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Asaph wrote this special song.

God has been good to his people [ a ]

78 My people, listen to what I am teaching you.
Listen to the words that I speak.
2 I will tell you something to make you wise.
Then you will understand
things that happened long ago.
3 We have heard about these things
and we know them.
Our ancestors have told them to us,
4 and we will not hide them from our children.
We will tell our children and our grandchildren
why they should praise the Lord .
We will tell them about his strength,
and about the great things that he has done.
5 He gave his laws to Jacob's descendants,
the Israelite people.
He commanded our ancestors
to teach them to their children.
6 Then the children would know about them,
even the children still to be born.
When the time came,
they too would tell their children.
7 Then their family would trust in God.
They would not forget what God had done.
They would obey his commands.
8 So they would not be like their ancestors,
who turned against God.
Those people refused to obey God,
and they did not trust him to be their guide.

9 The soldiers of Ephraim had bows and arrows,
but they ran away when the battle started! [ b ]
10 They did not obey the covenant
that God had made with them.
They refused to obey his laws.
11 They forgot about what he had done for them.
They forgot the miracles that he had shown them.
12 He did miracles for their ancestors to see,
in the region of Egypt that is called Zoan.
13 He cut the sea into two separate parts,
and he led them through it.
He made a path between two walls of water. [ c ]
14 He showed them the way with a cloud in the day
and with light from a fire all night. [ d ]
15 He broke rocks into pieces in the wilderness
so that his people had plenty of water.
Springs of water came from deep in the earth.
16 He caused streams to pour from the rocks
so that the waters ran like rivers. [ e ]

17 But his people continued to do bad things against him.
In the wilderness,
they turned against the Most High God.
18 They decided to test God,
to see what he would do.
They demanded to have the food that they liked best.
19 They spoke against God, and they said,
‘Can God give us food to eat here in the wilderness?
20 Yes, water did come out when he hit the rock.
There were streams of water that poured out like a river.
But can he also give us food to eat?
Can he supply meat for his people?’
21 When the Lord heard this,
he was very angry.
So he sent fire to punish his people.
He became very angry against the Israelites.
22 They did not trust God,
that he had the power to save them.
23 So God commanded the clouds high above
to give food to his people.
He caused the skies to open like a door.
24 He poured down manna like rain,
so that they could eat grain that came from heaven. [ f ]
25 In that way, people ate the special bread of angels!
God gave them all the food that they could eat.
26 Then God caused a wind to blow from the east.
He used his power to send a south wind too.
27 He caused meat to pour down on them,
like dust from the sky.
The birds covered all the ground
like sand on the shore of the sea. [ g ]
28 God made the birds fall near the tents
where his people were living.
29 They ate as much as they could eat.
Yes, God gave them what they had demanded!
30-31 But God became very angry with them,
even before they had finished eating.
While the food was still in their mouths,
he killed the strongest men among them.
Many of the best young Israelite men died.

32 Even when this happened,
the people continued to do bad things.
When God had done these miracles,
they still did not trust him to help them.
33 So he made their lives end quickly, like a breath.
They became very afraid.
34 When God killed some of them,
the other people turned to God.
They were sorry and they prayed to him.
35 They remembered that God
was their strong Rock.
They remembered that the Most High God
was their Redeemer.
36 But they deceived him with their words.
What they said to him was lies.
37 They did not really trust him.
They did not obey the covenant
that he had made with them.
38 But God was kind to them,
and he forgave them for their sins.
He did not destroy them.
Many times he was patient,
and he did not become angry with them.
39 He remembered that they were weak and human,
like a wind that blows away and does not return.

