Psalms 78-80

Psalm 78

¹Maschil. Of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law; let your ears be bent down to the words of my mouth.

²Opening my mouth I will give out a story, even the dark sayings of old times;

³Which have come to our hearing and our knowledge, as they were given to us by our fathers.

⁴We will not keep them secret from our children; we will make clear to the coming generation the praises of the Lord and his strength, and the great works of wonder which he has done.

⁵He put up a witness in Jacob, and made a law in Israel; which he gave to our fathers so that they might give knowledge of them to their children;

⁶So that the generation to come might have knowledge of them, even the children of the future, who would give word of them to their children;

⁷So that they might put their hope in God, and not let God's works go out of their minds, but keep his laws;

⁸And not be like their fathers, a stiff-necked and uncontrolled generation; a generation whose heart was hard, whose spirit was not true to God.

⁹The children of Ephraim, armed with bows, were turned back on the day of the fight.

¹⁰They were not ruled by God's word, and they would not go in the way of his law;

¹¹They let his works go out of their memory, and the wonders which he had made them see.

¹²He did great works before the eyes of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.

¹³The sea was cut in two so that they might go through; the waters were massed together on this side and on that.

¹⁴In the daytime he was guiding them in the cloud, and all through the night with a light of fire.

¹⁵The rocks of the waste land were broken by his power, and he gave them drink as out of the deep waters.

¹⁶He made streams come out of the rock; and waters came flowing down like rivers.

¹⁷And they went on sinning against him even more, turning away from the Most High in the waste land;

¹⁸Testing God in their hearts, requesting meat for their desire.

¹⁹They said bitter words against God, saying, Is God able to make ready a table in the waste land?

²⁰See, the rock was cut open by his power, so that the water came rushing out, and overflowing streams; is he able to give us bread? is he able to get meat for his people?

²¹So these things came to the Lord's ears, and he was angry; and a fire was lighted against Jacob, and wrath came up against Israel;

²²Because they had no faith in God, and no hope in his salvation.

²³And he gave orders to the clouds on high, and the doors of heaven were open;

²⁴And he sent down manna like rain for their food, and gave them the grain of heaven.

²⁵Man took part in the food of strong ones; he sent them meat in full measure.

²⁶He sent an east wind from heaven, driving on the south wind by his power.

²⁷He sent down meat on them like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the sea,

²⁸And he let it come down into their resting-place, round about their tents.

²⁹So they had food and were full; for he gave them their desire;

³⁰But they were not turned from their desires; and while the food was still in their mouths,

³¹The wrath of God came on them, and put to death the fattest of them, and put an end to the young men of Israel.

³²For all this they went on sinning even more, and had no faith in his great wonders.

³³So their days were wasted like a breath, and their years in trouble.

³⁴When he sent death on them, then they made search for him; turning to him and looking for him with care;

³⁵In the memory that God was their Rock, and the Most High God their saviour.

³⁶But their lips were false to him, and their tongues were untrue to him;

³⁷And their hearts were not right with him, and they did not keep their agreement with him.

³⁸But he, being full of pity, has forgiveness for sin, and does not put an end to man: frequently turning back his wrath, and not being violently angry.

³⁹So he kept in mind that they were only flesh; a breath which is quickly gone, and will not come again.

⁴⁰How frequently did they go against him in the waste land, and give him cause for grief in the dry places!

⁴¹Again they put God to the test, and gave pain to the Holy One of Israel.

⁴²They did not keep in mind the work of his hand, or the day when he took them from the power of their haters;

⁴³How he had done his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan;

⁴⁴So that their rivers were turned to blood, and they were not able to get drink from their streams.

⁴⁵He sent different sorts of flies among them, poisoning their flesh; and frogs for their destruction.

⁴⁶He gave the increase of their fields to worms, the fruits of their industry to the locusts.

⁴⁷He sent ice for the destruction of their vines; their trees were damaged by the bitter cold.

⁴⁸Ice was rained down on their cattle; thunderstorms sent destruction among the flocks.

⁴⁹He sent on them the heat of his wrath, his bitter disgust, letting loose evil angels among them.

⁵⁰He let his wrath have its way; he did not keep back their soul from death, but gave their life to disease.

⁵¹He gave to destruction all the first sons of Egypt; the first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham;

⁵²But he took his people out like sheep, guiding them in the waste land like a flock.

⁵³He took them on safely so that they had no fear; but their haters were covered by the sea.

⁵⁴And he was their guide to his holy land, even to the mountain, which his right hand had made his;

⁵⁵Driving out nations before them, marking out the line of their heritage, and giving the people of Israel their tents for a resting-place.

