9
The men of Ephraim, well-equipped with bows [and arrows], turned [and ran] on the day of battle.
10
They had not been faithful to God's promise. They refused to follow his teachings.
11
They forgot what he had done-- the miracles that he had shown them.
12
In front of their ancestors he performed miracles in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
13
He divided the sea and led them through it. He made the waters stand up like a wall.
14
He guided them by a cloud during the day and by a fiery light throughout the night.
15
He split rocks in the desert. He gave them plenty to drink, an ocean of water.
16
He made streams come out of a rock. He made the water flow like rivers.
17
They continued to sin against him, to rebel in the desert against the Most High.
18
They deliberately tested God by demanding the food they craved.
19
They spoke against God by saying, "Can God prepare a banquet in the desert?
20
True, he did strike a rock, and water did gush out, and the streams did overflow. But can he also give us bread or provide us, his people, with meat?"
21
When the LORD heard this, he became furious. His fire burned against Jacob and his anger flared up at Israel
22
because they did not believe God or trust him to save them.
23
In spite of that, he commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven.
24
He rained manna down on them to eat and gave them grain from heaven.
25
Humans ate the bread of the mighty ones, and God sent them plenty of food.
26
He made the east wind blow in the heavens and guided the south wind with his might.
27
He rained meat down on them like dust, birds like the sand on the seashore.
28
He made the birds fall in the middle of his camp, all around his dwelling place.
29
They ate more than enough. He gave them what they wanted,
30
but they still wanted more. While the food was still in their mouths,
31
the anger of God flared up against them. He killed their strongest men and slaughtered the best young men in Israel.
32
In spite of all this, they continued to sin, and they no longer believed in his miracles.
33
He brought their days to an end like a whisper in the wind. He brought their years to an end in terror.
34
When he killed [some of] them, [the rest] searched for him. They turned from their sins and eagerly looked for God.
35
They remembered that God was their rock, that the Most High was their defender.
36
They flattered him with their mouths and lied to him with their tongues.
37
Their hearts were not loyal to him. They were not faithful to his promise.
38
But he is compassionate. He forgave their sin. He did not destroy them. He restrained his anger many times. He did not display all of his fury.
39
He remembered that they were only flesh and blood, a breeze that blows and does not return.