40 When the Israelite people were in the wilderness,
they often turned against God.
That caused God to be very sad.
41 Many times they tested God, the Holy One of Israel,
so that he was very upset.
42 They forgot about his great power,
and how he rescued them from their enemies.
43 He did powerful miracles in Egypt,
in the region of Zoan.
44 He caused the Egyptians' rivers to become blood,
so that they could not drink water from them. [ h ]
45 He sent large numbers of flies to bite them. [ i ]
He sent frogs that destroyed their land. [ j ]
46 He caused locusts to eat their crops,
and everything that grew in their fields. [ k ]
47 He destroyed their vines with hail.
He destroyed their fig trees with frost.
48 He sent hail to kill their cows.
He sent lightning to kill their other animals. [ l ]
49 He was so angry with them,
that he sent terrible things to punish them.
Great trouble came to them,
like an army of his angels that bring death.
50 Nothing could stop his anger.
He did not save them from death.
He let bad disease kill them.
51 He killed all the firstborn sons in Egypt.
The strongest men of Ham's descendants died. [ m ]
52 But God led his own people safely out of Egypt.
But took them through the wilderness,
like a shepherd leads his sheep. [ n ]
53 They were safe with him as their guide,
and they were not afraid.
But their enemies drowned in the sea. [ o ]
54 He brought his people to the edge of his holy land.
It was land with the mountain
that he had taken with his power. [ p ]
55 He chased away the nations that were living there.
He gave to each tribe their own piece of land,
so that Israel's tribes could live there. [ q ]

56 But the Israelites continued to test the Most High God,
and they turned against him.
They did not obey his commands. [ r ]
57 They turned away from him and they deceived him,
as their ancestors had done.
They were useless,
like a bow that would not shoot straight!
58 The places where they worshipped their idols
made God very angry.
59 God heard what they were doing,
and he became very angry.
He turned against the Israelite people.
60 He went away from his home at Shiloh.
That was the tent where he lived among people. [ s ]
61 He let Israel's enemies take away the Covenant Box,
that showed his power and his glory. [ t ]
62 He was so angry with his own people,
he let their enemies kill them in battle.
63 Fire killed their young men in war.
There was nobody for the young women to marry.
64 Their priests died in battle.
Their widows had no chance to weep.

65 Then the Lord woke up,
like someone had woken him from sleep.
He shouted loudly,
like a soldier who has drunk a lot of wine.
66 He chased his enemies away.
He caused them to be ashamed for ever.
67 He chose not to live among Joseph's descendants.
He did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 Instead, he chose the tribe of Judah.
He chose Mount Zion,
the place which he loves.
69 There he built a temple for himself,
to be like his home in heaven.
He made it to be strong, like the earth itself,
so that it would always be there.
70 Also, he chose his servant, David.
He took David away from the fields,
71 so that he no longer took care of his father's sheep.
He became like a shepherd,
to lead his people, Jacob's descendants.
He ruled the people that belonged to God,
the Israelite people. [ u ]
72 David took care of them with an honest heart.
He was wise in the way that he led them.

Footnotes

  1. 78:1 This psalm tells about God's people until the time of King David. It tells us that God was good to his people, but they often did not obey him.
  2. 78:9 God gave his people everything that they needed, but they still did not trust him. Ephraim was one of Israel's 12 tribes.
  3. 78:13 God led his people on a dry path through the Red Sea. See Exodus 14:21-22 .
  4. 78:14 See Exodus 13:21-22 .
  5. 78:16 See Exodus 17:1-7 ; Numbers 20:2-13 .
  6. 78:24 See Exodus 16:2-15 ; Numbers 11:4-23 .
  7. 78:27 See Numbers 11:31-35 .
  8. 78:44 See Exodus 7:17-21 .
  9. 78:45 See Exodus 8:20-24 .
  10. 78:45 See Exodus 8:1-6 .
  11. 78:46 See Exodus 10:12-15 .
  12. 78:48 See Exodus 9:22-25 .
  13. 78:51 See Exodus 12:29 .
  14. 78:52 See Exodus 13:17-22 .
  15. 78:53 See Exodus 14:26-28 .
  16. 78:54 See Exodus 15:17 ; Joshua 3:14-17 .
  17. 78:55 See Joshua 11:16-23 .
  18. 78:56 See Judges 2:11-15 .
  19. 78:60 See Joshua 18:1 .
  20. 78:61 See 1 Samuel 4:4-22 .
  21. 78:71 See 1 Samuel 16:11-12 ; 2 Samuel 7:8 .

