Psalms 78

¹Give ear, O my people, to my law: Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

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

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

⁴We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, And his strength, and his wondrous works that he hath done.

⁵For 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;

⁶That the generation to come might knowthem, even the children that should be born; Who should arise and tellthemto their children,

⁷That they might set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep his commandments,

⁸And 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.

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

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

¹¹And they forgat his doings, And his wondrous works that he had showed them.

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

¹³He clave the sea, and caused them to pass through; And he made the waters to stand as a heap.

¹⁴In the day-time also he led them with a cloud, And all the night with a light of fire.

¹⁵He clave rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.

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

¹⁷Yet went they on still to sin against him, To rebel against the Most High in the desert.

¹⁸And they tempted God in their heart By asking food according to their desire.

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

²⁰Behold, he smote the rock, so that waters gushed out, And streams overflowed; Can he give bread also? Will he provide flesh for his people?

²¹Therefore Jehovah heard, and was wroth; And a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also went up against Israel;

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

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

²⁴And he rained down manna upon them to eat, And gave them food from heaven.

²⁵Man did eat the bread of the mighty: He sent them food to the full.

²⁶He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens; And by his power he guided the south wind.

²⁷He rained flesh also upon them as the dust, And winged birds as the sand of the seas:

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

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

³⁰They were not estranged from that which they desired, Their food was yet in their mouths,

³¹When the anger of God went up against them, And slew of the fattest of them, And smote down the young men of Israel.

³²For all this they sinned still, And believed not in his wondrous works.

³³Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, And their years in terror.

³⁴When he slew them, then they inquired after him; And they returned and sought God earnestly.

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

³⁶But they flattered him with their mouth, And lied unto him with their tongue.

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

³⁸But he, being merciful, forgave theiriniquity, and destroyedthemnot: Yea, many a time turned he his anger away, And did not stir up all his wrath.

³⁹And he remembered that they were but flesh, A wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

⁴⁰How oft did they rebel against him in the wilderness, And grieve him in the desert!

⁴¹And they turned again and tempted God, And provoked the Holy One of Israel.

⁴²They remembered not his hand, Nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;

⁴³How he set his signs in Egypt, And his wonders in the field of Zoan,

⁴⁴And turned their rivers into blood, And their streams, so that they could not drink.

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

⁴⁶He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, And their labor unto the locust.

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

⁴⁸He gave over their cattle also to the hail, And their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

⁴⁹He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, and indignation, and trouble, A band of angels of evil.

⁵⁰He made a path for his anger; He spared not their soul from death, But gave their life over to the pestilence,

⁵¹And smote all the first-born in Egypt, The chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.

⁵²But he led forth his own people like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

⁵³And he led them safely, so that they feared not; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

⁵⁴And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, To this mountain, which his right hand had gotten.

⁵⁵He drove out the nations also before them, And allotted them for an inheritance by line, And made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

⁵⁶Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, And kept not his testimonies;

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

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

⁵⁹When God heardthis, he was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;

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

⁶¹And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the adversary’s hand.

⁶²He gave his people over also unto the sword, And was wroth with his inheritance.

⁶³Fire devoured their young men; And their virgins had no marriage-song.

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

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

⁶⁶And he smote his adversaries backward: He put them to a perpetual reproach.

⁶⁷Moreover he refused the tent of Joseph, And chose not the tribe of Ephraim,

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

⁶⁹And he built his sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which he hath established for ever.

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

⁷¹From following the ewes that have their young he brought him, To be the shepherd of Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

⁷²So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.

Psalms 78

¹An Instruction of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings of my mouth.

²I open with a simile my mouth, I bring forth hidden things of old,

³That we have heard and do know, And our fathers have recounted to us.

⁴We do not hide from their sons, To a later generation recounting praises of Jehovah, And His strength, and His wonders that He hath done.

⁵And He raiseth up a testimony in Jacob, And a law hath placed in Israel, That He commanded our fathers, To make them known to their sons.

⁶So that a later generation doth know, Sons who are born, do rise and recount to their sons,

⁷And place in God their confidence, And forget not the doings of God, But keep His commands.

⁸And they are not like their fathers, A generation apostate and rebellious, A generation! it hath not prepared its heart, Nor stedfast with God is its spirit.

⁹Sons of Ephraimarmed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.

¹⁰They have not kept the covenant of God, And in His law they have refused to walk,

¹¹And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He shewed them.

