16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand by the ways and see and ask for the (A)ancient paths,
Where the good way is, and walk in it;
Then (B)you will find a resting place for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 And I set (C)watchmen over you, saying,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
But they said, ‘We will not listen.’
18 Therefore hear, you nations,
And know, you congregation, what is among them.
19 (D)Hear, earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people,
The (E)fruit of their [a]plans,
Because they have not listened to My words,
And as for My Law, they have (F)rejected it also.
20 (G)For what purpose does (H)frankincense come to Me from Sheba,
And the [b](I)sweet cane from a distant land?
(J)Your burnt offerings are not acceptable
And your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me.”
21 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
“Behold, (K)I am [c]placing stumbling blocks before this people.
And they will stumble against them,
(L)Fathers and sons together;
Neighbor and [d]friend will perish.”

The Enemy from the North

22 This is what the Lord says:
“Behold, there is (M)a people coming from the north land,
And a great nation will be stirred up from the (N)remote parts of the earth.
23 They seize (O)bow and spear;
They are (P)cruel and have no mercy;
Their voice (Q)roars like the sea,
And they ride on horses,
Lined up as a man for the battle
Against you, daughter of Zion!”
24 We have (R)heard the report of it;
Our hands are limp.
(S)Anguish has seized us,
Pain like that of a woman in childbirth.
25 (T)Do not go out into the field,
And (U)do not walk on the road;
For the enemy has a sword,
(V)Terror is on every side.
26 Daughter of my people, (W)put on sackcloth
And (X)roll in ashes;
[e](Y)Mourn as for an only son,
A most bitter mourning.
For suddenly the destroyer
Will come against us.

27 “I have (Z)made you an assayer and an examiner among My people,
So that you may know and put their way to the test.”
28 All of them are stubbornly rebellious,
(AA)Going about as a slanderer;
They are (AB)bronze and iron.
They are, all of them, corrupt.
29 The bellows blow fiercely,
The lead is consumed by the fire;
In vain the refining goes on,
But the (AC)wicked are not [f]separated.
30 (AD)They call them rejected silver,
Because the (AE)Lord has rejected them.

Message at the Temple Gate

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, (AF)Stand at the gate of the Lords house and proclaim there this word, and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah, who enter by these gates to worship the Lord!’” This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “(AG)Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you live in this place. (AH)Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ‘[g]This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’ For (AI)if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly (AJ)practice justice between a person and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the stranger, the [h](AK)orphan, or the widow, and do not shed (AL)innocent blood in this place, nor (AM)follow other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you (AN)live in this place, in the (AO)land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.

“Behold, you are trusting in (AP)deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, [i](AQ)offer sacrifices to Baal, and follow (AR)other gods that you have not known, 10 then (AS)come and stand before Me in (AT)this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are saved!’—so that you may do all these abominations? 11 Has (AU)this house, which is called by My name, become a (AV)den of robbers in your sight? Behold, (AW)I Myself have seen it,” declares the Lord.

12 “But go now to My place which was in (AX)Shiloh, where I (AY)made My name dwell at the beginning, and (AZ)see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. 13 And now, because you have done all these things,” declares the Lord, “and I spoke to you, (BA)speaking again and again, but you did not listen, and I (BB)called you but you did not answer, 14 therefore I will do to the (BC)house which is called by My name, (BD)in which you trust, and to the place which I gave you and your fathers, just as I (BE)did to Shiloh. 15 I will (BF)hurl you out of My sight, just as I have hurled out all your brothers, all the [j]descendants of (BG)Ephraim.

16 “As for you, (BH)do not pray for this people, and do not lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not plead with Me; for I am not listening to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The [k]children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make sacrificial cakes for the queen of heaven; and they (BI)pour out drink offerings to other gods in order to (BJ)provoke Me to anger. 19 (BK)Are they provoking Me?” declares the Lord. “Is it not themselves instead, to their [l]own (BL)shame?” 20 Therefore this is what the Lord [m]God says: “Behold, My (BM)anger and My wrath will be poured out on this place, on human and animal life, and on the (BN)trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; and it will burn and not be quenched.”

