78:49 His raging anger lashed out against them,
He sent fury, rage, and trouble
as messengers who bring disaster.
78:50 He sent his anger in full force;
he did not spare them from death;
he handed their lives over to destruction.
78:51 He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt,
the firstfruits of their reproductive power
78:52 Yet he brought out his people like sheep;
he led them through the wilderness like a flock.
78:53 He guided them safely along,
while the sea covered their enemies.
78:54 He brought them to the border of his holy land,
to this mountainous land
78:55 He drove the nations out from before them;
he assigned them their tribal allotments
and allowed the tribes of Israel to settle down.
78:56 Yet they challenged and defied
and did not obey
78:57 They were unfaithful
they were as unreliable as a malfunctioning bow.
78:58 They made him angry with their pagan shrines,
and made him jealous with their idols.
78:59 God heard and was angry;
he completely rejected Israel.
78:60 He abandoned
the tent where he lived among men.
78:61 He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured;
he gave the symbol of his splendor
78:62 He delivered his people over to the sword,
and was angry with his chosen nation.
78:63 Fire consumed their
and their
78:64 Their
but their
78:65 But then the Lord awoke from his sleep;
he was like a warrior in a drunken rage.
78:66 He drove his enemies back;
he made them a permanent target for insults.
78:67 He rejected the tent of Joseph;
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
78:68 He chose the tribe of Judah,
and Mount Zion, which he loves.
78:69 He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above;
as secure as the earth, which he established permanently.
78:70 He chose David, his servant,
and took him from the sheepfolds.
78:71 He took him away from following the mother sheep,
and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people,
and of Israel, his chosen nation.
78:72 David
he led them with skill.