One of Asaph’s maskils.

78 My people, listen to my teachings.
Listen to what I say.
2 I will tell you a story.
I will tell you about things from the past that are hard to understand.
3 We have heard the story, and we know it well.
Our fathers told it to us.
4 And we will not forget it.
Our people will be telling this story to the last generation.
We will all praise the Lord
and tell about the amazing things he did.
5 He made an agreement with Jacob.
He gave the law to Israel.
He gave the commands to our ancestors.
He told them to teach the law to their children.
6 Then the next generation, even the children not yet born, would learn the law.
And they would be able to teach it to their own children.
7 So they would all trust in God,
never forgetting what he had done
and always obeying his commands.
8 They would not be like their ancestors,
who were stubborn and refused to obey.
Their hearts were not devoted to God,
and they were not faithful to him.

9 The men from Ephraim had their weapons,
but they ran from the battle.
10 They did not keep their agreement with God.
They refused to obey his teachings.
11 They forgot the great things he had done
and the amazing things he had shown them.
12 While their ancestors watched,
he showed his great power at Zoan in Egypt.
13 He split the Red Sea and led the people across.
The water stood like a solid wall on both sides of them.
14 Each day God led them with the tall cloud,
and each night he led them with the light from the column of fire.
15 He split the rocks in the desert
and gave them an ocean of fresh water.
16 He brought a stream of water out of the rock
and made it flow like a river!
17 But they continued sinning against him.
They rebelled against God Most High in the desert.
18 Then they decided to test God
by telling him to give them the food they wanted.
19 They complained about him and said,
“Can God give us food in the desert?
20 Yes, he struck the rock and a flood of water came out.
But can he give us bread and meat?”
21 The Lord heard what they said
and became angry with Jacob’s people.
He was angry with Israel,
22 because they did not trust in him.
They did not believe that God could save them.
23-24 But then God opened the clouds above,
and manna rained down on them for food.
It was as if doors in the sky opened,
and grain poured down from a storehouse in the sky.
25 These people ate the food of angels.
God sent plenty of food to satisfy them.
26 He sent a strong wind from the east,
and by his power he made the south wind blow.
27 He made quail fall like rain until they covered the ground.
There were so many birds that they were like sand on the seashore.
28 The birds fell in the middle of the camp,
all around their tents.
29 The people ate until they were full.
God had given them what they wanted.
30 But before they were fully satisfied,
while the food was still in their mouths,
31 God became angry and killed even the strongest of them.
He brought down Israel’s best young men.
32 But the people continued to sin!
They did not trust in the amazing things God could do.
33 So he ended their worthless lives;
he brought their years to a close with disaster.
34 When he killed some of them, the others would turn back to him.
They would come running back to God.
35 They would remember that God was their Rock.
They would remember that God Most High had saved them.
36 But they tried to fool him with their words;
they told him lies.
