Psalms 78

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 A maskil of Asaph. Attend, my people, to my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.	1 Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in story, drawing lessons from of old.	2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
3 We have heard them, we know them; our ancestors have recited them to us.	3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
4 We do not keep them from our children; we recite them to the next generation, The praiseworthy and mighty deeds of the LORD, the wonders that he performed.	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.
5 God set up a decree in Jacob, established a law in Israel: What he commanded our ancestors, they were to teach their children;	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:
6 That the next generation might come to know, children yet to be born. In turn they were to recite them to their children,	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:
7 that they too might put their trust in God, And not forget the works of God, keeping his commandments.	7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:
8 They were not to be like their ancestors, a rebellious and defiant generation, A generation whose heart was not constant, whose spirit was not faithful to God,	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.
9 Like the ranks of Ephraimite archers, who retreated on the day of battle.	9 The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.
10 They did not keep God's covenant; they refused to walk by his law.	10 They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;
11 They forgot his works, the wondrous deeds he had shown them.	11 And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.
12 In the sight of their ancestors God did wonders, in the land of Egypt, the plain of Zoan.	12 Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 He split the sea and led them across, piling up the waters rigid as walls.	13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.
14 God led them with a cloud by day, all night with the light of fire.	14 In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.
15 He split rock in the desert, gave water to drink, abounding as the deep.	15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
16 He made streams flow from crags, drew out rivers of water.	16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
17 But they went on sinning against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.	17 And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
18 They tested God in their hearts, demanding the food they craved.	18 And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
19 They spoke against God, and said, "Can God spread a table in the desert?	19 Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
20 True, when he struck the rock, water gushed forth, the wadis flooded. But can he also provide bread, give meat to his people?"	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?
21 The LORD heard and grew angry; fire blazed up against Jacob; anger flared up against Israel.	21 Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;
22 For they did not believe in God, did not trust in his saving power.	22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:
23 So he commanded the skies above; the doors of heaven he opened.	23 Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,
24 God rained manna upon them for food; bread from heaven he gave them.	24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.
25 All ate a meal fit for heroes; food he sent in abundance.	25 Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full.
26 He stirred up the east wind in the heavens; by his power God brought on the south wind.	26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.
27 He rained meat upon them like dust, winged fowl like the sands of the sea,	27 He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:
28 Brought them down in the midst of the camp, round about their tents.	28 And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.
29 They ate and were well filled; he gave them what they had craved.	29 So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;
30 But while they still wanted more, and the food was still in their mouths,	30 They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,
31 God's anger attacked them, killed their best warriors, laid low the youth of Israel.	31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this they went on sinning, they did not believe in his wonders.	32 For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.
33 God ended their days abruptly, their years in sudden death.	33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
34 When he slew them, they began to seek him; they again inquired of their God.	34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early after God.
35 They remembered that God was their rock, God Most High, their redeemer.	35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
36 But they deceived him with their mouths, lied to him with their tongues.	36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.
37 Their hearts were not constant toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.	37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.
38 But God is merciful and forgave their sin; he did not utterly destroy them. Time and again he turned back his anger, unwilling to unleash all his rage.	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.
39 He was mindful that they were flesh, a breath that passes and does not return.	39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.
40 How often they rebelled against God in the desert, grieved him in the wasteland.	40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
41 Again and again they tested God, provoked the Holy One of Israel.	41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his power, the day he redeemed them from the foe,	42 They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.
43 When he displayed his wonders in Egypt, his marvels in the plain of Zoan.	43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:
44 God changed their rivers to blood; their streams they could not drink.	44 And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.
45 He sent insects that devoured them, frogs that destroyed them.	45 He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave their harvest to the caterpillar, the fruits of their labor to the locust.	46 He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.
47 He killed their vines with hail, their sycamores with frost.	47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.
48 He exposed their flocks to deadly hail, their cattle to lightning.	48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
49 He unleashed against them his fiery breath, roar, fury, and distress, storming messengers of death.	49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.
50 He cleared a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death; he delivered their beasts to the plague.	50 He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;
51 He struck all the firstborn of Egypt, love's first child in the tents of Ham.	51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:
52 God led forth his people like sheep; he guided them through the desert like a flock.	52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 He led them on secure and unafraid, but the sea enveloped their enemies.	53 And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 He brought them to his holy land, the mountain his right hand had won.	54 And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.
55 God drove out the nations before them, apportioned them a heritage by lot, settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.	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.
56 But they tested, rebelled against God Most High, his decrees they did not observe.	56 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:
57 They turned back, deceitful like their ancestors; they proved false like a bow with no tension.	57 But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
58 They enraged him with their high places; with their idols they goaded him.	58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
59 God heard and grew angry; he rejected Israel completely.	59 When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:
60 He forsook the shrine at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt with humans.	60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;
61 He gave up his might into captivity, his glorious ark into the hands of the foe.	61 And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand.
62 God abandoned his people to the sword; he was enraged against his heritage.	62 He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.
63 Fire consumed their young men; their young women heard no wedding songs.	63 The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.
64 Their priests fell by the sword; their widows made no lamentation.	64 Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a warrior from the effects of wine.	65 Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.
66 He put his enemies to flight; everlasting shame he dealt them.	66 And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph, chose not the tribe of Ephraim.	67 Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:
68 God chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which he favored.	68 But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.
69 He built his shrine like the heavens, like the earth which he founded forever.	69 And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.
70 He chose David his servant, took him from the sheepfold.	70 He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:
71 From tending sheep God brought him, to shepherd Jacob, his people, Israel, his heritage.	71 From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
72 He shepherded them with a pure heart; with skilled hands he guided them.	72 So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.