Psalms 77

¹The understanding of Asaph. O my people, attend to my law. Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

²I will open my mouth in parables. I will speak about concepts that are from the beginning.

³We have heard and known such great things, as our fathers have described to us.

⁴These things have not been hidden from their sons in any generation: declaring the praises of the Lord, and his virtues, and the wonders that he has done.

⁵And he has received testimony with Jacob, and he has set a law within Israel. Such great things, he has commanded our fathers, so as to make these things known to their sons,

⁶so that another generation might know them, and so that the sons, who will be born and who will grow up, shall describe them to their sons.

⁷So then, may they put their hope in God, and may they not forget the works of God, and may they seek his commandments.

⁸May they not become like their fathers, a perverse and exasperating generation: a generation that does not straighten their heart and whose spirit is not trustworthy with God.

⁹The sons of Ephraim, who bend and shoot the bow, have been turned back in the day of battle.

¹⁰They have not kept the covenant of God. And they were not willing to walk in his law.

¹¹And they have been forgetful of his benefits, and of his miracle, which he revealed to them.

¹²He performed miracles in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Tanis.

¹³He broke the sea and he led them through. And he stationed the waters, as if in a vessel.

¹⁴And he led them with a cloud by day, and with illumination by fire throughout the night.

¹⁵He broke through the rock in the wasteland, and he gave them to drink, as if from the great abyss.

¹⁶He brought forth water from the rock, and he conducted the waters, as if they were rivers.

¹⁷And yet, they continued to sin against him. In a waterless place, they provoked the Most High with resentment.

¹⁸And they tempted God in their hearts, by asking for food according to their desires.

¹⁹And they spoke badly about God. They said, “Would God be able to prepare a table in the desert?

²⁰He struck the rock, and so waters flowed and the torrents flooded, but would even he be able to provide bread, or provide a table, for his people?”

²¹Therefore, the Lord heard, and he was dismayed, and a fire was kindled within Jacob, and an anger ascended into Israel.

²²For they neither put their trust in God, nor did they hope in his salvation.

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

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

²⁵Man ate the bread of Angels. He sent them provisions in abundance.

²⁶He transferred the south wind from heaven, and, in his virtue, he brought in the Southwest wind.

²⁷And he rained down flesh upon them, as if it were dust, and feathered birds, as if they were the sand of the sea.

²⁸And they fell down in the midst of their camp, encircling their tabernacles.

²⁹And they ate until they were greatly satisfied, and he brought to them according to their desires.

³⁰They were not cheated out of what they wanted. Their food was still in their mouth,

³¹and then the wrath of God came upon them. And he slew the fat ones among them, and he impeded the elect of Israel.

³²In all these things, they continued to sin, and they were not trustworthy with his miracles.

³³And their days faded away into vanity, and their years with haste.

³⁴When he slew them, then they sought him. And they returned, and they drew near to him in the early morning.

³⁵And they were mindful that God is their helper and that the Most High God is their redeemer.

³⁶And they chose him with their mouth, and then they lied to him with their tongue.

³⁷For their heart was not upright with him, nor have they been living faithfully in his covenant.

³⁸Yet he is merciful, and he will pardon their sins. And he will not destroy them. And he has abundantly turned aside his own wrath. And he did not enflame his wrath entirely.

³⁹And he remembered that they are flesh: with a spirit that goes forth and does not return.

⁴⁰How often did they provoke him in the desert and stir him to wrath in a waterless place?

⁴¹And they turned back and tempted God, and they exasperated the Holy One of Israel.

⁴²They did not remember his hand, in the day that he redeemed them from the hand of the one troubling them.

⁴³Thus, he positioned his signs in Egypt and his wonders in the field of Tanis.

⁴⁴And he turned their rivers into blood, along with their rain showers, so that they could not drink.

⁴⁵He sent among them the common fly, and it devoured them, and the frog, and it scattered them.

⁴⁶And he gave up their fruits to mold and their labors to the locust.

⁴⁷And he slew their vineyards with hail and their mulberry trees with severe frost.

⁴⁸And he delivered their cattle to the hail and their possessions to fire.

⁴⁹And he sent the wrath of his indignation among them: indignation and wrath and tribulation, sent forth by evil angels.

⁵⁰He made way for the path of his anger. He did not spare their souls from death. And he enclosed their beasts of burden in death.

⁵¹And he struck all the first-born in the land of Egypt: the first-fruits of all their labor in the tabernacles of Ham.

⁵²And he took away his own people like sheep, and he led them through the wilderness like a flock.

⁵³And he led them out in hope, and they did not fear. And the sea covered their enemies.

⁵⁴And he led them to the mountain of his sanctification: the mountain that his right hand had acquired. And he cast out the Gentiles before their face. And he divided their land by lot to them, with a line of distribution.

⁵⁵And he caused the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tabernacles.

⁵⁶Yet they tempted and aggravated God Most High, and they did not keep his testaments.

⁵⁷And they turned themselves aside, and they did not serve the covenant. In the same manner as their fathers, they were turned backwards, like a crooked bow.

⁵⁸They impelled him to anger on their hills, and they provoked him to rivalry with their graven images.

⁵⁹God listened, and he spurned them, and he reduced Israel greatly, almost to nothing.

⁶⁰And he rejected the tabernacle of Shiloh, his tabernacle where he had dwelt among men.

⁶¹And he delivered their virtue into captivity, and their beauty into the hands of the enemy.

⁶²And he enclosed his people with the sword, and he spurned his inheritance.

⁶³Fire consumed their young men, and their virgins were not lamented.

⁶⁴Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows did not weep.

⁶⁵And the Lord was awakened, as if out of sleep, and like a powerful man impaired by wine.

⁶⁶And he struck his enemies on the back. He gave them over to everlasting disgrace.