37 Their hearts were not really with him.
They were not faithful to the agreement he gave them.
38 But God was merciful.
He forgave their sins and did not destroy them.
Many times he held back his anger.
He never let it get out of control.
39 He remembered that they were only people,
like a wind that blows and then is gone.
40 Oh, they caused him so much trouble in the desert!
They made him so sad.
41 Again and again they tested his patience.
They really hurt the Holy One of Israel.
42 They forgot about his power.
They forgot the many times he saved them from the enemy.
43 They forgot the miracles in Egypt,
the miracles in the fields of Zoan.
44 God turned the rivers into blood,
and the Egyptians could not drink the water.
45 He sent swarms of flies that bit them.
He sent the frogs that ruined their lives.
46 He gave their crops to grasshoppers
and their other plants to locusts.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail
and their trees with sleet.
48 He killed their animals with hail
and their cattle with lightning.
49 He showed the Egyptians his anger.
He sent his destroying angels against them.
50 He found a way to show his anger.
He did not spare their lives.
He let them die with a deadly disease.
51 He killed all the firstborn sons in Egypt.
He killed every firstborn in Ham’s [ a ] family.
52 Then he led Israel like a shepherd.
He led his people like sheep into the desert.
53 He guided them safely.
They had nothing to fear.
He drowned their enemies in the sea.
54 He led his people to his holy land,
to the mountain he took with his own power.
55 He forced the other nations out before them
and gave each family its share of the land.
He gave each tribe of Israel a place to live.
56 But they tested God Most High and made him very sad.
They didn’t obey his commands.
57 They turned against him and were unfaithful just like their ancestors.
They changed directions like a boomerang.
58 They built high places and made God angry.
They built statues of false gods and made him jealous.
59 God heard what they were doing and became very angry.
So he rejected Israel completely!
60 He abandoned his place at Shiloh, [ b ]
the Holy Tent where he lived among the people.
61 He let foreigners capture the Box of the Agreement,
the symbol of his power and glory.
62 He showed his anger against his people
and let them be killed in war.
63 Their young men were burned to death,
and there were no wedding songs for their young women.
64 Their priests were killed,
but the widows had no time to mourn for them.
65 Finally, our Lord got up
like a man waking from his sleep,
like a soldier after drinking too much wine.
66 He forced his enemies to turn back defeated.
He brought them shame that will last forever.
67 Then he rejected Joseph’s family.
He did not accept Ephraim’s family.
68 No, he chose the tribe of Judah,
and he chose Mount Zion, the place he loves.
69 He built his holy Temple high on that mountain.
Like the earth, God built his Temple to last forever.
70 He chose David to be his special servant.
He took him from the sheep pens.
71 He took him away from the job of caring for sheep
and gave him the job of caring for the descendants of Jacob—Israel, his chosen people.
72 And David led them with a pure heart
and guided them very wisely.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 78:51 Ham The Egyptians were Ham’s descendants. See Gen. 10:6-10.
  2. Psalm 78:60 place at Shiloh See 1 Sam. 4:4-11; Jer. 7:17.

