Version of Paraphrase of the Psalm, A - Psalm 78
1.
Ye Nations, to my Law give ear,
The dictates of my lips revere,
While Heav'n-taught Parables they yield,
And Truths in mystic song conceal'd:
2.
Truths, which, from earliest ages heard,
To Us in sacred trust transferr'd,
From Sire to Son successive flow,
That latest times our God may know;
3.
That latest times in thankful verse
His boundless Mercies may rehearse,
And own the Wonders of his hand
Whose pow'r presides o'er Judah 's land.
4.
He, bounteous Parent of mankind,
His Law to Jacob 's race consign'd,
(Fit theme! — and worthy to engage
Th' attention of each future age!)
5.
That Children, yet unborn, might learn
That Law, and yield the just return;
Trust in his aid, his works record,
And mark the precepts of his word:
6.
Unlike the Fathers of their line,
Who, rebels to the Will divine,
Turn'd from that Word their stubborn ear,
Nor sought his Love, nor own'd his Fear.
7.
Such Ephraim 's sons; a heartless train,
That, arm'd for war, but arm'd in vain,
With bows unbended from the fight
In wild disorder urg'd their flight.
8.
His sacred League, and just Decrees,
Th' Almighty Lord forgotten sees,
His wonders by their Sires beheld
On Nile 's wide banks, and Zoan 's field.
9.
What hand but His from side to side
Could bid the foaming Deep divide,
In liquid heaps suspended stand,
And safe transmit the chosen Band?
10.
That hand the cloud around them threw,
Day's kindled fervors to subdue;
And, lit by Him, with friendly ray
The fire nocturnal led their way.
11.
To quench their thirst the copious wave,
Call'd from the rock, its waters gave,
And onward pour'd with headlong haste
Luxuriant lav'd the burning Waste:
12.
Strange to relate! Yet, stranger still,
Their Bands, rebellious to his Will,
In rash and heighten'd sin conspire,
And dare to wrath the heav'nly Sire,
13.
As o'er the Waste their course they held,
By lawless appetite impell'd,
Each, from th' Almighty's lib'ral hands,
Meat for his fancied want demands.
14.
" Will God, to give his People bread,
" A table in the Desert spread?
" Our eyes have own'd the flinty Rock
" Obsequious to his mighty stroke, —
15.
" Have seen the streams, with lengthen'd train,
" Run copious o'er the thirsty plain;
" But can his stores, exhaustless still,
" With flesh our hungring myriads fill? "
16.
He hears, and now in kindling flames
His vengeance dire at Israel aims,
Whose impious speech a heart betray'd
Distrustful of his promis'd aid.
17.
For them He opes the doors of Heav'n,
Back to their wish the clouds are driv'n,
And, downward pour'd, th' ethereal grain
In wide profusion fills the plain.
18.
Their wants attentive to supply,
He gives them Manna from on high:
His fullest bounties they have known,
And angels food, and their's are one.
19.
The Winds, that o'er the Desert fly,
New paths, by Him directed, try,
And onward, through th' aerial way,
In flocks the vagrant fowls convey.
20.
Till o'er their tents the cloud impends,
And down the living show'r descends,
Thick as the dust, or as the sand
That lies upon the sea-beat strand.
21.
Fed to the full, th' insensate throng
At will the joyous feast prolong,
No more their frenzy they restrain,
But give their wild desires the rein:
22.
While o'er their heads the vengeful sword
Hangs viewless, and but waits the word
To snatch their Princes to the tomb,
And Israel 's choicest strength consume.
23.
Yet suff'rings still to suff'rings join'd
Fail to correct their faithless mind,
Though shorten'd in duration flow
Their years, and measur'd out by woe.
24.
When struck by his resistless hand,
Their Tribes lie scatter'd o'er the land,
Thus scourg'd his pow'r they humbly own,
And early bow before his throne.
25.
With seeming gratitude possess'd,
His arm each tongue their shield confess'd;
And " who so strong to save, " they cry,
" As Thou, great Ruler of the Sky? "
26.
Dissembling praise their lips prepare,
And solemn mockery of pray'r,
While, deep within, a mind they nurse
To Truth and to his Laws averse.
27.
Yet He their trespass can forgive,
And bid th' obdurate Sinners live;
Oft arts of mild persuasion tries,
Nor lets his whole displeasure rise.
28.
Indulgent He their frame survey'd,
Of flesh and frailty knew them made,
A Wind, that life's short passage o'er
Flits transient, and returns no more.
29.
The conscious Wilderness shall tell
How oft the thankless Race rebel;
How oft, by mercies unsubdu'd,
They grieve their Maker, just and good.
