Psalm 78

A maskil^[a] of Asaph.

The Covenant Renewed at Mount Ebal

³⁰ Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal^(A) an altar^(B) to the Lord, the God of Israel, ³¹ as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses—an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool^(C) had been used. On it they offered to the Lord burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings.^{(D) 32} There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses.^{(E) 33} All the Israelites, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, facing the Levitical^(F) priests who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and the native-born^(G) were there. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal,^(H) as Moses the servant of the Lord had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel.

³⁴ Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law.^{(I) 35} There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them.^(J)

¹³ The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns^(A) of the golden altar that is before God.^{(B) 14} It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels^(C) who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”^{(D) 15} And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released^(E) to kill a third^(F) of mankind.^{(G) 16} The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.^(H)

¹⁷ The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths^(I) came fire, smoke and sulfur.^{(J) 18} A third^(K) of mankind was killed^(L) by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur^(M) that came out of their mouths. ¹⁹ The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

²⁰ The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent^(N) of the work of their hands;^(O) they did not stop worshiping demons,^(P) and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.^{(Q) 21} Nor did they repent^(R) of their murders, their magic arts,^(S) their sexual immorality^(T) or their thefts.