78:12 He did amazing things in the sight of their ancestors,
in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. 1
78:13 He divided the sea and led them across it;
he made the water stand in a heap.
78:14 He led them with a cloud by day,
and with the light of a fire all night long.
78:15 He broke open rocks in the wilderness,
and gave them enough water to fill the depths of the sea. 2
78:16 He caused streams to flow from the rock,
and made the water flow like rivers.
78:17 Yet they continued to sin against him,
and rebelled against the sovereign One 3 in the desert.
78:18 They willfully challenged God 4
by asking for food to satisfy their appetite.
78:19 They insulted God, saying, 5
“Is God really able to give us food 6 in the wilderness?
78:20 Yes, 7 he struck a rock and water flowed out,
streams gushed forth.
But can he also give us food?
Will he provide meat for his people?”
78:21 When 8 the Lord heard this, he was furious.
A fire broke out against Jacob,
and his anger flared up 9 against Israel,
78:22 because they did not have faith in God,
and did not trust his ability to deliver them. 10
78:23 He gave a command to the clouds above,
and opened the doors in the sky.
78:24 He rained down manna for them to eat;
he gave them the grain of heaven. 11
78:25 Man ate the food of the mighty ones. 12
He sent them more than enough to eat. 13
78:26 He brought the east wind through the sky,
and by his strength led forth the south wind.
78:27 He rained down meat on them like dust,
birds as numerous as the sand on the seashores. 14
78:28 He caused them to fall right in the middle of their camp,
all around their homes.
78:29 They ate until they were stuffed; 15
he gave them what they desired.
78:30 They were not yet filled up, 16
their food was still in their mouths,
78:31 when the anger of God flared up against them.
He killed some of the strongest of them;
he brought the young men of Israel to their knees.
78:32 Despite all this, they continued to sin,
and did not trust him to do amazing things. 17
78:33 So he caused them to die unsatisfied 18
and filled with terror. 19
78:34 When he struck them down, 20 they sought his favor; 21
they turned back and longed for God.
78:35 They remembered that God was their protector, 22
and that the sovereign God was their deliverer. 23
78:36 But they deceived him with their words, 24
and lied to him. 25
78:37 They were not really committed to him, 26
and they were unfaithful to his covenant.
78:38 Yet he is compassionate.
He forgives sin and does not destroy.
He often holds back his anger,
and does not stir up his fury. 27
78:39 He remembered 28 that they were made of flesh,
and were like a wind that blows past and does not return. 29
78:40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness,
and insulted him 30 in the desert!
78:41 They again challenged God, 31
and offended 32 the Holy One of Israel. 33
78:42 They did not remember what he had done, 34
how he delivered them from the enemy, 35
78:43 when he performed his awesome deeds 36 in Egypt,
and his acts of judgment 37 in the region of Zoan.
78:44 He turned their rivers into blood,
and they could not drink from their streams.
78:45 He sent swarms of biting insects against them, 38
as well as frogs that overran their land. 39
78:46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper,
the fruit of their labor to the locust.
78:47 He destroyed their vines with hail,
and their sycamore-fig trees with driving rain.
78:48 He rained hail down on their cattle, 40
and hurled lightning bolts down on their livestock. 41
78:49 His raging anger lashed out against them, 42
He sent fury, rage, and trouble
as messengers who bring disaster. 43
78:50 He sent his anger in full force; 44
he did not spare them from death;
he handed their lives over to destruction. 45
78:51 He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt,
the firstfruits of their reproductive power 46 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 47 which his right hand 48 acquired.
78:55 He drove the nations out from before them;
he assigned them their tribal allotments 49
and allowed the tribes of Israel to settle down. 50
78:56 Yet they challenged and defied 51 the sovereign God, 52
and did not obey 53 his commands. 54
78:57 They were unfaithful 55 and acted as treacherously as 56 their ancestors;
they were as unreliable as a malfunctioning bow. 57
78:58 They made him angry with their pagan shrines, 58
and made him jealous with their idols.
78:59 God heard and was angry;
he completely rejected Israel.
78:60 He abandoned 59 the sanctuary at Shiloh,
the tent where he lived among men.
78:61 He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured; 60
he gave the symbol of his splendor 61 into the hand of the enemy. 62
78:62 He delivered his people over to the sword,
and was angry with his chosen nation. 63
78:63 Fire consumed their 64 young men,
and their 65 virgins remained unmarried. 66
78:64 Their 67 priests fell by the sword,
but their 68 widows did not weep. 69
78:65 But then the Lord awoke from his sleep; 70
he was like a warrior in a drunken rage. 71
78:66 He drove his enemies back;
he made them a permanent target for insults. 72
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; 73
as secure as the earth, which he established permanently. 74
78:70 He chose David, his servant,
and took him from the sheepfolds.
78:71 He took him away from following the mother sheep, 75
and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people,
and of Israel, his chosen nation. 76
78:72 David 77 cared for them with pure motives; 78
he led them with skill. 79
105:27 They executed his miraculous signs among them, 80
and his amazing deeds in the land of Ham.
105:28 He made it dark; 81
they did not disobey his orders. 82
105:29 He turned their water into blood,
and killed their fish.
105:30 Their land was overrun by frogs,
which even got into the rooms of their kings.
105:31 He ordered flies to come; 83
gnats invaded their whole territory.
105:32 He sent hail along with the rain; 84
there was lightning in their land. 85
105:33 He destroyed their vines and fig trees,
and broke the trees throughout their territory.
105:34 He ordered locusts to come, 86
innumerable grasshoppers.
105:35 They ate all the vegetation in their land,
and devoured the crops of their fields. 87
105:36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the firstfruits of their reproductive power. 88
105:37 He brought his people 89 out enriched 90 with silver and gold;
none of his tribes stumbled.
105:38 Egypt was happy when they left,
for they were afraid of them. 91
105:39 He spread out a cloud for a cover, 92
and provided a fire to light up the night.
105:40 They asked for food, 93 and he sent quails;
he satisfied them with food from the sky. 94
105:41 He opened up a rock and water flowed out;
a river ran through dry regions.
105:42 Yes, 95 he remembered the sacred promise 96
he made to Abraham his servant.
105:43 When he led his people out, they rejoiced;
his chosen ones shouted with joy. 97
105:44 He handed the territory of nations over to them,
and they took possession of what other peoples had produced, 98
105:45 so that they might keep his commands
and obey 99 his laws.
Praise the Lord!