Psalms 78

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 [Psalm Of Asaph] My people, listen to my teaching, pay attention to what I say.	1 A maskil of Asaph. Attend, my people, to my teaching; listen 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 story, drawing lessons from of old.
3 What we have heard and know, what our ancestors have told us	3 We have heard them, we know them; our ancestors have recited them to 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 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.
5 He instituted a witness in Jacob, he established a law in Israel, he commanded our ancestors to handit down to their descendants,	5 God set up a decree in Jacob, established a law in Israel: What he commanded our ancestors, they were to teach 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 next generation might come to know, children yet to be born. In turn they were to recite 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 too might put their trust in God, And not forget the works of God, keeping 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 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,
9 The archer sons of Ephraim turned tail when the time came for fighting;	9 Like the ranks of Ephraimite archers, who retreated on the day of battle.
10 they failed to keep God's covenant, they refused to fol ow his Law;	10 They did not keep God's covenant; they refused to walk by his law.
11 they had forgotten his great deeds, the marvels he had shown them;	11 They forgot his works, the wondrous deeds he had shown them.
12 he did marvels in the sight of their ancestors in Egypt, in the plains of Tanis.	12 In the sight of their ancestors God did wonders, in the land of Egypt, the plain of Zoan.
13 He split the sea and brought them through, made the waters stand up like a dam;	13 He split the sea and led them across, piling up the waters rigid as walls.
14 he led them with a cloud by day, and al the night with the light of a fire;	14 God led them with a cloud by day, all night with the light of fire.
15 he split rocks in the desert, let them drink as though from the limitless depths;	15 He split rock in the desert, gave water to drink, abounding as the deep.
16 he brought forth streams from a rock, made waters flow down in torrents.	16 He made streams flow from crags, drew out rivers of water.
17 But they only sinned against him more than ever, defying the Most High in barren country;	17 But they went on sinning against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 they deliberately chal enged God by demanding food to their hearts' content.	18 They tested God in their hearts, demanding the food they craved.
19 They insulted God by saying, 'Can God make a banquet in the desert?	19 They spoke against God, and said, "Can God spread a table in the desert?
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 True, when he struck the rock, water gushed forth, the wadis flooded. But can he also provide bread, give meat to his people?"
21 When he heard them Yahweh vented his anger, fire blazed against Jacob, his anger mountedagainst Israel,	21 The LORD heard and grew angry; fire blazed up against Jacob; anger flared up against Israel.
22 because they had no faith in God, no trust in his power to save.	22 For they did not believe in God, did not trust in his saving power.
23 Even so he gave orders to the skies above, he opened the sluice-gates of heaven;	23 So he commanded the skies above; the doors of heaven he opened.
24 he rained down manna to feed them, he gave them the wheat of heaven;	24 God rained manna upon them for food; bread from heaven he gave them.
25 mere mortals ate the bread of the Mighty, he sent them as much food as they could want.	25 All ate a meal fit for heroes; food he sent in abundance.
26 He roused an east wind in the heavens, despatched a south wind by his strength;	26 He stirred up the east wind in the heavens; by his power God brought on the south wind.
27 he rained down meat on them like dust, birds thick as sand on the seashore,	27 He rained meat upon them like dust, winged fowl like the sands of the sea,
28 tumbling into the middle of his camp, al around his dwel ing-place.	28 Brought them down in the midst of the camp, round about their tents.
29 They ate as much food as they wanted, he satisfied al their cravings;	29 They ate and were well filled; he gave them what they had craved.
30 but their cravings were still upon them, the food was stil in their mouths,	30 But while they still wanted more, and the food was still in their mouths,
31 when the wrath of God attacked them, slaughtering their strongest men, laying low the flower ofIsrael.	31 God's anger attacked them, killed their best warriors, laid low the youth of Israel.
32 Despite al this, they went on sinning, they put no faith in his marvels.	32 In spite of all this they went on sinning, they did not believe in his wonders.
33 He made their days vanish in mist, their years in sudden ruin.	33 God ended their days abruptly, their years in sudden death.
34 Whenever he slaughtered them, they began to seek him, they turned back and looked eagerly forhim,	34 When he slew them, they began to seek him; they again inquired of their God.
35 recalling that God was their rock, God the Most High, their redeemer.	35 They remembered that God was their rock, God Most High, their redeemer.
36 They tried to hoodwink him with their mouths, their tongues were deceitful towards him;	36 But they deceived him with their mouths, lied to him with their tongues.
37 their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.	37 Their hearts were not constant toward him; they were not faithful to 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 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.
