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Psalm 78:18-38
New Living Translation
Psalm 78:18-38
New Living Translation
18 They stubbornly tested God in their hearts,
demanding the foods they craved.
19 They even spoke against God himself, saying,
“God can’t give us food in the wilderness.
20 Yes, he can strike a rock so water gushes out,
but he can’t give his people bread and meat.”
21 When the Lord heard them, he was furious.
The fire of his wrath burned against Jacob.
Yes, his anger rose against Israel,
22 for they did not believe God
or trust him to care for them.
23 But he commanded the skies to open;
he opened the doors of heaven.
24 He rained down manna for them to eat;
he gave them bread from heaven.
25 They ate the food of angels!
God gave them all they could hold.
26 He released the east wind in the heavens
and guided the south wind by his mighty power.
27 He rained down meat as thick as dust—
birds as plentiful as the sand on the seashore!
28 He caused the birds to fall within their camp
and all around their tents.
29 The people ate their fill.
He gave them what they craved.
30 But before they satisfied their craving,
while the meat was yet in their mouths,
31 the anger of God rose against them,
and he killed their strongest men.
He struck down the finest of Israel’s young men.
32 But in spite of this, the people kept sinning.
Despite his wonders, they refused to trust him.
33 So he ended their lives in failure,
their years in terror.
34 When God began killing them,
they finally sought him.
They repented and took God seriously.
35 Then they remembered that God was their rock,
that God Most High[a] was their redeemer.
36 But all they gave him was lip service;
they lied to him with their tongues.
37 Their hearts were not loyal to him.
They did not keep his covenant.
38 Yet he was merciful and forgave their sins
and did not destroy them all.
Many times he held back his anger
and did not unleash his fury!
Footnotes
- 78:35 Hebrew El-Elyon.
Psalm 78:18-38
New International Version
Psalm 78:18-38
New International Version
18 They willfully put God to the test(A)
by demanding the food they craved.(B)
19 They spoke against God;(C)
they said, “Can God really
spread a table in the wilderness?
20 True, he struck the rock,
and water gushed out,(D)
streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
Can he supply meat(E) for his people?”
21 When the Lord heard them, he was furious;
his fire broke out(F) against Jacob,
and his wrath rose against Israel,
22 for they did not believe in God
or trust(G) in his deliverance.
23 Yet he gave a command to the skies above
and opened the doors of the heavens;(H)
24 he rained down manna(I) 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(J) from the heavens
and by his power made the south wind blow.
27 He rained meat down on them like dust,
birds(K) 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—(L)
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,(M)
31 God’s anger rose against them;
he put to death the sturdiest(N) among them,
cutting down the young men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;(O)
in spite of his wonders,(P) they did not believe.(Q)
33 So he ended their days in futility(R)
and their years in terror.
34 Whenever God slew them, they would seek(S) him;
they eagerly turned to him again.
35 They remembered that God was their Rock,(T)
that God Most High was their Redeemer.(U)
36 But then they would flatter him with their mouths,(V)
lying to him with their tongues;
37 their hearts were not loyal(W) to him,
they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he was merciful;(X)
he forgave(Y) their iniquities(Z)
and did not destroy them.
Time after time he restrained his anger(AA)
and did not stir up his full wrath.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.