Psalms 78:4-49

⁴We will not hide from their children; Showing to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, His might, and the wonders he hath wrought.

⁵For he appointed statutes in Jacob, And established a law in Israel, Which he commanded our fathers To make known to their children;

⁶So that the generation to come might know them; The children, which should be born, and rise up, Who should declare them to their children;

⁷That they might put their trust in God, And not forget his deeds, But keep his commandments;

⁸And might not be, like their forefathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation,—A generation whose heart was not fixed upon God, And whose spirit was not steadfast toward the Almighty.

⁹The children of Ephraim were like armed bowmen, Who turn their backs in the day of battle.

¹⁰They kept not the covenant of God, And refused to walk in his law;

¹¹And forgot his mighty deeds, And the wonders he had shown them.

¹²Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

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

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

¹⁵He clave the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink, as from the great deep.

¹⁶From the rock he brought flowing streams, And made water to run down like rivers.

¹⁷Yet still they sinned against him, And provoked the Most High in the desert.

¹⁸They tempted God in their hearts, By asking food for their delight.

¹⁹Yea, they spake against God, and said, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?

²⁰Behold! he smote the rock, and the water flowed, And streams gushed forth: Is he also able to give bread? Can he provide flesh for his people?”

²¹When, therefore, the LORD heard this, he was wroth: So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger arose against Israel.

²²Because they believed not in God, And trusted not in his aid.

²³Yet he had commanded the clouds above, And had opened the doors of heaven;

²⁴And had rained down upon them manna for food, And had given them the corn of heaven.

²⁵Every one ate the food of princes; He sent them bread to the full.

²⁶Then he caused a strong wind to blow in the heavens, And by his power he brought a south wind;

²⁷He rained down flesh upon them as dust, And feathered fowls as the sand of the sea.

²⁸He caused them to fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their habitations.

²⁹So they did eat, and were filled; For he gave them their own desire.

³⁰Their desire was not yet satisfied, And their meat was yet in their mouths,

³¹When the wrath of God came upon them, And slew their strong men, And smote down the chosen men of Israel.

³²For all this they sinned still, And put no trust in his wondrous works.

³³Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, And their years in sudden destruction.

³⁴When he slew them, they sought him; They returned, and sought earnestly for God;

³⁵And remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High their redeemer.

³⁶But they only flattered him with their mouths, And spake falsely to him with their tongues.

³⁷For their hearts were not true to him, Nor were they steadfast in his covenant.

³⁸Yet, being full of compassion, he forgave their iniquity, And would not utterly destroy them; Often he restrained his indignation, And stirred not up all his anger.

³⁹He remembered that they were but flesh,—A breath, that passeth and cometh not back.

⁴⁰How often did they provoke him in the wilderness! How often did they anger him in the desert!

⁴¹Again and again they tempted God, And offended the Holy One of Israel.

⁴²They remembered not his hand, Nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy;

⁴³What signs he had wrought in Egypt, And what wonders in the fields of Zoan.

⁴⁴He turned their rivers into blood, So that they could not drink of their streams.

⁴⁵He sent amongst them flies, which devoured them, And frogs, which destroyed them.

⁴⁶He gave also their fruits to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.

⁴⁷He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycamore-trees with frost.

⁴⁸He also gave up their cattle to hail, And their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

⁴⁹He sent against them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, indignation, and woe,—A host of angels of evil.