Psalms 78

¹Give ear, O my people, to my instruction! Incline your ears to the words of my mouth!

²I will open my mouth in a psalm; I will utter sayings of ancient times.

³What we have heard and learned, And our fathers have told us,

⁴We will not hide from their children; Showing to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, His might, and the wonders he hath wrought.

⁵For he appointed statutes in Jacob, And established a law in Israel, Which he commanded our fathers To make known to their children;

⁶So that the generation to come might know them; The children, which should be born, and rise up, Who should declare them to their children;

⁷That they might put their trust in God, And not forget his deeds, But keep his commandments;

⁸And might not be, like their forefathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation,—A generation whose heart was not fixed upon God, And whose spirit was not steadfast toward the Almighty.

⁹The children of Ephraim were like armed bowmen, Who turn their backs in the day of battle.

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

¹¹And forgot his mighty deeds, And the wonders he had shown 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; Yea, he made the waters to stand as a heap.

¹⁴By day he led them by a cloud, And all the night by a light of fire.

¹⁵He clave the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink, as from the great deep.

¹⁶From the rock he brought flowing streams, And made water to run down like rivers.

¹⁷Yet still they sinned against him, And provoked the Most High in the desert.

¹⁸They tempted God in their hearts, By asking food for their delight.

¹⁹Yea, they spake against God, and said, "Can God spread a table in the wilderness?

²⁰Behold! he smote the rock, and the water flowed, And streams gushed forth: Is he also able to give bread? Can he provide flesh for his people?"

²¹When, therefore, the LORD heard this, he was wroth: So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger arose against Israel.

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

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

²⁴And had rained down upon them manna for food, And had given them the corn of heaven.

²⁵Every one ate the food of princes; He sent them bread to the full.

²⁶Then he caused a strong wind to blow in the heavens, And by his power he brought a south wind;

²⁷He rained down flesh upon them as dust, And feathered fowls as the sand of the sea.

²⁸He caused them to fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their habitations.

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

³⁰Their desire was not yet satisfied, And their meat was yet in their mouths,

³¹When the wrath of God came upon them, And slew their strong men, And smote down the chosen men of Israel.

³²For all this they sinned still, And put no trust in his wondrous works.

³³Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, And their years in sudden destruction.

³⁴When he slew them, they sought him; They returned, and sought earnestly for God;

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

³⁶But they only flattered him with their mouths, And spake falsely to him with their tongues.

³⁷For their hearts were not true to him, Nor were they steadfast in his covenant.

³⁸Yet, being full of compassion, he forgave their iniquity, And would not utterly destroy them; Often he restrained his indignation, And stirred not up all his anger.

³⁹He remembered that they were but flesh,—A breath, that passeth and cometh not back.

⁴⁰How often did they provoke him in the wilderness! How often did they anger him in the desert!

⁴¹Again and again they tempted God, And offended the Holy One of Israel.

⁴²They remembered not his hand, Nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy;

⁴³What signs he had wrought in Egypt, And what wonders in the fields of Zoan.

⁴⁴He turned their rivers into blood, So that they could not drink of their streams.

⁴⁵He sent amongst them flies, which devoured them, And frogs, which destroyed them.

⁴⁶He gave also their fruits to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.

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

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

⁴⁹He sent against them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, indignation, and woe,—A host of angels of evil.

⁵⁰He made a way for his anger, He spared them not from death, But gave up their lives to the pestilence.

⁵¹He smote all the firstborn in Egypt; The first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.

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

⁵³He led them on safely, so that they feared not, While the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

⁵⁴He brought them to his own sacred border, Even to this mountain which his right hand had gained.

⁵⁵He cast out the nations before them, And divided their land by a measuring-line, as an inheritance, And caused the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

⁵⁶Yet they tempted and provoked God, the Most High, And kept not his statutes;

⁵⁷Like their fathers they were faithless, and turned back; They turned aside, like a deceitful bow.

⁵⁸They provoked his anger by their high places, And stirred up his jealousy by their graven images.

⁵⁹God saw this, and was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;

⁶⁰So that he forsook the habitation at Shiloh, The tabernacle where he dwelt among men,

⁶¹And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the hand of the enemy.

⁶²His own people he gave up to the sword, And was wroth with his own inheritance.

⁶³Fire consumed their young men, And their maidens did not bewail them.

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

⁶⁵But at length the Lord awaked as from sleep, As a hero who had been overpowered by wine;

⁶⁶He smote his enemies, and drove them back, And covered them with everlasting disgrace.

⁶⁷Yet he rejected the tents of Joseph, And chose not the tribe of Ephraim;

⁶⁸But chose the tribe of Judah, The Mount Zion which he loved;

⁶⁹Where he built, like the heavens, his sanctuary; Like the earth, which he hath established for ever.

⁷⁰And he chose David, his servant, And took him from the sheepfolds;

⁷¹From tending the suckling ewes he brought him To feed Jacob his people, And Israel his inheritance.

⁷²He fed them with an upright heart, And guided them with skilful 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.