Psalms 78

1 My friends, listen to what I am going to teach you; pay careful attention [IDM] to what I say.

Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law: Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 I am going to give you some sayings that wise people have said. They will be sayings about things that happened long ago, things that were difficult to understand [MET],

I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,

3 things that we have heard and known previously, things that our parents and grandparents told us.

Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us.

4 We will tell these things to our children [LIT], and we will also tell to our grandchildren [about] Yahweh’s power and the glorious/great things that he has done.

We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, And his strength, and his wondrous works that he hath done.

5 He gave laws and commandments to the Israeli people, [those who are the descendants of] Jacob [DOU], and he told our ancestors to teach them to their children

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;

6 in order that their children would [also] know them and then they would teach them to their children.

That the generation to come might know [them], even the children that should be born; Who should arise and tell [them] to their children,

7 In that way, they also would trust in God, and not forget the things that he has done; instead, they would obey his commandments.

That they might set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep his commandments,

8 They would not be like their ancestors, who were very stubborn and kept rebelling [against God]; they did not continue firmly trusting in God, and they did not worship only him.

And might not be as their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that set not their heart aright, And whose spirit was not stedfast with God.

9 [The soldiers of] the tribe of Ephraim had bows [and arrows] but they ran away [from their enemies] on the day that they fought a battle with their enemies.

The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, Turned back in the day of battle.

10 They did not do what they had agreed with God that they would do; they refused to obey his laws.

They kept not the covenant of God, And refused to walk in his law;

11 They forgot what he had done; they forgot about the miracles that they had seen him perform.

And they forgat his doings, And his wondrous works that he had showed them.

12 While our ancestors were watching, God performed miracles in the area around Zoan [city] in Egypt.

Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

13 [Then] he caused the [Red] Sea to divide, causing the water [on each side] to pile up like a wall, with the result that [our ancestors] walked through it [on dry ground].

He clave the sea, and caused them to pass through; And he made the waters to stand as a heap.

14 He led them by a [bright] cloud during the day and by a fiery light during the night.

In the day-time also he led them with a cloud, And all the night with a light of fire.

15 He split rocks open in the desert, giving to our ancestors plenty of water from deep inside the earth.

He clave rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.

16 He caused a stream of water to flow from the rock; the water flowed like a river [DOU].

He brought streams also out of the rock, And caused waters to run down like rivers.

17 But [our ancestors] continued to sin against God; in the desert they rebelled against the one who is greater than any other god.

Yet went they on still to sin against him, To rebel against the Most High in the desert.

18 By demanding that God give them the food that they desired, they tried to find out if he would always do what they requested him to do.

And they tempted God in their heart By asking food according to their desire.

19 They insulted God by saying, “We don’t think he can supply food for us [here] in this desert!

Yea, they spake against God; They said, Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

20 [It is true that] he struck the rock, with the result that water gushed/flowed out, [but] (can he also provide bread and meat for [us], his people?/we doubt that he can also provide bread and meat for us, his people.)” [RHQ]

Behold, he smote the rock, so that waters gushed out, And streams overflowed; Can he give bread also? Will he provide flesh for his people?

21 So, when Yahweh heard that, he became very angry, and he sent a fire to burn up [some of] his Israeli [people]. [MTY, DOU]

Therefore Jehovah heard, and was wroth; And a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also went up against Israel;

22 [He did that] because they did not trust in him, and they did not believe that he would rescue them.

Because they believed not in God, And trusted not in his salvation.

23 But God spoke to the sky above them; he commanded it to open [like] a door,

Yet he commanded the skies above, And opened the doors of heaven;

24 and [then food] fell down like rain, [food which they named] ‘manna’; God gave them grain from (heaven/the sky).

And he rained down manna upon them to eat, And gave them food from heaven.

25 [So] the people ate the food that angels eat, [and] God gave to them all the manna that they wanted.

Man did eat the bread of the mighty: He sent them food to the full.

26 [Later], he caused the wind to blow from the east, and by his power he also sent wind from the south,

He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens; And by his power he guided the south wind.

27 and the wind brought birds which were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.

He rained flesh also upon them as the dust, And winged birds as the sand of the seas:

28 God caused those birds to fall [dead] in the middle of (their camp)/the area where the people had put up their tents. [There were dead birds] all around their tents.

And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their habitations.

29 [So] the people [cooked the birds and] ate the meat and their stomachs were full, because God had given them what they wanted.

So they did eat, and were well filled; And he gave them their own desire.

30 But before they had eaten all that they wanted, and while they were still eating it,

They were not estranged from that which they desired, Their food was yet in their mouths,

31 God was [still] very angry with them, and he caused their strongest men to die; he got rid of [many of] the finest [young] Israeli men.

When the anger of God went up against them, And slew of the fattest of them, And smote down the young men of Israel.

32 In spite of all that, the people continued to sin; in spite of all the miracles that God had performed, they still did not trust that he [would take care of them].

For all this they sinned still, And believed not in his wondrous works.

33 So, he caused their lives to end as quickly as a puff of wind ends; they died when disasters suddenly struck them.

Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, And their years in terror.

34 When God caused [some of] them to die, [the others] turned to God; they repented and earnestly asked God [to save them].

When he slew them, then they inquired after him; And they returned and sought God earnestly.

35 They remembered that God is [like] a huge rock ledge [under which they would be safe] [MET], and that he, who was greater than any other god, is the one who protected/rescued them.

And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their redeemer.

36 But they [tried to] deceive God by what they said [MTY]; their words [MTY] were [all] lies.

But they flattered him with their mouth, And lied unto him with their tongue.

37 They were not loyal to him; they disregarded/ignored the agreement that he had made with them.

For their heart was not right with him, Neither were they faithful in his covenant.

