Psalms 78

DOUAI-RHEIMS	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Understanding for Asaph. Attend, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.	1 [Psalm Of Asaph] My people, listen to my teaching, pay attention to what I say.
2 I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter propositions from the beginning.	2 I will speak to you in poetry, unfold the mysteries of the past.
3 How great things have we heard and known, and our fathers have told us.	3 What we have heard and know, what our ancestors have told us
4 They 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.	4 we shal not conceal from their descendants, but wil tell to a generation stil to come: the praises ofYahweh, his power, the wonderful deeds he has done.
5 And 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:	5 He instituted a witness in Jacob, he established a law in Israel, he commanded our ancestors to handit down to their descendants,
6 that another generation might know them. The children that should be born and should rise up, and declare them to their children.	6 that a generation stil to come might know it, children yet to be born. They should be sure to tel theirown children,
7 That they may put their hope in God and may not forget the works of God: and may seek his commandments.	7 and should put their trust in God, never forgetting God's great deeds, always keeping his commands,
8 That they may not become like their fathers, a perverse end exasperating generation. A generation that set not their heart aright: and whose spirit was not faithful to God.	8 and not, like their ancestors, be a stubborn and rebel ious generation, a generation weak of purpose,their spirit fickle towards God.
9 The sons of Ephraim who bend and shoot with the bow: they have turned back in the day of battle.	9 The archer sons of Ephraim turned tail when the time came for fighting;
10 They kept not the covenant of God: and in his law they would not walk.	10 they failed to keep God's covenant, they refused to fol ow his Law;
11 And they forgot his benefits, and his wonders that he had shewn them.	11 they had forgotten his great deeds, the marvels he had shown them;
12 Wonderful things did he do in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Tanis.	12 he did marvels in the sight of their ancestors in Egypt, in the plains of Tanis.
13 He divided the sea and brought them through: and he made the waters to stand as in a vessel.	13 He split the sea and brought them through, made the waters stand up like a dam;
14 And he conducted them with a cloud by day: and all the night with a light of	14 he led them with a cloud by day, and al the night with the light of a fire;
15 He struck the rock in the wilderness: and gave them to drink, as out of the great deep.	15 he split rocks in the desert, let them drink as though from the limitless depths;
16 He brought forth water out of the rock: and made streams run down as rivers.	16 he brought forth streams from a rock, made waters flow down in torrents.
17 And they added yet more sin against him: they provoked the most High to wrath in the place without water.	17 But they only sinned against him more than ever, defying the Most High in barren country;
18 And they tempted God in their hearts, by asking meat for their desires.	18 they deliberately chal enged God by demanding food to their hearts' content.
19 And they spoke ill of God: they said: Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?	19 They insulted God by saying, 'Can God make a banquet in the desert?
20 Because 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?	20 True, when he struck the rock, waters gushed out and flowed in torrents; but what of bread? Can hegive that, can he provide meat for his people?'
21 Therefore the Lord heard, and was angry: and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and wrath came up against Israel.	21 When he heard them Yahweh vented his anger, fire blazed against Jacob, his anger mountedagainst Israel,
22 Because they believed not in God: and trusted not in his salvation.	22 because they had no faith in God, no trust in his power to save.
23 And he had commanded the clouds from above, and had opened the doors of heaven.	23 Even so he gave orders to the skies above, he opened the sluice-gates of heaven;
24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them the bread of heaven.	24 he rained down manna to feed them, he gave them the wheat of heaven;
25 Man ate the bread of angels: he sent them provisions in abundance.	25 mere mortals ate the bread of the Mighty, he sent them as much food as they could want.
26 He removed the south wind from heaven: and by his power brought in the southwest wind.	26 He roused an east wind in the heavens, despatched a south wind by his strength;
27 And he rained upon them flesh as dust: and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea.	27 he rained down meat on them like dust, birds thick as sand on the seashore,
28 And they fell in the midst of their camp, round about their pavilions.	28 tumbling into the middle of his camp, al around his dwel ing-place.
29 So they did eat, and were filled exceedingly, and he gave them their desire:	29 They ate as much food as they wanted, he satisfied al their cravings;
30 they were not defrauded of that which they craved. As yet their meat was in their mouth:	30 but their cravings were still upon them, the food was stil in their mouths,
31 and the wrath of God came upon them. And he slew the fat ones amongst them, and brought down the chosen men of Israel.	31 when the wrath of God attacked them, slaughtering their strongest men, laying low the flower ofIsrael.
32 In all these things they sinned still: and they believed not for his wondrous works.	32 Despite al this, they went on sinning, they put no faith in his marvels.
33 And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years in haste.	33 He made their days vanish in mist, their years in sudden ruin.
34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned, and came to him early in the morning.	34 Whenever he slaughtered them, they began to seek him, they turned back and looked eagerly forhim,
35 And they remembered that God was their helper: and the most high God their redeemer.	35 recalling that God was their rock, God the Most High, their redeemer.
