Psalm 78:9-20

Common English Bible

⁹ The children of Ephraim, armed with bows,
    retreated on the day of battle.
¹⁰ They didn’t keep God’s covenant;
    they refused to walk in his Instruction.
¹¹ They forgot God’s deeds
    as well as the wondrous works he showed them.
¹² But God performed wonders in their ancestors’ presence—
    in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
¹³ God split the sea and led them through,
    making the waters stand up like a wall.
¹⁴ God led them with the cloud by day;
    by the lightning all through the night.
¹⁵ God split rocks open in the wilderness,
    gave them plenty to drink—
    as if from the deep itself!
¹⁶ God made streams flow from the rock,
    made water run like rivers.

¹⁷ But they continued to sin against God,
    rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
¹⁸ They tested God in their hearts,
    demanded food for their stomachs.
¹⁹ They spoke against God!
    “Can God set a dinner table in the wilderness?” they asked.
²⁰ “True, God struck the rock
    and water gushed and streams flowed,
        but can he give bread too?
        Can he provide meat for his people?”