38 But God was merciful to his people. He forgave them for having sinned and did not get rid of them. Many times he refrained from becoming angry [with them] and restrained from furiously/severely [punishing them] [MTY].

But he, being merciful, forgave [their] iniquity, and destroyed [them] not: Yea, many a time turned he his anger away, And did not stir up all his wrath.

39 He remembered/considered that they were only humans who die; they [disappear quickly] [SIM], like a wind that blows by and then is gone.

And he remembered that they were but flesh, A wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

40 Many times our ancestors rebelled against God in the desert and caused him to become very sad.

How oft did they rebel against him in the wilderness, And grieve him in the desert!

41 Many times they did evil things, to find out [if they could do those things without God punishing them]. They frequently caused the holy God of Israel to become disgusted/sad.

And they turned again and tempted God, And provoked the Holy One of Israel.

42 They forgot about his [great] power, and they (forgot/did not think) about the time when he rescued them from their enemies.

They remembered not his hand, Nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;

43 They forgot about when he performed many miracles in the area near Zoan [city] in Egypt.

How he set his signs in Egypt, And his wonders in the field of Zoan,

44 He caused the [Nile] River (OR, their sources of water) to become [red like] blood, with the result that the people of Egypt had no water to drink.

And turned their rivers into blood, And their streams, so that they could not drink.

45 He sent among the people of Egypt swarms of flies that bit them, and he sent frogs that ate up everything.

He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them; And frogs, which destroyed them.

46 He sent locusts to eat their crops and the other things that grew in their fields.

He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, And their labor unto the locust.

47 He sent hail that destroyed the grapevines, and sent frost that ruined the figs.

He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycomore-trees with frost.

48 He sent hail that killed their cattle and sent lightning that killed their sheep and cows.

He gave over their cattle also to the hail, And their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

49 Because God was fiercely angry with the people of Egypt, he caused them to be very distressed. The disasters that struck them were like a group of angels that destroyed [everything].

He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, and indignation, and trouble, A band of angels of evil.

50 He did not lessen his being angry [with them], and he did not (spare their lives/prevent them from dying); he sent a (plague/serious illness) that killed [many of] them.

He made a path for his anger; He spared not their soul from death, But gave their life over to the pestilence,

51 He also caused all the firstborn sons of the people of Egypt to die.

And smote all the first-born in Egypt, The chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.

52 Then he led his people out [of Egypt] like [a shepherd leads] his sheep [SIM], and he guided them [while they walked] through the desert.

But he led forth his own people like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

53 He led them safely, and they were not afraid, but their enemies were drowned in the sea.

And he led them safely, so that they feared not; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

54 [Later] he brought them to [Canaan], his sacred land, to [Zion] Hill (OR, the hilly area) and by his power [MTY] he enabled them to conquer [the people who were living there].

And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, To this mountain, which his right hand had gotten.

55 He expelled the people-groups while his people were advancing; he allotted part of the land for [each tribe] to possess, and he gave to the Israeli people the houses of those people who had been expelled.

He drove out the nations also before them, And allotted them for an inheritance by line, And made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

56 However, the Israeli people rebelled against God, who is greater than any other god, and they did many evil things to see if they could do those things without God punishing them, and they did not obey his commandments.

Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, And kept not his testimonies;

57 Instead, like their ancestors did, they rebelled against God and (were not loyal to/did not faithfully [obey]) him; they were as [unreliable as] a crooked arrow [that does not go straight] [SIM].

But turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers: They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

58 Because they [worshiped] carved images of their gods on the tops of hills, they caused God to become angry [DOU].

For they provoked him to anger with their high places, And moved him to jealousy with their graven images.

59 He saw what they were doing and became very angry, so he rejected the Israeli people.

When God heard [this], he was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;

60 He no longer appeared to them at Shiloh in the tent where he had lived among them.

So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent which he placed among men;

61 He allowed their enemies to capture [the sacred chest], [which was the symbol of] his power and his glory.

And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the adversary’s hand.

62 Because he was angry with his people, he allowed them to be killed [MTY] [by their enemies].

He gave his people over also unto the sword, And was wroth with his inheritance.

63 Young men were killed in battles, with the result that the young women had no one to marry.

Fire devoured their young men; And their virgins had no marriage-song.

64 [Many] priests were killed by [their enemies’] swords, and (the people did not allow the priests’ widows/the priests’ widows were not allowed) to mourn.

Their priests fell by the sword; And their widows made no lamentation.

65 Later, [it was as though] the Lord awoke from sleeping; he was like a strong man who (became stimulated/felt that he was strong) by (OR, became sober after) [drinking] a lot of wine [SIM].

Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, Like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.

66 He pushed their enemies back and caused them to be [very] ashamed for a long time [HYP] [because they had been defeated].

And he smote his adversaries backward: He put them to a perpetual reproach.

67 [But] he did not set up his tent where [the people of] the tribe of Ephraim lived; he did not choose their area [to do that].

Moreover he refused the tent of Joseph, And chose not the tribe of Ephraim,

68 Instead he chose [the area where] the tribe of Judah [lived]; he chose Zion Hill, which he loves.

But chose the tribe of Judah, The mount Zion which he loved.

69 He [decided to have] his temple built [there], high up, like [his home in] heaven; he caused it to be firm, [and intended that] his temple would last forever, like the earth.

And he built his sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which he hath established for ever.

70 He chose David, who served him [faithfully], and took him from the pastures

He chose David also his servant, And took him from the sheepfolds:

71 where he was taking care of his [father’s] sheep, and appointed him to be the leader [MET] of the Israeli people, the people who belong to God.

From following the ewes that have their young he brought him, To be the shepherd of Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

72 David took care of the Israeli people sincerely and wholeheartedly, and guided them skillfully/wisely.

So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.