Psalms 78

NEW JERUSALEM	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 [Psalm Of Asaph] My people, listen to my teaching, pay attention to what I say.	1 Give ear, 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 a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
3 What we have heard and know, what our ancestors have told us	3 Which we have 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 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 He instituted a witness in Jacob, he established a law in Israel, he commanded our ancestors to handit down to their descendants,	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 a generation stil to come might know it, children yet to be born. They should be sure to tel theirown 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 and should put their trust in God, never forgetting God's great deeds, always keeping his commands,	7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep 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 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 The archer sons of Ephraim turned tail when the time came for fighting;	9 The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, 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 refused to walk in his law;
11 they had forgotten his great deeds, the marvels he had shown them;	11 And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.
12 he did marvels in the sight of their ancestors in Egypt, in the plains of Tanis.	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 brought them through, made the waters stand up like a dam;	13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.
14 he led them with a cloud by day, and al the night with the light of a fire;	14 In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.
15 he split rocks in the desert, let them drink as though from the limitless depths;	15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
16 he brought forth streams from a rock, made waters flow down in torrents.	16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
17 But they only sinned against him more than ever, defying the Most High in barren country;	17 And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
18 they deliberately chal enged God by demanding food to their hearts' content.	18 And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
19 They insulted God by saying, 'Can God make a banquet 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, waters gushed out and flowed in torrents; but what of bread? Can hegive that, can he provide meat for 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 When he heard them Yahweh vented his anger, fire blazed against Jacob, his anger mountedagainst 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 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 Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and 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 of the corn of heaven.
25 mere mortals ate the bread of the Mighty, he sent them as much food as they could want.	25 Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full.
26 He roused an east wind in the heavens, despatched a south wind by his strength;	26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.
27 he rained down meat on them like dust, birds thick as sand on the seashore,	27 He rained flesh also upon them 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 he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.
29 They ate as much food as they wanted, he satisfied al their cravings;	29 So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;
30 but their cravings were still upon them, the food was stil in their mouths,	30 They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,
31 when the wrath of God attacked them, slaughtering their strongest men, laying low the flower ofIsrael.	31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.
32 Despite al this, they went on sinning, they put no faith in his marvels.	32 For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.
33 He made their days vanish in mist, their years in sudden ruin.	33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
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 inquired early after God.
35 recalling that God was their rock, God the Most High, their redeemer.	35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
36 They tried to hoodwink him with their mouths, their tongues were deceitful towards him;	36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.
37 their hearts were not loyal to 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 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, 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 remembering they were creatures of flesh, a breath of wind that passes, never to return.	39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.
40 How often they defied him in the desert! How often they grieved him in the wastelands!	40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
41 Repeatedly they chal enged God, provoking the Holy One of Israel,	41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited 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, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.
43 he who did his signs in Egypt, his miracles in the plains of Tanis,	43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:
44 turning their rivers to blood, their streams so that they had nothing to drink.	44 And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.
45 He sent horseflies to eat them up, and frogs to devastate them,	45 He sent divers sorts of flies among them, 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 He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.
47 he kil ed their vines with hail, their sycamore trees with frost,	47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.
48 delivering up their cattle to hail, and their flocks to thunderbolts.	48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
49 He loosed against them the ful heat of his anger, fury, rage and destruction, a detachment ofdestroying angels;	49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.
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 to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;
51 He struck all the first-born in Egypt, the flower of the youth in the tents of Ham.	51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:
52 He brought out his people like sheep, guiding them like a flock in the desert,	52 But made his own people to go forth like 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 led them on safely, so that they feared not: but 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 to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.
55 he dispossessed nations before them, measured out a heritage for each of them, and settled thetribes 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 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 kept not his testimonies:
57 as perverse and treacherous as their ancestors, they gave way like a faulty bow,	57 But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
58 provoking him with their high places, rousing his jealousy with their idols.	58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
59 God listened and vented his wrath, he totally rejected Israel;	59 When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:
60 he forsook his dwelling in Shiloh, the tent where he used to dwel on the earth.	60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;
61 He abandoned his power to captivity, his splendour to the enemy's clutches;	61 And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand.
62 he gave up his people to the sword, he vented his wrath on his own heritage.	62 He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.
63 Fire devoured their young men, their young girls had no wedding-song;	63 The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.
64 their priests fel by the sword and their widows sang no dirge.	64 Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.
65 The Lord arose as though he had been asleep, like a strong man fighting-mad with wine,	65 Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.
66 he struck his enemies on the rump, and put them to everlasting shame.	66 And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.
67 Rejecting the tents of Joseph, passing over the tribe of Ephraim,	67 Moreover he refused 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 chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion 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 like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.
70 He chose David to be his servant, took him from the sheepfold,	70 He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:
71 took him from tending ewes to pasture his servant Jacob, and 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 pastured them with unblemished heart, with a sensitive hand he led them.	72 So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.