Psalm 78 (Brenton)

1A Psalm of instruction for Asaph. Give heed, O my people, to my law: incline your ear to the words of my mouth.A Maskil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my instruction; listen to the words of my mouth.

2I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter dark sayings which have been from the beginning.I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the beginning,

3All which we have heard and known, and our fathers have declared to us.that we have heard and known and our fathers have relayed to us.

4They were not hid from their children to a second generation; the fathers declaring the praises of the Lord, and his mighty acts, and his wonders which he wrought.We will not hide them from their children but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might and the wonders He has performed.

5And he raised up a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, to make it known to their children:For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children,

6that another generation might know, even the sons which should be born; and they should arise and declare them to their children.that the coming generation would know them—even children yet to be born—to arise and tell their own children

7That they might set their hope on God, and not forget the works of God, but diligently seek his commandments.that they should put their confidence in God, not forgetting His works, but keeping His commandments.

8That they should not be as their fathers, a perverse and provoking generation; a generation which set not its heart aright, and its spirit was not steadfast with God.Then they will not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose heart was not loyal, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9The children of Ephraim, bending and shooting with the bow, turned back in the day of battle.The archers of Ephraim turned back on the day of battle.

10They kept not the covenant of God, and would not walk in his law.They failed to keep God’s covenant and refused to live by His law.

11And they forgot his benefits, and his miracles which he had shewed them;They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them.

12the miracles which he wrought before their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the plain of Tanes.He worked wonders before their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.

13He clave the sea, and led them through: he made the waters to stand as in a bottle.He split the sea and brought them through; He set the waters upright like a wall.

14And he guided them with a cloud by day, and all the night with a light of fire.He led them with a cloud by day and with a light of fire all night.

15He clave a rock in the wilderness, and made them drink as in a great deep.He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as abundant as the seas.

16And he brought water out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down as rivers.He brought streams from the stone and made water flow down like rivers.

17And they sinned yet more against him; they provoked the Most High in the wilderness.But they continued to sin against Him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High.

18And they tempted God in their hearts, in asking meat for the desire of their souls.They willfully tested God by demanding the food they craved.

19They spoke also against God, and said, Will God be able to prepare a table in the wilderness?They spoke against God, saying, “Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness?

20Forasmuch as he smote the rock, and the waters flowed, and the torrents ran abundantly; will he be able also to give bread, or prepare a table for his people?When He struck the rock, water gushed out and torrents raged. But can He also give bread or supply His people with meat?”

21Therefore the Lord heard, and was provoked: and fire was kindled in Jacob, and wrath went up against Israel.Therefore the LORD heard and was filled with wrath; so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and His anger flared against Israel,

22Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation.because they did not believe God or rely on His salvation.

23Yet he commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,Yet He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of the heavens.

24and rained upon them manna to eat, and gave them the bread of heaven.He rained down manna for them to eat; He gave them grain from heaven.

25Man ate angels' bread; he sent them provision to the full.Man ate the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance.

26He removed the south wind from heaven; and by his might he brought in the south-west wind.He stirred the east wind from the heavens and drove the south wind by His might.

27And he rained upon them flesh like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the seas.He rained meat on them like dust, and winged birds like the sand of the sea.

28And they fell into the midst of their camp, round about their tents.He felled them in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings.

29So they ate, and were completely filled; and he gave them their desire.So they ate and were well filled, for He gave them what they craved.

30They were not disappointed of their desire: but when their food was yet in their mouth,Yet before they had filled their desire, with the food still in their mouths,

31then the indignation of God rose up against them, and slew the fattest of them, and overthrew the choice men of Israel.God’s anger flared against them, and He put to death their strongest and subdued the young men of Israel.

32In the midst of all this they sinned yet more, and believed not his miracles.In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.

33And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years with anxiety.So He ended their days in futility, and their years in sudden terror.

34When he slew them, they sought him: and they returned and called betimes upon God.When He slew them, they would seek Him; they repented and searched for God.

35And they remembered that God was their helper, and the most high God was their redeemer.And they remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.

36Yet they loved him only with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.But they deceived Him with their mouths, and lied to Him with their tongues.