78 Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:

3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

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 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 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 might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

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 children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.

10 They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;

11 And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.

12 Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.

14 In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.

15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.

16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

17 And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.

18 And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.

19 Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

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 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 believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:

23 Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,

24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.

25 Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full.

26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.

27 He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:

28 And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.

29 So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;

30 They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,

31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

32 For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.

33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.

34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.

35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.

36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.

37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.

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 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

42 They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.

43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan.

44 And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.

45 He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

46 He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.

47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.

48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.

50 He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;

51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:

52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

53 And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

54 And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.

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 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:

57 But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.

59 When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:

60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;

61 And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand.

62 He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.

63 The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.

64 Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.

65 Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.

66 And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.

67 Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:

68 But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.

69 And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.

70 He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:

71 From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

72 So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.

God’s Guidance of His People in Spite of Their Unfaithfulness.

A [ a ] Maskil of Asaph.

78 ( A ) Listen, my people, to my [ b ] instruction;
( B ) Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will ( C ) open my mouth in a parable;
I will tell ( D ) riddles of old,
3 Which we have heard and known,
And ( E ) our fathers have told us.
4 We will ( F ) not conceal them from their children,
But we will ( G ) tell the generation to come the praises of the Lord ,
And His power and His ( H ) wondrous works that He has done.

5 For He established a ( I ) testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a ( J ) law in Israel,
Which He ( K ) commanded our fathers
That they were to [ c ] ( L ) teach them to their children,
6 ( M ) So that the generation to come would know, ( N ) the children yet to be born,
That they would arise and ( O ) tell them to their children,
7 So that they would put their confidence in God
And ( P ) not forget the works of God,
But ( Q ) comply with His commandments,
8 And ( R ) not be like their fathers,
A ( S ) stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that ( T ) did not [ d ] prepare its heart
And whose spirit was not ( U ) faithful to God.

9 The sons of Ephraim [ e ] were ( V ) archers equipped with bows,
Yet ( W ) they turned back on the day of battle.
10 They ( X ) did not keep the covenant of God
And refused to ( Y ) walk in His Law;
11 They ( Z ) forgot His deeds
And His [ f ] miracles that He had shown them.
12 ( AA ) He performed wonders before their fathers
In the land of Egypt, in the ( AB ) field of Zoan.
13 He ( AC ) divided the sea and caused them to pass through,
And He made the waters stand ( AD ) up like a heap.
14 Then He led them with the cloud by ( AE ) day
And all the night with a ( AF ) light of fire.
15 He ( AG ) split the rocks in the wilderness
And gave them plenty to drink like the ocean depths.
16 He ( AH ) brought forth streams from the rock
And made waters run down like rivers.

17 Yet they still continued to sin against Him,
To ( AI ) rebel against the Most High in the desert.
18 And in their heart they ( AJ ) put God to the test
By asking for ( AK ) food [ g ] that suited their taste.
19 Then they spoke against God;
They said, “ ( AL ) Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 Behold, He ( AM ) struck the rock so that waters gushed out,
And streams were overflowing;
Can He also provide bread?
Will He prepare ( AN ) meat for His people?”

21 Therefore the Lord heard and [ h ] was ( AO ) full of wrath;
And a fire was kindled against Jacob,
And anger also mounted against Israel,
22 Because they ( AP ) did not believe in God
And did not trust in His salvation.
23 Yet He commanded the clouds above
And ( AQ ) opened the doors of heaven;
24 He ( AR ) rained down manna upon them to eat,
And gave them [ i ] ( AS ) food from heaven.
25 Man ate the bread of [ j ] angels;
He sent them [ k ] food [ l ] ( AT ) in abundance.
26 He ( AU ) made the east wind blow in the sky
And by His [ m ] power He directed the south wind.
27 When He rained meat upon them like the dust,
Even ( AV ) winged fowl like the sand of the seas,
28 He let them fall in the midst of [ n ] their camp,
All around their dwellings.
29 So they ( AW ) ate and were well filled,
And He [ o ] satisfied their longing.
30 [ p ] Yet before they had abandoned their longing,
( AX ) While their food was in their mouths,
31 The ( AY ) anger of God rose against them
And killed [ q ] some of their ( AZ ) strongest ones,
And [ r ] subdued the choice men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this they ( BA ) still sinned
And ( BB ) did not believe in His wonderful works.
33 So He brought ( BC ) their days to an end in futility,
And their years to an end in sudden terror.

34 When He killed them, then they ( BD ) sought Him,
And they returned and searched ( BE ) diligently for God;
35 And they remembered that God was their ( BF ) rock,
And the Most High God their ( BG ) Redeemer.
36 But they ( BH ) flattered Him with their mouth
And ( BI ) lied to Him with their tongue.
37 For their heart was not ( BJ ) steadfast toward Him,
Nor were they faithful with His covenant.
38 But He, being ( BK ) compassionate, [ s ] ( BL ) forgave their wrongdoing and did not destroy them ;
And often He [ t ] ( BM ) restrained His anger
And did not stir up all His wrath.
39 So ( BN ) He remembered that they were only ( BO ) flesh,
A [ u ] ( BP ) wind that passes and does not return.

