Psalm 78 – NIRV & NIVUK

New International Reader’s Version

Psalm 78:1-72

Psalm 78

A maskil of Asaph.

1My people, listen to my teaching.

Pay attention to what I say.

2I will open my mouth and tell a story.

I will speak about things that were hidden.

They happened a long time ago.

3We have heard about them and we know them.

Our people who lived before us have told us about them.

4We won’t hide them from our children.

We will tell them to those who live after us.

We will tell them what the Lord has done that is worthy of praise.

We will talk about his power and the wonderful things he has done.

5He gave laws to the people of Jacob.

He gave Israel their law.

He commanded our people who lived before us

to teach his laws to their children.

6Then those born later would know his laws.

Even their children yet to come would know them.

And they in turn would tell their children.

7Then they would put their trust in God.

They would not forget what he had done.

They would obey his commands.

8They would not be like their people who lived long ago.

Those people were stubborn. They refused to obey God.

They turned away from him.

Their spirits were not faithful to him.

9The soldiers of Ephraim were armed with bows.

But they ran away on the day of battle.

10They didn’t keep the covenant God had made with them.

They refused to live by his law.

11They forgot what he had done.

They didn’t remember the wonders he had shown them.

12He did miracles right in front of their people who lived long ago.

At that time they were living in Egypt, in the area of Zoan.

13God parted the Red Sea and led them through it.

He made the water stand up like a wall.

14He guided them with the cloud during the day.

He led them with the light of a fire all night long.

15He broke the rocks open in the desert.

He gave them as much water as there is in the oceans.

16He brought streams out of a rocky cliff.

He made water flow down like rivers.

17But they continued to sin against him.

In the desert they refused to obey the Most High God.

18They were stubborn and tested God.

They ordered him to give them the food they wanted.

19They spoke against God. They said,

“Can God really put food on a table in the desert?

20It is true that he struck the rock, and streams of water poured out.

Huge amounts of water flowed down.

But can he also give us bread?

Can he supply meat for his people?”

21When the Lord heard what they said, he was very angry.

His anger broke out like fire against the people of Jacob.

He became very angry with Israel.

22That was because they didn’t believe in God.

They didn’t trust in his power to save them.

23But he gave a command to the skies above.

He opened the doors of the heavens.

24He rained down manna for the people to eat.

He gave them the grain of heaven.

25Mere human beings ate the bread of angels.

He sent them all the food they could eat.

26He made the east wind blow from the heavens.

By his power he caused the south wind to blow.

27He rained down meat on them like dust.

He sent them birds like sand on the seashore.

28He made the birds come down inside their camp.

The birds fell all around their tents.

29People ate until they couldn’t eat any more.

He gave them what they had wanted.

30But even before they had finished eating, God acted.

He did it while the food was still in their mouths.

31His anger rose up against them.

He put to death the strongest among them.

He struck down Israel’s young men.

32But even after all that, they kept on sinning.

Even after the wonderful things he had done, they still didn’t believe.

33So he brought their days to an end like a puff of smoke.

He ended their years with terror.

34Every time God killed some of them, the others would seek him.

They gladly turned back to him again.

35They remembered that God was their Rock.

They remembered that God Most High had set them free.

36But they didn’t mean it when they praised him.

They lied to him when they spoke.

37They turned away from him.

They weren’t faithful to the covenant he had made with them.

38But he was full of tender love.

He forgave their sins

and didn’t destroy his people.

Time after time he held back his anger.

He didn’t let all his burning anger blaze out.

39He remembered that they were only human.

He remembered they were only a breath of air

that drifts by and doesn’t return.

40How often they refused to obey him in the desert!

How often they caused him sorrow in that dry and empty land!

41Again and again they tested God.

They made the Holy One of Israel sad and angry.

42They didn’t remember his power.

They forgot the day he set them free

from those who had treated them so badly.

43They forgot how he had shown them his signs in Egypt.

They forgot his miracles in the area of Zoan.

44He turned the river of Egypt into blood.

The people of Egypt couldn’t drink water from their streams.

45He sent large numbers of flies that bit them.

He sent frogs that destroyed their land.

46He gave their crops to the grasshoppers.

He gave their food to the locusts.

47He destroyed their vines with hail.

He destroyed their fig trees with sleet.

48He killed their cattle with hail.

Their livestock were struck by lightning.

49Because he was so angry with Egypt, he caused them to have great trouble.

In his great anger he sent destroying angels against them.

50God prepared a path for his anger.

He didn’t spare their lives.

He gave them over to the plague.

51He killed the oldest son of each family in Egypt.

He struck down the oldest son in every house in the land of Ham.

52But he brought his people out like a flock.

He led them like sheep through the desert.

53He guided them safely, and they weren’t afraid.

But the Red Sea swallowed up their enemies.

54And so he brought his people to the border of his holy land.

He led them to the central hill country he had taken by his power.

55He drove out the nations to make room for his people.

He gave to each family a piece of land to pass on to their children.

He gave the tribes of Israel a place to make their homes.

56But they tested God.

They refused to obey the Most High God.

They didn’t keep his laws.

57They were like their people who lived long ago.

They turned away from him and were not faithful.

They were like a bow that doesn’t shoot straight.

They couldn’t be trusted.

58They made God angry by going to their high places.

They made him jealous by worshiping the statues of their gods.

59When God saw what the people were doing, he was very angry.

He turned away from them completely.

60He deserted the holy tent at Shiloh.

He left the tent he had set up among his people.

61He allowed the ark to be captured.

Into the hands of his enemies he sent the ark where his glory rested.

62He let his people be killed by swords.

He was very angry with them.

63Fire destroyed their young men.

Their young women had no one to marry.

64Their priests were killed by swords.

