Psalm 78:14–40

¹⁴In the daytime he led them with a cloud,

and all the night with a fiery light.

¹⁵He cleft rocks in the wilderness,

and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.

¹⁶He made streams come out of the rock,

and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

¹⁷Yet they sinned still more against him,

rebelling against the Most High in the desert.

¹⁸They tested God in their heart

by demanding the food they craved.

¹⁹They spoke against God, saying,

“Can God spread a table in the wilderness?

²⁰He smote the rock so that water gushed out

and streams overflowed.

Can he also give bread,

or provide meat for his people?”

²¹Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;

a fire was kindled against Jacob,

his anger mounted against Israel;

²²because they had no faith in God,

and did not trust his saving power.

²³Yet he commanded the skies above,

and opened the doors of heaven;

²⁴and he rained down upon them manna to eat,

and gave them the grain of heaven.

²⁵Man ate of the bread of the angels;

he sent them food in abundance.

²⁶He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,

and by his power he led out the south wind;

²⁷he rained flesh upon them like dust,

winged birds like the sand of the seas;

²⁸he let them fall in the midst of their camp,

all around their habitations.

²⁹And they ate and were well filled,

for he gave them what they craved.

³⁰But before they had sated their craving,

while the food was still in their mouths,

³¹the anger of God rose against them

and he slew the strongest of them,

and laid low the picked men of Israel.

³²In spite of all this they still sinned;

despite his wonders they did not believe.

³³So he made their days vanish like a breath,

and their years in terror.

³⁴When he slew them, they sought for him;

they repented and sought God earnestly.

³⁵They remembered that God was their rock,

the Most High God their redeemer.

³⁶But they flattered him with their mouths;

they lied to him with their tongues.

³⁷Their heart was not steadfast toward him;

they were not true to his covenant.

³⁸Yet he, being compassionate,

forgave their iniquity,

and did not destroy them;

he restrained his anger often,

and did not stir up all his wrath.

³⁹He remembered that they were but flesh,

a wind that passes and comes not again.

⁴⁰How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness

and grieved him in the desert!