¹²Before their fathers He hath done wonders, In the land of Egyptthe field of Zoan.

¹³He cleft a sea, and causeth them to pass over, Yea, He causeth waters to stand as a heap.

¹⁴And leadeth them with a cloud by day, And all the night with a light of fire.

¹⁵He cleaveth rocks in a wilderness, And giveth drinkas the great deep.

¹⁶And bringeth out streams from a rock, And causeth waters to come down as rivers.

¹⁷And they add still to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.

¹⁸And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.

¹⁹And they speak against Godthey said: `Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?'

²⁰Lo, He hath smitten a rock, And waters flow, yea, streams overflow. `Alsobread is He able to give? Doth He prepare flesh for His people?'

²¹Therefore hath Jehovah heard, And He sheweth Himself wroth, And fire hath been kindled against Jacob, And anger also hath gone up against Israel,

²²For they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation.

²³And He commandeth clouds from above, Yea, doors of the heavens He hath opened.

²⁴And He raineth on them manna to eat, Yea, corn of heaven He hath given to them.

²⁵Food of the mighty hath each eaten, Venison He sent to them to satiety.

²⁶He causeth an east wind to journey in the heavens, And leadeth by His strength a south wind,

²⁷And He raineth on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seaswinged fowl,

²⁸And causeth it to fall in the midst of His camp, Round about His tabernacles.

²⁹And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And their desire He bringeth to them.

³⁰They have not been estranged from their desire, Yet is their food in their mouth,

³¹And the anger of God hath gone up against them, And He slayeth among their fat ones, And youths of Israel He caused to bend.

³²With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.

³³And He consumeth in vanity their days, And their years in trouble.

³⁴If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and sought God earnestly,

³⁵And they remember that God is their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.

³⁶Andthey deceive Him with their mouth, And with their tongue do lie to Him,

³⁷And their heart hath not been right with Him, And they have not been stedfast in His covenant.

³⁸And Hethe Merciful One, Pardoneth iniquity, and destroyeth not, And hath often turned back His anger, And waketh not up all His fury.

³⁹And He remembereth that they are flesh, A wind going onand it returneth not.

⁴⁰How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?

⁴¹Yea, they turn back, and try God, And the Holy One of Israel have limited.

⁴²They have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.

⁴³When He set His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan,

⁴⁴And He turneth to blood their streams, And their floods they drink not.

⁴⁵He sendeth among them the beetle, and it consumeth them, And the frog, and it destroyeth them,

⁴⁶And giveth to the caterpillar their increase, And their labour to the locust.

⁴⁷He destroyeth with hail their vine, And their sycamores with frost,

⁴⁸And delivereth up to the hail their beasts, And their cattle to the burning flames.

⁴⁹He sendeth on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distressA discharge of evil messengers.

⁵⁰He pondereth a path for His anger, He kept not back their soul from death, Yea, their life to the pestilence He delivered up.

⁵¹And He smiteth every first-born in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.

⁵²And causeth His people to journey as a flock, And guideth them as a drove in a wilderness,

⁵³And He leadeth them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And their enemies hath the sea covered.

⁵⁴And He bringeth them in unto the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had got,

⁵⁵And casteth out nations from before them, And causeth them to fall in the line of inheritance, And causeth the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents,

⁵⁶And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And His testimonies have not kept.

⁵⁷And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,

⁵⁸And make Him angry with their high places, And with their graven images make Him zealous,

⁵⁹God hath heard, and sheweth Himself wroth. And kicketh exceedingly against Israel.

⁶⁰And He leaveth the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,

⁶¹And He giveth His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,

⁶²And delivereth up to the sword His people, And with His inheritance shewed Himself angry.

⁶³His young men hath fire consumed, And His virgins have not been praised.

⁶⁴His priests by the sword have fallen, And their widows weep not.

⁶⁵And the Lord waketh as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.

⁶⁶And He smiteth His adversaries backward, A reproach age-during He hath put on them,

⁶⁷And He kicketh against the tent of Joseph, And on the tribe of Ephraim hath not fixed.

⁶⁸And He chooseth the tribe of Judah, With mount Zion that He loved,

⁶⁹And buildeth His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it to the age.

⁷⁰And He fixeth on David His servant, And taketh him from the folds of a flock,

⁷¹From behind suckling ones He hath brought him in, To rule over Jacob His people, And over Israel His inheritance.

⁷²And he ruleth them according to the integrity of his heart, And by the skilfulness of his hands leadeth them!