Psalms 78

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	NEW JERUSALEM
1 A maskil of Asaph. Attend, my people, to my teaching; listen 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 story, drawing lessons from of old.	2 I will speak to you in poetry, unfold the mysteries of the past.
3 We have heard them, we know them; our ancestors have recited them to us.	3 What we have heard and know, what our ancestors 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 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 God set up a decree in Jacob, established a law in Israel: What he commanded our ancestors, they were to teach 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 next generation might come to know, children yet to be born. In turn they were to recite 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 too might put their trust in God, And not forget the works of God, keeping his commandments.	7 and should put their trust in God, never forgetting God's great deeds, always keeping his commands,
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 not, like their ancestors, be a stubborn and rebel ious generation, a generation weak of purpose,their spirit fickle towards God.
9 Like the ranks of Ephraimite archers, who retreated on the day of battle.	9 The archer sons of Ephraim turned tail when the time came for fighting;
10 They did not keep God's covenant; they refused to walk by his law.	10 they failed to keep God's covenant, they refused to fol ow his Law;
11 They forgot his works, the wondrous deeds he had shown them.	11 they had forgotten his great deeds, the marvels he had shown them;
12 In the sight of their ancestors God did wonders, in the land of Egypt, the plain of Zoan.	12 he did marvels in the sight of their ancestors in Egypt, in the plains of Tanis.
13 He split the sea and led them across, piling up the waters rigid as walls.	13 He split the sea and brought them through, made the waters stand up like a dam;
14 God led them with a cloud by day, all night with the light of fire.	14 he led them with a cloud by day, and al the night with the light of a fire;
15 He split rock in the desert, gave water to drink, abounding as the deep.	15 he split rocks in the desert, let them drink as though from the limitless depths;
16 He made streams flow from crags, drew out rivers of water.	16 he brought forth streams from a rock, made waters flow down in torrents.
17 But they went on sinning against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.	17 But they only sinned against him more than ever, defying the Most High in barren country;
18 They tested God in their hearts, demanding the food they craved.	18 they deliberately chal enged God by demanding food to their hearts' content.
19 They spoke against God, and said, "Can God spread a table in the desert?	19 They insulted God by saying, 'Can God make a banquet in the desert?
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 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 The LORD heard and grew angry; fire blazed up against Jacob; anger flared up against Israel.	21 When he heard them Yahweh vented his anger, fire blazed against Jacob, his anger mountedagainst Israel,
22 For they did not believe in God, did not trust in his saving power.	22 because they had no faith in God, no trust in his power to save.
23 So he commanded the skies above; the doors of heaven he opened.	23 Even so he gave orders to the skies above, he opened the sluice-gates of heaven;
24 God rained manna upon them for food; bread from heaven he gave them.	24 he rained down manna to feed them, he gave them the wheat of heaven;
25 All ate a meal fit for heroes; food he sent in abundance.	25 mere mortals ate the bread of the Mighty, he sent them as much food as they could want.
26 He stirred up the east wind in the heavens; by his power God brought on the south wind.	26 He roused an east wind in the heavens, despatched a south wind by his strength;
27 He rained meat upon them like dust, winged fowl like the sands of the sea,	27 he rained down meat on them like dust, birds thick as sand on the seashore,
28 Brought them down in the midst of the camp, round about their tents.	28 tumbling into the middle of his camp, al around his dwel ing-place.
29 They ate and were well filled; he gave them what they had craved.	29 They ate as much food as they wanted, he satisfied al their cravings;
30 But while they still wanted more, and the food was still in their mouths,	30 but their cravings were still upon them, the food was stil in their mouths,
31 God's anger attacked them, killed their best warriors, laid low the youth of Israel.	31 when the wrath of God attacked them, slaughtering their strongest men, laying low the flower ofIsrael.
32 In spite of all this they went on sinning, they did not believe in his wonders.	32 Despite al this, they went on sinning, they put no faith in his marvels.
33 God ended their days abruptly, their years in sudden death.	33 He made their days vanish in mist, their years in sudden ruin.
34 When he slew them, they began to seek him; they again inquired of their God.	34 Whenever he slaughtered them, they began to seek him, they turned back and looked eagerly forhim,
35 They remembered that God was their rock, God Most High, their redeemer.	35 recalling that God was their rock, God the Most High, their redeemer.
36 But they deceived him with their mouths, lied to him with their tongues.	36 They tried to hoodwink him with their mouths, their tongues were deceitful towards him;
37 Their hearts were not constant toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.	37 their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to 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 in his compassion he forgave their guilt instead of kil ing them, time and again repressing hisanger instead of rousing his full wrath,
39 He was mindful that they were flesh, a breath that passes and does not return.	39 remembering they were creatures of flesh, a breath of wind that passes, never to return.