21 This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Add your (BO)burnt offerings to your sacrifices and (BP)eat flesh. 22 For I did not (BQ)speak to your fathers, or command them on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this is [n]what I commanded them, saying, ‘(BR)Obey My voice, and (BS)I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you shall walk [o]entirely in the way which I command you, so that it may (BT)go well for you.’ 24 Yet they (BU)did not obey or incline their ear, but walked by their own advice and in the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and they [p](BV)went backward and not forward. 25 Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have (BW)sent you all My servants the prophets, sending them daily, again and again. 26 Yet they did not listen to Me or incline their ear, but (BX)stiffened their neck; they (BY)did more evil than their fathers.

27 “So you shall (BZ)speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you; and you shall call to them, but they will (CA)not answer you. 28 And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that (CB)did not obey the voice of the Lord their God or accept discipline; [q](CC)trustworthiness has perished and has been eliminated from their mouth.

29 (CD)Cut off [r]your hair and throw it away,
And (CE)take up a song of mourning on the bare heights;
For the Lord has (CF)rejected and forsaken
The generation of His wrath.’

30 For the sons of Judah have done that which is evil in My sight,” declares the Lord. “They have (CG)put their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. 31 They have (CH)built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, to (CI)burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I (CJ)did not command, and it did not come into My [s]mind.

32 (CK)Therefore, behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be called Topheth, or the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but the Valley of the Slaughter; for they will (CL)bury in Topheth [t]because there is no other place. 33 The (CM)dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth; and no one will frighten them away. 34 Then I will (CN)eliminate from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride; for the (CO)land will become a site of ruins.

The Sin and Treachery of Judah

“At that time,” declares the Lord, “they will (CP)bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its leaders, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from their graves. They will spread them out to the sun, the moon, and to all the (CQ)heavenly [u]lights, which they have loved, which they have served, which they have followed, which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered (CR)nor buried; (CS)they will be like dung on the face of the ground. And (CT)death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in all the (CU)places to which I have driven them,” declares the Lord of armies.

“You shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“Do people (CV)fall and not get up?
Does one turn away and not [v]repent?
Why has this people, Jerusalem,
(CW)Turned away in continual apostasy?
They (CX)hold on to deceit,
They (CY)refuse to return.
I (CZ)have listened and heard,
They have spoken what is not right;
(DA)No one repented of his wickedness,
Saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turned to his own course,
Like a (DB)horse charging into the battle.
Even the stork in the sky
(DC)Knows her seasons;
And the (DD)turtledove, the swallow, and the crane
Keep to the time of their [w]migration;
But (DE)My people do not know
The judgment of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 6:19 Or devices
  2. Jeremiah 6:20 Lit good
  3. Jeremiah 6:21 Lit giving
  4. Jeremiah 6:21 Lit his friend
  5. Jeremiah 6:26 Lit Make for yourself mourning
  6. Jeremiah 6:29 Or drawn off
  7. Jeremiah 7:4 Lit They are
  8. Jeremiah 7:6 Or fatherless
  9. Jeremiah 7:9 Or burn incense
  10. Jeremiah 7:15 Lit seed
  11. Jeremiah 7:18 Lit sons
  12. Jeremiah 7:19 Lit their faces’
  13. Jeremiah 7:20 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  14. Jeremiah 7:23 Lit the word
  15. Jeremiah 7:23 Lit in all the way
  16. Jeremiah 7:24 Lit were
  17. Jeremiah 7:28 Or faithfulness
  18. Jeremiah 7:29 Lit your crown
  19. Jeremiah 7:31 Lit heart
  20. Jeremiah 7:32 Or until there is no place left
  21. Jeremiah 8:2 Lit host
  22. Jeremiah 8:4 Lit turn back
  23. Jeremiah 8:7 Lit coming

16 This is what the Lord says:

“Stand at the crossroads and look;
    ask for the ancient paths,(A)
ask where the good way(B) is, and walk in it,
    and you will find rest(C) for your souls.
    But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 I appointed watchmen(D) over you and said,
    ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’(E)
    But you said, ‘We will not listen.’(F)
18 Therefore hear, you nations;
    you who are witnesses,
    observe what will happen to them.
19 Hear, you earth:(G)
    I am bringing disaster(H) on this people,
    the fruit of their schemes,(I)
because they have not listened to my words(J)
    and have rejected my law.(K)
20 What do I care about incense from Sheba(L)
    or sweet calamus(M) from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;(N)
    your sacrifices(O) do not please me.”(P)

21 Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“I will put obstacles before this people.
    Parents and children alike will stumble(Q) over them;
    neighbors and friends will perish.”