Their widows weren’t able to weep.

65Then the Lord woke up as if he had been sleeping.

He was like a warrior waking up from the deep sleep caused by wine.

66He drove back his enemies.

He put them to shame that will last forever.

67He turned his back on the tents of the people of Joseph.

He didn’t choose to live in the tribe of Ephraim.

68Instead, he chose to live in the tribe of Judah.

He chose Mount Zion, which he loved.

69There he built his holy place as secure as the heavens.

He built it to last forever, like the earth.

70He chose his servant David.

He took him from the sheep pens.

71He brought him from tending sheep

to be the shepherd of his people Jacob.

He made him the shepherd of Israel, his special people.

72David cared for them with a faithful and honest heart.

With skilled hands he led them.

New International Version – UK

Psalms 78:1-72

Psalm 78

A maskilTitle: Probably a literary or musical term of Asaph.

1My people, hear my teaching;

listen to the words of my mouth.

2I will open my mouth with a parable;

I will utter hidden things, things from of old –

3things we have heard and known,

things our ancestors have told us.

4We will not hide them from their descendants;

we will tell the next generation

the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,

his power, and the wonders he has done.

5He decreed statutes for Jacob

and established the law in Israel,

which he commanded our ancestors

to teach their children,

6so that the next generation would know them,

even the children yet to be born,

and they in turn would tell their children.

7Then they would put their trust in God

and would not forget his deeds

but would keep his commands.

8They would not be like their ancestors –

a stubborn and rebellious generation,

whose hearts were not loyal to God,

whose spirits were not faithful to him.

9The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,

turned back on the day of battle;

10they did not keep God’s covenant

and refused to live by his law.

11They forgot what he had done,

the wonders he had shown them.

12He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors

in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.

13He divided the sea and led them through;

he made the water stand up like a wall.

14He guided them with the cloud by day

and with light from the fire all night.

15He split the rocks in the wilderness

and gave them water as abundant as the seas;

16he brought streams out of a rocky crag

and made water flow down like rivers.

17But they continued to sin against him,

rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.

18They wilfully put God to the test

by demanding the food they craved.

19They spoke against God;

they said, ‘Can God really

spread a table in the wilderness?

20True, he struck the rock,

and water gushed out,

streams flowed abundantly,

but can he also give us bread?

Can he supply meat for his people?’

21When the Lord heard them, he was furious;

his fire broke out against Jacob,

and his wrath rose against Israel,

22for they did not believe in God

or trust in his deliverance.

23Yet he gave a command to the skies above

and opened the doors of the heavens;

24he rained down manna for the people to eat,

he gave them the grain of heaven.

25Human beings ate the bread of angels;

he sent them all the food they could eat.

26He let loose the east wind from the heavens

and by his power made the south wind blow.

27He rained meat down on them like dust,

birds like sand on the seashore.

28He made them come down inside their camp,

all around their tents.

29They ate till they were gorged –

he had given them what they craved.

30But before they turned from what they craved,

even while the food was still in their mouths,

31God’s anger rose against them;

he put to death the sturdiest among them,

cutting down the young men of Israel.

32In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;

in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.

33So he ended their days in futility

and their years in terror.

34Whenever God slew them, they would seek him;

they eagerly turned to him again.

35They remembered that God was their Rock,

that God Most High was their Redeemer.

36But then they would flatter him with their mouths,

lying to him with their tongues;

37their hearts were not loyal to him,

they were not faithful to his covenant.

38Yet he was merciful;

he forgave their iniquities

and did not destroy them.

Time after time he restrained his anger

and did not stir up his full wrath.

39He remembered that they were but flesh,

a passing breeze that does not return.

40How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness

and grieved him in the wasteland!

41Again and again they put God to the test;

they vexed the Holy One of Israel.

42They did not remember his power –

the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,

43the day he displayed his signs in Egypt,

his wonders in the region of Zoan.

44He turned their river into blood;

they could not drink from their streams.

45He sent swarms of flies that devoured them,

and frogs that devastated them.

46He gave their crops to the grasshopper,

their produce to the locust.

47He destroyed their vines with hail

and their sycamore-figs with sleet.

48He gave over their cattle to the hail,

their livestock to bolts of lightning.

49He unleashed against them his hot anger,

his wrath, indignation and hostility –

a band of destroying angels.

50He prepared a path for his anger;

he did not spare them from death

but gave them over to the plague.

51He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt,

the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.

52But he brought his people out like a flock;

he led them like sheep through the wilderness.

53He guided them safely, so they were unafraid;

but the sea engulfed their enemies.

54And so he brought them to the border of his holy land,

to the hill country his right hand had taken.

55He drove out nations before them

and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance;

he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.

56But they put God to the test

and rebelled against the Most High;

they did not keep his statutes.

57Like their ancestors they were disloyal and faithless,

as unreliable as a faulty bow.

58They angered him with their high places;

they aroused his jealousy with their idols.

59When God heard them, he was furious;

he rejected Israel completely.

60He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,

the tent he had set up among humans.

61He sent the ark of his might into captivity,

his splendour into the hands of the enemy.

62He gave his people over to the sword;

he was furious with his inheritance.

63Fire consumed their young men,

and their young women had no wedding songs;

64their priests were put to the sword,

and their widows could not weep.

65Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,

as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.

66He beat back his enemies;

he put them to everlasting shame.

67Then he rejected the tents of Joseph,

he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;

68but he chose the tribe of Judah,

Mount Zion, which he loved.

69He built his sanctuary like the heights,

like the earth that he established for ever.

70He chose David his servant

and took him from the sheepfolds;

71from tending the sheep he brought him

to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,

of Israel his inheritance.

72And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;

with skilful hands he led them.