Heare my lawe (o my people) encline yor eares vnto ye wordes of my mouth.

I wil open my mouth in parables, and speake of thinges of olde.

Which we haue herde and knowne, and soch as oure fathers haue tolde vs.

That we shulde not hyde them from the children of the generacions to come: but to shewe the honoure of the LORDE, his might and wonderfull workes that he hath done.

He made a couenaunt with Iacob, and gaue Israel a lawe, which he comaunded oure forefathers to teach their children.

That their posterite might knowe it, and the children which were yet vnborne.

To the intent yt when they came vp, they might shewe their children the same.

That they also might put their trust in God, & not to forget what he had done, but to kepe his comaundementes.

And not to be as their forefathers, a frowarde and ouerthwarte generacion, a generacion that set not their herte a right, and whose sprete was not true towarde God.

Like as the children of Ephraim, which beynge harnessed and carienge bowes, turned them selues backe in the tyme of battayll.

They kepte not the couenaut of God, & wolde not walke in his lawe.

They forgat what he had done, and the wonderfull workes that he had shewed for them.

Maruelous thinges dyd he in the sight of their fathers in the londe of Egipte, euen in the felde of Zoan.

He deuyded the see and let them go thorow it, and made the waters to stonde like a wall.

In the daye tyme he led them with a cloude, and all the night thorow with a light of fyre.

He cloaue the hard rockes in the wildernesse, and gaue them drynke therof, as it had bene out of the greate deapth.

He brought waters out of the stony rocke, so that they gusshed out like the ryuers.

Yet for all this they synned agaynst him, and prouoked the most hyest in the wildernesse.

They tempted God in their hertes, and requyred meate for their lust,

For they spake agaynst God and sayde: Yee yee, God shal prepare a table in the wyldernesse, shall he?

Lo, he smote the stony rocke, that the watery streames gusshed out, and the streames flowed withall: but how can he geue bred and prouyde flesh for his people?

When the LORDE herde this, he was wroth: so the fyre was kyndled in Iacob, and heuy displeasure agaynst Israel.

Because they beleued not in God, and put not their trust in his helpe.

So he commauded the cloudes aboue, and opened the dores of heauen.

He rayned downe Manna vpo them for to eate, and gaue them bred from heauen.

Then ate they angels fode, for he sent them meate ynough.

He caused the east wynde to blowe vnder the heauen, and thorow his power he brought in the south wynde.

He made flesh to rayne vpon them as thicke as dust, and fethered foules like the sonde of ye see.

He let it fall amoge their tetes roude aboute their habitacios.

So they ate & were fylled, for he gaue them their owne desyre. They were not dispoynted of their lust.

But whyle ye meate was yet in theyr mouthes: The heuy wrath of God came vpo the, slewe ye welthiest of the, & smote downe ye chosen men of Israel.

But for all this they synned yet more, and beleued not his woderous workes.

Therfore their dayes were consumed in vanite, and sodenly their yeares were gone.

When he slewe them, they sought him, and turned them early vnto God.

They thought then that God was their socoure, and that the hye God was their redemer.

Neuerthelesse, they dyd but flater him in their mouthes, and dissembled with him in their tonges.

For their herte was not whole with him, nether continued they in his couenaunt.

But he was so mercifull, that he forgaue their mysdedes, and destroyed them not:

Yee many a tyme turned he his wrath awaye, and wolde not suffre his whole displeasure to aryse.

For he considered yt they were but flesh: euen a wynde that passeth awaye, and commeth not agayne.

O how oft haue they greued him in the wildernesse? How many a tyme haue they prouoked him in the deserte?

They turned backe & tempted God, and moued the holy one in Israel.

They thought not of his hade, in ye daye when he delyuered them from the hande of ye enemie.

How he had wrought his miracles in Egipte, and his woders in the londe of Zoan.

How he turned their waters in to bloude, so that they might not drynke of the ryuers.

How he sent lyse amonge them, to eate them vp, and frogges to destroye them.

How he gaue their frutes vnto the catirpiller, and their laboure vnto the greshopper.

How he bett downe their vynyardes with hayle stones, and their Molbery trees with the frost.

How he smote their catell with haylestones, and their flockes with hote thoder boltes.

How he sent vpon them ye furiousnesse of his wrath, anger & displeasure: with trouble and fallinge in of euel angels.

When he made a waye to his fearfull indignacio, and spared not their soules from death, yee and gaue their catell ouer to the pestilence.

When he smote all the firstborne in Egipte, the most principall and mightiest in ye dwellinges of Ham.

But as for his owne people, he led them forth like shepe, and caried them in the wyldernesse like a flocke.

He brought them out safely, that they shulde not feare, and ouerwhelmed their enemies with the see.

He caried them vnto the borders of his Sanctuary: euen in to this hill, which he purchased with his right hande.

He dyd cast out the Heithen before them, caused their londe to be deuyded amonge them for an heretage, and made ye tribes of Israel to dwell in their tetes.

For all this they tempted and displeased the most hye God, and kepte not his couenaunt.

But turned their backes and fell awaye like their forefathers, startinge asyde like a broken bowe.

And so they greued him with their hie places, & prouoked him with their ymages.

When God herde this, he was wroth, and toke sore displeasure at Israel.

So that he forsoke the tabernacle in Silo, euen his habitacion wherin he dwelt amonge men.

He delyuered their power in to captiuyte, and their glory in to the enemies hode.

He gaue his people ouer in to the swerde, for he was wroth with his heretage.

The fyre consumed their yonge men, and their maydes were not geuen to mariage.

Their prestes were slayne with the swerde, and there were no wyddowes to make lamentacion.

So the LORDE awaked as one out of slepe, and like a giaunte refreshed with wyne.

He smote his enemies in ye hynder partes, and put them to a perpetuall shame.

He refused the tabernacle of Ioseph, and chose not the trybe of Ephraim.

Neuerthelesse, he chose ye trybe of Iuda, eue the hill of Sion which he loued.

And there he buylded his temple on hye, and layed ye foundacion of it like ye grounde, that it might perpetually endure.

He chose Dauid also his seruaut, and toke him awaye from the shepe foldes.

As he was folowinge the yowes greate with yonge, he toke him, that he might fede Iacob his people, and Israel his enheritaunce. So he fed them with a faithfull and true hert, and ruled them with all ye diligence of his power.