Psalm 78

English Standard Version

⁵ He established ^(I)a testimony in ^(J)Jacob
    and appointed a law in ^(K)Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
    to teach to their children,
⁶ that ^(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;
⁸ and 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.

⁹ The Ephraimites, armed with^[b] the bow,
    ^(R)turned back on the day of battle.
¹⁰ They ^(S)did not keep God's covenant,
    but refused to walk according to his law.
¹¹ They ^(T)forgot his works
    and ^(U)the wonders that he had shown them.
¹² In the sight of their fathers ^(V)he performed wonders
    in the land of Egypt, in ^(W)the fields of Zoan.
¹³ He ^(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.
¹⁵ He ^(AA)split rocks in the wilderness
    and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
¹⁶ He made streams come out of ^(AB)the rock
    and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

¹⁷ Yet they sinned still more against him,
    ^(AC)rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
¹⁸ They ^(AD)tested God in their heart
    by demanding the food they craved.
¹⁹ They 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?”

²¹ Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;
    ^(AH)a fire was kindled against Jacob;
    his anger rose against Israel,
²² because they ^(AI)did not believe in God
    and did not trust his saving power.
²³ Yet he commanded the skies above
    and ^(AJ)opened the doors of heaven,
²⁴ and he ^(AK)rained down on them manna to eat
    and gave them ^(AL)the grain of heaven.
²⁵ Man ate of the bread of ^(AM)the angels;
    he sent them food ^(AN)in abundance.
²⁶ He ^(AO)caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
    and by his power he led out the south wind;
²⁷ he rained meat on them like ^(AP)dust,
    winged birds like ^(AQ)the sand of the seas;
²⁸ he ^(AR)let them fall in the midst of their camp,
    all around their dwellings.
²⁹ And they ^(AS)ate and were well filled,
    for he gave them what they ^(AT)craved.
³⁰ But before they had satisfied their craving,
    ^(AU)while the food was still in their mouths,
³¹ the anger of God rose against them,
    and he killed ^(AV)the strongest of them
    and laid low ^(AW)the young men of Israel.

³² In spite of all this, they ^(AX)still sinned;
    ^(AY)despite his wonders, they did not believe.
³³ So he made ^(AZ)their days ^(BA)vanish like^[c] a breath,^[d]
    and their years in terror.
³⁴ When he killed them, they ^(BB)sought him;
    they repented and sought God earnestly.
³⁵ They remembered that God was their ^(BC)rock,
    the Most High God their ^(BD)redeemer.
³⁶ But they ^(BE)flattered him with their mouths;
    they ^(BF)lied to him with their tongues.
³⁷ Their ^(BG)heart was not ^(BH)steadfast toward him;
    they were not faithful to his covenant.
³⁸ Yet he, being ^(BI)compassionate,
    ^(BJ)atoned for their iniquity
    and did not destroy them;
he restrained his anger often
    and did not stir up all his wrath.
³⁹ He ^(BK)remembered that they were but ^(BL)flesh,
    ^(BM)a wind that passes and comes not again.
⁴⁰ How often they ^(BN)rebelled against him in the wilderness
    and ^(BO)grieved him in ^(BP)the desert!
⁴¹ They ^(BQ)tested God again and again
    and provoked ^(BR)the Holy One of Israel.
⁴² They ^(BS)did not remember his power^[e]
    or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,
^43 (BT)when he performed his ^(BU)signs in Egypt
    and his ^(BV)marvels in ^(BW)the fields of Zoan.
⁴⁴ He ^(BX)turned their rivers to blood,
    so that they could not drink of their streams.
⁴⁵ He sent among them swarms of ^(BY)flies, which devoured them,
    and ^(BZ)frogs, which destroyed them.
⁴⁶ He gave their crops to ^(CA)the destroying locust
    and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
⁴⁷ He destroyed their vines with ^(CB)hail
    and their sycamores with frost.
⁴⁸ He gave over their ^(CC)cattle to the hail
    and their flocks to thunderbolts.
⁴⁹ He let loose on them his burning anger,
    wrath, indignation, and distress,
    a company of ^(CD)destroying angels.
⁵⁰ He made a path for his anger;
    he did not spare them from death,
    but gave their lives over to the plague.
⁵¹ He struck down every ^(CE)firstborn in Egypt,
    the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of ^(CF)Ham.
⁵² Then he led out his people ^(CG)like sheep
    and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
^53 (CH)He led them in safety, so that they ^(CI)were not afraid,
    but ^(CJ)the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
⁵⁴ And he brought them to his ^(CK)holy land,
    ^(CL)to the mountain which his right hand had ^(CM)won.
⁵⁵ He ^(CN)drove out nations before them;
    he ^(CO)apportioned them for a possession
    and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

⁵⁶ Yet they ^(CP)tested and ^(CQ)rebelled against the Most High God
    and did not keep his testimonies,
⁵⁷ but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers;
    they twisted like ^(CR)a deceitful bow.
⁵⁸ For they ^(CS)provoked him to anger with their ^(CT)high places;
    they ^(CU)moved him to jealousy with their ^(CV)idols.
⁵⁹ When God heard, he was full of ^(CW)wrath,
    and he utterly rejected Israel.
⁶⁰ He ^(CX)forsook his dwelling at ^(CY)Shiloh,
    the tent where he dwelt among mankind,
⁶¹ and delivered his ^(CZ)power to captivity,
    his ^(DA)glory to the hand of the foe.
⁶² He ^(DB)gave his people over to the sword
    and ^(DC)vented his wrath on his heritage.
^63 (DD)Fire devoured their young men,
    and their young women had no ^(DE)marriage song.
⁶⁴ Their ^(DF)priests fell by the sword,
    and their ^(DG)widows made no lamentation.
⁶⁵ Then the Lord ^(DH)awoke as from sleep,
    like a strong man shouting because of wine.
⁶⁶ And he ^(DI)put his adversaries to rout;
    he put them to everlasting shame.

⁶⁷ He rejected the tent of ^(DJ)Joseph;
    he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
⁶⁸ but he chose the tribe of Judah,
    Mount Zion, which he ^(DK)loves.
⁶⁹ He ^(DL)built his sanctuary like the high heavens,
    like the earth, which he has founded forever.
⁷⁰ He ^(DM)chose David his servant
    and took him from the sheepfolds;
⁷¹ from ^(DN)following the nursing ewes he brought him
    to ^(DO)shepherd Jacob his people,
    Israel his ^(DP)inheritance.
⁷² With ^(DQ)upright heart he shepherded them
    and ^(DR)guided them with his skillful hand.