A wise instruction of Asaph. Heare my lawe O my people: enclyne your eares vnto the wordes of my mouth.

I wyll open my mouth in a parable: I wyll declare harde sentences of the olde tyme past.

Which we haue hearde and knowen: and such as our fathers haue tolde vs.

We wyll not hyde them from their children: nay we wyll set foorth in wordes to the generation to come, the prayses of God, and his myght and wonderfull workes that he hath done.

For he reuiued a statute in Iacob, and gaue Israel a lawe: in the whiche he commaunded our forefathers to teache their children.

To the intent the posteritie shoulde knowe it, and children whiche shalbe borne: that they shoulde ryse vp and declare it to their children.

That they shoulde put their trust in God, and not forget the workes of God: but kepe his commaundementes.

And that they be not as their forefathers were a rebellious and a mutable generation: a generation that directed not their heart aright, and whose spirite cleaued not stedfastly vnto God.

Like as the children of Ephraim, which beyng harnessed & carying bowes: turned their backes in the day of battayle.

They kept not the couenaunt of God: and they woulde not walke in his law.

But they forgat his workes: and his wonders which he had shewed them.

Marueylous thinges dyd he in the sight of their fathers: in the land of Egypt, in the fielde of Zoan.

He deuided the sea and let them go thorowe: he made the waters to stande as on an heape.

In the day time also he led them with a cloude: and all the night through with a light of fire.

He cloued the harde rockes in the wildernes: & gaue them drinke therof, as it had ben out of the great deepe waters.

He brought running streames out of a stonie rocke: and caused waters to gushe downe, like as out of riuers.

Yet for all this they sinned still against hym: so that they prouoked the most hyghest in the wildernesse.

And they temped god in their heartes: in requiring meate for their lust.

They spake against God: they said, can God prepare a table in the wildernesse?

Beholde, he hath smytten the stonie rocke, and waters haue gushed out, and streames haue flowed out aboundantly: but can he likewise geue bread, can he prouide fleshe for his people?

Wherefore God hearde them, he was wroth, a fire was kindled in Iacob: and there arose vp heauy displeasure against Israel.

Because they beleued not in the Lord: nor did put their trust in his saluation.

And yet he commaunded the cloudes aboue: and opened the doores of heauen.

He raigned downe Manna also vpon them, that they shoulde eate: and gaue them corne from heauen.

So man dyd eate the bread of angels: he sent them meate inough.

He remoued the east winde from vnder the heauen: and through his power he brought in the south winde.

He rained fleshe vpon them as thycke as dust: and fethered foules like as the sande of the sea.

He let it fall among their tentes: euen rounde about their pauilions.

So they dyd eate and were wel filled, for he gaue them their owne desire: neuerthelesse they were not alienated from their lust.

But whyle the meate was yet in their mouthes, the heauy wrath of God came vpon them, and slue the welthyest of them: and made the chosen men of Israel to stoupe.

For all this they sinned still: and beleued not his wonderous workes.

Therfore their dayes dyd he consume in vanitie: & their yeres in a short troublous time.

When he slue them, they sought hym: they repented them, and made God their morninges worke.

And they remembred that the Lorde was their rocke: & that the Lorde most hyghest was their redeemer.

Neuerthelesse they dyd but flatter him with their mouth: and they made hym a lye with their tongue.

For their heart was not vpright with him: neither continued they faythfull in his couenaunt.

Yet for all that he beyng most merciful: cleane pardoned all their misdeedes, and destroyed them not.

Yea many a tyme he dyd much for to represse his anger: and neuer woulde suffer his whole rage to breake out.

For he considered that they were but fleshe, and that they were euen a winde that passeth away & cometh not againe.

How oft dyd they prouoke hym in the wildernes: & greeued hym in the desert?

They turned backe and tempted the Lorde: and prescribed boundes to the most holy God of Israel.

They thought not of his hande: in the day when he redeemed them from the enemie.

Howe he had wrought his miracles in Egypt: and his wonders in the fielde of Zoan.

For he turned into blood their riuers & fluddes: so that they might not drinke.

He sent amongst them all kind of flyes who dyd eate them: and frogges who destroyed them.

He gaue their fruites vnto the caterpiller: & their labour to the grashopper.

He destroyed their vines with hayle stones: and their wilde figge trees with the harde frost.

He smote their cattell also with haylestones: and their flockes with thunder boltes.

He cast vpon them the rage of his furie, anger, disdayne, and trouble: by sending foorth euill angels amongst them.

He made away to his indignation, & spared not their soule from death: he gaue their lyfe to be subiect to the pestilence.

And he smote all the first borne of Egypt: the first fruites of concupiscence in the pauilions of Cham.

But as for his owne people, he led them foorth like sheepe: and conducted them through the wildernesse like a flocke of cattell.

He brought them out safely that they shoulde not feare: and ouerwhelmed their enemies with the sea.

And brought them within the borders of his sanctuarie: euen to this mountayne which his right hand purchased.

He dyd cast out the heathen also before them: he caused their land to be deuided among the for an heritage, & made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tentes.

Neuerthelesse, they tempted and displeased the most hyghest Lorde: & kept not his testimonies.

They turned backewarde, and they went astray like their forefathers: they started aside like a bowe that breaketh.

For they stirred hym to anger with their hygh places: and prouoked him to ielousie with their carued images.

When the Lorde hearde this, he was wroth: & toke sore displeasure at Israel.

So that he forsoke the tabernacle in Silo: the pauilion wherin he dwelt amongst men.

He deliuered his force into captiuitie: and his glorie into the enemies hande.

He gaue also his people ouer to the sword: and was wroth with his inheritaunce.

Fire consumed his young men: and his maydens were not maryed.

His priestes were slayne with the sworde: and his wydowes made no lamentation.

But the Lorde awaked as though he had slept: like a giaunt making a triumphant noyse after wine.

He smote his enemies in the hynder parts: & put them to a perpetual shame.

He refused the tabernacle of Ioseph: and chose not the tribe of Ephraim.

But he chose the tribe of Iuda: euen the hill of Sion which he loued.

And there he buylded his temple on high: and layde the foundation of it like a grounde euer to continue.

He chose also Dauid his seruaunt: and toke hym away from the sheepefoldes.

As he was folowing the ewes great with young he toke hym: that he might feede Iacob his people, and Israel his inheritaunce.

So he fed them according to the simplicitie of his heart: and guided them by the discretion of his handes.