Font Size
Psalm 77-78
Easy-to-Read Version
Psalm 77-78
Easy-to-Read Version
To the director, Jeduthun.[a] One of Asaph’s songs.
77 I cry out to God for help.
I cry out to you, God; listen to me!
2 My Lord, in my time of trouble I came to you.
I reached out for you all night long.
My soul refused to be comforted.
3 I thought about you, God,
and tried to tell you how I felt, but I could not.
4 You would not let me sleep.
I tried to say something, but I was too upset.
5 I kept thinking about the past,
about things that happened long ago.
6 During the night, I thought about my songs.
I talked to myself, trying to understand what is happening.
7 I wondered, “Has our Lord rejected us forever?
Will he ever accept us again?
8 Is his love gone forever?
Will he never again speak to us?
9 Has God forgotten what mercy is?
Has his compassion changed to anger?” Selah
10 Then I said to myself, “What bothers me most is the thought
that God Most High has lost his power.”
11 Lord, I remember what you have done.
I remember the amazing things you did long ago.
12 I think about those things.
I think about them all the time.
13 God, all that you do is holy.
No god is as great as you are.
14 You are the God who does amazing things.
You showed the nations your great power.
15 By your power you saved your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16 God, the water saw you and became afraid.
The deep water shook with fear.
17 The thick clouds dropped their water.
Thunder roared in the sky above.
Your arrows of lightning flashed through the clouds.
18 There were loud claps of thunder.
Lightning lit up the world.
The earth shook and trembled.
19 You walked through the water and crossed the deep sea,
but you left no footprints.
20 You led your people like sheep,
using Moses and Aaron to guide them.
One of Asaph’s maskils.
78 My people, listen to my teachings.
Listen to what I say.
2 I will tell you a story.
I will tell you about things from the past that are hard to understand.
3 We have heard the story, and we know it well.
Our fathers told it to us.
4 And we will not forget it.
Our people will be telling this story to the last generation.
We will all praise the Lord
and tell about the amazing things he did.
5 He made an agreement with Jacob.
He gave the law to Israel.
He gave the commands to our ancestors.
He told them to teach the law to their children.
6 Then the next generation, even the children not yet born, would learn the law.
And they would be able to teach it to their own children.
7 So they would all trust in God,
never forgetting what he had done
and always obeying his commands.
8 They would not be like their ancestors,
who were stubborn and refused to obey.
Their hearts were not devoted to God,
and they were not faithful to him.
9 The men from Ephraim had their weapons,
but they ran from the battle.
10 They did not keep their agreement with God.
They refused to obey his teachings.
11 They forgot the great things he had done
and the amazing things he had shown them.
12 While their ancestors watched,
he showed his great power at Zoan in Egypt.
13 He split the Red Sea and led the people across.
The water stood like a solid wall on both sides of them.
14 Each day God led them with the tall cloud,
and each night he led them with the light from the column of fire.
15 He split the rocks in the desert
and gave them an ocean of fresh water.
16 He brought a stream of water out of the rock
and made it flow like a river!
17 But they continued sinning against him.
They rebelled against God Most High in the desert.
18 Then they decided to test God
by telling him to give them the food they wanted.
19 They complained about him and said,
“Can God give us food in the desert?
20 Yes, he struck the rock and a flood of water came out.
But can he give us bread and meat?”
21 The Lord heard what they said
and became angry with Jacob’s people.
He was angry with Israel,
22 because they did not trust in him.
They did not believe that God could save them.
23-24 But then God opened the clouds above,
and manna rained down on them for food.
It was as if doors in the sky opened,
and grain poured down from a storehouse in the sky.
25 These people ate the food of angels.
God sent plenty of food to satisfy them.
26 He sent a strong wind from the east,
and by his power he made the south wind blow.
27 He made quail fall like rain until they covered the ground.
There were so many birds that they were like sand on the seashore.
28 The birds fell in the middle of the camp,
all around their tents.
29 The people ate until they were full.
God had given them what they wanted.
30 But before they were fully satisfied,
while the food was still in their mouths,
31 God became angry and killed even the strongest of them.
He brought down Israel’s best young men.
32 But the people continued to sin!
They did not trust in the amazing things God could do.
33 So he ended their worthless lives;
he brought their years to a close with disaster.
34 When he killed some of them, the others would turn back to him.
They would come running back to God.
35 They would remember that God was their Rock.
They would remember that God Most High had saved them.
36 But they tried to fool him with their words;
they told him lies.
37 Their hearts were not really with him.
They were not faithful to the agreement he gave them.
38 But God was merciful.
He forgave their sins and did not destroy them.
Many times he held back his anger.
He never let it get out of control.
39 He remembered that they were only people,
like a wind that blows and then is gone.
40 Oh, they caused him so much trouble in the desert!
They made him so sad.
41 Again and again they tested his patience.
They really hurt the Holy One of Israel.
