Psalm 78:14–40

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.

³²But even after all that, they kept on sinning.

Even after they had seen the miracles he did, they still didn’t believe.

³³So he brought their days to an end like a puff of smoke.

He ended their years with terror.

³⁴Every time God killed some of them, the others would look to him.

They gladly turned back to him again.

³⁵They remembered that God was their Rock.

They remembered that God Most High had set them free.

³⁶But they didn’t mean it when they praised him.

They lied to him when they spoke.

³⁷Their hearts were not true to him.

They weren’t faithful to the covenant he had made with them.

³⁸But he was full of tender love.

He forgave their sins

and didn’t destroy his people.

Time after time he held back his anger.

He didn’t let all of his burning anger blaze out.

³⁹He remembered that they were only human.

He remembered they were only a breath of air

that drifts by and doesn’t return.

⁴⁰How often they refused to obey him in the desert!

How often they caused him sorrow in that dry and empty land!