Psalms 78:51-72
Psalms 78:38-72 The Message (MSG)
And God? Compassionate! Forgave the sin! Didn’t destroy! Over and over he reined in his anger, restrained his considerable wrath. He knew what they were made of; he knew there wasn’t much to them, How often in the desert they had spurned him, tried his patience in those wilderness years. Time and again they pushed him to the limit, provoked Israel’s Holy God. How quickly they forgot what he’d done, forgot their day of rescue from the enemy, When he did miracles in Egypt, wonders on the plain of Zoan. He turned the River and its streams to blood— not a drop of water fit to drink. He sent flies, which ate them alive, and frogs, which drove them crazy. He turned their harvest over to caterpillars, everything they had worked for to the locusts. He flattened their grapevines with hail; a killing frost ruined their orchards. He pounded their cattle with hail, let thunderbolts loose on their herds. His anger flared, a wild firestorm of havoc, An advance guard of disease-carrying angels to clear the ground, preparing the way before him. He didn’t spare those people, he let the plague rage through their lives. He killed all the Egyptian firstborns, lusty infants, offspring of Ham’s virility. Then he led his people out like sheep, took his flock safely through the wilderness. He took good care of them; they had nothing to fear. The Sea took care of their enemies for good. He brought them into his holy land, this mountain he claimed for his own. He scattered everyone who got in their way; he staked out an inheritance for them— the tribes of Israel all had their own places. But they kept on giving him a hard time, rebelled against God, the High God, refused to do anything he told them. They were worse, if that’s possible, than their parents: traitors—crooked as a corkscrew. Their pagan orgies provoked God’s anger, their obscene idolatries broke his heart. When God heard their carryings-on, he was furious; he posted a huge No over Israel. He walked off and left Shiloh empty, abandoned the shrine where he had met with Israel. He let his pride and joy go to the dogs, turned his back on the pride of his life. He turned them loose on fields of battle; angry, he let them fend for themselves. Their young men went to war and never came back; their young women waited in vain. Their priests were massacred, and their widows never shed a tear. Suddenly the Lord was up on his feet like someone roused from deep sleep, shouting like a drunken warrior. He hit his enemies hard, sent them running, yelping, not daring to look back. He disqualified Joseph as leader, told Ephraim he didn’t have what it takes, And chose the Tribe of Judah instead, Mount Zion, which he loves so much. He built his sanctuary there, resplendent, solid and lasting as the earth itself. Then he chose David, his servant, handpicked him from his work in the sheep pens. One day he was caring for the ewes and their lambs, the next day God had him shepherding Jacob, his people Israel, his prize possession. His good heart made him a good shepherd; he guided the people wisely and well.
Psalms 78:51-72 King James Version (KJV)
And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; The chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham: But made his own people to go forth like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock. And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: But the sea overwhelmed their enemies. And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, Even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased. He cast out the heathen also before them, And divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents. Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, And kept not his testimonies: But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: They were turned aside like a deceitful bow. For they provoked him to anger with their high places, And moved him to jealousy with their graven images. When God heard this, he was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel: So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent which he placed among men; And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the enemy's hand. He gave his people over also unto the sword; And was wroth with his inheritance. The fire consumed their young men; And their maidens were not given to marriage. Their priests fell by the sword; And their widows made no lamentation. Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, And like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine. And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: He put them to a perpetual reproach. Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, And chose not the tribe of Ephraim: But chose the tribe of Judah, The mount Zion which he loved. And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, Like the earth which he hath established for ever. He chose David also his servant, And took him from the sheepfolds: From following the ewes great with young he brought him To feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance. So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; And guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
Psalms 78:51-72 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
And smote all the firstborn in Egypt, The first issue of their virility in the tents of Ham. But He led forth His own people like sheep And guided them in the wilderness like a flock; He led them safely, so that they did not fear; But the sea engulfed their enemies. So He brought them to His holy land, To this hill country which His right hand had gained. He also drove out the nations before them And apportioned them for an inheritance by measurement, And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents. Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God And did not keep His testimonies, But turned back and acted treacherously like their fathers; They turned aside like a treacherous bow. For they provoked Him with their high places And aroused His jealousy with their graven images. When God heard, He was filled with wrath And greatly abhorred Israel; So that He abandoned the dwelling place at Shiloh, The tent which He had pitched among men, And gave up His strength to captivity And His glory into the hand of the adversary. He also delivered His people to the sword, And was filled with wrath at His inheritance. Fire devoured His young men, And His virgins had no wedding songs. His priests fell by the sword, And His widows could not weep. Then the Lord awoke as if from sleep, Like a warrior overcome by wine. He drove His adversaries backward; He put on them an everlasting reproach. He also rejected the tent of Joseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved. And He built His sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which He has founded forever. He also chose David His servant And took him from the sheepfolds; From the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought him To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them with his skillful hands.
