Psalms 78

KING JAMES BIBLE	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Give ear, 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 a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:	2 I will speak to you in poetry, unfold the mysteries of the past.
3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.	3 What we have heard and know, what our ancestors have told us
4 We 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.	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 For 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:	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 the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise 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 might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:	7 and should put their trust in God, never forgetting God's great deeds, always keeping his commands,
8 And 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.	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 children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, 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 refused to walk in his law;	10 they failed to keep God's covenant, they refused to fol ow his Law;
11 And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.	11 they had forgotten his great deeds, the marvels he had shown them;
12 Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.	12 he did marvels in the sight of their ancestors in Egypt, in the plains of Tanis.
13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.	13 He split the sea and brought them through, made the waters stand up like a dam;
14 In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.	14 he led them with a cloud by day, and al the night with the light of a fire;
15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.	15 he split rocks in the desert, let them drink as though from the limitless depths;
16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.	16 he brought forth streams from a rock, made waters flow down in torrents.
17 And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.	17 But they only sinned against him more than ever, defying the Most High in barren country;
18 And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.	18 they deliberately chal enged God by demanding food to their hearts' content.
19 Yea, they spake against 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 Behold, 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?	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 this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also 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 Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and 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 of the corn of heaven.	24 he rained down manna to feed them, he gave them the wheat of heaven;
25 Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full.	25 mere mortals ate the bread of the Mighty, he sent them as much food as they could want.
26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.	26 He roused an east wind in the heavens, despatched a south wind by his strength;
27 He rained flesh also upon them 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 he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.	28 tumbling into the middle of his camp, al around his dwel ing-place.
29 So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;	29 They ate as much food as they wanted, he satisfied al their cravings;
30 They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,	30 but their cravings were still upon them, the food was stil in their mouths,
31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.	31 when the wrath of God attacked them, slaughtering their strongest men, laying low the flower ofIsrael.
32 For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.	32 Despite al this, they went on sinning, they put no faith in his marvels.
33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.	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 inquired early after God.	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 rock, and the high God their redeemer.	35 recalling that God was their rock, God the Most High, their redeemer.
36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.	36 They tried to hoodwink him with their mouths, their tongues were deceitful towards him;
37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.	37 their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 But 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.	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 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.	39 remembering they were creatures of flesh, a breath of wind that passes, never to return.
40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!	40 How often they defied him in the desert! How often they grieved him in the wastelands!
41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.	41 Repeatedly they chal enged God, provoking the Holy One of Israel,
42 They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.	42 not remembering his hand, the time when he saved them from the oppressor,
43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:	43 he who did his signs in Egypt, his miracles in the plains of Tanis,
44 And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.	44 turning their rivers to blood, their streams so that they had nothing to drink.
45 He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.	45 He sent horseflies to eat them up, and frogs to devastate them,
46 He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.	46 consigning their crops to the caterpil ar, the fruit of their hard work to the locust;
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.	47 he kil ed their vines with hail, their sycamore trees with frost,
48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.	48 delivering up their cattle to hail, and their flocks to thunderbolts.
49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.	49 He loosed against them the ful heat of his anger, fury, rage and destruction, a detachment ofdestroying angels;
50 He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;	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 smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:	51 He struck all the first-born in Egypt, the flower of the youth in the tents of Ham.
52 But made his own people to go forth like 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 led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.	53 leading them safe and unafraid, while the sea engulfed their enemies.
54 And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.	54 He brought them to his holy land, the hil -country won by his right hand;
55 He 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.	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 kept not his testimonies:	56 But stil they chal enged the Most High God and defied him, refusing to keep his decrees;
57 But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.	57 as perverse and treacherous as their ancestors, they gave way like a faulty bow,
58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.	58 provoking him with their high places, rousing his jealousy with their idols.
59 When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:	59 God listened and vented his wrath, he totally rejected Israel;
60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;	60 he forsook his dwelling in Shiloh, the tent where he used to dwel on the earth.
61 And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand.	61 He abandoned his power to captivity, his splendour to the enemy's clutches;
62 He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.	62 he gave up his people to the sword, he vented his wrath on his own heritage.
63 The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.	63 Fire devoured their young men, their young girls had no wedding-song;
64 Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.	64 their priests fel by the sword and their widows sang no dirge.
65 Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of 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 in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.	66 he struck his enemies on the rump, and put them to everlasting shame.
67 Moreover he refused 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 chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.	68 he chose the tribe of Judah, his wel -loved mountain of Zion;
69 And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.	69 he built his sanctuary like high hil s, like the earth set it firm for ever.
70 He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:	70 He chose David to be his servant, took him from the sheepfold,
71 From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.	71 took him from tending ewes to pasture his servant Jacob, and Israel his heritage.
72 So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.	72 He pastured them with unblemished heart, with a sensitive hand he led them.