42 They forgot about his power.
They forgot the many times he saved them from the enemy.
43 They forgot the miracles in Egypt,
the miracles in the fields of Zoan.
44 God turned the rivers into blood,
and the Egyptians could not drink the water.
45 He sent swarms of flies that bit them.
He sent the frogs that ruined their lives.
46 He gave their crops to grasshoppers
and their other plants to locusts.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail
and their trees with sleet.
48 He killed their animals with hail
and their cattle with lightning.
49 He showed the Egyptians his anger.
He sent his destroying angels against them.
50 He found a way to show his anger.
He did not spare their lives.
He let them die with a deadly disease.
51 He killed all the firstborn sons in Egypt.
He killed every firstborn in Ham’s[b] family.
52 Then he led Israel like a shepherd.
He led his people like sheep into the desert.
53 He guided them safely.
They had nothing to fear.
He drowned their enemies in the sea.
54 He led his people to his holy land,
to the mountain he took with his own power.
55 He forced the other nations out before them
and gave each family its share of the land.
He gave each tribe of Israel a place to live.
56 But they tested God Most High and made him very sad.
They didn’t obey his commands.
57 They turned against him and were unfaithful just like their ancestors.
They changed directions like a boomerang.
58 They built high places and made God angry.
They built statues of false gods and made him jealous.
59 God heard what they were doing and became very angry.
So he rejected Israel completely!
60 He abandoned his place at Shiloh,[c]
the Holy Tent where he lived among the people.
61 He let foreigners capture the Box of the Agreement,
the symbol of his power and glory.
62 He showed his anger against his people
and let them be killed in war.
63 Their young men were burned to death,
and there were no wedding songs for their young women.
64 Their priests were killed,
but the widows had no time to mourn for them.
65 Finally, our Lord got up
like a man waking from his sleep,
like a soldier after drinking too much wine.
66 He forced his enemies to turn back defeated.
He brought them shame that will last forever.
67 Then he rejected Joseph’s family.
He did not accept Ephraim’s family.
68 No, he chose the tribe of Judah,
and he chose Mount Zion, the place he loves.
69 He built his holy Temple high on that mountain.
Like the earth, God built his Temple to last forever.
70 He chose David to be his special servant.
He took him from the sheep pens.
71 He took him away from the job of caring for sheep
and gave him the job of caring for the descendants of Jacob—Israel, his chosen people.
72 And David led them with a pure heart
and guided them very wisely.
Footnotes
- Psalm 77:1 Psalm 77 Jeduthun Or “and to Jeduthun,” one of the three main temple musicians. See 1 Chron. 9:16; 16:38-42.
- Psalm 78:51 Ham The Egyptians were Ham’s descendants. See Gen. 10:6-10.
- Psalm 78:60 place at Shiloh See 1 Sam. 4:4-11; Jer. 7:17.
Psalm 77-78
New International Version
Psalm 77-78
New International Version
Psalm 77[a]
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.
1 I cried out to God(A) for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
2 When I was in distress,(B) I sought the Lord;
at night(C) I stretched out untiring hands,(D)
and I would not be comforted.(E)
3 I remembered(F) you, God, and I groaned;(G)
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.[b](H)
4 You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.(I)
5 I thought about the former days,(J)
the years of long ago;
6 I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart meditated and my spirit asked:
7 “Will the Lord reject forever?(K)
Will he never show his favor(L) again?
8 Has his unfailing love(M) vanished forever?
Has his promise(N) failed for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?(O)
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?(P)”
10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.(Q)
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles(R) of long ago.
12 I will consider(S) all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”(T)
13 Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?(U)
14 You are the God who performs miracles;(V)
you display your power among the peoples.
15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,(W)
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
16 The waters(X) saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;(Y)
the very depths were convulsed.
17 The clouds poured down water,(Z)
the heavens resounded with thunder;(AA)
your arrows(AB) flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,(AC)
your lightning(AD) lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.(AE)
19 Your path(AF) led through the sea,(AG)
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
Psalm 78
A maskil[c] of Asaph.
1 My people, hear my teaching;(AK)
listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth with a parable;(AL)
I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
3 things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.(AM)
4 We will not hide them from their descendants;(AN)
we will tell the next generation(AO)
the praiseworthy deeds(AP) of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders(AQ) he has done.
5 He decreed statutes(AR) for Jacob(AS)
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,(AT)
and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget(AU) his deeds
but would keep his commands.(AV)
8 They would not be like their ancestors(AW)—
a stubborn(AX) and rebellious(AY) generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
whose spirits were not faithful to him.
9 The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,(AZ)
turned back on the day of battle;(BA)
10 they did not keep God’s covenant(BB)
and refused to live by his law.(BC)
11 They forgot what he had done,(BD)
the wonders he had shown them.