Psalms 78:51-72 New Century Version (NCV)
God killed all the firstborn sons in Egypt, the oldest son of each family of Ham. But God led his people out like sheep and he guided them like a flock through the desert. He led them to safety so they had nothing to fear, but their enemies drowned in the sea. So God brought them to his holy land, to the mountain country he took with his own power. He forced out the other nations, and he had his people inherit the land. He let the tribes of Israel settle there in tents. But they tested God and turned against God Most High; they did not keep his rules. They turned away and were disloyal just like their ancestors. They were like a crooked bow that does not shoot straight. They made God angry by building places to worship gods; they made him jealous with their idols. When God heard them, he became very angry and rejected the people of Israel completely. He left his dwelling at Shiloh, the Tent where he lived among the people. He let the Ark, his power, be captured; he let the Ark, his glory, be taken by enemies. He let his people be killed; he was very angry with his children. The young men died by fire, and the young women had no one to marry. Their priests fell by the sword, but their widows were not allowed to cry. Then the Lord got up as if he had been asleep; he awoke like a man who had been drunk with wine. He struck down his enemies and disgraced them forever. But God rejected the family of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim. Instead, he chose the tribe of Judah and Mount Zion, which he loves. And he built his Temple high like the mountains. Like the earth, he built it to last forever. He chose David to be his servant and took him from the sheep pens. He brought him from tending the sheep so he could lead the flock, the people of Jacob, his own people, the people of Israel. And David led them with an innocent heart and guided them with skillful hands.
Psalms 78:51-72 American Standard Version (ASV)
And smote all the first-born in Egypt, The chief of their strength in the tents of Ham. But he led forth his own people like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock. And he led them safely, so that they feared not; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies. And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, To this mountain, which his right hand had gotten. He drove out the nations also before them, And allotted them for an inheritance by line, And made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents. Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, And kept not his testimonies; But turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers: They were turned aside like a deceitful bow. For they provoked him to anger with their high places, And moved him to jealousy with their graven images. When God heard this, he was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel; So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent which he placed among men; And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the adversary’s hand. He gave his people over also unto the sword, And was wroth with his inheritance. Fire devoured their young men; And their virgins had no marriage-song. Their priests fell by the sword; And their widows made no lamentation. Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, Like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine. And he smote his adversaries backward: He put them to a perpetual reproach. Moreover he refused the tent of Joseph, And chose not the tribe of Ephraim, But chose the tribe of Judah, The mount Zion which he loved. And he built his sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which he hath established for ever. He chose David also his servant, And took him from the sheepfolds: From following the ewes that have their young he brought him, To be the shepherd of Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance. So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
Psalms 78:51-72 New International Version (NIV)
He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham. But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the wilderness. He guided them safely, so they were unafraid; but the sea engulfed their enemies. And so he brought them to the border of his holy land, to the hill country his right hand had taken. He drove out nations before them and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes. But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes. Like their ancestors they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow. They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols. When God heard them, he was furious; he rejected Israel completely. He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among humans. He sent the ark of his might into captivity, his splendor into the hands of the enemy. He gave his people over to the sword; he was furious with his inheritance. Fire consumed their young men, and their young women had no wedding songs; their priests were put to the sword, and their widows could not weep. Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine. He beat back his enemies; he put them to everlasting shame. Then he rejected the tents of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim; but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved. He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever. He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.
