Psalm 78:56-72
Contemporary English Version
56 (A) But the people tested
God Most High,
and they refused
to obey his laws.
57 They were as unfaithful
as their ancestors,
and they were as crooked
as a twisted arrow.
58 God demanded all their love,
but they made him angry
by worshiping idols.
59 So God became furious
and completely rejected
the people of Israel.
60 (B) Then he deserted his home
at Shiloh, where he lived
here on earth.
61 (C) He let enemies capture
the sacred chest[a]
and let them dishonor him.
62 God took out his anger
on his chosen ones
and let them be killed
by enemy swords.
63 Fire destroyed the young men,
and the young women were left
with no one to marry.
64 Priests died violent deaths,
but their widows
were not allowed to mourn.
65 Finally the Lord woke up,
like a soldier
startled from a drunken sleep.
66 God scattered his enemies
and made them ashamed
forever.
67 Then the Lord decided
not to make his home
with Joseph's descendants
in Ephraim.[b]
68 Instead he chose the tribe
of Judah,
and he chose Mount Zion,
the place he loves.
69 There he built his temple
as lofty as the mountains
and as solid as the earth
he made to last forever.
70 (D) The Lord God chose David
to be his servant and took him
from tending sheep
71 and from caring for lambs.
Then God made him the leader
of Israel, his own nation.
72 David treated the people fairly
and guided them with wisdom.
Footnotes
- 78.61 sacred chest: The Hebrew text has “his power,” which refers to the sacred chest. In Psalm 132.8 it is called “powerful.”
- 78.67 with … Ephraim: Ephraim was Joseph's youngest son. One of the twelve tribes was named after him, and sometimes the northern kingdom of Israel was also known as Ephraim. The town of Shiloh was in the territory of Ephraim, but the place where God was worshiped was moved from there to Zion (Jerusalem) in the territory of Judah.
Psalm 78:56-72
New International Version
56 But they put God to the test
and rebelled against the Most High;
they did not keep his statutes.
57 Like their ancestors(A) they were disloyal and faithless,
as unreliable as a faulty bow.(B)
58 They angered him(C) with their high places;(D)
they aroused his jealousy with their idols.(E)
59 When God heard(F) them, he was furious;(G)
he rejected Israel(H) completely.
60 He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,(I)
the tent he had set up among humans.(J)
61 He sent the ark of his might(K) into captivity,(L)
his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
62 He gave his people over to the sword;(M)
he was furious with his inheritance.(N)
63 Fire consumed(O) their young men,
and their young women had no wedding songs;(P)
64 their priests were put to the sword,(Q)
and their widows could not weep.
65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,(R)
as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.
66 He beat back his enemies;
he put them to everlasting shame.(S)
67 Then he rejected the tents of Joseph,
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;(T)
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,(U)
Mount Zion,(V) which he loved.
69 He built his sanctuary(W) like the heights,
like the earth that he established forever.
70 He chose David(X) his servant
and took him from the sheep pens;
71 from tending the sheep(Y) he brought him
to be the shepherd(Z) of his people Jacob,
of Israel his inheritance.
72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;(AA)
with skillful hands he led them.
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