Psalms 78
1 Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ear to the words of my mouth.
A psalm (maskil) of Asaph. Listen to what I have to teach you, my people; hear what I have to say.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
I will tell you wise sayings; I will explain mysteries from the past
3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
that we have heard before and reflected on; stories our forefathers passed down to us.
4 We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
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.
5 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:
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,
6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children who should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
so that the next generation—children yet to be born—would understand and grow up to teach their children.
7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:
In this way they should place their trust in God and not forget what God has done, and keep his commandments.
8 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 steadfast with God.
Then they would not be like their forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation that was untrustworthy and unfaithful.
9 The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.
The soldiers of Ephraim, though armed with bows, ran away on 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 agreement, and refused to follow his laws.
11 And forgot his works, and his wonders that he had shown them.
They ignored what he had done, and the amazing things 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.
the miracles he had performed for their forefathers near Zoan in Egypt.
13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.
He split the sea in two and led them through, making the water stand like walls on either side.
14 In the day time also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.
He led them with a cloud by day, and by night with a light of fire.
15 He split the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
He split open rocks in the desert to give his people plenty to drink, water as deep as the ocean.
16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
He made streams flow from the stone; water rushing down like rivers!
17 And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
But they repeatedly sinned against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
They deliberately provoked God by demanding the foods they longed for.
19 Yea, they spoke against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
They insulted God by saying, “Can God provide food here in the desert?
20 Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?
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?”
21 Therefore the LORD heard this, and was full of wrath: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;
When he heard this, the Lord became very angry, burning like fire against the descendants of Jacob, furious with the people of Israel,
22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:
for they didn't believe in God and didn't trust him to take care of them.
23 Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,
Even so he commanded the skies above and the doors of heaven to open,
24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the grain of heaven.
and he made manna rain down on them to eat, giving them bread from heaven.
25 Man ate angels’ food: he sent them food to the full.
Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them more than enough food.
26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.
He sent the east wind blowing across the sky; by his power he drove the south wind.
27 He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:
He rained down meat on them as plentiful as dust; birds as numerous as sand on a beach.
28 And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, around their habitations.
He made them fall right in the middle of their camp, all around where they were living.
29 So they ate, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;
They ate until they were full. He gave them the food they longed for.
30 They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,
But before they satisfied their appetite, while the meat was still in their mouths,
31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.
God became angry with them and he killed their strongest men, striking them down in the prime of life.
32 For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.
Despite all this they went right on sinning. Despite the miracles, they refused to trust him.
33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
So he snuffed out their futile lives, bringing them to an end in terror.
34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.
When he began killing them, the rest came back to God in repentance, praying to him.
35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
They remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their Savior.
36 Nevertheless they would flatter him with their mouth, and they lied to him with their tongues.
They flattered him by what they told him, but they were only lying.
37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant.
Deep down they were not sincere, and did not keep the agreement they had with him.
38 But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time he turned his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.
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.
39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.
He remembered their mortality—that they were like a puff of wind that would not return.
40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, giving him grief in the desert!
41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.
Again and again they provoked God, causing pain to 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 when he rescued them from their oppressors,
43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:
performing miracles in Egypt, doing wonderful things on the plain of Zoan.
44 And had turned their rivers into blood; and their streams, that they could not drink.
There he turned their rivers and their streams into blood so that no one could drink from them.
45 He sent swarms of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
He sent flies among them to destroy them, and frogs to ruin everything.
46 He gave also their increase to the caterpiller, and their labour to the locust.
He gave their crops to locusts; everything they worked had for was taken by locusts.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with frost.
He destroyed their vines with hail, and their fig trees with freezing rain.
48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
He handed over their cattle to hail and their flocks to lightning bolts.
49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.
He poured out on them his fierce anger—rage and hostility and anguish—sending a band of destroying angels against them.
50 He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;
He sent his unrestrained anger against them; he did not spare them from death, handing them over to the plague.
51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:
He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the first to be conceived in the tents of Ham.
52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
But he led out his people like sheep, and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
53 And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
He led them to safety, and they were not afraid. He drowned their enemies in the sea.
54 And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.
He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountainous land that he had conquered for them.
55 He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
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.
56 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:
But they provoked God Most High, rebelling against him. They did not follow what he had told them.
57 But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
Just like their forefathers they turned away from God and were unfaithful to him, as twisted as a defective bow.
58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
They made him angry with their pagan high places of worship; they made him jealous with their idols.
59 When God heard this, he was filled with wrath, and greatly abhorred Israel:
When God heard their worship he became furious and he totally rejected Israel.
60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;
He abandoned his place at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he lived among the people.
61 And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand.
He surrendered the Ark of his power, allowing it to be captured; handing it over into enemy hands.
62 He gave over his people also to the sword; and was filled with wrath with his inheritance.
He handed over his people to be slaughtered by the sword; he was furious with his chosen people.
63 The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.
Their young men were destroyed by fire; their young women had no wedding songs.
64 Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.
Their priests were killed by the sword; their widows were unable to mourn.
65 Then the Lord awoke as if from sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.
Then the Lord woke up as if from sleep, as a warrior sobering up from drinking wine.
66 And he smote his enemies in the hinder part: he put them to a perpetual reproach.
He defeated his enemies, striking them on the back, causing them everlasting shame.
67 Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:
He rejected the descendants of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.
Instead he chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion which he loves.
69 And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.
There he built his sanctuary, high like the heavens, on earth that he made to last forever.
70 He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheep folds:
He chose his servant David, taking him from the sheep pens,
71 From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
taking him from caring for the sheep and lambs to be a shepherd to the descendants of Jacob—God's special people, Israel.
72 So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
Like a shepherd, he took care of them with sincere devotion, leading them with skillful hands.