40 How often they ( BQ ) rebelled against Him in the wilderness
And ( BR ) grieved Him in the ( BS ) desert!
41 Again and again they [ v ] ( BT ) tempted God,
And pained the ( BU ) Holy One of Israel.
42 They ( BV ) did not remember ( BW ) His [ w ] power,
The day when He ( BX ) redeemed them from the enemy,
43 When He performed His ( BY ) signs in Egypt
And His ( BZ ) marvels in the field of Zoan,
44 And ( CA ) turned their rivers to blood,
And their streams, so that they could not drink.
45 He sent swarms of ( CB ) flies among them that devoured them,
And ( CC ) frogs that destroyed them.
46 He also gave their crops to the ( CD ) grasshopper
And the product of their labor to the ( CE ) locust.
47 He [ x ] destroyed their vines with ( CF ) hailstones
And their sycamore trees with frost.
48 He also turned their ( CG ) cattle over to the hailstones,
And their herds to bolts of lightning.
49 He ( CH ) sent His burning anger upon them,
Fury and indignation and trouble,
A band of [ y ] destroying angels.
50 He leveled a path for His anger;
He did not spare their souls from death,
But ( CI ) turned their lives over to the plague,
51 And ( CJ ) struck all the firstborn in Egypt,
The ( CK ) first and best of their vigor in the tents of ( CL ) Ham.
52 But He ( CM ) led His own people out like sheep,
And guided them in the wilderness ( CN ) like a flock;
53 He led them ( CO ) safely, so that they did not fear;
But ( CP ) the sea engulfed their enemies.

54 So ( CQ ) He brought them to His holy [ z ] land,
To this [ aa ] ( CR ) hill country ( CS ) which His right hand had gained.
55 He also ( CT ) drove out the nations from them
And ( CU ) apportioned them as an inheritance by measurement,
And had the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.
56 Yet they [ ab ] ( CV ) tempted and ( CW ) rebelled against the Most High God
And did not keep His testimonies,
57 But turned back and ( CX ) acted treacherously like their fathers;
They ( CY ) turned aside like a treacherous bow.
58 For they ( CZ ) provoked Him with their ( DA ) high places
And ( DB ) moved Him to jealousy with their ( DC ) carved images.
59 When God heard them , He [ ac ] was filled with ( DD ) wrath
And He utterly ( DE ) rejected Israel;
60 So that He ( DF ) abandoned the ( DG ) dwelling place at Shiloh,
The tent [ ad ] which He had pitched among people,
61 And He gave up His ( DH ) strength to captivity
And His glory ( DI ) into the hand of the enemy.
62 He also ( DJ ) turned His people over to the sword,
And [ ae ] was filled with wrath at His inheritance.
63 ( DK ) Fire devoured [ af ] His young men,
And [ ag ] His ( DL ) virgins had no wedding songs.
64 [ ah ] His ( DM ) priests fell by the sword,
And [ ai ] His ( DN ) widows could not weep.

