Psalms 78
A contemplation by Asaph.Hear my teaching, my people.
Turn your ears to the words of my mouth.
Turn your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable.
I will utter dark sayings of old,
I will utter dark sayings of old,
Which we have heard and known,
and our fathers have told us.
and our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children,
telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD,
his strength, and his wondrous works that he has done.
telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD,
his strength, and his wondrous works that he has done.
For he established a testimony in Jacob,
and appointed a teaching in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers,
that they should make them known to their children;
and appointed a teaching in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers,
that they should make them known to their children;
that the generation to come might know, even the children who should be born;
who should arise and tell their children,
who should arise and tell their children,
that they might set their hope in God,
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments,
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments,
and might not be as their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation that didn’t make their hearts loyal,
whose spirit was not steadfast with God.
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation that didn’t make their hearts loyal,
whose spirit was not steadfast with God.
The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows,
turned back in the day of battle.
turned back in the day of battle.
They didn’t keep God’s covenant,
and refused to walk by his Torah.
and refused to walk by his Torah.
They forgot his doings,
his wondrous works that he had shown them.
his wondrous works that he had shown them.
He did marvelous things in the sight of their fathers,
in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
He split the sea, and caused them to pass through.
He made the waters stand as a heap.
He made the waters stand as a heap.
In the daytime he also led them with a cloud,
and all night with a light of fire.
and all night with a light of fire.
He split rocks in the wilderness,
and gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.
and gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.
He brought streams also out of the rock,
and caused waters to run down like rivers.
and caused waters to run down like rivers.
Yet they still went on to sin against him,
to rebel against the Most High in the desert.
to rebel against the Most High in the desert.
They tempted God in their heart
by asking food according to their desire.
by asking food according to their desire.
Yes, they spoke against God.
They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
Behold, he struck the rock, so that waters gushed out,
and streams overflowed.
and streams overflowed.
Can he give bread also?
Will he provide flesh for his people?”
Therefore the LORD heard, and was angry.
A fire was kindled against Jacob,
anger also went up against Israel,
A fire was kindled against Jacob,
anger also went up against Israel,
because they didn’t believe in God,
and didn’t trust in his salvation [yeshuat].
and didn’t trust in his salvation [yeshuat].
Yet he commanded the skies above,
and opened the doors of heaven.
and opened the doors of heaven.
He rained down manna on them to eat,
and gave them food from the sky.
and gave them food from the sky.
Man ate the bread of angels.
He sent them food to the full.
He sent them food to the full.
He caused the east wind to blow in the sky.
By his power he guided the south wind.
By his power he guided the south wind.
He rained also flesh on them as the dust;
winged birds as the sand of the seas.
winged birds as the sand of the seas.
He let them fall in the midst of their camp,
around their habitations.
around their habitations.
So they ate, and were well filled.
He gave them their own desire.
He gave them their own desire.
Their food was yet in their mouths,
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when the anger of God went up against them,
killed some of their fattest,
and struck down the young men of Israel.
killed some of their fattest,
and struck down the young men of Israel.
For all this they still sinned,
and didn’t believe in his wondrous works.
and didn’t believe in his wondrous works.
Therefore he consumed their days in vanity,
and their years in terror.
and their years in terror.
When he killed them, then they inquired after him.
They returned and sought God earnestly.
They returned and sought God earnestly.
They remembered that God was their rock,
the Most High God, their redeemer.
the Most High God, their redeemer.
But they flattered him with their mouth,
and lied to him with their tongue.
and lied to him with their tongue.
For their heart was not right with him,
neither were they faithful in his covenant.
neither were they faithful in his covenant.
But he, being merciful, forgave iniquity, and didn’t destroy them.
Yes, many times he turned his anger away,
and didn’t stir up all his wrath.
Yes, many times he turned his anger away,
and didn’t stir up all his wrath.
He remembered that they were but flesh,
a wind that passes away, and doesn’t come again.
a wind that passes away, and doesn’t come again.
How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness,
and grieved him in the desert!
and grieved him in the desert!
They turned again and tempted God,
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
They didn’t remember his hand,
nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;
nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;
how he set his signs in Egypt,
his wonders in the field of Zoan,
his wonders in the field of Zoan,
he turned their rivers into blood,
and their streams, so that they could not drink.
and their streams, so that they could not drink.
He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them;
and frogs, which destroyed them.
and frogs, which destroyed them.
He gave also their increase to the caterpillar,
and their labor to the locust.
and their labor to the locust.
He destroyed their vines with hail,
their sycamore fig trees with frost.
their sycamore fig trees with frost.
He gave over their livestock also to the hail,
and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
He threw on them the fierceness of his anger,
wrath, indignation, and trouble,
and a band of angels of evil.
wrath, indignation, and trouble,
and a band of angels of evil.
He made a path for his anger.
He didn’t spare their soul from death,
but gave their life over to the pestilence,
He didn’t spare their soul from death,
but gave their life over to the pestilence,
and struck all the firstborn in Egypt,
the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.
the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.
But he led forth his own people like sheep,
and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
He led them safely, so that they weren’t afraid,
but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
He brought them to the border of his sanctuary,
to this mountain, which his right hand had taken.
to this mountain, which his right hand had taken.
He also drove out the nations before them,
allotted them for an inheritance by line,
and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
allotted them for an inheritance by line,
and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God,
and didn’t keep his testimonies;
and didn’t keep his testimonies;
but turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers.
They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
For they provoked him to anger with their high places,
and moved him to jealousy with their engraved images.
and moved him to jealousy with their engraved images.
When God heard this, he was angry,
and greatly abhorred Israel;
and greatly abhorred Israel;
So that he forsook the tent of Shiloh,
the tent which he placed among men;
the tent which he placed among men;
and delivered his strength into captivity,
his glory into the adversary’s hand.
his glory into the adversary’s hand.
He also gave his people over to the sword,
and was angry with his inheritance.
and was angry with his inheritance.
Fire devoured their young men.
Their virgins had no wedding song.
Their virgins had no wedding song.
Their priests fell by the sword,
and their widows couldn’t weep.
and their widows couldn’t weep.
Then the Lord awakened as one out of sleep,
like a mighty man who shouts by reason of wine.
like a mighty man who shouts by reason of wine.
He struck his adversaries backward.
He put them to a perpetual reproach.
He put them to a perpetual reproach.
Moreover he rejected the tent of Joseph,
and didn’t choose the tribe of Ephraim,
and didn’t choose the tribe of Ephraim,
But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion which he loved.
Mount Zion which he loved.
He built his sanctuary like the heights,
like the earth which he has established forever.
like the earth which he has established forever.
He also chose David his servant,
and took him from the sheepfolds;
and took him from the sheepfolds;
from following the ewes that have their young,
he brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob, his people,
and Israel, his inheritance.
he brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob, his people,
and Israel, his inheritance.
So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart,
and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
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