LORD heard this, he was wroth: So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger arose against Israel.
When the Lord heard this, he was furious, and fire was kindled on Jacob, anger flared up against Israel.
22 Because they believed not in God, And trusted not in his aid.
For they put no trust in God, no confidence in his help.
23 Yet he had commanded the clouds above, And had opened the doors of heaven;
So he summoned the clouds above; and, opening the doors of heaven,
24 And had rained down upon them manna for food, And had given them the corn of heaven.
he rained manna upon them for food, and grain of heaven he gave them.
25 Every one ate the food of princes; He sent them bread to the full.
Everyone ate the bread of angels; he sent them food to the full.
26 Then he caused a strong wind to blow in the heavens, And by his power he brought a south wind;
He launched the east wind in the heavens, and guided the south by his power.
27 He rained down flesh upon them as dust, And feathered fowls as the sand of the sea.
He rained meat upon them like dust, winged bird like the sand of the sea.
28 He caused them to fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their habitations.
In the midst of their camp he dropped it, all around their tents.
29 So they did eat, and were filled; For he gave them their own desire.
They ate and were more than filled; he had brought them the thing they desired.
30 Their desire was not yet satisfied, And their meat was yet in their mouths,
But the thing they desired became loathsome: while their food was still in their mouths,
31 When the wrath of God came upon them, And slew their strong men, And smote down the chosen men of Israel.
the wrath of God rose against them. He slew the stoutest among them, and laid low the young men of Israel.
32 For all this they sinned still, And put no trust in his wondrous works.
Yet for all this they sinned yet more, and refused to believe in his wonders.
33 Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, And their years in sudden destruction.
So he ended their days in a breath, and their years in sudden dismay.
34 When he slew them, they sought him; They returned, and sought earnestly for God;
When he slew them, then they sought after him, they turned and sought God with diligence.
35 And remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High their redeemer.
They remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God their redeemer.
36 But they only flattered him with their mouths, And spake falsely to him with their tongues.
But they flattered him with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.
37 For their hearts were not true to him, Nor were they steadfast in his covenant.
Their heart was not steady with him, they were faithless to his covenant.
38 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.
But he is full of pity: he pardons sin and destroys not. Often he turns his anger away, without stirring his wrath at all.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh, —A breath, that passeth and cometh not back.
So he remembered that they were but flesh, breath that passes and does not return.
40 How often did they provoke him in the wilderness! How often did they anger him in the desert!
But how often they rebelled in the desert, and caused him grief in the wilderness,
41 Again and again they tempted God, And offended the Holy One of Israel.
tempting God again and again, provoking the Holy One of Israel.
42 They remembered not his hand, Nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy;
They did not remember his strength, nor the day he redeemed from the foe,
43 What signs he had wrought in Egypt, And what wonders in the fields of Zoan.
how he set his signs in Egypt, in the country of Zoan his wonders.
44 He turned their rivers into blood, So that they could not drink of their streams.
He turned their canals into blood, their streams undrinkable.
45 He sent amongst them flies, which devoured them, And frogs, which destroyed them.
He sent forth flies, which devoured them; frogs, too, which destroyed them.
46 He gave also their fruits to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.
Their crops he gave to the caterpillar, and the fruits of their toil to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycamore-trees with frost.
He slew their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with frost.
48 He also gave up their cattle to hail, And their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
He delivered their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to bolts of fire.
49 He sent against them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, indignation, and woe, —A host of angels of evil.
He let loose his hot anger among them, fury and wrath and distress, a band of destroying angels.
50 He made a way for his anger, He spared them not from death, But gave up their lives to the pestilence.
He cleared a path for his anger, did not spare them from death, but gave them over to pestilence.
51 He smote all the firstborn in Egypt; The first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, the first fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 But he led forth his own people like sheep, And guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
He led forth his people like sheep, he was guide to his flock in the desert.
53 He led them on safely, so that they feared not, While the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
Securely he led them, and free from fear, while their foes were drowned in the sea.
54 He brought them to his own sacred border, Even to this mountain which his right hand had gained.
To his holy realm he brought them, to the mountain his right hand had purchased.
55 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.
He drove out the nations before them, and allotted their land for possession, and their tents for Israel to live in.
56 Yet they tempted and provoked God, the Most High, And kept not his statutes;
Yet they tempted and angered the Most High God, they did not observe his decrees.
57 Like their fathers they were faithless, and turned back; They turned aside, like a deceitful bow.
They drew back, false like their ancestors; they failed like a treacherous bow.
58 They provoked his anger by their high places, And stirred up his jealousy by their graven images.
Their shrines stirred him to anger, their idols moved him to jealousy.
59 God saw this, and was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;
When God heard of this, he was furious, and he spurned Israel utterly.
60 So that he forsook the habitation at Shiloh, The tabernacle where he dwelt among men,
He abandoned his home in Shiloh, the tent he had pitched among people.
61 And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the hand of the enemy.
He gave his strength up to captivity, his glory to the hands of the foe.
62 His own people he gave up to the sword, And was wroth with his own inheritance.
He gave his people to the sword, he was furious with his own.
63 Fire consumed their young men, And their maidens did not bewail them.
Fire devoured their young men, and their maidens had no marriage-song.
64 Their priests fell by the sword, And their widows made no lamentation.
Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows could not weep.
65 But at length the Lord awaked as from sleep, As a hero who had been overpowered by wine;
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a warrior flushed with wine;
66 He smote his enemies, and drove them back, And covered them with everlasting disgrace.
and he beat back his foes, putting them to perpetual scorn.
67 Yet he rejected the tents of Joseph, And chose not the tribe of Ephraim;
He disowned the tent of Joseph, he rejected the tribe of Ephraim;
68 But chose the tribe of Judah, The Mount Zion which he loved;
but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves.
69 Where he built, like the heavens, his sanctuary; Like the earth, which he hath established for ever.
And he built like the heights his sanctuary, like the earth which he founded forever.
70 And he chose David, his servant, And took him from the sheepfolds;
And he chose David his servant, taking him from the sheepfolds.
71 From tending the suckling ewes he brought him To feed Jacob his people, And Israel his inheritance.
From the mother-ewes he brought him, to be shepherd to Jacob his people, and to Israel his inheritance.
72 He fed them with an upright heart, And guided them with skilful hands.
With upright heart did he shepherd them, and with skilful hands did he guide them.
