1 A n Instruction of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings of my mouth.

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

2 I open with a simile my mouth, I bring forth hidden things of old,

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

3 T hat we have heard and do know, And our fathers have recounted to us.

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

4 W e do not hide from their sons, To a later generation recounting praises of Jehovah, And His strength, and His wonders that He hath done.

We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.

5 A nd 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.

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

That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children,

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

That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments;

8 A nd 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.

And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9 S ons of Ephraim -- armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.

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

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

They did not keep the covenant of God; They refused to walk in His law,

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

And forgot His works And His wonders that He had shown them.

12 B efore their fathers He hath done wonders, In the land of Egypt -- the field of Zoan.

Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

13 H e cleft a sea, and causeth them to pass over, Yea, He causeth waters to stand as a heap.

He divided the sea and caused them to pass through; And He made the waters stand up like a heap.

14 A nd leadeth them with a cloud by day, And all the night with a light of fire.

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

15 H e cleaveth rocks in a wilderness, And giveth drink -- as the great deep.

He split the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink in abundance like the depths.

16 A nd bringeth out streams from a rock, And causeth waters to come down as rivers.

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

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

But they sinned even more against Him By rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.

18 A nd they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.

And they tested God in their heart By asking for the food of their fancy.

19 A nd they speak against God -- they said: `Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?'

Yes, they spoke against God: They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

20 L o, He hath smitten a rock, And waters flow, yea, streams overflow. `Also -- bread He able to give? Doth He prepare flesh for His people?'

Behold, He struck the rock, So that the waters gushed out, And the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?”

21 T herefore hath Jehovah heard, And He sheweth Himself wroth, And fire hath been kindled against Jacob, And anger also hath gone up against Israel,

Therefore the Lord heard this and was furious; So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also came up against Israel,

22 F or they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation.

Because they did not believe in God, And did not trust in His salvation.

23 A nd He commandeth clouds from above, Yea, doors of the heavens He hath opened.

Yet He had commanded the clouds above, And opened the doors of heaven,

24 A nd He raineth on them manna to eat, Yea, corn of heaven He hath given to them.

Had rained down manna on them to eat, And given them of the bread of heaven.

25 F ood of the mighty hath each eaten, Venison He sent to them to satiety.

Men ate angels’ food; He sent them food to the full.

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

He caused an east wind to blow in the heavens; And by His power He brought in the south wind.

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

He also rained meat on them like the dust, Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas;

28 A nd causeth to fall in the midst of His camp, Round about His tabernacles.

And He let them fall in the midst of their camp, All around their dwellings.

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

So they ate and were well filled, For He gave them their own desire.

30 T hey have not been estranged from their desire, Yet their food in their mouth,

They were not deprived of their craving; But while their food was still in their mouths,

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

The wrath of God came against them, And slew the stoutest of them, And struck down the choice men of Israel.

32 W ith all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.

In spite of this they still sinned, And did not believe in His wondrous works.

33 A nd He consumeth in vanity their days, And their years in trouble.

Therefore their days He consumed in futility, And their years in fear.

34 I f He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and sought God earnestly,

When He slew them, then they sought Him; And they returned and sought earnestly for God.

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

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

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

Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth, And they lied to Him with their tongue;

37 A nd their heart hath not been right with Him, And they have not been stedfast in His covenant.

For their heart was not steadfast with Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.

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

But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, And did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, And did not stir up all His wrath;

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

For He remembered that they were but flesh, A breath that passes away and does not come again.

40 H ow often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?

How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, And grieved Him in the desert!

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

Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel.

42 T hey have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.

They did not remember His power: The day when He redeemed them from the enemy,

43 W hen He set His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan,

When He worked His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan;

44 A nd He turneth to blood their streams, And their floods they drink not.

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

45 H e sendeth among them the beetle, and it consumeth them, And the frog, and it destroyeth them,

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

46 A nd giveth to the caterpillar their increase, And their labour to the locust.

He also gave their crops to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.

47 H e destroyeth with hail their vine, And their sycamores with frost,

He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycamore trees with frost.

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

He also gave up their cattle to the hail, And their flocks to fiery lightning.

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

He cast on them the fierceness of His anger, Wrath, indignation, and trouble, By sending angels of destruction among them.

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

He made a path for His anger; He did not spare their soul from death, But gave their life over to the plague,

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

And destroyed all the firstborn in Egypt, The first of their strength in the tents of Ham.

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

But He made His own people go forth like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock;

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

And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

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

And He brought them to His holy border, This mountain which His right hand had acquired.

55 A nd 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,

He also drove out the nations before them, Allotted them an inheritance by survey, And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.

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

Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God, And did not keep His testimonies,

57 A nd they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,

But turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers; They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

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

For they provoked Him to anger with their high places, And moved Him to jealousy with their carved images.

59 G od hath heard, and sheweth Himself wroth. And kicketh exceedingly against Israel.

When God heard this, He was furious, And greatly abhorred Israel,

60 A nd He leaveth the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,

So that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,

61 A nd He giveth His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,

And delivered His strength into captivity, And His glory into the enemy’s hand.

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

He also gave His people over to the sword, And was furious with His inheritance.

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

The fire consumed their young men, And their maidens were not given in marriage.

64 H is priests by the sword have fallen, And their widows weep not.

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

65 A nd the Lord waketh as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.

Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, Like a mighty man who shouts because of wine.

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

And He beat back His enemies; He put them to a perpetual reproach.

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

Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,

68 A nd He chooseth the tribe of Judah, With mount Zion that He loved,

But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved.

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

And He built His sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which He has established forever.

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

He also chose David His servant, And took him from the sheepfolds;

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

From following the ewes that had young He brought him, To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance.

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

So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.