The whole Psalter translated into English Metre which contayneth an hundreth and fifty Psalmes |
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Psalme. LXXVIII.
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 | The whole Psalter translated into English Metre |  |
118
Psalme. LXXVIII.
The Argument.
This hye profound: oration,A monitorie is:
To God to turne: to trust vpon,
by workes so great of his.
1
My people kinde: heare this my law,true lore it full auowth:
Inclyne your eare: in gentle awe,
to harke my wordes of mouth.
2
My lipes sage sawes: shall now vnfolde,which parables might seeme:
And prouerbes straunge: of yeares of olde,
how we should God esteeme.
3
Which thinges we haue: both hard and tride,to be most certen true:
Which fathers olde: to vs a lyed,
vs tolde that should ensue.
4
Not we therfore: will hyde the same,from their posterytye:
To them to tell: Gods lauds and fame,
his wonders straunge to see.
5
He made a pact: with Iacob iust,and law set Israell:
Wherin he chargd: our fathers trust,
these things their seede to tell.
6
That so myght all theyr linage know,in ages still to come:
To ryse and sprede: to hye and low,
Gods actes to his renome.
219
7
That they therby: myght truly set,in God affiaunce strong:
That they should not: hys workes forget,
but kepe his hestes full long.
8
Lest they should proue: theyr fathers lyke,a faythles stubburne kynde:
A people loth: the ryght to seke,
which fell from God in mynde.
9
All lyke the tribe: of Ephraym,in armes wyth dartes and bowes:
Yet turnd theyr backes: at fightyng tyme,
and had foule ouerthrowes.
10
They kept not (lo) true tutch wyth God,hys pact they oueryed:
From hys sweete hestes: they strayd abrode,
to walke hys law they fled.
11
And soone forgate: what done had he,to them as beastes vnkynd:
His wondrous workes: that they had seene,
were cleane cast out of mynd.
12
Great meruels wrought: his mighty hand,in theyr forefathers sight:
At Zoan field: in Egipt land,
to shew hys power and might.
220
13
He cut the seas: apart to stand,as walles erect on hye:
He led them through: to go to land,
while they like heapes did lygh.
14
He led them forth: in Iorneys right,by clowde as guyde by day:
By night whole out: in firy lyght,
his angels kept their way.
15
He claue the rockes: in wildernes,how hard so euer growne:
Where out he slackt: theyr thirstines,
as flouds from depthes had flowne.
16
He made the stone: to gushe in streams,from them did water strike:
Though flyntes by kynd: kepe fiery leames,
God made them drinke to kepe.
17
For all this yet: agaynst his will,they sinned more and more:
They hym prouokt: in desert still,
for all his gentle store.
18
They tempted God: to proue hys power,theyr hartes went much astray:
They would haue meat: at present hower,
theyr lustes they would assay.
19
Agaynst theyr God: most euery where,they spake lyke rebels thus:
Can God prouide: a table here,
in wyldernes for vs?
221
20
He strake the rocke: the waters spred,as streames they flowed in deede:
But can (say they): God geue vs bread,
or flesh hys flocke to feede?
21
When God this heard: he was full wroth,his fyre in Iacob brent:
Hys heauy plage: in anger goeth,
euen downe on Israell sent.
22
Because no hope: in God they layde,that he could feede theyr want:
Nor yet put trust: in hym for ayde,
God made theyr hartes to pant.
23
He dyd commaund: the cloudes aboue,which flote the ayre about:
He bade the heauens: theyr gates remoue,
to poure theyr giftes full out.
24
Then rayned downe: that Manna sweete,therof that they should tast:
He sent them down: about theyr feete,
from heauen thys vyand cast.
25
O wondrous act: that man dyd eate,such foode of aungels strong:
He pourd them down: theyr fill of meate,
their pitched tentes among.
26
He made the East: wynd blow hys blast,amid the heauen in length:
He forst the southwynde blow as fast,
by hys great power and strength.
222
27
So than he raynd: as thicke as dust,of flesh aboundant store:
And fetherd foules: to fill theyr lust,
as thicke as sand on shore.
28
Amid theyr tentes: it fell as motes,not far to seeke therfore:
Euen round about: theyr dwellyng cotes,
it dyd them serue the more.
29
They thus dyd eate: and fed they were,full vp vnto the chin:
He graunted them: theyr lust so far,
what they could wishe therin.
30
Theyr lust was not: abased so,for still in lust they quothed:
And whyle they chowd: both to and fro,
in mouth this meat they lothed.
31
Lo wrath from God: was kyndled then,he slew theyr worthies great:
He feld to ground: theyr chosen men,
in Israell beset.
32
For all this yet: they sinned still,theyr wonted guise they playde:
To trust to hym: they had no will,
though wonders he displayde.
33
Therfore he spoyld: theyr lyuyng dayes,in vanitie to lygh:
Theyr yeares he spent: in feares and frayes,
to vexe both hart and eye.
223
34
As long as God: them strake and slue,they sought hym then full gent:
They seemed tho: theyr sinnes to rue,
to God at morne they went.
35
Then could they well: remember this,that God was all their strength:
That God full good: redemer is,
theyr comfort most at length.
