Psalms, 78

1. <Maschil of Asaph.> Give ear, O my people, [to] my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

1. Give heed, O my people, to my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth!

2. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:

2. I will speak in parables, I will talk of old mysteries

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

3. which we have heard and known, which our ancestors have told us.

4. We will not hide [them] from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.

4. We will not keep them hidden from our children; we will announce them to the coming generation: the glorious deeds of the Lord, his might and the wonders 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:

5. He issued decrees for Jacob and set up a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children,

6. That the generation to come might know [them, even] the children [which] should be born; [who] should arise and declare [them] to their children:

6. so the next generation would learn and teach their own children.

7. That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

7. They would then put their trust in God, and not forget his deeds and his commands.

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 stedfast with God.

8. And not be like their ancestors, stubborn and rebellious people, a people of inconstant heart whose spirit was fickle.

9. The children of Ephraim, [being] armed, [and] carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.

9. Well-armed with bow, the Ephraimites took flight when the time came to do battle.

10. They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;

10. It is because they did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by his law.

11. And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.

11. They forgot the marvels he had done,

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

12. what their ancestors had seen in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.

13. He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.

13. He divided the sea and led them across; he made the water stand like a wall.

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

14. By day he led them with a cloud, and by night with a fiery light.

15. He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave [them] drink as [out of] the great depths.

15. In the desert he split rocks to give them abundant drink.

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

16. He made streams come out of a rock and caused water to flow like a river.

17. And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.

17. Yet they sinned even more against him and rebelled against the Most High in the desert.

18. And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.

18. They tested God, demanding the food they craved.

19. Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

19. They blasphemed against God, saying: "Can God spread a table 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?

20. He made water flow out of the rock; can he also give his people bread or meat?"

21. Therefore the LORD heard [this], and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;

21. When the Lord heard this he was enraged; a fire raged against Jacob, his anger flared against Israel,

22. Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:

22. for they had no faith in God nor trust in his deliverance.

23. Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,

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

24. And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.

24. he rained down manna upon them and fed them with the heavenly grain.

25. Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full.

25. They ate and had more than their fill of the bread of angels.

26. He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.

26. Then from heaven he stirred the east wind, and by his power let loose the south wind,

27. He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:

27. to rain down meat on them like dust. Birds as thick as the sand on the seashore

28. And he let [it] fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.

28. fell inside their camp, lying all around their tents.

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

29. They ate till they were satisfied, for he had given them what they craved.

30. They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat [was] yet in their mouths,

30. But even before they were finished, while the food 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.

31. God's anger rose against them; he slew the strongest among them and laid low the flower of Israel.

32. For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.

32. In spite of all this, they kept on sinning and did not believe,

33. Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.

33. so he swept away their days suddenly as a storm, and their years in terror.

34. When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.

34. When he slew them, they repented and sought him earnestly.

35. And they remembered that God [was] their rock, and the high God their redeemer.

35. They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High, their redeemer.

36. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.

36. But they flattered him with their mouths, they lied to him with their tongues,

37. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.

37. while their hearts were unfaithful; they were untrue to his covenant.

38. But he, [being] full of compassion, forgave [their] iniquity, and destroyed [them] not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.

38. Even then, in his compassion, he forgave their offenses and did not destroy them. Many a time he restrained his anger and did not fully stir up his wrath.

39. For he remembered that they [were but] flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

39. He remembered that they were but flesh, a breeze that passes and never returns.

40. How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, [and] grieve him in the desert!

40. How often did they rebel against him in the wilderness, how often did they grieve him in the desert!

41. Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

41. Again and again they tested him, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.

42. They remembered not his hand, [nor] the day when he delivered them from the enemy.

42. They did not remember his power in redeeming them from the oppressor;

43. How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:

43. neither his marvels shown in Egypt nor his wonders in the fields of Zoan,

44. And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.

44. when he turned the rivers to blood and the oppressors had nothing to drink.

45. He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

45. He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, frogs that devastated them.

46. He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.

46. He gave their crops to the caterpillar and their produce to the locust.

47. He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.

47. He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamores with frost.

48. He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

48. He struck their herds with plague and their flocks with thunderbolts.

49. He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels [among them].

49. He unleashed his fury against them, his wrath, indignation and strife - a band of destroying angels.

50. He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;

50. Giving vent to his anger, he did not spare them from death, but gave them over to the plague.

51. And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of [their] strength in the tabernacles of Ham:

51. He struck down Egypt's firstborn, manhood's firstfruits 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.

52. Then he led forth his people like a flock, and guided them like sheep through the desert.

53. And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

53. He led them safely, they did not fear, but the sea engulfed their enemies.

54. And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, [even to] this mountain, [which] his right hand had purchased.

54. He brought them to his holy land, to the mountain his right hand had won.

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.

55. He drove out peoples before them and gave them the land as their inheritance; they pitched their tents in it.

56. Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:

56. But they challenged and rebelled against God the Most High, and disobeyed his decrees.

57. But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

57. They were unfaithful like their ancestors, deceitful and crooked as a twisted bow.

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

58. They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols.

59. When God heard [this], he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:

59. Filled with wrath, God rejected Israel.

60. So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent [which] he placed among men;

60. He abandoned his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among humans.

61. And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand.

61. He lead his glory into captivity, his ark into the hand of the enemy.

62. He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.

62. He gave his people over to the sword, so furious was he at his inheritance.

63. The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.

63. Fire devoured their young men; their maidens were deprived of wedding songs.

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

64. As their priests fell by the sword, no lament was heard from their widows.

65. Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, [and] like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.

65. Then the Lord awoke, shouting, as from sleep induced by wine;

66. And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.

66. he struck his enemies on their back and put them to everlasting shame.

67. Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:

67. He rejected the house of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,

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

68. but the tribe of Judah and Zion, his beloved mountain.

69. And he built his sanctuary like high [palaces], like the earth which he hath established for ever.

69. He built his sanctuary like heaven, like the earth he founded forever.

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

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

71. From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

71. from tending the sheep and their young, he brought him to shepherd Jacob, the people of Israel, his inheritance.

72. So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.

72. And with upright heart David pastured them; with skillful hands he led them.