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

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

3 w hich we have heard and known because 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 the children-to-come the praises of the Lord, and of His power and the great things He has done.

We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.

5 F or He has made His will known to Jacob. He made the Law in Israel, which He told our fathers to teach 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 S o the children-to-come might know, even the children yet to be born. So they may rise up and tell it to their children.

that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:

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

that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

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

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

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

10 T hey did not keep the agreement of God. And they would not walk in His Law.

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

11 T hey forgot what He had done and His great works that He had shown them.

and forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.

12 H e did powerful works in front 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 made them pass through it. He made the water stand up like a wall.

He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.

14 H e led them with the cloud during the day, and with a light of fire during the night.

In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.

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

He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.

16 H e made water come out of the rock. He made the water flow down like rivers.

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

17 B ut they still kept on sinning against Him. They did not obey the Most High in the desert.

And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.

18 T hey tested God in their hearts by asking for the food they wanted.

And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.

19 T hen they spoke against God, saying, “Can God set a table in the desert?

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

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

Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?

21 T he Lord was full of anger when He heard them. And a fire was set against Jacob. His anger went up against Israel,

Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;

22 b ecause they did not believe in God. They did not trust in Him to save them.

because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:

23 Y et He spoke to the clouds above, and opened the doors of heaven.

though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,

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

and had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.

25 M en ate the bread of angels. He sent them all the food they could eat.

Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.

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

He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.

27 H e sent meat down on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the sea.

He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:

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

and he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.

29 S o they ate until they were full. He gave them what they wanted.

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

30 B ut before they had eaten all they wanted, even while it was still in their mouths,

they were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,

31 t he anger of God came upon them. And He killed the strongest of them. He cut down the young men of Israel.

the wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

32 B ut still they kept on sinning. They did not believe in His powerful works.

For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.

33 S o He made their days come to nothing. He made their years end in fear all at once.

Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.

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

When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.

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

And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.

36 B ut they gave Him false honor with their mouth. They lied to Him with their tongue.

Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.

37 F or their heart was not right toward Him. They were not faithful to His agreement.

For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.

38 B ut 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.

But he, being full of compassion, 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 H e remembered that they were only flesh, a wind that passes and does not return.

For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

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

How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

41 T hey put God to the test again and again, and troubled the Holy One of Israel.

Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

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

They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.

43 w hen He did His powerful works in Egypt and showed His greatness in the field of Zoan.

How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:

44 H e changed their rivers into blood. They could not drink from their rivers.

and had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.

45 H e sent many flies among them that ate them, and frogs that destroyed them.

He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

46 H e gave their fields of food to the grasshopper, and all they worked for to the locust.

He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.

47 H e destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with cold.

He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.

48 H e killed their cattle with hail and lightning.

He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

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

He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.

50 H e 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.

He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;

51 H e killed all the first-born in Egypt, the first children of their strength in the tents of Ham.

and smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:

52 B ut He brought His people out like sheep. And He led them like a flock in the desert.

but made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

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

And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

54 H e brought them to His holy land, to the hill country His right hand had taken.

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

55 H e 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.

He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

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

Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:

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

but turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

58 T hey made Him angry with their sinful places of worship. And they made Him jealous with their false gods.

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

59 G od was very angry when He heard them, and He hated Israel.

When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:

60 H e left the holy tent at Shiloh, the tent He had set up among men.

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

61 A nd He let His strength be taken. He put His greatness into the hands of those who hated Israel.

and delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand.

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

He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.

63 F ire burned up their young men. And their young women had no wedding songs.

The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.

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

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

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

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

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

And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.

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

Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:

68 b ut chose the family of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved.

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

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

And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.

70 H e chose David, His servant and took him from the flocks of sheep.

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

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

from following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

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

So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.