1 G ive ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

Give ear, O my people, to my law: Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in a parable (in instruction by numerous examples); I will utter dark sayings of old —

I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,

3 W hich we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us.

4 W e will not hide them from their children, but we will tell to the generation to come the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonderful works that He has performed.

We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, And his strength, and his wondrous works that he hath done.

5 F or He established a testimony (an express precept) in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, commanding our fathers that they should make known to their children,

For he established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which he commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children;

6 T hat the generation to come might know them, that the children still to be born might arise and recount them to their children,

That the generation to come might know them, even the children that should be born; Who should arise and tell them to their children,

7 T hat they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but might keep His commandments

That they might set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep his commandments,

8 A nd might not be as their fathers—a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that set not their hearts aright nor prepared their hearts to know God, and whose spirits were not steadfast and faithful to God.

And might not be as their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that set not their heart aright, And whose spirit was not stedfast with God.

9 T he children of Ephraim were armed and carrying bows, yet they turned back in the day of battle.

The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, Turned back in the day of battle.

10 T hey kept not the covenant of God and refused to walk according to His law

They kept not the covenant of God, And refused to walk in his law;

11 A nd forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them.

And they forgat his doings, And his wondrous works that he had showed them.

12 M arvelous things did He in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

13 H e divided the Sea and caused them to pass through it, and He made the waters stand like a heap.

He clave the sea, and caused them to pass through; And he made the waters to stand as a heap.

14 I n the daytime also He led them with a cloud and all the night with a light of fire.

In the day-time also he led them with a cloud, And all the night with a light of fire.

15 H e split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as out of the deep.

He clave rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.

16 H e brought streams also out of the rock and caused waters to run down like rivers.

He brought streams also out of the rock, And caused waters to run down like rivers.

17 Y et they still went on to sin against Him by provoking and rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness (in the land of drought).

Yet went they on still to sin against him, To rebel against the Most High in the desert.

18 A nd they tempted God in their hearts by asking for food according to their desire and appetite.

And they tempted God in their heart By asking food according to their desire.

19 Y es, they spoke against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

Yea, they spake against God; They said, Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

20 B ehold, He did smite the rock so that waters gushed out and the streams overflowed; but can He give bread also? Can He provide flesh for His people?

Behold, he smote the rock, so that waters gushed out, And streams overflowed; Can he give bread also? Will he provide flesh for his people?

21 T herefore, when the Lord heard, He was wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob, His anger mounted up against Israel,

Therefore Jehovah heard, and was wroth; And a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also went up against Israel;

22 B ecause in God they believed not, and they trusted not in His salvation (His power to save).

Because they believed not in God, And trusted not in his salvation.

23 Y et He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven;

Yet he commanded the skies above, And opened the doors of heaven;

24 A nd He rained down upon them manna to eat and gave them heaven’s grain.

And he rained down manna upon them to eat, And gave them food from heaven.

25 E veryone ate the bread of the mighty; God sent them meat in abundance.

Man did eat the bread of the mighty: He sent them food to the full.

26 H e let forth the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by His power He guided the south wind.

He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens; And by his power he guided the south wind.

27 H e rained flesh also upon them like the dust, and winged birds like the sand of the seas.

He rained flesh also upon them as the dust, And winged birds as the sand of the seas:

28 A nd He let fall in the midst of their camp, round about their tents.

And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their habitations.

29 S o they ate and were well filled; He gave them what they craved and lusted after.

So they did eat, and were well filled; And he gave them their own desire.

30 B ut scarce had they stilled their craving, and while their meat was yet in their mouths,

They were not estranged from that which they desired, Their food was yet in their mouths,

31 T he wrath of God came upon them and slew the strongest and sturdiest of them and smote down Israel’s chosen youth.

When the anger of God went up against them, And slew of the fattest of them, And smote down the young men of Israel.

32 I n spite of all this, they sinned still more, for they believed not in (relied not on and adhered not to Him for) His wondrous works.

For all this they sinned still, And believed not in his wondrous works.

33 T herefore their days He consumed like a breath and their years in terror and sudden haste.

Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, And their years in terror.

34 W hen He slew them, inquired after Him diligently, and they repented and sincerely sought God.

When he slew them, then they inquired after him; And they returned and sought God earnestly.

35 A nd they remembered that God was their Rock, and the Most High God their Redeemer.

And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their redeemer.

36 N evertheless they flattered Him with their mouths and lied to Him with their tongues.

But they flattered him with their mouth, And lied unto him with their tongue.