36
But yet they dyd: but glose in speache,theyr hartes agreed not so:
They lyed in tonge: thus hym to seache,
dissemblers dyd they go.
37
Theyr myndes to hym: were nothing sound,but hollow hartes they had:
They stoode not still: wyth hym so bound,
in league and couenaunt glad.
38
Yet he so good: theyr sinnes forget,and would not them despise:
Full oft: hys wrath: he dyd retrete,
that whole it should not ryse.
39
For he dyd count: they were but flesh,as frayle as britle glasse:
And that they were: like wynde to gesse,
that passth wythout repasse.
40
Ryght many tymes: in wildernes,they hym prouoked sore:
How much grieued they: his gentlenes,
in desert more and more.
224
41
They dyd reuolte: oft God to tempt,that saint of Israell:
They proued hys power: in mad contempt,
as he in boundes should dwell.
42
They minded not: hys able hand,what once for them it wrought:
Nor yet that day: when they were bond,
how he redemption brought.
43
How he had done: miraculously,in Egipt fully out:
In Zoan field: his wonders hye,
they dyd forget no dout.
44
When he did turne theyr waters sweete,to bloud how they increast:
And made theyr springes: all full on meete,
for drinke for man or beast.
45
He lyce sent eke: all kynd of flies,which them deuoured quyte:
Among them frogs: dyd scraule and ryse,
to vexe them day and nyght.
46
He gaue theyr fruites: of whole encrease,to caterpillers spoyle:
The grashopper: dyd neuer cease,
to wast theyr labours toyle.
47
He dyd vnbarke: of vyne the trees,wyth stones in clods congeald:
And eke theyr trees: of mulberies,
wyth frostes so sene but selde.
225
48
He smote their beastes: of cart and plough,wyth hayle in his great ire:
Their other flockes: he smoote full rough,
wyth coales of burnyng fire.
49
He cast on them: his fury whote,wrath, woo, with anguyshe styng:
With such fel plages: them sore he smote
which Angels euyll do bring.
50
He made playn waye: for his sore wrathto go, and stroyd them quyte:
No sowle he sparde: from sodaine death,
their beasts the plage dyd smyte.
51
He stroyd theyr fruites: begotten fyrstIn Egypt furious:
Their prymer fruts: of all their lust
where Chams seede dwelt in house.
52
But yet he led: his people free,lyke shepe he kept them aye:
As shepe in flocke: most tenderly
in desert led their waye.
53
He brought them out: in suertyeall feares that they might flee:
He ouerwhelmd: their foes at eye,
In waues of fomyng sea.
54
He brought them iust: within the costof his good Sanctuary:
To this swete hyl: of vertue most
which hys right hand dyd bye.
226
56
He Paynyms draue: all out of place,and Iacobs stocke put in:
Theyr heritage: he set the space,
and met theyr lot by lyne.
57
But yet the Lord: they tempted hie,and hym prouoked still:
They turned quite: his law awry,
the signes of hys good wyll.
58
They turnd theyr backes: yea did conspire,as once theyr fathers went:
To theyr old wontes: they dyd retyre,
as sturdy bow in bent.
59
To reare hill aulters was theyr trade,wherby they moued hym sore:
Of Idols grauen: theyr Gods they made,
by which they greued him more.
60
God heard thys case: full wroth was he,wyth indignation great:
At Israell: excedingly,
hys sore displeasure fret.
61
That he did shoone: hys sacrary,which once in Sylo stoode:
Hys tent I say: pitchd stedfastly,
among olde Adams bloud.
61
So he eftsones: to thraldom sent,hys arke that was theyr strength:
Which was theyr olde: fayre ornament,
their foes possest at length.
227
62
His folke he gaue: vnto the sword,wyth warres entangled so:
Hys heritage: full sore he deard,
in much displeasant wo.
63
The fire eate vp: theyr lusty menboth yong in armes and sydes:
Theyr virgins yong: not honord then,
wyth wedlocke songes as brides.
64
Theyr priestes by sword: were vily slayne,religion set at nought:
No wydowes left: which should complayne,
before all slayne by thought.
65
The Lord as one: layd long in slepe,at length from slepe awoke:
Wyth wyne refresht: in hart full depe,
as gyaunt strength he toke.
66
Hys foes rearwardes: euen down he felde,theyr hynder partes he strake:
That most in shame: they euer dweld,
so he theyr armies brake.
67
All Iosephs trybe: he dyd refusehys arke to them to bryng:
So Ephraym: he would not vse,
he ment an other thyng.
68
But Iudas trybe: he toke hym till,wherin he bode in place:
And olde beloued: sweete Zyon hyll,
he chase in louely grace.
228
69
And there he built: hys sanctuary,as princely palace hye:
He founded it: as earth to lygh
in state perpetually.
70
And Dauid meke: he dyd elect,hys seruaunt whom he loued:
To state so hye: from state abiect,
from shepe cotes hym remoued.
71
He toke them vp: in followyng,hys ewes full big wyth yong:
To guide hys folke: in pasturyng,
hys heyres of Iacob sprong.
72
And he them fed: in faythfull hart,as Christ annoynted kyng:
He gouernd them: in prudent part,
hys raygne all blisse dyd spring.
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