Psalms

A contemplation by Asaph.

1Hear my teaching, my people.Turn your ears to the words of my mouth.

2I will open my mouth in a parable.I will utter dark sayings of old,

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

4We will not hide them from their children,telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, his strength, and his wondrous deeds that he has done.

5For he established a covenant in Jacob,and appointed a teaching in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children;

6that the generation to come might know, even the children who should be born;who should arise and tell their children,

7that they might set their hope in God,and not forget God’s deeds, but keep his commandments,

8and might not be as their fathers—a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that didn’t make their hearts loyal, whose spirit was not steadfast with God.

9The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows,turned back in the day of battle.

10They didn’t keep God’s covenant,and refused to walk in his law.

11They forgot his doings,his wondrous deeds that he had shown them.

12He did marvelous things in the sight of their fathers,in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

13He split the sea, and caused them to pass through.He made the waters stand as a heap.

14In the daytime he also led them with a cloud,and all night with a light of fire.

15He split rocks in the wilderness,and gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.

16He brought streams also out of the rock,and caused waters to run down like rivers.

17Yet they still went on to sin against him,to rebel against the Most High in the desert.

18They tempted God in their heartby asking food according to their desire.

19Yes, they spoke against God.They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

20Behold, he struck the rock, so that waters gushed out,and streams overflowed.Can he give bread also?Will he provide meat for his people?”

21Therefore the LORD heard, and was angry.A fire was kindled against Jacob, anger also went up against Israel,

22because they didn’t believe in God,and didn’t trust in his salvation.

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

24He rained down manna on them to eat,and gave them food from the sky.

25Man ate the bread of angels.He sent them food to the full.

26He caused the east wind to blow in the sky.By his power he guided the south wind.

27He also rained meat on them as the dust,winged birds as the sand of the seas.

28He let them fall in the middle of their camp,around their habitations.

29So they ate, and were well filled.He gave them their own desire.

30They didn’t turn from their cravings.Their food was yet in their mouths,

31when the anger of God went up against them, killed some of their strongest, and struck down the young men of Israel.

32For all this they still sinned,and didn’t believe in his wondrous works.

33Therefore he consumed their days in vanity,and their years in terror.

34When he killed them, then they inquired after him.They returned and sought God earnestly.

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

36But they flattered him with their mouth,and lied to him with their tongue.

37For their heart was not right with him,neither were they faithful in his covenant.

38But he, being merciful, forgave iniquity, and didn’t destroy them.Yes, many times he turned his anger away, and didn’t stir up all his wrath.

39He remembered that they were but flesh,a wind that passes away, and doesn’t come again.

40How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness,and grieved him in the desert!

41They turned again and tempted God,and provoked the Holy One of Israel.

42They didn’t remember his hand,nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;

43how he set his signs in Egypt,his wonders in the field of Zoan,

44he turned their rivers into blood,and their streams, so that they could not drink.

45He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them;and frogs, which destroyed them.

46He also gave their increase to the caterpillar,and their labor to the locust.

47He destroyed their vines with hail,their sycamore fig trees with frost.

48He also gave over their livestock to the hail,and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

49He threw on them the fierceness of his anger,wrath, indignation, and trouble, and a band of angels of evil.

50He made a path for his anger.He didn’t spare their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence,

51and struck all the firstborn in Egypt,the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.

52But he led out his own people like sheep,and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

53He led them safely, so that they weren’t afraid,but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

54He brought them to the border of his sanctuary,to this mountain, which his right hand had taken.

55He also drove out the nations before them,allotted them for an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

56Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God,and didn’t keep his testimonies,

57but turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers.They were twisted like a deceitful bow.

58For they provoked him to anger with their high places,and moved him to jealousy with their engraved images.

59When God heard this, he was angry,and greatly abhorred Israel,

60so that he abandoned the tent of Shiloh,the tent which he placed among men,

61and delivered his strength into captivity,his glory into the adversary’s hand.

62He also gave his people over to the sword,and was angry with his inheritance.

63Fire devoured their young men.Their virgins had no wedding song.

64Their priests fell by the sword,and their widows couldn’t weep.

65Then the Lord awakened as one out of sleep,like a mighty man who shouts by reason of wine.

66He struck his adversaries backward.He put them to a perpetual reproach.

67Moreover he rejected the tent of Joseph,and didn’t choose the tribe of Ephraim,

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

69He built his sanctuary like the heights,like the earth which he has established forever.

70He also chose David his servant,and took him from the sheepfolds;

71from following the ewes that have their young,he brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.

72So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart,and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.

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

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

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

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

5And 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.

6So that a later generation doth know, Sons who are born, do rise and recount to their sons,

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

8And they are not like their fathers, A generation apostate and rebellious, A generation! it hath not prepared its heart, Nor stedfast with God [is] its spirit.

9Sons of Ephraim — armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.

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

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

12Before their fathers He hath done wonders, In the land of Egypt — the field of Zoan.

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

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

15He cleaveth rocks in a wilderness, And giveth drink — as the great deep.

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

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

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

19And they speak against God — they said: 'Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?'

20Lo, He hath smitten a rock, And waters flow, yea, streams overflow. 'Also — bread [is] He able to give? Doth He prepare flesh for His people?'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

28And causeth [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Round about His tabernacles.

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

30They have not been estranged from their desire, Yet [is] their food in their mouth,

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

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

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

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

35And they remember that God [is] their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.

36And — they deceive Him with their mouth, And with their tongue do lie to Him,

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

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

39And He remembereth that they [are] flesh, A wind going on — and it returneth not.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

47He destroyeth with hail their vine, And their sycamores with frost,

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

49He sendeth on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress — A discharge of evil messengers.

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

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

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

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

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

55And 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,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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