37 F or their hearts were not right or sincere with Him, neither were they faithful and steadfast to His covenant.

For their heart was not right with him, Neither were they faithful in his covenant.

38 B ut He, full of compassion, forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not; yes, many a time He turned His anger away and did not stir up all His wrath and indignation.

But he, being merciful, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: Yea, many a time turned he his anger away, And did not stir up all his wrath.

39 F or He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that goes and does not return.

And he remembered that they were but flesh, A wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

40 H ow often they defied and rebelled against Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert!

How oft did they rebel against him in the wilderness, And grieve him in the desert!

41 A nd time and again they turned back and tempted God, provoking and incensing the Holy One of Israel.

And they turned again and tempted God, And provoked the Holy One of Israel.

42 T hey remembered not His hand, nor the day when He delivered them from the enemy,

They remember not his hand, Nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;

43 H ow He wrought His miracles in Egypt and His wonders in the field of Zoan

How he set his signs in Egypt, And his wonders in the field of Zoan,

44 A nd turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, so that they could not drink from them.

And turned their rivers into blood, And their streams, so that they could not drink.

45 H e sent swarms of flies among them which devoured them, and frogs which destroyed them.

He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them; And frogs, which destroyed them.

46 H e gave also their crops to the caterpillar and their labor to the locust.

He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, And their labor unto the locust.

47 H e destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore trees with frost and ice.

He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycomore-trees with frost.

48 H e gave them up also to the hail and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

He gave over their cattle also to the hail, And their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

49 H e let loose upon them the fierceness of His anger, His wrath and indignation and distress, by sending angels of calamity and woe among them.

He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, and indignation, and trouble, A band of angels of evil.

50 H e leveled and made a straight path for His anger; He did not spare from death but gave their beasts over to the pestilence and the life over to the plague.

He made a path for his anger; He spared not their soul from death, But gave their life over to the pestilence,

51 H e smote all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.

And smote all the first-born in Egypt, The chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.

52 B ut led His own people forth like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.

But he led forth his own people like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

53 A nd He led them on safely and in confident trust, so that they feared not; but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

And he led them safely, so that they feared not; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

54 A nd He brought them to His holy border, the border of His sanctuary, even to this mountain which His right hand had acquired.

And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, To this mountain, which his right hand had gotten.

55 H e drove out the nations also before and allotted their land as a heritage, measured out and partitioned; and He made the tribes of Israel to dwell in the tents of those dispossessed.

He drove out the nations also before them, And allotted them for an inheritance by line, And made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

56 Y et they tempted and provoked and rebelled against the Most High God and kept not His testimonies.

Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, And kept not his testimonies;

57 B ut they turned back and dealt unfaithfully and treacherously like their fathers; they were twisted like a warped and deceitful bow.

But turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers: They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

58 F or they provoked Him to anger with their high places and moved Him to jealousy with their graven images.

For they provoked him to anger with their high places, And moved him to jealousy with their graven images.

59 W hen God heard this, He was full of wrath; and He utterly rejected Israel, greatly abhorring and loathing,

When God heard this, he was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;

60 S o that He forsook the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tent in which He had dwelt among men,

So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent which he placed among men;

61 A nd delivered His strength and power (the ark of the covenant) into captivity, and His glory into the hands of the foe (the Philistines).

And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the adversary's hand.

62 H e gave His people over also to the sword and was wroth with His heritage.

He gave his people over also unto the sword, And was wroth with his inheritance.

63 T he fire devoured their young men, and their bereaved virgins were not praised in a wedding song.

Fire devoured their young men; And their virgins had no marriage-song.

64 T heir priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation.

Their priests fell by the sword; And their widows made no lamentation.

65 T hen the Lord awakened as from sleep, as a strong man whose consciousness of power is heightened by wine.

Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, Like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.

66 A nd He smote His adversaries in the back; He put them to lasting shame and reproach.

And he smote his adversaries backward: He put them to a perpetual reproach.

67 M oreover, He rejected the tent of Joseph and chose not the tribe of Ephraim.

Moreover he refused the tent of Joseph, And chose not the tribe of Ephraim,

68 B ut He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which He loved.

But chose the tribe of Judah, The mount Zion which he loved.

69 A nd He built His sanctuary like the heights and like the earth which He established forever.

And he built his sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which he hath established for ever.

70 H e chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds;

He chose David also his servant, And took him from the sheepfolds:

71 F rom tending the ewes that had their young He brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob His people, of Israel His inheritance.

From following the ewes that have their young he brought him, To be the shepherd of Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

72 S o was their shepherd with an upright heart; he guided them by the discernment and skillfulness his hands.

So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.