65 Then the Lord ( DO ) awoke as if from sleep,
Like a ( DP ) warrior [ aj ] overcome by wine.
66 He [ ak ] ( DQ ) drove His adversaries backward;
He put on them an everlasting disgrace.
67 He also ( DR ) rejected the tent of Joseph,
And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount ( DS ) Zion, which He loved.
69 And He ( DT ) built His sanctuary like the heights,
Like the earth which He has established forever.
70 He also ( DU ) chose His servant David
And took him from the sheepfolds;
71 From [ al ] ( DV ) the care of the [ am ] ewes ( DW ) with nursing lambs He brought him
To ( DX ) shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel ( DY ) His inheritance.
72 So he shepherded them according to the ( DZ ) integrity of his heart,
And guided them with his skillful hands.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 78 Title Possibly, Contemplative ; or Didactic ; or Skillful Psalm
  2. Psalm 78:1 Or law, teaching
  3. Psalm 78:5 Lit make them known
  4. Psalm 78:8 Or put right
  5. Psalm 78:9 Or being
  6. Psalm 78:11 Or wonderful works
  7. Psalm 78:18 Lit to their soul
  8. Psalm 78:21 Or became infuriated
  9. Psalm 78:24 Lit grain
  10. Psalm 78:25 Lit mighty ones
  11. Psalm 78:25 Or provision
  12. Psalm 78:25 Lit to satiation
  13. Psalm 78:26 Or strength
  14. Psalm 78:28 Lit His
  15. Psalm 78:29 Lit brought to them their
  16. Psalm 78:30 Lit They did not turn away from their
  17. Psalm 78:31 Lit among their fat ones
  18. Psalm 78:31 Lit caused to bow down
  19. Psalm 78:38 Lit covered over, atoned for
  20. Psalm 78:38 Lit turned away
  21. Psalm 78:39 Or breath
  22. Psalm 78:41 Or put God to the test
  23. Psalm 78:42 Lit hand
  24. Psalm 78:47 Lit was killing
  25. Psalm 78:49 Lit angels of evil ones ; another reading is evil angels
  26. Psalm 78:54 Lit border, territory
  27. Psalm 78:54 Or mountain
  28. Psalm 78:56 Or put to the test
  29. Psalm 78:59 Or became infuriated
  30. Psalm 78:60 Some ancient versions where He dwelt
  31. Psalm 78:62 Or became infuriated
  32. Psalm 78:63 Or their
  33. Psalm 78:63 Or their
  34. Psalm 78:64 Or their
  35. Psalm 78:64 Or their
  36. Psalm 78:65 Or sobered up from
  37. Psalm 78:66 Lit struck
  38. Psalm 78:71 Lit following
  39. Psalm 78:71 Lit ewes that wet-nurse, He

Psalm 78

A maskil [ a ] of Asaph.

1 My people, hear my teaching; ( A )
listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth with a parable; ( B )
I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
3 things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us. ( C )
4 We will not hide them from their descendants; ( D )
we will tell the next generation ( E )
the praiseworthy deeds ( F ) of the Lord ,
his power, and the wonders ( G ) he has done.
5 He decreed statutes ( H ) for Jacob ( I )
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born, ( J )
and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget ( K ) his deeds
but would keep his commands. ( L )
8 They would not be like their ancestors ( M ) —
a stubborn ( N ) and rebellious ( O ) generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
whose spirits were not faithful to him.

9 The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, ( P )
turned back on the day of battle; ( Q )
10 they did not keep God’s covenant ( R )
and refused to live by his law. ( S )
11 They forgot what he had done, ( T )
the wonders he had shown them.
12 He did miracles ( U ) in the sight of their ancestors
in the land of Egypt, ( V ) in the region of Zoan. ( W )
13 He divided the sea ( X ) and led them through;
he made the water stand up like a wall. ( Y )
14 He guided them with the cloud by day
and with light from the fire all night. ( Z )
15 He split the rocks ( AA ) in the wilderness
and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16 he brought streams out of a rocky crag
and made water flow down like rivers.

17 But they continued to sin ( AB ) against him,
rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
18 They willfully put God to the test ( AC )
by demanding the food they craved. ( AD )
19 They spoke against God; ( AE )
they said, “Can God really
spread a table in the wilderness?
20 True, he struck the rock,
and water gushed out, ( AF )
streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
Can he supply meat ( AG ) for his people?”
21 When the Lord heard them, he was furious;
his fire broke out ( AH ) against Jacob,
and his wrath rose against Israel,
22 for they did not believe in God
or trust ( AI ) in his deliverance.
23 Yet he gave a command to the skies above
and opened the doors of the heavens; ( AJ )
24 he rained down manna ( AK ) for the people to eat,
he gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Human beings ate the bread of angels;
he sent them all the food they could eat.
26 He let loose the east wind ( AL ) from the heavens
and by his power made the south wind blow.
27 He rained meat down on them like dust,
birds ( AM ) like sand on the seashore.
28 He made them come down inside their camp,
all around their tents.
29 They ate till they were gorged— ( AN )
he had given them what they craved.
30 But before they turned from what they craved,
even while the food was still in their mouths, ( AO )
31 God’s anger rose against them;
he put to death the sturdiest ( AP ) among them,
cutting down the young men of Israel.

