Psalm 78:1-39 Attendite, popule
1 Hear my teaching, O my peo-ple; *
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a par-able; *
I will declare the mysteries of an-cient times
3 That which we have heard and known, and what our forebears have told us, *
we will not hide from their chil-dren.
4 We will recount to generations to come the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the LORD, *
and the wonderful works she has done.
5 She gave her decrees to Jacob and established a law for Is-rael, *
which she commanded them to teach their chil-dren;
6 That the generations to come might know, and the children yet un-born; *
that they in their turn might tell it to their child-ren;
7 So that they might put their trust in God, *
and not forget the deeds of God, but keep her com-mand-ments;
8 And not be like their forebears, a stubborn and rebellious ge-ne-ra-tion, *
a generation whose heart was not steadfast, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9 The people of Ephraim, armed with the bow, *
turned back in the day of bat-tle;
10 They did not keep the covenant of God, *
and refused to walk in her law;
11 They forgot what she had done, *
and the wonders she had shown them.
12 She worked marvels in the sight of their fore-bears, *
in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zo-an.
13 She split open the sea and let them pass through; *
she made the waters stand up like walls.
14 She led them with a cloud by day, *
and all the night through with a glow of fire.
15 She split the hard rocks in the wil-derness *
and gave them drink as from the great deep.
16 She brought streams out of the cliff, *
and the waters gushed out like ri-vers.
17 But they went on sinning a-gainst her, *
rebelling in the desert against the Most High.
18 They tested God in their hearts, *
demanding food for their crav-ing.
19 They railed against God and said, *
“Can God set a table in the wil-derness?
20 True, she struck the rock, the waters gushed out, and the gullies over-flowed; *
but is she able to give bread or to provide meat for her peo-ple?”
21 When the LORD heard this, she was full of wrath; *
a fire was kindled against Jacob, and her anger mounted against Is-rael;
22 For they had no faith in God, *
nor did they put their trust in her sav-ing power.
23 So she commanded the clouds a-bove *
and opened the doors of hea-ven.
24 She rained down manna upon them to eat *
and gave them grain from hea-ven.
25 So mortals ate the bread of an-gels; *
she provided for them food e-nough.
26 She caused the east wind to blow in the hea-vens *
and led out the south wind by her might.
27 She rained down flesh upon them like dust *
and winged birds like the sand of the sea.
28 She let it fall in the midst of their camp *
and round about their dwel-lings.
29 So they ate and were well filled, *
for she gave them what they craved.
30 But they did not stop their crav-ing, *
though the food was still in their mouths.
31 So God’s anger mounted a-gainst them; *
she slew their strongest men and laid low the youth of Is-rael.
32 In spite of all this, they went on sin-ning *
and had no faith in her wonderful works.
33 So she brought their days to an end like a breath *
and their years in sudden ter-ror.
34 Whenever she slew them, they would seek her, *
and repent, and diligently search for God.
35 They would remember that God was their rock, *
and the Most High God their re-deem-er.
36 But they flattered her with their mouths *
and lied to her with their tongues.
37 Their heart was not steadfast toward her, *
and they were not faithful to her cov-enant.
38 But she was so merciful that she forgave their sins and did not des-troy them; *
many times she held back her anger and did not permit her wrath to be roused.
39 For she remembered that they were but flesh, *
a breath that goes forth and does not re-turn.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spir-it: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. A-men.