40 How often they rebelled against God in the desert, grieved him in the wasteland.	40 How often they defied him in the desert! How often they grieved him in the wastelands!
41 Again and again they tested God, provoked the Holy One of Israel.	41 Repeatedly they chal enged God, provoking the Holy One of Israel,
42 They did not remember his power, the day he redeemed them from the foe,	42 not remembering his hand, the time when he saved them from the oppressor,
43 When he displayed his wonders in Egypt, his marvels in the plain of Zoan.	43 he who did his signs in Egypt, his miracles in the plains of Tanis,
44 God changed their rivers to blood; their streams they could not drink.	44 turning their rivers to blood, their streams so that they had nothing to drink.
45 He sent insects that devoured them, frogs that destroyed them.	45 He sent horseflies to eat them up, and frogs to devastate them,
46 He gave their harvest to the caterpillar, the fruits of their labor to the locust.	46 consigning their crops to the caterpil ar, the fruit of their hard work to the locust;
47 He killed their vines with hail, their sycamores with frost.	47 he kil ed their vines with hail, their sycamore trees with frost,
48 He exposed their flocks to deadly hail, their cattle to lightning.	48 delivering up their cattle to hail, and their flocks to thunderbolts.
49 He unleashed against them his fiery breath, roar, fury, and distress, storming messengers of death.	49 He loosed against them the ful heat of his anger, fury, rage and destruction, a detachment ofdestroying angels;
50 He cleared a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death; he delivered their beasts to the plague.	50 he gave free course to his anger. He did not exempt their own selves from death, delivering up theirlives to the plague.
51 He struck all the firstborn of Egypt, love's first child in the tents of Ham.	51 He struck all the first-born in Egypt, the flower of the youth in the tents of Ham.
52 God led forth his people like sheep; he guided them through the desert like a flock.	52 He brought out his people like sheep, guiding them like a flock in the desert,
53 He led them on secure and unafraid, but the sea enveloped their enemies.	53 leading them safe and unafraid, while the sea engulfed their enemies.
54 He brought them to his holy land, the mountain his right hand had won.	54 He brought them to his holy land, the hil -country won by his right hand;
55 God drove out the nations before them, apportioned them a heritage by lot, settled the tribes of Israel 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 But they tested, rebelled against God Most High, his decrees they did not observe.	56 But stil they chal enged the Most High God and defied him, refusing to keep his decrees;
57 They turned back, deceitful like their ancestors; they proved false like a bow with no tension.	57 as perverse and treacherous as their ancestors, they gave way like a faulty bow,
58 They enraged him with their high places; with their idols they goaded him.	58 provoking him with their high places, rousing his jealousy with their idols.
59 God heard and grew angry; he rejected Israel completely.	59 God listened and vented his wrath, he totally rejected Israel;
60 He forsook the shrine at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt with humans.	60 he forsook his dwelling in Shiloh, the tent where he used to dwel on the earth.
61 He gave up his might into captivity, his glorious ark into the hands of the foe.	61 He abandoned his power to captivity, his splendour to the enemy's clutches;
62 God abandoned his people to the sword; he was enraged against his heritage.	62 he gave up his people to the sword, he vented his wrath on his own heritage.
63 Fire consumed their young men; their young women heard no wedding songs.	63 Fire devoured their young men, their young girls had no wedding-song;
64 Their priests fell by the sword; their widows made no lamentation.	64 their priests fel by the sword and their widows sang no dirge.
65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a warrior from the effects of wine.	65 The Lord arose as though he had been asleep, like a strong man fighting-mad with wine,
66 He put his enemies to flight; everlasting shame he dealt them.	66 he struck his enemies on the rump, and put them to everlasting shame.
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph, chose not the tribe of Ephraim.	67 Rejecting the tents of Joseph, passing over the tribe of Ephraim,
68 God chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which he favored.	68 he chose the tribe of Judah, his wel -loved mountain of Zion;
69 He built his shrine like the heavens, like the earth which he founded forever.	69 he built his sanctuary like high hil s, like the earth set it firm for ever.
70 He chose David his servant, took him from the sheepfold.	70 He chose David to be his servant, took him from the sheepfold,
71 From tending sheep God brought him, to shepherd Jacob, his people, Israel, his heritage.	71 took him from tending ewes to pasture his servant Jacob, and Israel his heritage.
72 He shepherded them with a pure heart; with skilled hands he guided them.	72 He pastured them with unblemished heart, with a sensitive hand he led them.