Psalms 78:1-72

¹“A Maskil of Assaph.” Give ear, O my people, to my instruction: incline thy ear to the words of my mouth.

²I will open with a parable my mouth: I will utter riddles out of ancient times;

³Which we have heard and know, and which our fathers have related unto us.

⁴We will not conceal them from their children, relating to the latest generation the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful deeds which he hath done.

⁵Yea, he established a testimony in Jacob, and instituted a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:

⁶In order that the latest generation might know them, even the children that are to be born; that they may arise and relate them to their children;

⁷That they may place in God their hope, and not forget the doings of God, but observe his commandments;

⁸And that they may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that had not directed their heart firmly, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.

⁹The children of Ephraim, like well-armed archers, that turn round on the day of battle,

¹⁰Kept not the covenant of God, and in his law they refused to walk;

¹¹And they forgot his deeds, as also his wonders, which he had permitted them to see.

¹²In the presence of their fathers did he do wonders, in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zo'an.

¹³He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters stand upright as a wall.

¹⁴And he led them with the cloud by day, and all the night with a light of fire.

¹⁵He split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the mighty deep.

¹⁶And he brought forth running streams out of the rock, and caused water to run down like rivers.

¹⁷But they repeated to sin yet more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.

¹⁸And they tempted God in their heart, by asking food for their desire.

¹⁹Yea, they spoke against God: they said, Will God be able to set in order a table in the wilderness?

²⁰Behold, he smote the rock, so that waters gushed out, and streams overflowed: shall he also be able to give bread? or can he provide flesh for his people?

²¹Therefore, when the Lord heard this, he became wroth: and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also ascended against Israel,

²²Because they had not believed in God, and had not trusted in his salvation.

²³Then he ordained the skies from above, and the doors of heaven he opened;

²⁴And he let rain down upon them manna to eat, and the corn of heaven gave he unto them.

²⁵Angels' bread did man eat: he sent them provision to satisfaction.

²⁶He caused an east wind to pass along the heavens; and he led forth by his strength the south wind.

²⁷And he let rain upon them flesh as plentiful as the dust, and winged birds like the sand of the sea;

²⁸And he let them fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.

²⁹And they ate, and were greatly satisfied, and what they longed for he brought unto them.

³⁰They were not estranged from their longing, yet was their food in their mouth:

³¹When the wrath of God ascended against them, and he slew some of the fattest of them, and the young men of Israel did he strike down.

³²With all this they sinned again, and believed not in his wonders.

³³Therefore he caused their days to come to an end in nought, and their years in dread.

³⁴When he slew them, then did they seek him, and they returned and inquired earnestly after God.

³⁵And they remembered that God was their rock, and the most high God their redeemer.

³⁶Nevertheless they prayed insincerely to him with their mouth, and with their tongue they lied unto him.

³⁷For their heart was not firm with him, and they were not faithful in his covenant.

³⁸But he, being merciful, forgave the iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not awaken all his fury.

³⁹And he remembered that they are but flesh, a spirit that passeth away, and returneth not again.

⁴⁰How oft did they rebel against him in the wilderness, grieve him in the desert!

⁴¹Yea, they once more tempted God, and set limits to the Holy One of Israel.

⁴²They remembered not his hand, the day when he ransomed them from the adversary;

⁴³When he displayed in Egypt his signs, and his wonderful tokens in the fields of Zo'an.

⁴⁴And he changed their rivers into blood; and their running streams, that they could not drink of them.

⁴⁵He sent out among them various wild beasts, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

⁴⁶And he gave unto the cricket their products, and their labor unto the locust.

⁴⁷He slew with hail their vines, and their sycamore-trees with ice-bolts.

⁴⁸And he surrendered to the hail their cattle, and their herds to the lightning's flashes.

⁴⁹He let loose against them the fierceness of his anger, wrath and indignation, and distress, a host of angels of misfortune.

⁵⁰He leveled a path for his anger; he withheld not from death their soul, and their life he surrendered to the pestilence;

⁵¹And he smote all the first-born in Egypt; the first of their strength in the tents of Ham;

⁵²But he caused his own people to depart like flocks, and guided them like a drove in the wilderness.

⁵³And he led them in safety, so that they felt no dread; but the sea covered over their enemies.

⁵⁴And he brought them to his holy territory, even to this mount, which his right hand had acquired.

⁵⁵And he drove out from before them nations, and divided them by the measuring-line as an inheritance, and he caused to dwell in their tents the tribes of Israel.

⁵⁶Yet they tempted and rebelled against the most high God, and his testimonies they kept not;

⁵⁷But swerved aside, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers; they turned about like a deceitful bow.

⁵⁸And they provoked him to anger with their high-places, and with their graven images they moved him to jealousy.

⁵⁹God heard this, and he became wroth, and felt greatly disgusted with Israel;

⁶⁰And he cast off the dwelling at Shiloh, the tabernacle where he had dwelt among men;

⁶¹And he gave up his strength unto captivity, and his glory into the adversary's hand.

⁶²And he surrendered his people unto the sword; and with his inheritance was he wroth.

⁶³His young men the fire devoured; and his virgins were not demanded in marriage.

⁶⁴His priests fell by the sword; and his widows did not weep.

⁶⁵Then awoke the Lord as one that sleepeth, like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.

⁶⁶And he smote his enemies backward: a perpetual disgrace on them.

⁶⁷Yet was he disgusted with the tent of Joseph, and of the tribe of Ephraim he made not choice;

⁶⁸But he chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.

⁶⁹And he built like high mountains his sanctuary, like the earth which he hath founded for ever.

⁷⁰And he made choice of David his servant, and took him from the sheep-folds:

⁷¹From following the ewes with young he brought him, to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

⁷²And he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and by the skilfulness of his hands did he lead them.