32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; ( AQ )
in spite of his wonders, ( AR ) they did not believe. ( AS )
33 So he ended their days in futility ( AT )
and their years in terror.
34 Whenever God slew them, they would seek ( AU ) him;
they eagerly turned to him again.
35 They remembered that God was their Rock, ( AV )
that God Most High was their Redeemer. ( AW )
36 But then they would flatter him with their mouths, ( AX )
lying to him with their tongues;
37 their hearts were not loyal ( AY ) to him,
they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he was merciful; ( AZ )
he forgave ( BA ) their iniquities ( BB )
and did not destroy them.
Time after time he restrained his anger ( BC )
and did not stir up his full wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh, ( BD )
a passing breeze ( BE ) that does not return.

40 How often they rebelled ( BF ) against him in the wilderness ( BG )
and grieved him ( BH ) in the wasteland!
41 Again and again they put God to the test; ( BI )
they vexed the Holy One of Israel. ( BJ )
42 They did not remember ( BK ) his power—
the day he redeemed them from the oppressor, ( BL )
43 the day he displayed his signs ( BM ) in Egypt,
his wonders ( BN ) in the region of Zoan.
44 He turned their river into blood; ( BO )
they could not drink from their streams.
45 He sent swarms of flies ( BP ) that devoured them,
and frogs ( BQ ) that devastated them.
46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper, ( BR )
their produce to the locust. ( BS )
47 He destroyed their vines with hail ( BT )
and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48 He gave over their cattle to the hail,
their livestock ( BU ) to bolts of lightning.
49 He unleashed against them his hot anger, ( BV )
his wrath, indignation and hostility—
a band of destroying angels. ( BW )
50 He prepared a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death
but gave them over to the plague.
51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, ( BX )
the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham. ( BY )
52 But he brought his people out like a flock; ( BZ )
he led them like sheep through the wilderness.
53 He guided them safely, so they were unafraid;
but the sea engulfed ( CA ) their enemies. ( CB )
54 And so he brought them to the border of his holy land,
to the hill country his right hand ( CC ) had taken.
55 He drove out nations ( CD ) before them
and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; ( CE )
he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.

56 But they put God to the test
and rebelled against the Most High;
they did not keep his statutes.
57 Like their ancestors ( CF ) they were disloyal and faithless,
as unreliable as a faulty bow. ( CG )
58 They angered him ( CH ) with their high places; ( CI )
they aroused his jealousy with their idols. ( CJ )
59 When God heard ( CK ) them, he was furious; ( CL )
he rejected Israel ( CM ) completely.
60 He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, ( CN )
the tent he had set up among humans. ( CO )
61 He sent the ark of his might ( CP ) into captivity, ( CQ )
his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
62 He gave his people over to the sword; ( CR )
he was furious with his inheritance. ( CS )
63 Fire consumed ( CT ) their young men,
and their young women had no wedding songs; ( CU )
64 their priests were put to the sword, ( CV )
and their widows could not weep.

65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, ( CW )
as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.
66 He beat back his enemies;
he put them to everlasting shame. ( CX )
67 Then he rejected the tents of Joseph,
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim; ( CY )
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah, ( CZ )
Mount Zion, ( DA ) which he loved.
69 He built his sanctuary ( DB ) like the heights,
like the earth that he established forever.
70 He chose David ( DC ) his servant
and took him from the sheep pens;
71 from tending the sheep ( DD ) he brought him
to be the shepherd ( DE ) of his people Jacob,
of Israel his inheritance.
72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; ( DF )
with skillful hands he led them.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 78:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
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