Psalm 78:1-39, Chant E

 

Psalm 78:1-39     Attendite, popule

1 Hear my teaching, O my peo-ple; *
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in a par-able; *
I will declare the mysteries of an-cient times

3 That which we have heard and known, and what our forefathers have told us, *
we will not hide from their chil-dren.

4 We will recount to generations to come the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the LORD, *
and the wonderful works he has done.

5 He gave his decrees to Jacob and established a law for Is-rael, *
which he commanded them to teach their chil-dren;

6 That the generations to come might know, and the children yet un-born; *
that they in their turn might tell it to their child-ren;

7 So that they might put their trust in God, *
and not forget the deeds of God, but keep his com-mand-ments;

8 And not be like their forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious ge-ne-ra-tion, *
a generation whose heart was not steadfast, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9 The people of Ephraim, armed with the bow, *
turned back in the day of bat-tle;

10 They did not keep the covenant of God, *
and refused to walk in his law;

11 They forgot what he had done, *
and the wonders he had shown them.

12 He worked marvels in the sight of their fore-fathers, *
in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zo-an.

13 He split open the sea and let them pass through; *
he made the waters stand up like walls.

14 He led them with a cloud by day, *
and all the night through with a glow of fire.

15 He split the hard rocks in the wil-derness *
and gave them drink as from the great deep.

16 He brought streams out of the cliff, *
and the waters gushed out like ri-vers.

17 But they went on sinning a-gainst him, *
rebelling in the desert against the Most High.

18 They tested God in their hearts, *
demanding food for their crav-ing.

19 They railed against God and said, *
“Can God set a table in the wil-derness?

20 True, he struck the rock, the waters gushed out, and the gullies over-flowed; *
but is he able to give bread or to provide meat for his peo-ple?”

21 When the LORD heard this,  he was full of wrath; *
a fire was kindled against Jacob, and his anger mounted against Is-rael;

22 For they had no faith in God, *
nor did they put their trust in his sav-ing power.

23 So he commanded the clouds a-bove *
and opened the doors of hea-ven.

24 He rained down manna upon them to eat *
and gave them grain from hea-ven.

25 So mortals ate the bread of an-gels; *
he provided for them food e-nough.

26 He caused the east wind to blow in the hea-vens *
and led out the south wind by his might.

27 He rained down flesh upon them like dust *
and winged birds like the sand of the sea.

28 He let it fall in the midst of their camp *
and round about their dwel-lings.

29 So they ate and were well filled, *
for he gave them what they craved.

30 But they did not stop their crav-ing, *
though the food was still in their mouths.

31 So God’s anger mounted a-gainst them; *
he slew their strongest men and laid low the youth of Is-rael.

32 In spite of all this, they went on sin-ning *
and had no faith in his wonderful works.

33 So he brought their days to an end like a breath *
and their years in sudden ter-ror.

34 Whenever he slew them, they would seek him, *
and repent, and diligently search for God.

35 They would remember that God was their rock, *
and the Most High God their re-deem-er.

36 But they flattered him with their mouths *
and lied to him with their tongues.

37 Their heart was not steadfast toward him, *
and they were not faithful to his cov-enant.

38 But he was so merciful that he forgave their sins and did not des-troy them; *
many times he held back his anger and did not permit his wrath to be roused.

39 For he remembered that they were but flesh, *
a breath that goes forth and does not re-turn.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spir-it: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. A-men.