Psalms 78:56-71

56Yet they challenged and defied the sovereign God, and did not obey his commands.

57They were unfaithful and acted as treacherously as their ancestors; they were as unreliable as a malfunctioning bow.

58They made him angry with their pagan shrines, and made him jealous with their idols.

59God heard and was angry; he completely rejected Israel.

60He abandoned the sanctuary at Shiloh, the tent where he lived among men.

61He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured; he gave the symbol of his splendor into the hand of the enemy.

62He delivered his people over to the sword, and was angry with his chosen nation.

63Fire consumed their young men, and their virgins remained unmarried.

64Their priests fell by the sword, but their widows did not weep.

65But then the Lord awoke from his sleep; he was like a warrior in a drunken rage.

66He drove his enemies back; he made them a permanent target for insults.

67He rejected the tent of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.

68He chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion, which he loves.

69He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above; as secure as the earth, which he established permanently.

70He chose David, his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds.

71He took him away from following the mother sheep, and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people, and of Israel, his chosen nation.