Psalms, 78

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0. A Maskil of Asaph.

1. [Psalm Of Asaph] My people, listen to my teaching, pay attention to what I say.

1. Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!

2. I will speak to you in poetry, unfold the mysteries of the past.

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

3. What we have heard and know, what our ancestors have told us

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

4. we shall not conceal from their descendants, but will tell to a generation still to come: the praises of Yahweh, his power, the wonderful deeds he has done.

4. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders which he has wrought.

5. He instituted a witness in Jacob, he established a law in Israel, he commanded our ancestors to hand it down to their descendants,

5. He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children;

6. that a generation still to come might know it, children yet to be born. They should be sure to tell their own children,

6. that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,

7. and should put their trust in God, never forgetting God's great deeds, always keeping his commands,

7. so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;

8. and not, like their ancestors, be a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation weak of purpose, their spirit fickle towards God.

8. and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9. The archer sons of Ephraim turned tail when the time came for fighting;

9. The E'phraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle.

10. they failed to keep God's covenant, they refused to follow his Law;

10. They did not keep God's covenant, but refused to walk according to his law.

11. they had forgotten his great deeds, the marvels he had shown them;

11. They forgot what he had done, and the miracles that he had shown them.

12. he did marvels in the sight of their ancestors in Egypt, in the plains of Tanis.

12. In the sight of their fathers he wrought marvels in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zo'an.

13. He split the sea and brought them through, made the waters stand up like a dam;

13. He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap.

14. he led them with a cloud by day, and all the night with the light of a fire;

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

15. he split rocks in the desert, let them drink as though from the limitless depths;

15. He cleft rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.

16. he brought forth streams from a rock, made waters flow down in torrents.

16. He made streams come out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

17. But they only sinned against him more than ever, defying the Most High in barren country;

17. Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.

18. they deliberately challenged God by demanding food to their hearts' content.

18. They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.

19. They insulted God by saying, 'Can God make a banquet in the desert?

19. They spoke against God, saying, "Can God spread a table in the wilderness?

20. True, when he struck the rock, waters gushed out and flowed in torrents; but what of bread? Can he give that, can he provide meat for his people?'

20. He smote the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread, or provide meat for his people?"

21. When he heard them Yahweh vented his anger, fire blazed against Jacob, his anger mounted against Israel,

21. Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob, his anger mounted against Israel;

22. because they had no faith in God, no trust in his power to save.

22. because they had no faith in God, and did not trust his saving power.

23. Even so he gave orders to the skies above, he opened the sluice-gates of heaven;

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

24. he rained down manna to feed them, he gave them the wheat of heaven;

24. and he rained down upon them manna to eat, and gave them the grain of heaven.

25. mere mortals ate the bread of the Mighty, he sent them as much food as they could want.

25. Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance.

26. He roused an east wind in the heavens, despatched a south wind by his strength;

26. He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind;

27. he rained down meat on them like dust, birds thick as sand on the seashore,

27. he rained flesh upon them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas;

28. tumbling into the middle of his camp, all around his dwelling-place.

28. he let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their habitations.

29. They ate as much food as they wanted, he satisfied all their cravings;

29. And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved.

30. but their cravings were still upon them, the food was still in their mouths,

30. But before they had sated their craving, while the food was still in their mouths,

31. when the wrath of God attacked them, slaughtering their strongest men, laying low the flower of Israel.

31. the anger of God rose against them and he slew the strongest of them, and laid low the picked men of Israel.

32. Despite all this, they went on sinning, they put no faith in his marvels.

32. In spite of all this they still sinned; despite his wonders they did not believe.

33. He made their days vanish in mist, their years in sudden ruin.

33. So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror.

34. Whenever he slaughtered them, they began to seek him, they turned back and looked eagerly for him,

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

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

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

36. They tried to hoodwink him with their mouths, their tongues were deceitful towards him;

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

37. their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.

37. Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not true to his covenant.

38. But in his compassion he forgave their guilt instead of killing them, time and again repressing his anger instead of rousing his full wrath,

38. Yet he, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often, and did not stir up all his wrath.

39. remembering they were creatures of flesh, a breath of wind that passes, never to return.

39. He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.

40. How often they defied him in the desert! How often they grieved him in the wastelands!

40. How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert!

41. Repeatedly they challenged God, provoking the Holy One of Israel,

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

42. not remembering his hand, the time when he saved them from the oppressor,

42. They did not keep in mind his power, or the day when he redeemed them from the foe;

43. he who did his signs in Egypt, his miracles in the plains of Tanis,

43. when he wrought his signs in Egypt, and his miracles in the fields of Zo'an.

44. turning their rivers to blood, their streams so that they had nothing to drink.

44. He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams.

45. He sent horseflies to eat them up, and frogs to devastate them,

45. He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.

46. consigning their crops to the caterpillar, the fruit of their hard work to the locust;

46. He gave their crops to the caterpillar, and the fruit of their labor to the locust.

47. he killed their vines with hail, their sycamore trees with frost,

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

48. delivering up their cattle to hail, and their flocks to thunderbolts.

48. He gave over their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to thunderbolts.

49. He loosed against them the full heat of his anger, fury, rage and destruction, a detachment of destroying angels;

49. He let loose on them his fierce anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels.

50. he gave free course to his anger. He did not exempt their own selves from death, delivering up their lives to the plague.

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

51. He struck all the first-born in Egypt, the flower of the youth in the tents of Ham.

51. He smote all the first-born in Egypt, the first issue of their strength in the tents of Ham.

52. He brought out his people like sheep, guiding them like a flock in the desert,

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

53. leading them safe and unafraid, while the sea engulfed their enemies.

53. He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid; but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

54. He brought them to his holy land, the hill-country won by his right hand;

54. And he brought them to his holy land, to the mountain which his right hand had won.

55. he dispossessed nations before them, measured out a heritage for each of them, and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

55. He drove out nations before them; he apportioned them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

56. But still they challenged the Most High God and defied him, refusing to keep his decrees;

56. Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God, and did not observe his testimonies,

57. as perverse and treacherous as their ancestors, they gave way like a faulty bow,

57. but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow.

58. provoking him with their high places, rousing his jealousy with their idols.

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

59. God listened and vented his wrath, he totally rejected Israel;

59. When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel.

60. he forsook his dwelling in Shiloh, the tent where he used to dwell on the earth.

60. He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among men,

61. He abandoned his power to captivity, his splendour to the enemy's clutches;

61. and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe.

62. he gave up his people to the sword, he vented his wrath on his own heritage.

62. He gave his people over to the sword, and vented his wrath on his heritage.

63. Fire devoured their young men, their young girls had no wedding-song;

63. Fire devoured their young men, and their maidens had no marriage song.

64. their priests fell by the sword and their widows sang no dirge.

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

65. The Lord arose as though he had been asleep, like a strong man fighting-mad with wine,

65. Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a strong man shouting because of wine.

66. he struck his enemies on the rump, and put them to everlasting shame.

66. And he put his adversaries to rout; he put them to everlasting shame.

67. Rejecting the tents of Joseph, passing over the tribe of Ephraim,

67. He rejected the tent of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of E'phraim;

68. he chose the tribe of Judah, his well-loved mountain of Zion;

68. but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves.

69. he built his sanctuary like high hills, like the earth set it firm for ever.

69. He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded for ever.

70. He chose David to be his servant, took him from the sheepfold,

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

71. took him from tending ewes to pasture his servant Jacob, and Israel his heritage.

71. from tending the ewes that had young he brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob his people, of Israel his inheritance.

72. He pastured them with unblemished heart, with a sensitive hand he led them.

72. With upright heart he tended them, and guided them with skilful hand.