Psalm 78:title–31

God’s Faithfulness in Israel’s History

78A maskil of Asaph.^a

¹Listen, O my people, to my teaching.

Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

²I will offer^b a parable with my mouth.

I will pour out riddles from long ago,

³that we have heard and known,

and our ancestors^c have told us.

⁴We will not hide them from their children,^d

telling the next generation the praises of Yahweh,

and his power and his wonders that he has done.

⁵For he established a testimony in Jacob,

and appointed a law^e in Israel,

which he commanded our ancestors^f

to teach to their children,

⁶so that the next generation might know—

children yet to be born—

that they might rise up and tell their children,

⁷that they might set their confidence in God,

and not forget the deeds of God,

but keep his commandments,

⁸and not be like their ancestors,^g

a stubborn and rebellious generation,

a generation that did not make ready its heart,

whose spirit was not faithful to God.

⁹The sons of Ephraim, armed with archers,^h

turned back on the day of battle.

¹⁰They did not keep the covenant of God

and refused to go in his law.ⁱ

¹¹They also forgot his deeds,

and his wonders that he had shown them.

¹²In front of their ancestors^j he did a wonder,

in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.

¹³He split the sea and caused them to go over,

and he caused waters to stand like a heap.

¹⁴And he led them with the cloud by day,

and all night with a fiery light.

¹⁵He caused rocks to split in the wilderness

and provided drink abundantly as from the depths.

¹⁶And he brought streams out of the rock

and caused water to flow down like rivers.

¹⁷But they sinned still further against him

by rebelling against the Most High in the desert.

¹⁸And they tested God in their heart

by asking food for their craving.^k

¹⁹And they spoke against God.

They said, “Is God able

to prepare a table in the wilderness?

²⁰Yes, he struck the rock and water flowed

and streams gushed out,

but can he also give food

or provide meat for his people?”

²¹Therefore Yahweh heard

and he was very angry,

and a fire was kindled against Jacob,

and his anger also rose up against Israel,

²²because they did not believe God,

and they did not trust his salvation.

²³Nevertheless, he commanded the skies above

and opened the doors of heaven,

²⁴and rained down on them manna to eat

and gave them the grain of heaven.

²⁵Humankind ate the bread of angels.^l

He sent them food enough to be satisfied.

²⁶He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens

and drove along the south wind by his strength.

²⁷Then he rained meat on them like dust,

even winged birds^m like the sand of the seas.

²⁸He caused them to fall in the midst of his camp,

all around his dwellings.

²⁹So they ate and were well filled,

and he brought about what they craved.

³⁰They had not yet turned aside from their craving,

while their food was still in their mouth,

³¹the anger of God rose against them,

and he killed some of the stoutest of them,

even the young men of Israel he caused to bow down in death.