30.
Yea, frantic, to their will they bind
The Counsels of th' eternal mind,
And boldly challenge to the test
His Pow'r, so late their Aid consest, —
31.
When Cham 's proud offspring felt his Hand
Diffusing vengeance through their Land,
And scenes, each hour, to Nature new,
In dreadful series met their view.
32.
Their Nile corrupted now they mourn,
And, though with fiercest thirst they burn,
Start back, affrighted, from the stood;
For Ah! its channel foams with blood.
33.
Athirst for human gore, the Fly
In countless legions fills the sky,
And swarming Frogs, where'er they tread
With dire intrusion round them spread.
34.
The Beetle, clust'ring on their trees,
Now hastes the ripen'd fruit to seize,
While Locusts sell the tiller's toil
Consume, and riot in the spoil.
35.
By furious Blasts destroy'd, and torn,
Their fall'n shades the forests mourn;
Their frost-burnt fig-trees fade and die,
Their vines by hailstones ruin'd lie:
36.
The sturdy tenants of the stall
Beneath the rattling tempests fall;
The flocks, by fire ethereal slain,
In heaps promiscuous strew the plain.
37.
Wrath, horror, trouble, at his word,
Quick on the guilty Race were pour'd,
And Angel-Forms with dreadful haste
From door to door vindictive past.
38.
With course direct his Vengeance flew,
Its path, by Him instructed, knew,
And Pestilence with noxious breath
Sow'd through the air the seeds of death.
39.
Now to the grave, with anguish torn,
Each Mother yields her eldest-born,
And Egypt , through her wasted shores,
The first-fruits of her strength deplores.
40.
Now, Israel , shines the Day to Thee,
That bids thy captive Sons go free,
Safe as beneath the shepherd's care
The flocks from waste to waste repair.
41.
Each hostile fear by Him dispell'd,
Their destin'd course his People held,
While deep beneath the whelming wave
Their proud Pursuers found a grave.
42.
Behold them, borne to seats of rest,
Seats by his hallow'd presence blest,
With joyful step the Mount ascend,
By his victorious arm obtain'd.
43.
Lo! there, resistless, Jacob 's Line
The Tribes whom Canaan 's tents confine
By Heav'n's high Doom appointed quell,
And from their forfeit Lands expel.
44.
Yet, like their Sires, perverse they prove,
Reject the offers of his Love,
And led from Wisdom's path astray
Pursue the tenour of their way;
45.
As starts assant the Bow of steel,
And faithless mocks the archer's skill,
They, rebels to his just command,
Elude the guidance of his hand.
46.
On interdicted Hills uprais'd,
With impious flame their altars blaz'd,
While figures by the Artist made
Thy honours, mightiest Lord, invade.
47.
See, urg'd to wrath, th' eternal Sire
From Silo 's hallow'd Tent retire,
And quit the seat so lov'd before,
Resolv'd with Man to dwell no more.
48.
His Ark, inviolated shrine
Of Strength and Majesty divine,
Now wanders captive o'er the plains,
Where Guilt in all its horror reigns.
49.
Prevailing foes, conven'd from far,
On Israel pour the tide of war,
While God his Houshold from on high
Beholds with alienated eye.
50.
No Virgins to the nuptial band
Assenting give the plighted hand,
While, snatch'd by the devouring fire,
Their Sons in early youth expire.
51.
The sword destruction round them spread,
Nor spar'd the Priest's anointed head;
Nor lives the Widow to bemoan
Her Husband's fate, but meets her own.
52.
His People's cry th' Eternal hears;
As wak'd from sleep, his strength he rears,
Shouts like a Giant chear'd with wine,
And wrathful lifts the Arm divine:
53.
Th' averted Foe that Arm confest,
With shame and dire disease oppress'd,
Struck with surprize and wild affright
Inglorious backward urg'd their flight.
54.
But where, O Israel , shall thy God
Returning chuse his blest Abode?
Nor Ephraim 's Dwellings to his eyes,
Nor Thine, Manasseh , grateful rise:
55.
On Judah 's Tribe he plac'd his care;
Thy Temple, Sion , founded there,
From age to age his Love demands,
Fix'd as the ground whereon it stands.
56.
That Tribe his David 's birth has known,
Rais'd from a sheep-fold to a Throne,
O'er Jacob 's realms to stretch the rod
And feed the heritage of God.
57.
As o'er the waste the teeming ewes
His eye with wakeful care pursues,
A Voice arrests the youthful Swain,
And calls him from the humble plain.
58.
He hears, and, while each kingly art
Thy succours to his breast impart,
(All-potent Lord!) with faithful mind
Absolves the charge by Thee assign'd.
