Psalm 78:1-12

English Standard Version

Tell the Coming Generation

A Maskil^[a] of ^(A)Asaph.

78 ^(B)Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
    incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
²^(C)I will open my mouth ^(D)in a parable;
    I will utter dark sayings from of old,
³things that we have heard and known,
    that our ^(E)fathers have told us.
⁴We will not ^(F)hide them from their children,
    but ^(G)tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
    and ^(H)the wonders that he has done.

⁵He established ^(I)a testimony in ^(J)Jacob
    and appointed a law in ^(K)Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
    to teach to their children,
⁶that ^(L)the next generation might know them,
    the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
⁷    so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget ^(M)the works of God,
    but ^(N)keep his commandments;
⁸and that they should not be ^(O)like their fathers,
    ^(P)a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation ^(Q)whose heart was not steadfast,
    whose spirit was not faithful to God.

⁹The Ephraimites, armed with^[b] the bow,
    ^(R)turned back on the day of battle.
¹⁰They ^(S)did not keep God's covenant,
    but refused to walk according to his law.
¹¹They ^(T)forgot his works
    and ^(U)the wonders that he had shown them.
¹²In the sight of their fathers ^(V)he performed wonders
    in the land of Egypt, in ^(W)the fields of Zoan.