Psalms 78

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