[A Psalm] of instruction for
Asaph. 78:1 Give heed, O my people, to my law: incline your ear to the
words of my mouth.
78:2 I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter dark sayings [which have
been] from the beginning.
78:3 All which we have heard and known, and our fathers have declared to us.
78:4 They were not hid from their children to a second generations; [the
fathers] declaring the praises of the Lord, and his mighty acts, and his
wonders which he wrought.
78:5 And 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:
78:6 that another generation might know, even the sons which should be born;
and they should arise and declare them to their children.
78:7 That they might set their hope on God, and not forget the works of God,
but diligently seek his commandments.
78:8 That 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.
78:9 The children of Ephraim, bending and shooting [with] the bow, turned
[back] in the day of battle.
78:10 They kept not the covenant of God, and would not walk in his law.
78:11 And they forgot his benefits, and his miracles which he [had] shewed
them;
78:12 the miracles which he wrought before their fathers, in the land of
Egypt, in the plain of Tanes.
78:13 He clave the sea, and led them through: he made the waters to stand as
[in] a bottle.
78:14 And he guided them with a cloud by day, and all the night with a light
of fire.
78:15 he clave a rock in the wilderness, and made them drink as in a great
deep.
78:16 And he brought water out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down
as rivers.
78:17 And they sinned yet more against him; they provoked the Most High in
the wilderness.
78:18 And they tempted God in their hearts, in asking meat for [the desire
of] their souls.
78:19 They spoke also against God, and said, Will God be able to prepare a
table in the wilderness?
78:20 Forasmuch 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?
78:21 Therefore the Lord heard, and was provoked: and fire was kindled in
Jacob, and wrath went up against Israel.
78:22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation.
78:23 Yet he commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of
heaven,
78:24 and rained upon them manna to eat, and gave them the bread of heaven.
78:25 Man ate angels' bread; he sent them provision to the full.
78:26 He removed the south wind from heaven; and by his might he brought in
the south-west wind.
78:27 And e rained upon them flesh like dust, and feathered birds like the
sand of the seas.
78:28 And they fell into the midst of their camp, round about their tents.
78:29 So they ate, and were completely filled; and he gave them their
desire.
78:30 They were not disappointed of their desire: [but] when their food was
yet in their mouth,
78:31 then the indignation of God rose up against them, and slew the fattest
of them, and overthrew the choice men of Israel.
78:32 In the midst of all this they sinned yet more, and believed not his
miracles.
78:33 And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years with anxiety.
78:34 When he slew them, they sought him: and they returned and called
betimes upon God.
78:35 And they remembered that God was their helper, and the most high God
was their redeemer.
78:36 Yet they loved him [only] with their mouth, and lied to him with their
tongue.
78:37 For their heart [was] not right with him, neither were they steadfast
in his covenant.
78:38 But 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.
78:39 And he remembered that they are flesh; a wind that passes away, and
returns not.
78:40 How often did they provoke him in the wilderness, [and] anger him in a
dry land!
78:41 Yea, they turned back, and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of
Israel.
78:42 They remembered not his hand, the day in which he delivered them from
the hand of the oppressor.
78:43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of
Tanes:
78:44 and had changed their rivers into blood; and their streams, that they
should not drink.
78:45 He sent against them the dog-fly, and it devoured them; and the frog,
and it spoiled them.
78:46 And he gave their fruit to the canker worm, and their labours to the
locust.
78:47 He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with frost.
78:48 And he gave up their cattle to hail, and their substance to the fire.
78:49 He sent out against them the fury of his anger, wrath, and
indignation, and affliction, a message by evil angels.
78:50 He made a way for his wrath; he spared not their souls from death, but
consigned their cattle to death;
78:51 and smote every first-born in the land of Egypt; the first-fruits of
their labours in the tents of Cham.
78:52 And he removed his people like sheep; he led them as a flock in the
wilderness.
78:53 And he guided them with hope, and they feared not: but the sea covered
their enemies.
78:54 And he brought them in to the mountain of his sanctuary, this mountain
which his right hand had purchased.
78:55 And 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.
78:56 Ye they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his
testimonies.
78:57 And they turned back, and broke covenant, even as also their fathers:
they became like a crooked bow.
78:58 And they provoked him with their high places, and moved him to
jealousy with their graven images.
78:59 God heard and lightly regarded [them], and greatly despised Israel.
78:60 And he rejected the tabernacle of Selom, his tent where he dwelt among
men.
78:61 And he gave their strength into captivity, and their beauty into the
enemy's hand.
78:62 And he gave his people to the sword; and disdained his inheritance.
78:63 Fire devoured their young men; and their virgins mourned not.
78:64 Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows shall not be wept
for.
78:65 So the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, [and] as a mighty man who has
been heated with wine.
78:66 And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he brought on them a
perpetual reproach.
78:67 And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of
Ephraim;
78:68 but chose the tribe of Juda, the mount Sion which he loved.
78:69 And he built his sanctuary as [the place] of unicorns; he founded it
for ever on the earth.
78:70 He chose David also his servant, and took him up from the flocks of
sheep.
78:71 He took him from following the ewes great with young, to be the
shepherd of Jacob his servant, and Israel his inheritance.
78:72 So he tended them in the innocency of his heart; and guided them by
the skillfulness of his hands. |
Maschil of Asaph. 78:1 Give
ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
78:2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
78:3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
78:4 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.
78:5 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:
78:6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which
should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
78:7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments:
78:8 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.
78:9 The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in
the day of battle.
78:10 They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;
78:11 And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.
78:12 Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of
Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
78:13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the
waters to stand as an heap.
78:14 In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a
light of fire.
78:15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of
the great depths.
78:16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down
like rivers.
78:17 And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the
wilderness.
78:18 And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
78:19 Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the
wilderness?
78:20 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?
78:21 Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled
against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;
78:22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:
78:23 Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of
heaven,
78:24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the
corn of heaven.
78:25 Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full.
78:26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he
brought in the south wind.
78:27 He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as
the sand of the sea:
78:28 And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their
habitations.
78:29 So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own
desire;
78:30 They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet
in their mouths,
78:31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and
smote down the chosen men of Israel.
78:32 For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous
works.
78:33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in
trouble.
78:34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and
enquired early after God.
78:35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their
redeemer.
78:36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto
him with their tongues.
78:37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in
his covenant.
78:38 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.
78:39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away,
and cometh not again.
78:40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the
desert!
78:41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of
Israel.
78:42 They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from
the enemy.
78:43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of
Zoan.
78:44 And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they
could not drink.
78:45 He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and
frogs, which destroyed them.
78:46 He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour
unto the locust.
78:47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with
frost.
78:48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot
thunderbolts.
78:49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation,
and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.
78:50 He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but
gave their life over to the pestilence;
78:51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in
the tabernacles of Ham:
78:52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the
wilderness like a flock.
78:53 And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea
overwhelmed their enemies.
78:54 And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this
mountain, which his right hand had purchased.
78:55 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.
78:56 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his
testimonies:
78:57 But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were
turned aside like a deceitful bow.
78:58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him
to jealousy with their graven images.
78:59 When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:
78:60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed
among men;
78:61 And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the
enemy's hand.
78:62 He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his
inheritance.
78:63 The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to
marriage.
78:64 Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.
78:65 Then the LORD awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that
shouteth by reason of wine.
78:66 And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a
perpetual reproach.
78:67 Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe
of Ephraim:
78:68 But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.
78:69 And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he
hath established for ever.
78:70 He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:
78:71 From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob
his people, and Israel his inheritance.
78:72 So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided
them by the skilfulness of his hands. |