Psalms 78
1 The lernyng of Asaph. Mi puple, perseyue ye my lawe; bowe youre eere in to the wordis of my mouth.
[A Psalm] of instruction for Asaph. Give heed, O my people, to my law: incline your ear to the words of my mouth.
2 I schal opene my mouth in parablis; Y schal speke perfite resouns fro the bigynnyng.
I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter dark sayings [which have been] from the beginning.
3 Hou grete thingis han we herd, aud we han knowe tho; and oure fadris. telden to vs.
All which we have heard and known, and our fathers have declared to us.
4 Tho ben not hid fro the sones of hem; in anothir generacioun. And thei telden the heriyngis of the Lord, and the vertues of hym; and hise merueilis, whyche he dide.
They were not hid from their children to a second generations; [the fathers] declaring the praises of the Lord, and his mighty acts, and his wonders which he wrought.
5 And he reiside witnessyng in Jacob; and he settide lawe in Israel. Hou grete thingis comaundide he to oure fadris, to make tho knowun to her sones;
And he raised up a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, to make it known to their children:
6 that another generacioun knowe. Sones, that schulen be born, and schulen rise vp; schulen telle out to her sones.
that another generation might know, even the sons which should be born; and they should arise and declare them to their children.
7 That thei sette her hope in God, and foryete not the werkis of God; and that thei seke hise comaundementis.
That they might set their hope on God, and not forget the works of God, but diligently seek his commandments.
8 Lest thei be maad a schrewid generacioun; and terrynge to wraththe, as the fadris of hem. A generacioun that dresside not his herte; and his spirit was not bileued with God.
That they should not be as their fathers, a perverse and provoking generation; a generation which set not its heart aright, and its spirit was not steadfast with God.
9 The sones of Effraym, bendinge a bouwe and sendynge arowis; weren turned in the dai of batel.
The children of Ephraim, bending and shooting [with] the bow, turned [back] in the day of battle.
10 Thei kepten not the testament of God; and thei nolden go in his lawe.
They kept not the covenant of God, and would not walk in his law.
11 And thei foryaten hise benefices; and hise merueils, whiche he schewide to hem.
And they forgot his benefits, and his miracles which he [had] showed them;
12 He dide merueils bifore the fadris of hem in the loond of Egipt; in the feeld of Taphneos.
the miracles which he wrought before their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the plain of Tanes.
13 He brak the see, and ledde hem thorou; and he ordeynede the watris as in a bouge.
He clave the sea, and led them through: he made the waters to stand as [in] a bottle.
14 And he ledde hem forth in a cloude of the dai; and al niyt in the liytnyng of fier.
And he guided them with a cloud by day, and all the night with a light of fire.
15 He brak a stoon in deseert; and he yaf watir to hem as in a myche depthe.
he clave a rock in the wilderness, and made them drink as in a great deep.
16 And he ledde watir out of the stoon; and he ledde forth watris as floodis.
And he brought water out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down as rivers.
17 And thei `leiden to yit to do synne ayens hym; thei excitiden hiye God in to ire, in a place with out water.
And they sinned yet more against him; they provoked the Most High in the wilderness.
18 And thei temptiden God in her hertis; that thei axiden meetis to her lyues.
And they tempted God in their hearts, in asking meat for [the desire of] their souls.
19 And thei spaken yuel of God; thei seiden, Whether God may make redi a bord in desert?
They spoke also against God, and said, Will God be able to prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 For he smoot a stoon, and watris flowiden; and streemys yeden out in aboundaunce. Whether also he may yyue breed; ether make redi a bord to his puple?
Forasmuch as he struck the rock, and the waters flowed, and the torrents ran abundantly; will he be able also to give bread, or prepare a table for his people?
21 Therfor the Lord herde, and delaiede; and fier was kindelid in Jacob, and the ire of God stiede on Israel.
Therefore the Lord heard, and was provoked: and fire was kindled in Jacob, and wrath went up against Israel.