Psalms 78:51-72 New King James Version (NKJV)
And destroyed all the firstborn in Egypt, The first of their strength in the tents of Ham. But He made His own people go forth like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock; And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies. And He brought them to His holy border, This mountain which His right hand had acquired. He also drove out the nations before them, Allotted them an inheritance by survey, And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents. Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God, And did not keep His testimonies, But turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers; They were turned aside like a deceitful bow. For they provoked Him to anger with their high places, And moved Him to jealousy with their carved images. When God heard this, He was furious, And greatly abhorred Israel, So that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men, And delivered His strength into captivity, And His glory into the enemy’s hand. He also gave His people over to the sword, And was furious with His inheritance. The fire consumed their young men, And their maidens were not given in marriage. Their priests fell by the sword, And their widows made no lamentation. Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, Like a mighty man who shouts because of wine. And He beat back His enemies; He put them to a perpetual reproach. Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved. And He built His sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which He has established forever. He also chose David His servant, And took him from the sheepfolds; From following the ewes that had young He brought him, To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
Psalms 78:51-72 Amplified Bible (AMP)
He killed all the firstborn in Egypt, The first and best of their strength in the tents [of the land of the sons] of Ham. But God led His own people forward like sheep And guided them in the wilderness like [a good shepherd with] a flock. He led them safely, so that they did not fear; But the sea engulfed their enemies. [Ex 14:27, 28] ¶So He brought them to His holy land, To this mountain [Zion] which His right hand had acquired. He also drove out the nations before the sons of Israel And allotted their land as an inheritance, measured out and partitioned; And He had the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents [the tents of those who had been dispossessed]. Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God And did not keep His testimonies (laws). They turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers; They were twisted like a warped bow [that will not respond to the archer’s aim]. For they provoked Him to [righteous] anger with their high places [devoted to idol worship] And moved Him to jealousy with their carved images [by denying Him the love, worship, and obedience that is rightfully and uniquely His]. When God heard this, He was filled with [righteous] wrath; And utterly rejected Israel, [greatly hating her ways], So that He abandoned the tabernacle at Shiloh, The tent in which He had dwelled among men, And gave up His strength and power (the ark of the covenant) into captivity, And His glory into the hand of the enemy (the Philistines). [1 Sam 4:21] He also handed His people over to the sword, And was infuriated with His inheritance (Israel). [1 Sam 4:10] The fire [of war] devoured His young men, And His [bereaved] virgins had no wedding songs. His priests [Hophni and Phinehas] fell by the sword, And His widows could not weep. [1 Sam 4:11, 19, 20] ¶Then the Lord awakened as from sleep, Like a [mighty] warrior who awakens from the sleep of wine [fully conscious of his power]. He drove His enemies backward; He subjected them to lasting shame and dishonor. Moreover, He rejected the tent of Joseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim [in which the tabernacle stood]. But He chose the tribe of Judah [as Israel’s leader], Mount Zion, which He loved [to replace Shiloh as His capital]. And He built His sanctuary [exalted] like the heights [of the heavens], Like the earth which He has established forever. He also chose David His servant And took him from the sheepfolds; [1 Sam 16:11, 12] From tending the ewes with nursing young He brought him To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. [2 Sam 7:7, 8] So David shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart; And guided them with his skillful hands.
