Psalms 78:12-43

12He did miracles for their ancestors to see, in the region of Egypt that is called Zoan.

13He cut the sea into two separate parts, and he led them through it. He made a path between two walls of water.

14He showed them the way with a cloud in the day and with light from a fire all night.

15He broke rocks into pieces in the wilderness so that his people had plenty of water. Springs of water came from deep in the earth.

16He caused streams to pour from the rocks so that the waters ran like rivers.

17But his people continued to do bad things against him. In the wilderness, they turned against the Most High God.

18They decided to test God, to see what he would do. They demanded to have the food that they liked best.

19They spoke against God, and they said, ‘Can God give us food to eat here in the wilderness?

20Yes, water did come out when he hit the rock. There were streams of water that poured out like a river. But can he also give us food to eat? Can he supply meat for his people?’

21When the Lord heard this, he was very angry. So he sent fire to punish his people. He became very angry against the Israelites.

22They did not trust God, that he had the power to save them.

23So God commanded the clouds high above to give food to his people. He caused the skies to open like a door.

24He poured down manna like rain, so that they could eat grain that came from heaven.

25In that way, people ate the special bread of angels! God gave them all the food that they could eat.

26Then God caused a wind to blow from the east. He used his power to send a south wind too.

27He caused meat to pour down on them, like dust from the sky. The birds covered all the ground like sand on the shore of the sea.

28God made the birds fall near the tents where his people were living.

29They ate as much as they could eat. Yes, God gave them what they had demanded!

30But God became very angry with them, even before they had finished eating. While the food was still in their mouths, he killed the strongest men among them. Many of the best young Israelite men died.

32Even when this happened, the people continued to do bad things. When God had done these miracles, they still did not trust him to help them.

33So he made their lives end quickly, like a breath. They became very afraid.

34When God killed some of them, the other people turned to God. They were sorry and they prayed to him.

35They remembered that God was their strong Rock. They remembered that the Most High God was their Redeemer.

36But they deceived him with their words. What they said to him was lies.

37They did not really trust him. They did not obey the covenant that he had made with them.

38But God was kind to them, and he forgave them for their sins. He did not destroy them. Many times he was patient, and he did not become angry with them.

39He remembered that they were weak and human, like a wind that blows away and does not return.

40When the Israelite people were in the wilderness, they often turned against God. That caused God to be very sad.

41Many times they tested God, the Holy One of Israel, so that he was very upset.

42They forgot about his great power, and how he rescued them from their enemies.

43He did powerful miracles in Egypt, in the region of Zoan.