22 For thei bileueden not in God; nether hopiden in his heelthe.
Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation.
23 And he comaundide to the cloudis aboue; and he openyde the yatis of heuene.
Yet he commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,
24 And he reynede to hem manna for to eete; and he yaf to hem breed of heuene.
and rained upon them manna to eat, and gave them the bread of heaven.
25 Man eet the breed of aungels; he sent to hem meetis in aboundance.
Man ate angels' bread; he sent them provision to the full.
26 He turnede ouere the south wynde fro heuene; and he brouyte in bi his vertu the weste wynde.
He removed the south wind from heaven; and by his might he brought in the southwest wind.
27 And he reynede fleischis as dust on hem; and `he reinede volatils fethered, as the grauel of the see.
And he rained upon them flesh like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the seas.
28 And tho felden doun in the myddis of her castels; aboute the tabernaclis of hem.
And they fell into the midst of their camp, round about their tents.
29 And thei eeten, and weren fillid greetli, and he brouyte her desire to hem;
So they ate, and were completely filled; and he gave them their desire.
30 thei weren not defraudid of her desier. Yit her metis weren in her mouth;
They were not disappointed of their desire: [but] when their food was yet in their mouth,
31 and the ire of God stiede on hem. And he killide the fatte men of hem; and he lettide the chosene men of Israel.
then the indignation of God rose up against them, and killed the fattest of them, and overthrew the choice men of Israel.
32 In alle these thingis thei synneden yit; and bileuede not in the merueils of God.
In the midst of all this they sinned yet more, and believed not his miracles.
33 And the daies of hem failiden in vanytee; and the yeeris of hem faileden with haste.
And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years with anxiety.
34 Whanne he killide hem, thei souyten hym; and turneden ayen, and eerli thei camen to hym.
When he killed them, they sought him: and they returned and called betimes upon God.
35 And thei bithouyten, that God is the helper of hem; and `the hiy God is the ayenbier of hem.
And they remembered that God was their helper, and the most high God was their redeemer.
36 And thei loueden hym in her mouth; and with her tunge thei lieden to hym.
Yet they loved him [only] with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.
37 Forsothe the herte of hem was not riytful with hym; nethir thei weren had feithful in his testament.
For their heart [was] not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant.
38 But he is merciful, and he schal be maad merciful to the synnes of hem; and he schal not destrie hem. And he dide greetli, to turne awei his yre; and he kyndelide not al his ire.
But he is compassionate, and will forgive their sins, and will not destroy [them]: yes, he will frequently turn away his wrath, and will not kindle all his anger.
39 And he bithouyte, that thei ben fleische; a spirit goynge, and not turnynge ayen.
And he remembered that they are flesh; a wind that passes away, and returns not.
40 Hou oft maden thei hym wrooth in desert; thei stireden hym in to ire in a place with out watir.
How often did they provoke him in the wilderness, [and] anger him in a dry land!
41 And thei weren turned, and temptiden God; and thei wraththiden the hooli of Israel.
Yes, they turned back, and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 Thei bithouyten not on his hond; in the dai in the which he ayen bouyte hem fro the hond of the trobler.
They remembered not his hand, the day in which he delivered them from the hand of the oppressor.
43 As he settide hise signes in Egipt; and hise grete wondris in the feeld of Taphneos.
How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanes:
44 And he turnede the flodis of hem and the reynes of hem in to blood; that thei schulden not drynke.
and had changed their rivers into blood; and their streams, that they should not drink.
45 He sente a fleisch flie in to hem, and it eet hem; and he sente a paddok, and it loste hem.
He sent against them the dog-fly, and it devoured them; and the frog, and it spoiled them.
46 And he yaf the fruytis of hem to rust; and he yaf the trauels of hem to locustis.
And he gave their fruit to the canker worm, and their labours to the locust.
47 And he killide the vynes of hem bi hail; and the moore trees of hem bi a frost.
He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with frost.
48 And he bitook the beestis of hem to hail; and the possessioun of hem to fier.
And he gave up their cattle to hail, and their substance to the fire.
