Psalm 78:1-26

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.
¹³He ^(X)divided the sea and let them pass through it,
    and made the waters ^(Y)stand like a heap.
¹⁴^(Z)In the daytime he led them with a cloud,
    and all the night with a fiery light.
¹⁵He ^(AA)split rocks in the wilderness
    and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
¹⁶He made streams come out of ^(AB)the rock
    and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

¹⁷Yet they sinned still more against him,
    ^(AC)rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
¹⁸They ^(AD)tested God in their heart
    by demanding the food they craved.
¹⁹They spoke against God, saying,
    ^(AE)“Can God ^(AF)spread a table in the wilderness?
²⁰^(AG)He struck the rock so that water gushed out
    and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread
    or provide meat for his people?”

²¹Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;
    ^(AH)a fire was kindled against Jacob;
    his anger rose against Israel,
²²because they ^(AI)did not believe in God
    and did not trust his saving power.
²³Yet he commanded the skies above
    and ^(AJ)opened the doors of heaven,
²⁴and he ^(AK)rained down on them manna to eat
    and gave them ^(AL)the grain of heaven.
²⁵Man ate of the bread of ^(AM)the angels;
    he sent them food ^(AN)in abundance.
²⁶He ^(AO)caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
    and by his power he led out the south wind;