22 This is what the Lord says:

“Look, an army is coming
    from the land of the north;(R)
a great nation is being stirred up
    from the ends of the earth.(S)
23 They are armed with bow and spear;
    they are cruel and show no mercy.(T)
They sound like the roaring sea(U)
    as they ride on their horses;(V)
they come like men in battle formation
    to attack you, Daughter Zion.(W)

24 We have heard reports about them,
    and our hands hang limp.(X)
Anguish(Y) has gripped us,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.(Z)
25 Do not go out to the fields
    or walk on the roads,
for the enemy has a sword,
    and there is terror on every side.(AA)
26 Put on sackcloth,(AB) my people,
    and roll in ashes;(AC)
mourn with bitter wailing(AD)
    as for an only son,(AE)
for suddenly the destroyer(AF)
    will come upon us.

27 “I have made you a tester(AG) of metals
    and my people the ore,
that you may observe
    and test their ways.
28 They are all hardened rebels,(AH)
    going about to slander.(AI)
They are bronze and iron;(AJ)
    they all act corruptly.
29 The bellows blow fiercely
    to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining(AK) goes on in vain;
    the wicked are not purged out.
30 They are called rejected silver,(AL)
    because the Lord has rejected them.”(AM)

False Religion Worthless

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Stand(AN) at the gate of the Lord’s house and there proclaim this message:

“‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways(AO) and your actions, and I will let you live(AP) in this place. Do not trust(AQ) in deceptive(AR) words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” If you really change(AS) your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly,(AT) if you do not oppress(AU) the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood(AV) in this place, and if you do not follow other gods(AW) to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land(AX) I gave your ancestors(AY) for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting(AZ) in deceptive(BA) words that are worthless.

“‘Will you steal(BB) and murder,(BC) commit adultery(BD) and perjury,[a](BE) burn incense to Baal(BF) and follow other gods(BG) you have not known, 10 and then come and stand(BH) before me in this house,(BI) which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things?(BJ) 11 Has this house,(BK) which bears my Name, become a den of robbers(BL) to you? But I have been watching!(BM) declares the Lord.

12 “‘Go now to the place in Shiloh(BN) where I first made a dwelling(BO) for my Name,(BP) and see what I did(BQ) to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke(BR) to you again and again,(BS) but you did not listen;(BT) I called(BU) you, but you did not answer.(BV) 14 Therefore, what I did to Shiloh(BW) I will now do to the house that bears my Name,(BX) the temple(BY) you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors. 15 I will thrust you from my presence,(BZ) just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.’(CA)

16 “So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea(CB) or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen(CC) to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven.(CD) They pour out drink offerings(CE) to other gods to arouse(CF) my anger. 19 But am I the one they are provoking?(CG) declares the Lord. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?(CH)

20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign(CI) Lord says: My anger(CJ) and my wrath will be poured(CK) out on this place—on man and beast, on the trees of the field and on the crops of your land—and it will burn and not be quenched.(CL)

21 “‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices(CM) and eat(CN) the meat yourselves! 22 For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands(CO) about burnt offerings and sacrifices,(CP) 23 but I gave them this command:(CQ) Obey(CR) me, and I will be your God and you will be my people.(CS) Walk in obedience to all(CT) I command you, that it may go well(CU) with you. 24 But they did not listen(CV) or pay attention;(CW) instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.(CX) They went backward(CY) and not forward. 25 From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again(CZ) I sent you my servants(DA) the prophets.(DB) 26 But they did not listen to me or pay attention.(DC) They were stiff-necked(DD) and did more evil than their ancestors.’(DE)

27 “When you tell(DF) them all this, they will not listen(DG) to you; when you call to them, they will not answer.(DH) 28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction.(DI) Truth(DJ) has perished; it has vanished from their lips.

