Psalms 78

1 A maschil of Asaph. Hear my teaching, my people, listen to the words of my mouth.

Maschil. Of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law; let your ears be bent down to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in parables; I will sing about hidden things about the past.

Opening my mouth I will give out a story, even the dark sayings of old times;

3 These are things that we have heard and learned, things that our ancestors have told us.

Which have come to our hearing and our knowledge, as they were given to us by our fathers.

4 We will not keep them from their descendants. We will tell the next generation about the praiseworthy deeds of Yahweh, his strength, and the wonders that he has done.

We will not keep them secret from our children; we will make clear to the coming generation the praises of the Lord and his strength, and the great works of wonder which he has done.

5 For he established covenant decrees in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel. He commanded our ancestors that they were to teach them to their children.

He put up a witness in Jacob, and made a law in Israel; which he gave to our fathers so that they might give knowledge of them to their children;

6 He commanded this so that the generation to come might know his decrees, the children not yet born, who should tell them in turn to their own children.

So that the generation to come might have knowledge of them, even the children of the future, who would give word of them to their children;

7 Then they would place their hope in God and not forget his deeds but keep his commandments.

So that they might put their hope in God, and not let God's works go out of their minds, but keep his laws;

8 Then they would not be like their ancestors, who were a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose hearts were not right, and whose spirits were not committed and faithful to God.

And not be like their fathers, a stiff-necked and uncontrolled generation; a generation whose heart was hard, whose spirit was not true to God.

9 The Ephraimites were armed with bows, but they turned back on the day of battle.

The children of Ephraim, armed with bows, were turned back on the day of the fight.

10 They did not keep the covenant with God, and they refused to obey his law.

They were not ruled by God's word, and they would not go in the way of his law;

11 They forgot his deeds, the wonderful things that he had shown them.

They let his works go out of their memory, and the wonders which he had made them see.

12 They forgot the marvelous things he did in the sight of their ancestors in the land of Egypt, in the land of Zoan.

He did great works before the eyes of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.

13 He divided the sea and led them across it; he made the waters to stand like walls.

The sea was cut in two so that they might go through; the waters were massed together on this side and on that.

14 In the daytime he led them with a cloud and all the night with the light of fire.

In the daytime he was guiding them in the cloud, and all through the night with a light of fire.

15 He split the rocks in the wilderness, and he gave them water abundantly, enough to fill the depths of the sea.

The rocks of the waste land were broken by his power, and he gave them drink as out of the deep waters.

16 He made streams flow out of the rock and made the water flow like rivers.

He made streams come out of the rock; and waters came flowing down like rivers.

17 Yet they continued to sin against him, rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.

And they went on sinning against him even more, turning away from the Most High in the waste land;

18 They challenged God in their hearts by asking for food to satisfy their appetites.

Testing God in their hearts, requesting meat for their desire.

19 They spoke against God; they said, “Can God really lay out a table for us in the wilderness?

They said bitter words against God, saying, Is God able to make ready a table in the waste land?

20 See, when he struck the rock, waters gushed out and streams overflowed. But can he give bread also? Will he provide meat for his people?”

See, the rock was cut open by his power, so that the water came rushing out, and overflowing streams; is he able to give us bread? is he able to get meat for his people?

21 When Yahweh heard this, he was angry; so his fire burned against Jacob, and his anger attacked Israel,

So these things came to the Lord's ears, and he was angry; and a fire was lighted against Jacob, and wrath came up against Israel;

22 because they did not believe in God and did not trust in his salvation.

Because they had no faith in God, and no hope in his salvation.

23 Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of the sky.

And he gave orders to the clouds on high, and the doors of heaven were open;

24 He rained down manna for them to eat, and gave them the grain from heaven.

And he sent down manna like rain for their food, and gave them the grain of heaven.

25 People ate the bread of angels. He sent them food in abundance.

Man took part in the food of strong ones; he sent them meat in full measure.

26 He caused the east wind to blow in the sky, and by his power he guided the south wind.

He sent an east wind from heaven, driving on the south wind by his power.

27 He rained down meat on them like dust, birds as numerous as the sands of the sea.

He sent down meat on them like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the sea,

28 They fell in the middle of their camp, all around their tents.

And he let it come down into their resting-place, round about their tents.

29 So they ate and were full. He gave them what they craved.

So they had food and were full; for he gave them their desire;

30 But they had not yet filled up; their food was still in their mouths.

But they were not turned from their desires; and while the food was still in their mouths,

31 Then God's anger attacked them and killed the strongest of them. He brought down the young men of Israel.

The wrath of God came on them, and put to death the fattest of them, and put an end to the young men of Israel.

32 Despite this, they continued to sin and did not believe his wonderful deeds.

For all this they went on sinning even more, and had no faith in his great wonders.

33 Therefore God cut short their days; their years were filled with terror.

So their days were wasted like a breath, and their years in trouble.

34 Whenever God afflicted them, they would start to seek him, and they would return and look earnestly for him.

When he sent death on them, then they made search for him; turning to him and looking for him with care;

35 They would call to mind that God was their rock and that the Most High God was their rescuer.

In the memory that God was their Rock, and the Most High God their saviour.

