Psalms 78

¹A Psalme to give instruction committed to Asaph. Heare my doctrine, O my people: incline your eares vnto the wordes of my mouth.

²I will open my mouth in a parable: I will declare high sentences of olde.

³Which we haue heard and knowen, and our fathers haue tolde vs.

⁴Wee will not hide them from their children but to the generation to come we wil shewe the praises of the Lord his power also, and his wonderful woorkes that he hath done:

⁵How he established a testimonie in Iaakob, and ordeined a Law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they shoulde teache their children:

⁶That the posteritie might knowe it, and the children, which should be borne, should stand vp, and declare it to their children:

⁷That they might set their hope on God, and not forget the workes of God but keepe his commandements:

⁸And not to bee as their fathers, a disobedient and rebellious generation: a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirite was not faithfull vnto God.

⁹The children of Ephraim being armed and shooting with the bowe, turned backe in the day of battell.

¹⁰They kept not the couenant of God, but refused to walke in his Lawe,

¹¹And forgate his Actes, and his wonderfull woorkes that he had shewed them.

¹²Hee did marueilous thinges in the sight of their fathers in the lande of Egypt: euen in the fielde of Zoan.

¹³He deuided the Sea, and led them through: he made also the waters to stand as an heape.

¹⁴In the day time also hee led them with a cloude, and all the night with a light of fire.

¹⁵He claue the rockes in the wildernes, and gaue them drinke as of the great depths.

¹⁶He brought floods also out of the stonie rocke; so that hee made the waters to descend like the riuers.

¹⁷Yet they sinned stil against him, and prouoked the Highest in the wildernesse,

¹⁸And tempted God in their heartes in requiring meate for their lust.

¹⁹They spake against God also, saying, Can God prepare a table in the wildernesse?

²⁰Behold, he smote the rocke, that the water gushed out, and the streames ouerflowed: can hee giue bread also? or prepare flesh for his people?

²¹Therefore the Lord heard and was angrie, and the fire was kindled in Iaakob, and also wrath came vpon Israel,

²²Because they beleeued not in God, and trusted not in his helpe.

²³Yet he had comanded the clouds aboue, and had opened the doores of heauen,

²⁴And had rained downe MAN vpon them for to eate, and had giuen them of the wheate of heauen.

²⁵Man did eate the bread of Angels: hee sent them meate ynough.

²⁶He caused the Eastwinde to passe in the heauen, and through his power he brought in the Southwinde.

²⁷Hee rained flesh also vpon them as dust, and feathered foule as the sand of the sea.

²⁸And hee made it fall in the middes of their campe euen round about their habitations.

²⁹So they did eate and were well filled: for he gaue them their desire.

³⁰They were not turned from their lust, but the meate was yet in their mouthes,

³¹When the wrath of God came euen vpon them, and slew the strongest of them, and smote downe the chosen men in Israel.

³²For all this, they sinned stil, and beleeued not his wonderous woorkes.

³³Therefore their daies did hee consume in vanitie, and their yeeres hastily.

³⁴And when hee slewe them, they sought him and they returned, and sought God earely.

³⁵And they remembred that God was their strength, and the most high God their redeemer.

³⁶But they flattered him with their mouth, and dissembled with him with their tongue.

³⁷For their heart was not vpright with him: neither were they faithfull in his couenant.

³⁸Yet he being merciful forgaue their iniquitie, and destroied them not, but oft times called backe his anger, and did not stirre vp all his wrath.

³⁹For he remembered that they were flesh: yea, a winde that passeth and commeth not againe.

⁴⁰How oft did they prouoke him in the wildernes? and grieue him in the desert?

⁴¹Yea, they returned, and tempted God, and limited the Holie one of Israel.

⁴²They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he deliuered them from the enemie,

⁴³Nor him that set his signes in Egypt, and his wonders in the fielde of Zoan,

⁴⁴And turned their riuers into blood, and their floods, that they could not drinke.

⁴⁵Hee sent a swarme of flies among them, which deuoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.

⁴⁶He gaue also their fruites vnto the caterpiller, and their labour vnto the grassehopper.

⁴⁷He destroied their vines with haile, and their wilde figge trees with the hailestone.

⁴⁸He gaue their cattell also to the haile, and their flockes to the thunderboltes.

⁴⁹Hee cast vpon them the fiercenesse of his anger, indignation and wrath, and vexation by the sending out of euill Angels.

⁵⁰He made a way to his anger: he spared not their soule from death, but gaue their life to the pestilence,

⁵¹And smote al the firstborne in Egypt, euen the beginning of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham.

⁵²But hee made his people to goe out like sheepe, and led them in the wildernes like a flocke.

⁵³Yea, he caried them out safely, and they feared not, and the Sea couered their enemies.

⁵⁴And he brought them vnto the borders of his Sanctuarie: euen to this Mountaine, which his right hand purchased.

⁵⁵He cast out the heathe also before them, and caused them to fall to the lot of his inheritance, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tabernacles.

⁵⁶Yet they tempted, and prouoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies,

⁵⁷But turned backe and delt falsely like their fathers: they turned like a deceitfull bowe.

⁵⁸And they prouoked him to anger with their high places, and mooued him to wrath with their grauen images.

⁵⁹God heard this and was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel,

⁶⁰So that hee forsooke the habitation of Shilo, euen the Tabernacle where hee dwelt among men,

⁶¹And deliuered his power into captiuitie, and his beautie into the enemies hand.

⁶²And hee gaue vp his people to the sworde, and was angrie with his inheritance.

⁶³The fire deuoured their chosen men, and their maides were not praised.

⁶⁴Their Priestes fell by the sworde, and their widowes lamented not.

⁶⁵But the Lord awaked as one out of sleepe, and as a strong man that after his wine crieth out,

⁶⁶And smote his enemies in the hinder parts, and put them to a perpetuall shame.

⁶⁷Yet he refused the tabernacle of Ioseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:

⁶⁸But chose the tribe of Iudah, and mount Zion which he loued.

⁶⁹And he built his Sanctuarie as an high palace, like the earth, which he stablished for euer.

⁷⁰He chose Dauid also his seruant, and tooke him from the shepefolds.

⁷¹Euen from behinde the ewes with yong brought he him to feede his people in Iaakob, and his inheritance in Israel.

⁷²So he fed them according to the simplicitie of his heart, and guided them by the discretion of his hands.

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, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful 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 know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to 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 forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

²⁰Behold, 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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

³¹The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

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

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

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

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

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

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

³⁸But 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

⁴⁸He gave up 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, by sending evil angels among them.

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

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

⁵²But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

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

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

⁵⁵He 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.

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

⁵⁷But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully 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 heard this, 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 enemy’s hand.

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

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

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

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

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

⁶⁷Moreover he refused the tabernacle 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 high palaces, 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 great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

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