78:51 He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt,
the firstfruits of their reproductive power 1 in the tents of Ham.
78:52 Yet he brought out his people like sheep;
he led them through the wilderness like a flock.
78:53 He guided them safely along,
while the sea covered their enemies.
78:54 He brought them to the border of his holy land,
to this mountainous land 2 which his right hand 3 acquired.
78:55 He drove the nations out from before them;
he assigned them their tribal allotments 4
and allowed the tribes of Israel to settle down. 5
78:56 Yet they challenged and defied 6 the sovereign God, 7
and did not obey 8 his commands. 9
78:57 They were unfaithful 10 and acted as treacherously as 11 their ancestors;
they were as unreliable as a malfunctioning bow. 12
78:58 They made him angry with their pagan shrines, 13
and made him jealous with their idols.
78:59 God heard and was angry;
he completely rejected Israel.
78:60 He abandoned 14 the sanctuary at Shiloh,
the tent where he lived among men.
78:61 He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured; 15
he gave the symbol of his splendor 16 into the hand of the enemy. 17
78:62 He delivered his people over to the sword,
and was angry with his chosen nation. 18
78:63 Fire consumed their 19 young men,
and their 20 virgins remained unmarried. 21
78:64 Their 22 priests fell by the sword,
but their 23 widows did not weep. 24
78:65 But then the Lord awoke from his sleep; 25
he was like a warrior in a drunken rage. 26
78:66 He drove his enemies back;
he made them a permanent target for insults. 27
78:67 He rejected the tent of Joseph;
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
78:68 He chose the tribe of Judah,
and Mount Zion, which he loves.
78:69 He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above; 28
as secure as the earth, which he established permanently. 29
78:70 He chose David, his servant,
and took him from the sheepfolds.
78:71 He took him away from following the mother sheep, 30
and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people,
and of Israel, his chosen nation. 31
78:72 David 32 cared for them with pure motives; 33
he led them with skill. 34