37For their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant.Their hearts were disloyal to Him, and they were unfaithful to His covenant.

38But he is compassionate, and will forgive their sins, and will not destroy them: yea, he will frequently turn away his wrath, and will not kindle all his anger.And yet He was compassionate; He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. He often restrained His anger and did not unleash His full wrath.

39And he remembered that they are flesh; a wind that passes away, and returns not.He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.

40How often did they provoke him in the wilderness, and anger him in a dry land!How often they disobeyed Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert!

41Yea, they turned back, and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.Again and again they tested God and provoked the Holy One of Israel.

42They remembered not his hand, the day in which he delivered them from the hand of the oppressor.They did not remember His power—the day He redeemed them from the adversary,

43How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanes:when He performed His signs in Egypt and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.

44and had changed their rivers into blood; and their streams, that they should not drink.He turned their rivers to blood, and from their streams they could not drink.

45He sent against them the dog-fly, and it devoured them; and the frog, and it spoiled them.He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them.

46And he gave their fruit to the canker worm, and their labours to the locust.He gave their crops to the grasshopper, the fruit of their labor to the locust.

47He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with frost.He killed their vines with hailstones and their sycamore-figs with sleet.

48And he gave up their cattle to hail, and their substance to the fire.He abandoned their cattle to the hail and their livestock to bolts of lightning.

49He sent out against them the fury of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and affliction, a message by evil angels.He unleashed His fury against them, wrath, indignation, and calamity—a band of destroying angels.

50He made a way for his wrath; he spared not their souls from death, but consigned their cattle to death;He cleared a path for His anger; He did not spare them from death but delivered their lives to the plague.

51and smote every first-born in the land of Egypt; the first-fruits of their labours in the tents of Cham.He struck all the firstborn of Egypt, the virility in the tents of Ham.

52And he removed his people like sheep; he led them as a flock in the wilderness.He led out His people like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.

53And he guided them with hope, and they feared not: but the sea covered their enemies.He led them safely, so they did not fear, but the sea engulfed their enemies.

54And he brought them in to the mountain of his sanctuary, this mountain which his right hand had purchased.He brought them to His holy land, to the mountain His right hand had acquired.

55And he cast out the nations from before them, and made them to inherit by a line of inheritance, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.He drove out nations before them and apportioned their inheritance; He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

56Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies.But they tested and disobeyed God Most High, for they did not keep His decrees.

57And they turned back, and broke covenant, even as also their fathers: they became like a crooked bow.They turned back and were faithless like their fathers, twisted like a faulty bow.

58And they provoked him with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.They enraged Him with their high places and provoked His jealousy with their idols.

59God heard and lightly regarded them, and greatly despised Israel.On hearing it, God was furious and rejected Israel completely.

60And he rejected the tabernacle of Selom, his tent where he dwelt among men.He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent He had pitched among men.

61And he gave their strength into captivity, and their beauty into the enemy's hand.He delivered His strength to captivity, and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.

62And he gave his people to the sword; and disdained his inheritance.He surrendered His people to the sword because He was enraged by His heritage.

63Fire devoured their young men; and their virgins mourned not.Fire consumed His young men, and their maidens were left without wedding songs.

64Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows shall not be wept for.His priests fell by the sword, but their widows could not lament.

65So the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and as a mighty man who has been heated with wine.Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a mighty warrior overcome by wine.

66And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he brought on them a perpetual reproach.He beat back His foes; He put them to everlasting shame.

67And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim;He rejected the tent of Joseph and refused the tribe of Ephraim.

68but chose the tribe of Juda, the mount Sion which he loved.But He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which He loved.

69And he built his sanctuary as the place of unicorns; he founded it for ever on the earth.He built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth He has established forever.

70He chose David also his servant, and took him up from the flocks of sheep.He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds;

71He took him from following the ewes great with young, to be the shepherd of Jacob his servant, and Israel his inheritance.from tending the ewes He brought him to be shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance.

72So he tended them in the innocency of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.So David shepherded them with integrity of heart and guided them with skillful hands.

Psalm 78

I Will Open My Mouth in Parables