⁶⁷And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph, and he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.

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

⁶⁹And he built up his sanctuary, like a single-horned beast, in the land that he founded for all ages.

⁷⁰And he chose his servant David, and he took him from the flocks of the sheep: he received him from following the ewes with their young,

⁷¹in order to pasture Jacob his servant and Israel his inheritance.

⁷²And he fed them with the innocence of his heart. And he led them with the understanding of his hands.

Psalms 77

¹Understanding for Asaph. Attend, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

²I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter propositions from the beginning.

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

⁴They have not been hidden from their children, in another generation. Declaring the praises of the Lord, and his powers, and his wonders which he hath done.

⁵And he set up a testimony in Jacob: and made a law in Israel. How great things he commanded our fathers, that they should make the same known to their children:

⁶That another generation might know them. The children that should be born and should rise up, and declare them to their children.

⁷That they may put their hope in God and may not forget the works of God: and may seek his commandments.

⁸That they may not become like their fathers, a perverse and exasperating generation. A generation that set not their heart aright: and whose spirit was not faithful to God.

⁹The sons of Ephraim who bend and shoot with the bow: they have turned back in the day of battle.

¹⁰They kept not the covenant of God: and in his law they would not walk.

¹¹And they forgot his benefits, and his wonders that he had shewn them.

¹²Wonderful things did he do in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Tanis.

¹³He divided the sea and brought them through: and he made the waters to stand as in a vessel.

¹⁴And he conducted them with a cloud by day: and all the night with a light of fire.

¹⁵He struck the rock in the wilderness: and gave them to drink, as out of the great deep.

¹⁶He brought forth water out of the rock: and made streams run down as rivers.

¹⁷And they added yet more sin against him: they provoked the most High to wrath in the place without water.

¹⁸And they tempted God in their hearts, by asking meat for their desires.

¹⁹And they spoke ill of God: they said: Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

²⁰Because he struck the rock, and the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed. Can he also give bread, or provide a table for his people?

²¹Therefore the Lord heard, and was angry: and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and wrath came up against Israel.

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

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

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

²⁵Man ate the bread of angels: he sent them provisions in abundance.

²⁶He removed the south wind from heaven: and by his power brought in the southwest wind.

²⁷And he rained upon them flesh as dust: and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea.

²⁸And they fell in the midst of their camp, round about their pavilions.

²⁹So they did eat, and were filled exceedingly, and he gave them their desire:

³⁰they were not defrauded of that which they craved. As yet their meat was in their mouth:

³¹And the wrath of God came upon them. And he slew the fat ones amongst them, and brought down the chosen men of Israel.

³²In all these things they sinned still: and they behaved not for his wondrous works.

³³And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years in haste.

³⁴When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned, and came to him early in the morning.

³⁵And they remembered that God was their helper: and the most high God their redeemer.

³⁶And they loved him with their mouth: and with their tongue they lied unto him:

³⁷But their heart was not right with him: nor were they counted faithful in his covenant.

³⁸But he is merciful, and will forgive their sins: and will not destroy them. And many a time did he turn away his anger: and did not kindle all his wrath.

³⁹And he remembered that they are flesh: a wind that goeth and returneth not.

⁴⁰How often did they provoke him in the desert: and move him to wrath in the place without water?

⁴¹And they turned back and tempted God: and grieved the holy one of Israel.

⁴²They remembered not his hand, in the day that he redeemed them from the hand of him that afflicted them:

⁴³How he wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanis.

⁴⁴And he turned their rivers into blood, and their showers that they might not drink.

⁴⁵He sent amongst them divers sorts of flies, which devoured them: and frogs which destroyed them.

⁴⁶And he gave up their fruits to the blast, and their labours to the locust.

⁴⁷And he destroyed their vineyards with hail, and their mulberry trees with hoarfrost.

⁴⁸And he gave up their cattle to the hail, and their stock to the fire.

⁴⁹And he sent upon them the wrath of his indignation: indignation and wrath and trouble, which he sent by evil angels.

⁵⁰He made a way for a path to his anger: he spared not their souls from death, and their cattle he shut up in death.

⁵¹And he killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt: the firstfruits of all their labour in the tabernacles of Cham.

⁵²And he took away his own people as sheep: and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

⁵³And he brought them out in hope and they feared not: and the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

⁵⁴And he brought them into the mountain of his sanctuary: the mountain which his right hand had purchased. And he cast out the Gentiles before them: and by lot divided to them their land by a line of distribution.

⁵⁵And he made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tabernacles.

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

⁵⁷And they turned away, and kept not the covenant: even like their fathers they were turned aside as a crooked bow.

⁵⁸They provoked him to anger on their hills: and moved him to jealousy with their graven things.

⁵⁹God heard, and despised them, and he reduced Israel exceedingly as it were to nothing.

⁶⁰And he put away the tabernacle of Silo, his tabernacle where he dwelt among men.

⁶¹And he delivered their strength into captivity: and their beauty into the hands of the enemy.

⁶²And he shut up his people under the sword: and he despised his inheritance.

⁶³Fire consumed their young men: and their maidens were not lamented.

⁶⁴Their priests fell by the sword: and their widows did not mourn.

⁶⁵And the Lord was awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that hath been surfeited with wine.

⁶⁶And he smote his enemies on the hinder parts: he put them to an everlasting reproach.

⁶⁷And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph: and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:

⁶⁸But he chose the tribe of Juda, mount Sion which he loved.

⁶⁹And he built his sanctuary as of unicorns, in the land which he founded for ever.

⁷⁰And he chose his servant David, and took him from the flocks of sheep: he brought him from following the ewes great with young,

⁷¹To feed Jacob his servant and Israel his inheritance.

⁷²And he fed them in the innocence of his heart: and conducted them by the skilfulness of his hands.