36 And they loved him with their mouth: and with their tongue they lied unto him:	36 They tried to hoodwink him with their mouths, their tongues were deceitful towards him;
37 But their heart was not right with him: nor were they counted faithful in his covenant.	37 their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 But 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.	38 But in his compassion he forgave their guilt instead of kil ing them, time and again repressing hisanger instead of rousing his full wrath,
39 And he remembered that they are flesh: a wind that goeth and returneth not.	39 remembering they were creatures of flesh, a breath of wind that passes, never to return.
40 How often did they provoke him in the desert: and move him to wrath in the place without water?	40 How often they defied him in the desert! How often they grieved him in the wastelands!
41 And they turned back and tempted God: and grieved the holy one of Israel.	41 Repeatedly they chal enged God, provoking the Holy One of Israel,
42 They remembered not his hand, in the day that he redeemed them from the hand of him that afflicted them:	42 not remembering his hand, the time when he saved them from the oppressor,
43 How he wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanis.	43 he who did his signs in Egypt, his miracles in the plains of Tanis,
44 And he turned their rivers into blood, and their showers that they might, not drink.	44 turning their rivers to blood, their streams so that they had nothing to drink.
45 He sent amongst them divers sores of flies, which devoured them: and frogs which destroyed them.	45 He sent horseflies to eat them up, and frogs to devastate them,
46 And he gave up their fruits to the blast, and their labours to the locust.	46 consigning their crops to the caterpil ar, the fruit of their hard work to the locust;
47 And he destroyed their vineyards with hail, and their mulberry trees with hoarfrost.	47 he kil ed their vines with hail, their sycamore trees with frost,
48 And he gave up their cattle to the hail, and their stock to the fire.	48 delivering up their cattle to hail, and their flocks to thunderbolts.
49 And he sent upon them the wrath of his indignation: indignation and wrath and trouble, which he sent by evil angels.	49 He loosed against them the ful heat of his anger, fury, rage and destruction, a detachment ofdestroying angels;
50 He made a way for a path to his anger: he spared not their souls from death, and their cattle he shut up in death.	50 he gave free course to his anger. He did not exempt their own selves from death, delivering up theirlives to the plague.
51 And he killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt: the firstfruits of all their labour in the tabernacles of Cham.	51 He struck all the first-born in Egypt, the flower of the youth in the tents of Ham.
52 And he took away his own people as sheep: and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.	52 He brought out his people like sheep, guiding them like a flock in the desert,
53 And he brought them out in hope, and they feared not: band the sea overwhelmed their enemies.	53 leading them safe and unafraid, while the sea engulfed their enemies.
54 And 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.	54 He brought them to his holy land, the hil -country won by his right hand;
55 And he made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tabernacles.	55 he dispossessed nations before them, measured out a heritage for each of them, and settled thetribes of Israel in their tents.
56 Yet they tempted, and provoked the most high God: and they kept not his testimonies.	56 But stil they chal enged the Most High God and defied him, refusing to keep his decrees;
57 And they turned away, and kept not the covenant: even like their fathers they were turned aside as a crooked bow.	57 as perverse and treacherous as their ancestors, they gave way like a faulty bow,
58 They provoked him to anger on their hills: and moved him to jealousy with their graven things.	58 provoking him with their high places, rousing his jealousy with their idols.
59 God heard, and despised them, and he reduced Israel exceedingly as it were to nothing.	59 God listened and vented his wrath, he totally rejected Israel;
60 And he put away the tabernacle of Silo, his tabernacle where he dwelt among men.	60 he forsook his dwelling in Shiloh, the tent where he used to dwel on the earth.
61 And he delivered their strength into captivity: and their beauty into the hands of the enemy.	61 He abandoned his power to captivity, his splendour to the enemy's clutches;
62 And he shut up his people under the sword: and he despised his inheritance.	62 he gave up his people to the sword, he vented his wrath on his own heritage.
63 Fire consumed their young men: and their maidens were not lamented.	63 Fire devoured their young men, their young girls had no wedding-song;
64 Their priests fell by the sword: and their widows did not mourn.	64 their priests fel by the sword and their widows sang no dirge.
65 And the Lord was awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that hath been surfeited with wine.	65 The Lord arose as though he had been asleep, like a strong man fighting-mad with wine,
66 And he smote his enemies on the hinder parts: he put them to an everlasting reproach.	66 he struck his enemies on the rump, and put them to everlasting shame.
67 And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph: and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:	67 Rejecting the tents of Joseph, passing over the tribe of Ephraim,
68 But he chose the tribe of Juda, mount Sion which he loved.	68 he chose the tribe of Judah, his wel -loved mountain of Zion;
69 And he built his sanctuary as of unicorns, in the land which he founded for ever.	69 he built his sanctuary like high hil s, like the earth set it firm for ever.
70 And he chose his servant David, and took him from the hocks of sheep: he brought him from following the ewes great with young,	70 He chose David to be his servant, took him from the sheepfold,
71 To feed Jacob his servant, and Israel his inheritance.	71 took him from tending ewes to pasture his servant Jacob, and Israel his heritage.
72 And he fed them in the innocence of his heart: and conducted them by the skilfulness of his hands.	72 He pastured them with unblemished heart, with a sensitive hand he led them.