12 He did miracles(BE) in the sight of their ancestors
in the land of Egypt,(BF) in the region of Zoan.(BG)
13 He divided the sea(BH) and led them through;
he made the water stand up like a wall.(BI)
14 He guided them with the cloud by day
and with light from the fire all night.(BJ)
15 He split the rocks(BK) in the wilderness
and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16 he brought streams out of a rocky crag
and made water flow down like rivers.
17 But they continued to sin(BL) against him,
rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
18 They willfully put God to the test(BM)
by demanding the food they craved.(BN)
19 They spoke against God;(BO)
they said, “Can God really
spread a table in the wilderness?
20 True, he struck the rock,
and water gushed out,(BP)
streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
Can he supply meat(BQ) for his people?”
21 When the Lord heard them, he was furious;
his fire broke out(BR) against Jacob,
and his wrath rose against Israel,
22 for they did not believe in God
or trust(BS) in his deliverance.
23 Yet he gave a command to the skies above
and opened the doors of the heavens;(BT)
24 he rained down manna(BU) for the people to eat,
he gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Human beings ate the bread of angels;
he sent them all the food they could eat.
26 He let loose the east wind(BV) from the heavens
and by his power made the south wind blow.
27 He rained meat down on them like dust,
birds(BW) like sand on the seashore.
28 He made them come down inside their camp,
all around their tents.
29 They ate till they were gorged—(BX)
he had given them what they craved.
30 But before they turned from what they craved,
even while the food was still in their mouths,(BY)
31 God’s anger rose against them;
he put to death the sturdiest(BZ) among them,
cutting down the young men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;(CA)
in spite of his wonders,(CB) they did not believe.(CC)
33 So he ended their days in futility(CD)
and their years in terror.
34 Whenever God slew them, they would seek(CE) him;
they eagerly turned to him again.
35 They remembered that God was their Rock,(CF)
that God Most High was their Redeemer.(CG)
36 But then they would flatter him with their mouths,(CH)
lying to him with their tongues;
37 their hearts were not loyal(CI) to him,
they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he was merciful;(CJ)
he forgave(CK) their iniquities(CL)
and did not destroy them.
Time after time he restrained his anger(CM)
and did not stir up his full wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh,(CN)
a passing breeze(CO) that does not return.
40 How often they rebelled(CP) against him in the wilderness(CQ)
and grieved him(CR) in the wasteland!
41 Again and again they put God to the test;(CS)
they vexed the Holy One of Israel.(CT)
42 They did not remember(CU) his power—
the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,(CV)
43 the day he displayed his signs(CW) in Egypt,
his wonders(CX) in the region of Zoan.
44 He turned their river into blood;(CY)
they could not drink from their streams.
45 He sent swarms of flies(CZ) that devoured them,
and frogs(DA) that devastated them.
46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper,(DB)
their produce to the locust.(DC)
47 He destroyed their vines with hail(DD)
and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48 He gave over their cattle to the hail,
their livestock(DE) to bolts of lightning.
49 He unleashed against them his hot anger,(DF)
his wrath, indignation and hostility—
a band of destroying angels.(DG)
50 He prepared a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death
but gave them over to the plague.
51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt,(DH)
the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.(DI)
52 But he brought his people out like a flock;(DJ)
he led them like sheep through the wilderness.
53 He guided them safely, so they were unafraid;
but the sea engulfed(DK) their enemies.(DL)
54 And so he brought them to the border of his holy land,
to the hill country his right hand(DM) had taken.
55 He drove out nations(DN) before them
and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance;(DO)
he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.
56 But they put God to the test
and rebelled against the Most High;
they did not keep his statutes.
57 Like their ancestors(DP) they were disloyal and faithless,
as unreliable as a faulty bow.(DQ)
58 They angered him(DR) with their high places;(DS)
they aroused his jealousy with their idols.(DT)
59 When God heard(DU) them, he was furious;(DV)
he rejected Israel(DW) completely.
60 He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,(DX)
the tent he had set up among humans.(DY)
61 He sent the ark of his might(DZ) into captivity,(EA)
his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
62 He gave his people over to the sword;(EB)
he was furious with his inheritance.(EC)
63 Fire consumed(ED) their young men,
and their young women had no wedding songs;(EE)
64 their priests were put to the sword,(EF)
and their widows could not weep.
65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,(EG)
as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.
66 He beat back his enemies;
he put them to everlasting shame.(EH)
67 Then he rejected the tents of Joseph,
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;(EI)
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,(EJ)
Mount Zion,(EK) which he loved.
69 He built his sanctuary(EL) like the heights,
like the earth that he established forever.
70 He chose David(EM) his servant
and took him from the sheep pens;
71 from tending the sheep(EN) he brought him
to be the shepherd(EO) of his people Jacob,
of Israel his inheritance.
72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;(EP)
with skillful hands he led them.
Footnotes
- Psalm 77:1 In Hebrew texts 77:1-20 is numbered 77:2-21.
- Psalm 77:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 9 and 15.
- Psalm 78:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.