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

O my people, hear my teaching. Listen 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 picture-stories. I will tell things which have been kept secret from long ago,

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

which we have heard and known because 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. But we will tell the children-to-come the praises of the Lord, and of His power and the great things He has 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 has made His will known to Jacob. He made the Law in Israel, which He told our fathers to teach 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,

So the children-to-come might know, even the children yet to be born. So they may rise up and tell it 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

Then they would put their trust in God and not forget the works of God. And they would keep His Law.

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.

They would not be like their fathers, who were not right with God and would not obey Him or be faithful to Him.

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

The sons of Ephraim were ready with their bows. But they turned away in the day of fighting.

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

They did not keep the agreement of God. And they would not walk in His Law.

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

They forgot what He had done and His great works that He had shown them.

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

He did powerful works in front 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 divided the sea and made them pass through it. He made the water stand up like a wall.

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

He led them with the cloud during the day, and with a light of fire during the night.

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

He broke the rocks in the desert, and gave them water as if it flowed from the sea.

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

He made water come out of the rock. He made the water flow 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).

But they still kept on sinning against Him. They did not obey 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.

They tested God in their hearts by asking for the food they wanted.

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

Then they spoke against God, saying, “Can God set a table in the desert?

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?

See, He hit the rock and water poured out and rivers flowed over. Can He give bread also? Will He give meat to His people?”

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

The Lord was full of anger when He heard them. And a fire was set against Jacob. His anger 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 did not believe in God. They did not trust in Him to save them.

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

Yet He spoke to the clouds above, and opened the doors of heaven.

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

He sent down bread from heaven for them to eat. He gave them food from heaven.

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

Men ate the bread of angels. He sent them all the food they could eat.

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

He made the east wind blow in the heavens. And He brought in the south wind by His power.

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

He sent meat down on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the sea.

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

He let them fall in the place where they were staying, all around their tents.

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

So they ate until they were full. He gave them what they wanted.

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

But before they had eaten all they wanted, even while it was still 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.

the anger of God came upon them. And He killed the strongest of them. He cut 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.

But still they kept on sinning. They did not believe in His powerful works.

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

So He made their days come to nothing. He made their years end in fear all at once.

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

When He killed some of them, the others would look for Him. They returned and looked for God.

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

They remembered that God was their rock, and that the Most High God was the One Who set them free.

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

But they gave Him false honor with their mouth. They lied to 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 toward Him. They were not faithful to His agreement.

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 showed them loving-kindness and forgave their sins. He did not destroy them. He held back His anger many times. He did not let all of His anger loose.

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

He remembered that they were only flesh, a wind that passes and does not return.

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

How many times they went against Him in the desert, and gave Him sorrow in that empty land!

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

They put God to the test again and again, and troubled the Holy One of Israel.

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

They did not remember His power and the day He saved them from those who hated them,

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

when He did His powerful works in Egypt and showed His greatness in the field of Zoan.

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

He changed their rivers into blood. They could not drink from their rivers.

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

He sent many flies among them that ate them, and frogs that destroyed them.

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

He gave their fields of food to the grasshopper, and all they worked for to 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 sycamore trees with cold.

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

He killed their cattle with hail and lightning.

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 sent them His burning anger and trouble. He sent a group of angels to bring trouble and sorrow to them.

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 straight path for His anger. He did not save their soul from death. But He gave their lives over to all these troubles.

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

He killed all the first-born in Egypt, the first children 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 brought His people out like sheep. And He led them like a flock in the desert.

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

He led them and kept them safe, so they were not afraid. But the sea covered those who hated them.

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.

He brought them to His holy land, to the hill country His right hand had taken.

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 before them. He gave them parts of the land for a gift. And He made the families of Israel live in their tents.

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

But they tempted and went against the Most High God. They did not keep His Law.

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

They turned away and acted without faith like their fathers. They were like a bow that cannot be trusted.

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

They made Him angry with their sinful places of worship. And they made Him jealous with their false gods.

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

God was very angry when He heard them, and He hated Israel.

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

He left the holy tent at Shiloh, the tent He had set up 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 He let His strength be taken. He put His greatness into the hands of those who hated Israel.

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

He allowed His people to be killed with the sword. And He was very angry with those who belong to Him.

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

Fire burned up their young men. And their young women had no wedding songs.

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

Their religious leaders fell by the sword. And the women who lost their husbands could not cry.

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

Then the Lord woke up as if from sleep, like a strong man wild with wine.

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

He beat back those who hated Him. And He put them to shame forever.

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

He turned away from the tent of Joseph. He did not choose the family of Ephraim,

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

but chose the family of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved.

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

He built His holy place like the high mountains, like the earth He has built forever.

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

He chose David, His servant and took him from the flocks of sheep.

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.

He brought him from caring for the sheep and their lambs to being the shepherd of Jacob His people, and Israel who belongs to Him.

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

So David was their shepherd with a heart that was right, and led them with good hands and wisdom.