Psalms 78

Psalm 78 KJV

1An exhortation both to learn and to preach the law of God. 9The story of God's wrath against the incredulous and disobedient. 67The Israelites being rejected, God chose Judah, Zion, and David.
aMaschil of Asaph.
1 Give 1ear, O 2my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I 1will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter 2dark sayings of old:
3 Which 1we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
4 We 1will not hide them from their children, 2shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
5 For 1he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, 2that they should make them known to their children:
6 That 1the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
7 That 1they might set their hope in God, and 2not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:
8 And might not be 1as their fathers, 2a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation athat set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.
9 The children of Ephraim, being armed, and acarrying bows, 1turned back in the day of battle.
10 They 1kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;
11 And 1forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.
12 1Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field 2of Zoan.
13 He 1divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.
14 In 1the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.
15 He 1clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
16 He brought 1streams also out of 2the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
17 And 1they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
18 And 1they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
19 Yea, they spake against God; they said, 1Can God afurnish a table in the wilderness?
20 1Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?
21 Therefore the Lord heard this, and 1was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;
22 Because 1they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:
23 Though he 1had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the 2doors of heaven,
24 And 1had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.
25 aMan did eat angels' food: he sent them meat 1to the full.
26 He 1caused an east wind ato blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.
27 He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and afeathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:
28 And 1he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.
29 So 1they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;
30 They 1were not estranged from their 2lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,
31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the 1fattest of them, and asmote down the bchosen men of Israel.
32 For 1all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.
33 Therefore 1their days did he consume in 2vanity, and their years in trouble.
34 When 1he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.
35 And they remembered 1that God was their rock, and the high God 2their redeemer.
36 Nevertheless 1they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.
37 For 1their heart was not right with him, neither were they 2stedfast in his covenant.
38 But he, being 1full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: 2yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 For 1he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.
40 How 1oft did they aprovoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
41 Yea, 1they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.
42 They remembered not 1his hand, nor the day when he delivered them afrom the enemy.
43 How 1he had awrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:
44 And 1had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.
45 He 1sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and 2frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He 1gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.
47 He adestroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with bfrost.
48 He agave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to bhot thunderbolts.
49 He 1cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.
50 aHe made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave btheir life over to the pestilence;
51 And 1smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of 2Ham:
52 But 1made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 And 1he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but 2the sea aoverwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them 1to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.
55 He 1cast out the heathen also before them, and 2divided them an inheritance by 3line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
56 Yet 1they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:
57 But 1turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside 2like a deceitful bow.
58 For 1they provoked him to anger with their 2high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
59 When God 1heard this, he 2was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:
60 So 1that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;
61 And delivered 1his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand.
62 He 1gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.
63 The 1fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not agiven to marriage.
64 Their 1priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.
65 Then 1the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.
66 And he 1smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.
67 Moreover 1he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:
68 But 1chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.
69 And 1he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath aestablished for ever.
70 He 1chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:
71 aFrom following the 1ewes great with young he brought him 2to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
72 So 1he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
Psalms 78