⁵⁶But they were bitter against the Most High God, testing him, and not keeping his laws;

⁵⁷Their hearts were turned back and untrue like their fathers; they were turned to one side like a twisted bow.

⁵⁸They made him angry with their high places; moving him to wrath with their images.

⁵⁹When this came to God's ears he was very angry, and gave up Israel completely;

⁶⁰So that he went away from the holy place in Shiloh, the tent which he had put among men;

⁶¹And he let his strength be taken prisoner, and gave his glory into the hands of his hater.

⁶²He gave his people up to the sword, and was angry with his heritage.

⁶³Their young men were burned in the fire; and their virgins were not praised in the bride-song.

⁶⁴Their priests were put to death by the sword, and their widows made no weeping for them.

⁶⁵Then was the Lord like one awaking from sleep, and like a strong man crying out because of wine.

⁶⁶His haters were turned back by his blows and shamed for ever.

⁶⁷And he put the tent of Joseph on one side, and took not the tribe of Ephraim;

⁶⁸But he took the tribe of Judah for himself, and the mountain of Zion, in which he had pleasure.

⁶⁹And he made his holy place like the high heaven, like the earth which is fixed by him for ever.

⁷⁰He took David to be his servant, taking him from the place of the flocks;

⁷¹From looking after the sheep which were giving milk, he took him to give food to Jacob his people, and to Israel his heritage.

⁷²So he gave them food with an upright heart, guiding them by the wisdom of his hands.

Psalm 79

¹A Psalm. Of Asaph. O God, the nations have come into your heritage; they have made your holy Temple unclean; they have made Jerusalem a mass of broken walls.

²They have given the bodies of your servants as food to the birds of the air, and the flesh of your saints to the beasts of the earth.

³Their blood has been flowing like water round about Jerusalem; there was no one to put them in their last resting-place.

⁴We are looked down on by our neighbours, we are laughed at and made sport of by those who are round us.

⁵How long, O Lord? will you be angry for ever? will your wrath go on burning like fire?

⁶Let your wrath be on the nations who have no knowledge of you, and on the kingdoms who have not made prayer to your name.

⁷For they have taken Jacob for their meat, and made waste his house.

⁸Do not keep in mind against us the sins of our fathers; let your mercy come to us quickly, for we have been made very low.

⁹Give us help, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; take us out of danger and give us forgiveness for our sins, because of your name.

¹⁰Why may the nations say, Where is their God? Let payment for the blood of your servants be made openly among the nations before our eyes.

¹¹Let the cry of the prisoner come before you; with your strong arm make free the children of death;

¹²And give punishment seven times over into the breast of our neighbours for the bitter words which they have said against you, O Lord.

¹³So we your people, and the sheep of your flock, will give you glory for ever: we will go on praising you through all generations.

Psalm 80

¹To the chief music-maker; put to Shoshannim-eduth. Of Asaph. A Psalm. Give ear, O Keeper of Israel, guiding Joseph like a flock; you who have your seat on the winged ones, let your glory be seen.

²Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, let your strength be awake from sleep, and come as our salvation.

³Take us back again, O God; let us see the shining of your face, and let us be safe.

⁴O Lord God of armies, how long will your wrath be burning against the rest of your people?

⁵You have given them the bread of weeping for food; for their drink you have given them sorrow in great measure.

⁶You make us a cause of war among our neighbours; our haters are laughing at us among themselves.

⁷Take us back again, O God of armies; let us see the shining of your face, and let us be safe.

⁸You took a vine out of Egypt: driving out the nations, and planting it in their land.

⁹You made ready a place for it, so that it might take deep root, and it sent out its branches over all the land.

¹⁰The mountains were covered with its shade, and the great trees with its branches.

¹¹It sent out its arms to the Sea, and its branches to the River.

¹²Why are its walls broken down by your hands, so that all who go by may take its fruit?

¹³It is uprooted by the pigs from the woods, the beasts of the field get their food from it.

¹⁴Come back, O God of armies: from heaven let your eyes be turned to this vine, and give your mind to it,

¹⁵Even to the tree which was planted by your right hand, and to the branch which you made strong for yourself.

¹⁶It is burned with fire; it is cut down: they are made waste by the wrath of your face.

¹⁷Let your hand be on the man of your right hand, on the son of man whom you made strong for yourself.

¹⁸So will we not be turned back from you; keep us in life, and we will give praise to your name.

¹⁹Take us back, O Lord God of armies; let us see the shining of your face, and let us be safe.