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

An Instruction of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings 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 open with a simile my mouth, I bring forth hidden things of old,

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

That we have heard and do know, And our fathers have recounted to 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 do not hide from their sons, To a later generation recounting praises of Jehovah, And His strength, and His wonders 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,

And He raiseth up a testimony in Jacob, And a law hath placed in Israel, That He commanded our fathers, To make them known to their sons.

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 that a later generation doth know, Sons who are born, do rise and recount to their sons,

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

And place in God their confidence, And forget not the doings of God, But keep His commands.

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 they are not like their fathers, A generation apostate and rebellious, A generation! it hath not prepared its heart, Nor stedfast with God its spirit.

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

Sons of Ephraim -- armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.

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

They have not kept the covenant of God, And in His law they have refused to walk,

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

And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He shewed them.

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

Before their fathers He hath done wonders, In the land of Egypt -- 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 cleft a sea, and causeth them to pass over, Yea, He causeth 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.

And leadeth them with a cloud by day, 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 cleaveth rocks in a wilderness, And giveth drink -- as the great deep.

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

And bringeth out streams from a rock, And causeth waters to come down as 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).

And they add still to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.

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

And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.

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

And they speak against God -- they said: `Is God able to array a table in a 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?

Lo, He hath smitten a rock, And waters flow, yea, streams overflow. `Also -- bread He able to give? Doth He prepare 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 hath Jehovah heard, And He sheweth Himself wroth, And fire hath been kindled against Jacob, And anger also hath gone up against Israel,

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

For they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation.

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

And He commandeth clouds from above, Yea, doors of the heavens He hath opened.

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

And He raineth on them manna to eat, Yea, corn of heaven He hath given to them.

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

Food of the mighty hath each eaten, Venison He sent to them to satiety.

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

He causeth an east wind to journey in the heavens, And leadeth by His strength a south wind,

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

And He raineth on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas -- winged fowl,

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

And causeth to fall in the midst of His camp, Round about His tabernacles.

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

And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And their desire He bringeth to them.

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

They have not been estranged from their desire, Yet their food in their mouth,

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

And the anger of God hath gone up against them, And He slayeth among their fat ones, And youths of Israel He caused to bend.

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.

With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.

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

And He consumeth in vanity their days, And their years in trouble.

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

If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and sought God earnestly,

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

And they remember that God their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.

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

And -- they deceive Him with their mouth, And with their tongue do lie to Him,

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

And their heart hath not been right with Him, And they have not been stedfast 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.

And He -- the Merciful One, Pardoneth iniquity, and destroyeth not, And hath often turned back His anger, And waketh not up all His fury.

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

And He remembereth that they flesh, A wind going on -- and it returneth not.

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

How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?

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

Yea, they turn back, and try God, And the Holy One of Israel have limited.

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

They have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.

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

When 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 He turneth to blood their streams, And their floods they drink not.

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

He sendeth among them the beetle, and it consumeth them, And the frog, and it destroyeth them,

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

And giveth to the caterpillar their increase, And their labour to the locust.

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

He destroyeth with hail their vine, And their sycamores with frost,

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

And delivereth up to the hail their beasts, And their cattle to the burning flames.

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 sendeth on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress -- A discharge of evil messengers.

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 pondereth a path for His anger, He kept not back their soul from death, Yea, their life to the pestilence He delivered up.

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

And He smiteth every first-born in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.

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

And causeth His people to journey as a flock, And guideth them as a drove in a wilderness,

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 leadeth them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And their enemies hath the sea covered.

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 bringeth them in unto the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had got,

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.

And casteth out nations from before them, And causeth them to fall in the line of inheritance, And causeth 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.

And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And His testimonies have not kept.

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

And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned 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.

And make Him angry with their high places, And with their graven images make Him zealous,

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

God hath heard, and sheweth Himself wroth. And kicketh exceedingly against Israel.

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

And He leaveth the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had 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 He giveth His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,

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

And delivereth up to the sword His people, And with His inheritance shewed Himself angry.

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

His young men hath fire consumed, And His virgins have not been praised.

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

His priests by the sword have fallen, And their widows weep not.

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

And the Lord waketh as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.

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

And He smiteth His adversaries backward, A reproach age-during He hath put on them,

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

And He kicketh against the tent of Joseph, And on the tribe of Ephraim hath not fixed.

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

And He chooseth the tribe of Judah, With mount Zion that He loved,

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

And buildeth His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it to the age.

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

And He fixeth on David His servant, And taketh him from the folds of a flock,

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 behind suckling ones He hath brought him in, To rule over Jacob His people, And over Israel His inheritance.

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

And he ruleth them according to the integrity of his heart, And by the skilfulness of his hands leadeth them!