Ye Nations, to my Law give ear,
The dictates of my lips revere,
While Heav'n-taught Parables they yield,
And Truths in mystic song conceal'd:
2.
Truths, which, from earliest ages heard,
To Us in sacred trust transferr'd,
From Sire to Son successive flow,
That latest times our God may know;
3.
That latest times in thankful verse
His boundless Mercies may rehearse,
And own the Wonders of his hand
Whose pow'r presides o'er Judah 's land.
4.
He, bounteous Parent of mankind,
His Law to Jacob 's race consign'd,
(Fit theme! — and worthy to engage
Th' attention of each future age!)
5.
That Children, yet unborn, might learn
That Law, and yield the just return;
Trust in his aid, his works record,
And mark the precepts of his word:
6.
Unlike the Fathers of their line,
Who, rebels to the Will divine,
Turn'd from that Word their stubborn ear,
Nor sought his Love, nor own'd his Fear.
7.
Such Ephraim 's sons; a heartless train,
That, arm'd for war, but arm'd in vain,
With bows unbended from the fight
In wild disorder urg'd their flight.
8.
His sacred League, and just Decrees,
Th' Almighty Lord forgotten sees,
His wonders by their Sires beheld
On Nile 's wide banks, and Zoan 's field.
9.
What hand but His from side to side
Could bid the foaming Deep divide,
In liquid heaps suspended stand,
And safe transmit the chosen Band?
10.
That hand the cloud around them threw,
Day's kindled fervors to subdue;
And, lit by Him, with friendly ray
The fire nocturnal led their way.
11.
To quench their thirst the copious wave,
Call'd from the rock, its waters gave,
And onward pour'd with headlong haste
Luxuriant lav'd the burning Waste:
12.
Strange to relate! Yet, stranger still,
Their Bands, rebellious to his Will,
In rash and heighten'd sin conspire,
And dare to wrath the heav'nly Sire,
13.
As o'er the Waste their course they held,
By lawless appetite impell'd,
Each, from th' Almighty's lib'ral hands,
Meat for his fancied want demands.
14.
" Will God, to give his People bread,
" A table in the Desert spread?
" Our eyes have own'd the flinty Rock
" Obsequious to his mighty stroke, —
15.
" Have seen the streams, with lengthen'd train,
" Run copious o'er the thirsty plain;
" But can his stores, exhaustless still,
" With flesh our hungring myriads fill? "
16.
He hears, and now in kindling flames
His vengeance dire at Israel aims,
Whose impious speech a heart betray'd
Distrustful of his promis'd aid.
17.
For them He opes the doors of Heav'n,
Back to their wish the clouds are driv'n,
And, downward pour'd, th' ethereal grain
In wide profusion fills the plain.
18.
Their wants attentive to supply,
He gives them Manna from on high:
His fullest bounties they have known,
And angels food, and their's are one.
19.
The Winds, that o'er the Desert fly,
New paths, by Him directed, try,
And onward, through th' aerial way,
In flocks the vagrant fowls convey.
20.
Till o'er their tents the cloud impends,
And down the living show'r descends,
Thick as the dust, or as the sand
That lies upon the sea-beat strand.
21.
Fed to the full, th' insensate throng
At will the joyous feast prolong,
No more their frenzy they restrain,
But give their wild desires the rein:
22.
While o'er their heads the vengeful sword
Hangs viewless, and but waits the word
To snatch their Princes to the tomb,
And Israel 's choicest strength consume.
23.
Yet suff'rings still to suff'rings join'd
Fail to correct their faithless mind,
Though shorten'd in duration flow
Their years, and measur'd out by woe.
24.
When struck by his resistless hand,
Their Tribes lie scatter'd o'er the land,
Thus scourg'd his pow'r they humbly own,
And early bow before his throne.
25.
With seeming gratitude possess'd,
His arm each tongue their shield confess'd;
And " who so strong to save, " they cry,
" As Thou, great Ruler of the Sky? "
26.
Dissembling praise their lips prepare,
And solemn mockery of pray'r,
While, deep within, a mind they nurse
To Truth and to his Laws averse.
27.
Yet He their trespass can forgive,
And bid th' obdurate Sinners live;
Oft arts of mild persuasion tries,
Nor lets his whole displeasure rise.
28.
Indulgent He their frame survey'd,
Of flesh and frailty knew them made,
A Wind, that life's short passage o'er
Flits transient, and returns no more.
29.
The conscious Wilderness shall tell
How oft the thankless Race rebel;
How oft, by mercies unsubdu'd,
They grieve their Maker, just and good.
30.