29 “‘Cut off(DK) your hair and throw it away; take up a lament(DL) on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned(DM) this generation that is under his wrath.

The Valley of Slaughter

30 “‘The people of Judah have done evil(DN) in my eyes, declares the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols(DO) in the house that bears my Name and have defiled(DP) it. 31 They have built the high places of Topheth(DQ) in the Valley of Ben Hinnom(DR) to burn their sons and daughters(DS) in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.(DT) 32 So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter,(DU) for they will bury(DV) the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. 33 Then the carcasses(DW) of this people will become food(DX) for the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away.(DY) 34 I will bring an end to the sounds(DZ) of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom(EA) in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem,(EB) for the land will become desolate.(EC)

“‘At that time, declares the Lord, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones(ED) of the people of Jerusalem will be removed(EE) from their graves. They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served(EF) and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped.(EG) They will not be gathered up or buried,(EH) but will be like dung lying on the ground.(EI) Wherever I banish them,(EJ) all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life,(EK) declares the Lord Almighty.’

Sin and Punishment

“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘When people fall down, do they not get up?(EL)
    When someone turns away,(EM) do they not return?
Why then have these people turned away?
    Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;(EN)
    they refuse to return.(EO)
I have listened(EP) attentively,
    but they do not say what is right.
None of them repent(EQ) of their wickedness,
    saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own course(ER)
    like a horse charging into battle.
Even the stork in the sky
    knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
    observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know(ES)
    the requirements of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 7:9 Or and swear by false gods

(A)See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through (B)philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the (C)elementary principles of the world, [a]rather than in accordance with Christ. For in Him all the (D)fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been (E)made [b]complete, and (F)He is the head [c]over every (G)ruler and authority; 11 and in Him (H)you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without hands, in the removal of (I)the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been (J)buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also (K)raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who (L)raised Him from the dead. 13 And [d]when you were (M)dead [e]in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He (N)made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, 14 having canceled (O)the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and (P)He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had [f](Q)disarmed the (R)rulers and authorities, He (S)made a public display of them, having (T)triumphed over them through [g]Him.

16 Therefore, no one is to [h](U)act as your judge in regard to (V)food and (W)drink, or in respect to a (X)festival or a (Y)new moon, or a (Z)Sabbath [i]day— 17 things which are only a (AA)shadow of what is to come; but the [j]substance [k]belongs to Christ. 18 Take care that no one keeps [l](AB)defrauding you of your prize by (AC)delighting in humility and the worship of the angels, [m]taking his stand on visions he has seen, [n](AD)inflated without cause by his (AE)fleshly mind, 19 and not holding firmly to (AF)the head, from whom (AG)the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and [o]ligaments, grows with a growth [p]which is from God.

20 (AH)If you have died with Christ [q]to the (AI)elementary principles of the world, (AJ)why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to (AK)decrees, such as, 21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” 22 (which all refer (AL)to things destined to perish [r]with use)—in accordance with the (AM)commandments and teachings of man? 23 These are matters which do have the [s]appearance of wisdom in [t](AN)self-made religion and humility and (AO)severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against (AP)fleshly indulgence.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Colossians 2:8 Lit and not
  2. Colossians 2:10 Lit full
  3. Colossians 2:10 Lit of
  4. Colossians 2:13 Or although
  5. Colossians 2:13 Or by reason of
  6. Colossians 2:15 Or divested Himself of
  7. Colossians 2:15 Or it; i.e., the cross
  8. Colossians 2:16 Lit judge you
  9. Colossians 2:16 Or days
  10. Colossians 2:17 Lit body
  11. Colossians 2:17 Lit of Christ
  12. Colossians 2:18 Or deciding against you
  13. Colossians 2:18 Or going into detail about
  14. Colossians 2:18 Or conceited
  15. Colossians 2:19 Lit bonds
  16. Colossians 2:19 Lit of God
  17. Colossians 2:20 Lit from
  18. Colossians 2:22 Or by being consumed
  19. Colossians 2:23 Lit report; Gr logos
  20. Colossians 2:23 Or would-be religion

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,(A) which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces[a] of this world(B) rather than on Christ.