39 remembering they were creatures of flesh, a breath of wind that passes, never to return.	39 He was mindful that they were flesh, a breath that passes and does not return.
40 How often they defied him in the desert! How often they grieved him in the wastelands!	40 How often they rebelled against God in the desert, grieved him in the wasteland.
41 Repeatedly they chal enged God, provoking the Holy One of Israel,	41 Again and again they tested God, provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 not remembering his hand, the time when he saved them from the oppressor,	42 They did not remember his power, the day he redeemed them from the foe,
43 he who did his signs in Egypt, his miracles in the plains of Tanis,	43 When he displayed his wonders in Egypt, his marvels in the plain of Zoan.
44 turning their rivers to blood, their streams so that they had nothing to drink.	44 God changed their rivers to blood; their streams they could not drink.
45 He sent horseflies to eat them up, and frogs to devastate them,	45 He sent insects that devoured them, frogs that destroyed them.
46 consigning their crops to the caterpil ar, the fruit of their hard work to the locust;	46 He gave their harvest to the caterpillar, the fruits of their labor to the locust.
47 he kil ed their vines with hail, their sycamore trees with frost,	47 He killed their vines with hail, their sycamores with frost.
48 delivering up their cattle to hail, and their flocks to thunderbolts.	48 He exposed their flocks to deadly hail, their cattle to lightning.
49 He loosed against them the ful heat of his anger, fury, rage and destruction, a detachment ofdestroying angels;	49 He unleashed against them his fiery breath, roar, fury, and distress, storming messengers of death.
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 cleared a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death; he delivered their beasts to the plague.
51 He struck all the first-born in Egypt, the flower of the youth in the tents of Ham.	51 He struck all the firstborn of Egypt, love's first child in the tents of Ham.
52 He brought out his people like sheep, guiding them like a flock in the desert,	52 God led forth his people like sheep; he guided them through the desert like a flock.
53 leading them safe and unafraid, while the sea engulfed their enemies.	53 He led them on secure and unafraid, but the sea enveloped their enemies.
54 He brought them to his holy land, the hil -country won by his right hand;	54 He brought them to his holy land, the mountain his right hand had won.
55 he dispossessed nations before them, measured out a heritage for each of them, and settled thetribes of Israel in their tents.	55 God drove out the nations before them, apportioned them a heritage by lot, settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 But stil they chal enged the Most High God and defied him, refusing to keep his decrees;	56 But they tested, rebelled against God Most High, his decrees they did not observe.
57 as perverse and treacherous as their ancestors, they gave way like a faulty bow,	57 They turned back, deceitful like their ancestors; they proved false like a bow with no tension.
58 provoking him with their high places, rousing his jealousy with their idols.	58 They enraged him with their high places; with their idols they goaded him.
59 God listened and vented his wrath, he totally rejected Israel;	59 God heard and grew angry; he rejected Israel completely.
60 he forsook his dwelling in Shiloh, the tent where he used to dwel on the earth.	60 He forsook the shrine at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt with humans.
61 He abandoned his power to captivity, his splendour to the enemy's clutches;	61 He gave up his might into captivity, his glorious ark into the hands of the foe.
62 he gave up his people to the sword, he vented his wrath on his own heritage.	62 God abandoned his people to the sword; he was enraged against his heritage.
63 Fire devoured their young men, their young girls had no wedding-song;	63 Fire consumed their young men; their young women heard no wedding songs.
64 their priests fel by the sword and their widows sang no dirge.	64 Their priests fell by the sword; 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 awoke as from sleep, like a warrior from the effects of wine.
66 he struck his enemies on the rump, and put them to everlasting shame.	66 He put his enemies to flight; everlasting shame he dealt them.
67 Rejecting the tents of Joseph, passing over the tribe of Ephraim,	67 He rejected the tent of Joseph, chose not the tribe of Ephraim.
68 he chose the tribe of Judah, his wel -loved mountain of Zion;	68 God chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which he favored.
69 he built his sanctuary like high hil s, like the earth set it firm for ever.	69 He built his shrine like the heavens, like the earth which he founded forever.
70 He chose David to be his servant, took him from the sheepfold,	70 He chose David his servant, took him from the sheepfold.
71 took him from tending ewes to pasture his servant Jacob, and Israel his heritage.	71 From tending sheep God brought him, to shepherd Jacob, his people, Israel, his heritage.
72 He pastured them with unblemished heart, with a sensitive hand he led them.	72 He shepherded them with a pure heart; with skilled hands he guided them.