Psalm 78:1–31

¹My people, listen to my teaching.

Pay attention to what I say.

²I will open my mouth and tell stories.

I will speak about things that were hidden.

They happened a long time ago.

³We have heard about them and we know them.

Our people who lived before us have told us about them.

⁴We won’t hide them from our children.

We will tell them to those who live after us.

We will tell them about what the Lord has done that is worthy of praise.

We will talk about his power and the wonderful things he has done.

⁵He gave laws to the people of Jacob.

He gave Israel their law.

He commanded our people who lived before us

to teach his laws to their children.

⁶Then those born later would know his laws.

Even their children yet to come would know them.

And they in turn would tell their children.

⁷Then they would put their trust in God.

They would not forget what he had done.

They would obey his commands.

⁸They would not be like their people who lived before them.

Those people were stubborn. They refused to obey God.

Their hearts were not true to him.

Their spirits were not faithful to him.

⁹The soldiers of Ephraim were armed with bows.

But they ran away on the day of battle.

¹⁰They didn’t keep the covenant God had made with them.

They refused to live by his law.

¹¹They forgot what he had done.

They didn’t remember the wonders he had shown them.

¹²He did miracles right in front of our people who lived long ago.

At that time they were living in the land of Egypt, in the area of Zoan.

¹³God parted the Red Sea and led them through it.

He made the water stand up like a wall.

¹⁴He guided them with the cloud during the day.

He led them with the light of a fire all night long.

¹⁵He broke the rocks open in the desert.

He gave them as much water as there is in the oceans.

¹⁶He brought streams out of a rocky cliff.

He made water flow down like rivers.

¹⁷But they continued to sin against him.

In the desert they refused to obey the Most High God.

¹⁸They were stubborn and put God to the test.

They ordered him to give them the food they longed for.

¹⁹They spoke against God. They said,

“Can God put food on a table in the desert?

²⁰When he struck the rock, streams of water poured out.

Huge amounts of water flowed down.

But can he also give us food?

Can he supply meat for his people?”

²¹When the Lord heard what they said, he was very angry.

His anger broke out like fire against the people of Jacob.

He became very angry with Israel.

²²That was because they didn’t believe in God.

They didn’t trust in his power to save them.

²³But he gave a command to the skies above.

He opened the doors of the heavens.

²⁴He rained down manna for the people to eat.

He gave them the grain of heaven.

²⁵Mere men ate the bread of angels.

He sent them all of the food they could eat.

²⁶He made the east wind blow from the heavens.

By his power he caused the south wind to blow.

²⁷He rained meat down on them like dust.

He sent them birds like sand on the seashore.

²⁸He made the birds come down inside their camp.

The birds fell all around their tents.

²⁹People ate until they had more than enough.

He gave them what they had longed for.

³⁰But even before they had finished eating, God acted.

He did it while the food was still in their mouths.

³¹His anger rose up against them.

He put to death the strongest among them.

He struck down Israel’s young men.