1 A teaching of Asaph. Listen, my people, to my instruction; incline your ears 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 with a parable; I will utter mysteries from ancient times.

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

3 Things we have heard and known, which our ancestors have told us.

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

4 We will not hide them from their children, but will tell the next generation the praises of the Lord, His strength, and the wonders 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 He established a testimony in Jacob and set a law in Israel, which He commanded our ancestors 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 so that the next generation would know them—children yet to be born—and in turn they would rise and tell 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 so they would put their trust in God and not forget His deeds but keep His commandments.

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

8 They would not be like their ancestors—a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal, whose spirits were not faithful to God.

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 The sons of Ephraim, armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle.

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

10 They did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by His teachings.

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

11 They forgot His deeds and the wonders He had shown them.

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

12 He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors, in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.

Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

13 He divided the sea and let them pass through it; He made the waters stand like a wall.

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

14 By day He led them with a cloud, and all night with a light of fire.

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

15 He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them water as abundant as the depths.

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

16 He brought streams out of the rock and made water flow down like rivers.

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

17 But they continued to sin against Him, rebelling against the Most High in the dry wasteland.

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

18 They tested God in their hearts by demanding the food they craved.

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

19 They spoke against God, saying, 'Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?'

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

20 True, He struck the rock, and water gushed out, and streams overflowed. But can He also give us bread or provide meat for 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 Therefore, when the Lord heard this, He became furious; a fire was kindled against Jacob, and His anger rose 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 For they did not believe in God or trust in His salvation.

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

23 Yet He commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven.

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

24 He rained down manna for them to eat and gave them the grain of heaven.

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

25 Man ate the bread of angels; He sent them food to their fill.

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

26 He made the east wind blow in the heavens and guided 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 He rained meat on them like dust, 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 He made them fall inside their camp, all around their dwellings.

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

29 They ate and were filled abundantly, for He gave them what they craved.

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

30 But while the food was still in their mouths, they were not yet free of their craving.

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

31 Then the anger of God rose against them, and He killed the strongest among them, striking 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 Despite all this, they kept on sinning and did not believe in His wondrous works.

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

33 So He ended their days in futility and their years in terror.

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

34 When He killed them, they sought Him; they repented and earnestly sought God.

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

35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their Redeemer.

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

36 But they deceived Him with their mouths and lied to Him with their tongues.

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

37 Their hearts were not faithful to Him, nor were they loyal to His covenant.

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

38 Yet He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. Time and again, He restrained His anger and did not stir up His full wrath.

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 He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.

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

40 How often they provoked Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the wasteland!

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

41 Again and again they tested God and limited the Holy One of Israel.

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

42 They did not remember His power—the day He redeemed them from their enemy,

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

43 when He displayed His signs in Egypt, His wonders in the fields of Zoan.

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

44 He turned their rivers to blood, and they could not drink from their streams.

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

45 He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them.

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

46 He gave their crops to the caterpillar and the fruit of their labor to the locust.

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

47 He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore trees with frost.

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

48 He gave over their cattle to the hail and their livestock to lightning.

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

49 He unleashed His burning anger, fury, rage, and hostility—a band of destroying angels.

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

50 He prepared a path for His anger; He did not spare them from death but delivered their lives to the plague.

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

51 He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits 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 But He led His people like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.

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

53 He led them safely, so they were unafraid, but the sea covered their enemies.

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

54 He brought them to His holy border, to the mountain His right hand had acquired.

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

55 He drove out nations before them and apportioned their inheritance with a measuring line; He settled the tribes of Israel 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 But they tested and rebelled against God Most High and did not keep His decrees.

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

57 They turned back and were disloyal like their ancestors; they became twisted like a deceitful bow.

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

58 They angered Him with their high places and provoked His jealousy with their carved images.

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

59 When God heard this, He became furious and greatly rejected Israel.

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

60 He abandoned the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tent where He had dwelled among humanity.

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

61 He gave His strength into captivity and His beauty into the hand of the adversary.

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

62 He handed His people over to the sword, and His inheritance became the object of His fury.

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

63 Fire consumed their young men, and their virgins were not given in marriage.

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

64 Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows could not weep.

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

65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a warrior recovering from wine.

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

66 He struck His enemies backward and covered them with everlasting disgrace.

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

67 He rejected the tent of Joseph and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.

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

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

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

69 He built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that He established forever.

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

70 He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds.

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

71 From tending the nursing ewes, He brought him to shepherd Jacob, His people, and Israel, His inheritance.

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

72 He shepherded them with a heart of integrity and guided them with the skillfulness of his hands.

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