Yea, frantic, to their will they bind
The Counsels of th' eternal mind,
And boldly challenge to the test
His Pow'r, so late their Aid consest, —
31.
When Cham 's proud offspring felt his Hand
Diffusing vengeance through their Land,
And scenes, each hour, to Nature new,
In dreadful series met their view.
32.
Their Nile corrupted now they mourn,
And, though with fiercest thirst they burn,
Start back, affrighted, from the stood;
For Ah! its channel foams with blood.
33.
Athirst for human gore, the Fly
In countless legions fills the sky,
And swarming Frogs, where'er they tread
With dire intrusion round them spread.
34.
The Beetle, clust'ring on their trees,
Now hastes the ripen'd fruit to seize,
While Locusts sell the tiller's toil
Consume, and riot in the spoil.
35.
By furious Blasts destroy'd, and torn,
Their fall'n shades the forests mourn;
Their frost-burnt fig-trees fade and die,
Their vines by hailstones ruin'd lie:
36.
The sturdy tenants of the stall
Beneath the rattling tempests fall;
The flocks, by fire ethereal slain,
In heaps promiscuous strew the plain.
37.
Wrath, horror, trouble, at his word,
Quick on the guilty Race were pour'd,
And Angel-Forms with dreadful haste
From door to door vindictive past.
38.
With course direct his Vengeance flew,
Its path, by Him instructed, knew,
And Pestilence with noxious breath
Sow'd through the air the seeds of death.
39.
Now to the grave, with anguish torn,
Each Mother yields her eldest-born,
And Egypt , through her wasted shores,
The first-fruits of her strength deplores.
40.
Now, Israel , shines the Day to Thee,
That bids thy captive Sons go free,
Safe as beneath the shepherd's care
The flocks from waste to waste repair.
41.
Each hostile fear by Him dispell'd,
Their destin'd course his People held,
While deep beneath the whelming wave
Their proud Pursuers found a grave.
42.
Behold them, borne to seats of rest,
Seats by his hallow'd presence blest,
With joyful step the Mount ascend,
By his victorious arm obtain'd.
43.
Lo! there, resistless, Jacob 's Line
The Tribes whom Canaan 's tents confine
By Heav'n's high Doom appointed quell,
And from their forfeit Lands expel.
44.
Yet, like their Sires, perverse they prove,
Reject the offers of his Love,
And led from Wisdom's path astray
Pursue the tenour of their way;
45.
As starts assant the Bow of steel,
And faithless mocks the archer's skill,
They, rebels to his just command,
Elude the guidance of his hand.
46.
On interdicted Hills uprais'd,
With impious flame their altars blaz'd,
While figures by the Artist made
Thy honours, mightiest Lord, invade.
47.
See, urg'd to wrath, th' eternal Sire
From Silo 's hallow'd Tent retire,
And quit the seat so lov'd before,
Resolv'd with Man to dwell no more.
48.
His Ark, inviolated shrine
Of Strength and Majesty divine,
Now wanders captive o'er the plains,
Where Guilt in all its horror reigns.
49.
Prevailing foes, conven'd from far,
On Israel pour the tide of war,
While God his Houshold from on high
Beholds with alienated eye.
50.
No Virgins to the nuptial band
Assenting give the plighted hand,
While, snatch'd by the devouring fire,
Their Sons in early youth expire.
51.
The sword destruction round them spread,
Nor spar'd the Priest's anointed head;
Nor lives the Widow to bemoan
Her Husband's fate, but meets her own.
52.
His People's cry th' Eternal hears;
As wak'd from sleep, his strength he rears,
Shouts like a Giant chear'd with wine,
And wrathful lifts the Arm divine:
53.
Th' averted Foe that Arm confest,
With shame and dire disease oppress'd,
Struck with surprize and wild affright
Inglorious backward urg'd their flight.
54.
But where, O Israel , shall thy God
Returning chuse his blest Abode?
Nor Ephraim 's Dwellings to his eyes,
Nor Thine, Manasseh , grateful rise:
55.
On Judah 's Tribe he plac'd his care;
Thy Temple, Sion , founded there,
From age to age his Love demands,
Fix'd as the ground whereon it stands.
56.
That Tribe his David 's birth has known,
Rais'd from a sheep-fold to a Throne,
O'er Jacob 's realms to stretch the rod
And feed the heritage of God.
57.
As o'er the waste the teeming ewes
His eye with wakeful care pursues,
A Voice arrests the youthful Swain,
And calls him from the humble plain.
58.
He hears, and, while each kingly art
Thy succours to his breast impart,
(All-potent Lord!) with faithful mind
Absolves the charge by Thee assign'd.
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