Psalms 78:51-72 New Living Translation (NLT)
He killed the oldest son in each Egyptian family, the flower of youth throughout the land of Egypt. But he led his own people like a flock of sheep, guiding them safely through the wilderness. He kept them safe so they were not afraid; but the sea covered their enemies. He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this land of hills he had won for them. He drove out the nations before them; he gave them their inheritance by lot. He settled the tribes of Israel into their homes. But they kept testing and rebelling against God Most High. They did not obey his laws. They turned back and were as faithless as their parents. They were as undependable as a crooked bow. They angered God by building shrines to other gods; they made him jealous with their idols. When God heard them, he was very angry, and he completely rejected Israel. Then he abandoned his dwelling at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he had lived among the people. He allowed the Ark of his might to be captured; he surrendered his glory into enemy hands. He gave his people over to be butchered by the sword, because he was so angry with his own people—his special possession. Their young men were killed by fire; their young women died before singing their wedding songs. Their priests were slaughtered, and their widows could not mourn their deaths. Then the Lord rose up as though waking from sleep, like a warrior aroused from a drunken stupor. He routed his enemies and sent them to eternal shame. But he rejected Joseph’s descendants; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim. He chose instead the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion, which he loved. There he built his sanctuary as high as the heavens, as solid and enduring as the earth. He chose his servant David, calling him from the sheep pens. He took David from tending the ewes and lambs and made him the shepherd of Jacob’s descendants— God’s own people, Israel. He cared for them with a true heart and led them with skillful hands.
Psalms 78:50-72 The Passion Translation (TPT)
He lifted his mercy and let loose his fearful anger and did not spare their lives. He released the judgment-plagues to rage through their land. God struck down in death all the firstborn sons of Egypt— the pride and joy of each family. Then, like a shepherd leading his sheep, God led his people out of tyranny, guiding them through the wilderness like a flock. Safely and carefully God led them out, with nothing to fear. But their enemies he led into the sea. He took care of them there once and for all! Eventually God brought his people to the Holy Land, to a land of hills that he had prepared for them. He drove out and scattered all the peoples occupying the land, staking out an inheritance, a portion for each of Israel’s tribes. Yet for all of this, they still rebelled and refused to follow his ways, provoking to anger the God Most High. Like traitors turning back, they forsook him. They were even worse than their fathers! They became treacherous deceivers, crooked and corrupt, and worshiped false gods in the high places, bringing low the name of God with every idol they erected. No wonder he was filled with jealousy and furious with anger! Enraged with anger, God turned his wrath on them, and he rejected his people with disgust. God walked away from them and left his dwelling place at Shiloh, abandoning the place where he had lived among them, allowing his emblem of strength, his glory-ark, to be captured. Enemies stole the very source of Israel’s power. God vented his rage, allowing his people to be butchered when they went out to battle, for his anger was intense against his very own. Their young men fell on the battlefield and never came back. Their daughters never heard their wedding songs, since there was no one left to marry! Their priests were slaughtered and their widows were killed before they had time to weep. Then all at once the Almighty awakened as though he had been asleep. Like a mighty man he arose, roaring into action! He blasted into battle, driving back every foe, defeating them and disgracing them for time and eternity. He rejected Joseph’s family, the tribe of Ephraim. He chose instead the tribe of Judah and Mount Zion, which he loves. There he built his towering temple, strong and enduring as the earth itself. God also chose his beloved one, David. He promoted him from caring for sheep and made him his prophetic servant. God prepared David and took this gentle shepherd-king and presented him before the people as the one who would love and care for them with integrity, a pure heart, and the anointing to lead Israel, his holy inheritance.
Psalms 78:51-72 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
He struck down every firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham. Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. And he brought them to his holy land, to the mountain which his right hand had won. He drove out nations before them; he apportioned them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents. Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies, but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow. For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols. When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel. He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mankind, and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe. He gave his people over to the sword and vented his wrath on his heritage. Fire devoured their young men, and their young women had no marriage song. Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation. Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a strong man shouting because of wine. And he put his adversaries to rout; he put them to everlasting shame. He rejected the tent of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves. He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever. He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance. With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.