49 He sente in to hem the ire of his indignacioun; indignacioun, and ire, and tribulacioun, sendingis in bi iuel aungels.
He sent out against them the fury of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and affliction, a message by evil angels.
50 He made weie to the path of his ire, and he sparide not fro the deth of her lyues; and he closide togidere in deth the beestis of hem.
He made a way for his wrath; he spared not their souls from death, but consigned their cattle to death;
51 And he smoot al the first gendrid thing in the lond of Egipt; the first fruytis of alle the trauel of hem in the tabernaclis of Cham.
and struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt; the first fruits of their labours in the tents of Cham.
52 And he took awei his puple as scheep; and he ledde hem forth as a flok in desert.
And he removed his people like sheep; he led them as a flock in the wilderness.
53 And he ledde hem forth in hope, and thei dredden not; and the see hilide the enemyes of hem.
And he guided them with hope, and they feared not: but the sea covered their enemies.
54 And he brouyte hem in to the hil of his halewyng; in to the hil which his riythond gat. And he castide out hethene men fro the face of hem; and bi lot he departide to hem the lond in a cord of delyng.
And he brought them in to the mountain of his sanctuary, this mountain which his right hand had purchased.
55 And he made the lynagis of Israel to dwelle in the tabernaclis of hem.
And he cast out the nations from before them, and made them to inherit by a line of inheritance, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
56 And thei temptiden, and wraththiden heiy God; and thei kepten not hise witnessyngis.
Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies.
57 And thei turneden awei hem silf, and thei kepten not couenaunt; as her fadris weren turned in to a schrewid bouwe.
And they turned back, and broke covenant, even as also their fathers: they became like a crooked bow.
58 Thei stiriden him in to ire in her litle hillis; and thei terriden hym to indignacioun of her grauen ymagis.
And they provoked him with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
59 God herde, and forsook; and brouyte to nouyt Israel greetli.
God heard and lightly regarded [them], and greatly despised Israel.
60 And he puttide awei the tabernacle of Sylo; his tabernacle where he dwellide among men.
And he rejected the tabernacle of Selom, his tent where he lived amongst men.
61 And he bitook the vertu of hem in to caitiftee; and the fairnesse of hem in to the hondis of the enemye.
And he gave their strength into captivity, and their beauty into the enemy's hand.
62 And he closide togidere his puple in swerd; and he dispiside his erytage.
And he gave his people to the sword; and disdained his inheritance.
63 Fier eet the yonge men of hem; and the virgyns of hem weren not biweilid.
Fire devoured their young men; and their virgins mourned not.
64 The prestis of hem fellen doun bi swerd; and the widewis of hem weren not biwept.
Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows shall not be wept for.
65 And the Lord was reisid, as slepynge; as miyti greetli fillid of wiyn.
So the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, [and] as a mighty man who has been heated with wine.
66 And he smoot hise enemyes on the hynderere partis; he yaf to hem euerlastyng schenschipe.
And he struck his enemies in the hinder parts: he brought on them a perpetual reproach.
67 And he puttide awei the tabernacle of Joseph; and he chees not the lynage of Effraym.
And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim;
68 But he chees the lynage of Juda; he chees the hil of Syon, which he louede.
but chose the tribe of Juda, the mount Sion which he loved.
69 And he as an vnicorn bildide his hooli place; in the lond, which he foundide in to worldis.
And he built his sanctuary as [the place] of unicorns; he founded it for ever on the earth.
70 And he chees Dauid his seruaunt, and took hym vp fro the flockis of scheep; he took hym fro bihynde scheep with lambren.
He chose David also his servant, and took him up from the flocks of sheep.
71 To feed Jacob his seruaunt; and Israel his eritage.
He took him from following the ewes great with young, to be the shepherd of Jacob his servant, and Israel his inheritance.
72 And he fedde hem in the innocens of his herte; and he ledde hem forth in the vndurstondyngis of his hondis.
So he tended them in the innocency of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