For in Christ all the fullness(C) of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head(D) over every power and authority.(E) 11 In him you were also circumcised(F) with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh[b](G) was put off when you were circumcised by[c] Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism,(H) in which you were also raised with him(I) through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.(J)

13 When you were dead in your sins(K) and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you[d] alive(L) with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,(M) 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness,(N) which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.(O) 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities,(P) he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them(Q) by the cross.[e]

Freedom From Human Rules

16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you(R) by what you eat or drink,(S) or with regard to a religious festival,(T) a New Moon celebration(U) or a Sabbath day.(V) 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come;(W) the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility(X) and the worship of angels disqualify you.(Y) Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head,(Z) from whom the whole body,(AA) supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.(AB)

20 Since you died with Christ(AC) to the elemental spiritual forces of this world,(AD) why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules:(AE) 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish(AF) with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.(AG) 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility(AH) and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Colossians 2:8 Or the basic principles; also in verse 20
  2. Colossians 2:11 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verse 13.
  3. Colossians 2:11 Or put off in the circumcision of
  4. Colossians 2:13 Some manuscripts us
  5. Colossians 2:15 Or them in him

God’s Guidance of His People in Spite of Their Unfaithfulness.

A [a]Maskil of Asaph.

78 (A)Listen, my people, to my [b]instruction;
(B)Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will (C)open my mouth in a parable;
I will tell (D)riddles of old,
Which we have heard and known,
And (E)our fathers have told us.
We will (F)not conceal them from their children,
But we will (G)tell the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His power and His (H)wondrous works that He has done.

For He established a (I)testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a (J)law in Israel,
Which He (K)commanded our fathers
That they were to [c](L)teach them to their children,
(M)So that the generation to come would know, (N)the children yet to be born,
That they would arise and (O)tell them to their children,
So that they would put their confidence in God
And (P)not forget the works of God,
But (Q)comply with His commandments,
And (R)not be like their fathers,
A (S)stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that (T)did not [d]prepare its heart
And whose spirit was not (U)faithful to God.

The sons of Ephraim [e]were (V)archers equipped with bows,
Yet (W)they turned back on the day of battle.
10 They (X)did not keep the covenant of God
And refused to (Y)walk in His Law;
11 They (Z)forgot His deeds
And His [f]miracles that He had shown them.
12 (AA)He performed wonders before their fathers
In the land of Egypt, in the (AB)field of Zoan.
13 He (AC)divided the sea and caused them to pass through,
And He made the waters stand (AD)up like a heap.
14 Then He led them with the cloud by (AE)day
And all the night with a (AF)light of fire.
15 He (AG)split the rocks in the wilderness
And gave them plenty to drink like the ocean depths.
16 He (AH)brought forth streams from the rock
And made waters run down like rivers.

17 Yet they still continued to sin against Him,
To (AI)rebel against the Most High in the desert.
18 And in their heart they (AJ)put God to the test
By asking for (AK)food [g]that suited their taste.
19 Then they spoke against God;
They said, “(AL)Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 Behold, He (AM)struck the rock so that waters gushed out,
And streams were overflowing;
Can He also provide bread?
Will He prepare (AN)meat for His people?”