36 But they would flatter him with their mouth and lie to him with their words.

But their lips were false to him, and their tongues were untrue to him;

37 For their hearts were not firmly fixed on him, and they were not faithful to his covenant.

And their hearts were not right with him, and they did not keep their agreement with him.

38 Yet he, being merciful, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. Yes, many times he held back his anger and did not stir up all his wrath.

But he, being full of pity, has forgiveness for sin, and does not put an end to man: frequently turning back his wrath, and not being violently angry.

39 He called to mind that they were made of flesh, a wind that passes away and does not return.

So he kept in mind that they were only flesh; a breath which is quickly gone, and will not come again.

40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the barren regions!

How frequently did they go against him in the waste land, and give him cause for grief in the dry places!

41 Again and again they challenged God and offended the Holy One of Israel.

Again they put God to the test, and gave pain to the Holy One of Israel.

42 They did not think about his power, how he had rescued them from the enemy

They did not keep in mind the work of his hand, or the day when he took them from the power of their haters;

43 when he performed his terrifying signs in Egypt and his wonders in the region of Zoan.

How he had done his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan;

44 He turned the Egyptians' rivers to blood so that they could not drink from their streams.

So that their rivers were turned to blood, and they were not able to get drink from their streams.

45 He sent swarms of flies that devoured them and frogs that overran their land.

He sent different sorts of flies among them, poisoning their flesh; and frogs for their destruction.

46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper and their labor to the locust.

He gave the increase of their fields to worms, the fruits of their industry to the locusts.

47 He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore trees with more hail.

He sent ice for the destruction of their vines; their trees were damaged by the bitter cold.

48 He rained hail on their cattle and hurled lightning bolts at their livestock.

Ice was rained down on their cattle; thunderstorms sent destruction among the flocks.

49 The fierceness of his anger lashed out against them. He sent wrath, fury, and trouble like agents who bring disaster.

He sent on them the heat of his wrath, his bitter disgust, letting loose evil angels among them.

50 He leveled a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague.

He let his wrath have its way; he did not keep back their soul from death, but gave their life to disease.

51 He killed all the firstborn in Egypt, the firstborn of their strength in the tents of Ham.

He gave to destruction all the first sons of Egypt; the first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham;

52 He led his own people out like sheep and guided them through the wilderness like a flock.

But he took his people out like sheep, guiding them in the waste land like a flock.

53 He led them secure and unafraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

He took them on safely so that they had no fear; but their haters were covered by the sea.

54 Then he brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountain that his right hand acquired.

And he was their guide to his holy land, even to the mountain, which his right hand had made his;

55 He drove out the nations from before them and assigned them their inheritance. He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

Driving out nations before them, marking out the line of their heritage, and giving the people of Israel their tents for a resting-place.

56 Yet they challenged and defied the Most High God and did not keep his solemn commands.

But they were bitter against the Most High God, testing him, and not keeping his laws;

57 They were unfaithful and acted treacherously like their fathers; they were as undependable as a faulty bow.

Their hearts were turned back and untrue like their fathers; they were turned to one side like a twisted bow.

58 For they made him angry with their high places and provoked him to jealous anger with their idols.

They made him angry with their high places; moving him to wrath with their images.

59 When God heard this, he was angry and completely rejected Israel.

When this came to God's ears he was very angry, and gave up Israel completely;

60 He abandoned the sanctuary of Shiloh, the tent where he had lived among people.

So that he went away from the holy place in Shiloh, the tent which he had put among men;

61 He allowed his strength to be captured and gave his glory into the enemy's hand.

And he let his strength be taken prisoner, and gave his glory into the hands of his hater.

62 He handed his people over to the sword, and he was angry with his heritage.

He gave his people up to the sword, and was angry with his heritage.

63 Fire devoured their young men, and their young women had no wedding songs.

Their young men were burned in the fire; and their virgins were not praised in the bride-song.

64 Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows could not weep.

Their priests were put to death by the sword, and their widows made no weeping for them.

65 Then the Lord awakened as one from sleep, like a warrior who shouts because of wine.

Then was the Lord like one awaking from sleep, and like a strong man crying out because of wine.

66 He drove his adversaries back; he put them to everlasting shame.

His haters were turned back by his blows and shamed for ever.

67 He rejected the tent of Joseph, and he did not chose the tribe of Ephraim.

And he put the tent of Joseph on one side, and took not the tribe of Ephraim;

68 He chose the tribe of Judah and Mount Zion that he loved.

But he took the tribe of Judah for himself, and the mountain of Zion, in which he had pleasure.

69 He built his sanctuary like the heavens, like the earth that he has established forever.

And he made his holy place like the high heaven, like the earth which is fixed by him for ever.

70 He chose David, his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds.

He took David to be his servant, taking him from the place of the flocks;

71 He took him from following the ewes with their young, and he brought him to be shepherd of Jacob, his people, and of Israel, his heritage.

From looking after the sheep which were giving milk, he took him to give food to Jacob his people, and to Israel his heritage.

72 David shepherded them with the integrity of his heart, and he guided them with the skill of his hands.

So he gave them food with an upright heart, guiding them by the wisdom of his hands.