Psalm 78:1-39

Psalm 78 1A maskil Title: Probably a literary or musical term of Asaph. My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.

2I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old—

3things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us.

4We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.

5He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children,

6so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.

7Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.

8They would not be like their ancestors— a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him.

9The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle;

10they did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his law.

11They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them.

12He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.

13He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand up like a wall.

14He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night.

15He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them water as abundant as the seas;

16he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers.

17But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.

18They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved.

19They spoke against God; they said, “Can God really spread a table in the wilderness?

20True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out, streams flowed abundantly, but can he also give us bread? Can he supply meat for his people?”

21When the LORD heard them, he was furious; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel,

22for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance.

23Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens;

24he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven.

25Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat.

26He let loose the east wind from the heavens and by his power made the south wind blow.

27He rained meat down on them like dust, birds like sand on the seashore.

28He made them come down inside their camp, all around their tents.

29They ate till they were gorged— he had given them what they craved.

30But before they turned from what they craved, even while the food was still in their mouths,

31God’s anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them, cutting down the young men of Israel.

32In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.

33So he ended their days in futility and their years in terror.

34Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again.

35They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.

36But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues;

37their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.

38Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.

39He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.