21 Therefore the Lord heard and [h]was (AO)full of wrath;
And a fire was kindled against Jacob,
And anger also mounted against Israel,
22 Because they (AP)did not believe in God
And did not trust in His salvation.
23 Yet He commanded the clouds above
And (AQ)opened the doors of heaven;
24 He (AR)rained down manna upon them to eat,
And gave them [i](AS)food from heaven.
25 Man ate the bread of [j]angels;
He sent them [k]food [l](AT)in abundance.
26 He (AU)made the east wind blow in the sky
And by His [m]power He directed the south wind.
27 When He rained meat upon them like the dust,
Even (AV)winged fowl like the sand of the seas,
28 He let them fall in the midst of [n]their camp,
All around their dwellings.
29 So they (AW)ate and were well filled,
And He [o]satisfied their longing.
30 [p]Yet before they had abandoned their longing,
(AX)While their food was in their mouths,
31 The (AY)anger of God rose against them
And killed [q]some of their (AZ)strongest ones,
And [r]subdued the choice men of Israel.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 78 Title Possibly, Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
  2. Psalm 78:1 Or law, teaching
  3. Psalm 78:5 Lit make them known
  4. Psalm 78:8 Or put right
  5. Psalm 78:9 Or being
  6. Psalm 78:11 Or wonderful works
  7. Psalm 78:18 Lit to their soul
  8. Psalm 78:21 Or became infuriated
  9. Psalm 78:24 Lit grain
  10. Psalm 78:25 Lit mighty ones
  11. Psalm 78:25 Or provision
  12. Psalm 78:25 Lit to satiation
  13. Psalm 78:26 Or strength
  14. Psalm 78:28 Lit His
  15. Psalm 78:29 Lit brought to them their
  16. Psalm 78:30 Lit They did not turn away from their
  17. Psalm 78:31 Lit among their fat ones
  18. Psalm 78:31 Lit caused to bow down

Psalm 78

A maskil[a] of Asaph.

My people, hear my teaching;(A)
    listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth with a parable;(B)
    I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
things we have heard and known,
    things our ancestors have told us.(C)
We will not hide them from their descendants;(D)
    we will tell the next generation(E)
the praiseworthy deeds(F) of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders(G) he has done.
He decreed statutes(H) for Jacob(I)
    and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
    to teach their children,
so the next generation would know them,
    even the children yet to be born,(J)
    and they in turn would tell their children.
Then they would put their trust in God
    and would not forget(K) his deeds
    but would keep his commands.(L)
They would not be like their ancestors(M)
    a stubborn(N) and rebellious(O) generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
    whose spirits were not faithful to him.

The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,(P)
    turned back on the day of battle;(Q)
10 they did not keep God’s covenant(R)
    and refused to live by his law.(S)
11 They forgot what he had done,(T)
    the wonders he had shown them.
12 He did miracles(U) in the sight of their ancestors
    in the land of Egypt,(V) in the region of Zoan.(W)
13 He divided the sea(X) and led them through;
    he made the water stand up like a wall.(Y)
14 He guided them with the cloud by day
    and with light from the fire all night.(Z)
15 He split the rocks(AA) in the wilderness
    and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16 he brought streams out of a rocky crag
    and made water flow down like rivers.

17 But they continued to sin(AB) against him,
    rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
18 They willfully put God to the test(AC)
    by demanding the food they craved.(AD)
19 They spoke against God;(AE)
    they said, “Can God really
    spread a table in the wilderness?
20 True, he struck the rock,
    and water gushed out,(AF)
    streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
    Can he supply meat(AG) for his people?”
21 When the Lord heard them, he was furious;
    his fire broke out(AH) against Jacob,
    and his wrath rose against Israel,
22 for they did not believe in God
    or trust(AI) in his deliverance.
23 Yet he gave a command to the skies above
    and opened the doors of the heavens;(AJ)
24 he rained down manna(AK) for the people to eat,
    he gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Human beings ate the bread of angels;
    he sent them all the food they could eat.
26 He let loose the east wind(AL) from the heavens
    and by his power made the south wind blow.
27 He rained meat down on them like dust,
    birds(AM) like sand on the seashore.
28 He made them come down inside their camp,
    all around their tents.
29 They ate till they were gorged—(AN)
    he had given them what they craved.
30 But before they turned from what they craved,
    even while the food was still in their mouths,(AO)
31 God’s anger rose against them;
    he put to death the sturdiest(AP) among them,
    cutting down the young men of Israel.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 78:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term

26 One who gives [a]a right answer
Kisses the lips.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:26 Or an honest

26 An honest answer
    is like a kiss on the lips.

Read full chapter