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.

A Maskil of Asaph.

1Give ear, O my people, to my instruction;listen to the words of my mouth.

2I will open my mouth in parables;I will utter things hidden from the beginning,

3that we have heard and knownand our fathers have relayed to us.

4We will not hide them from their childrenbut will declare to the next generationthe praises of the LORD and His mightand the wonders He has performed.

5For He established a testimony in Jacoband appointed a law in Israel,which He commanded our fathersto teach to their children,

6that the coming generation would know them—even children yet to be born— to arise and tell their own children

7that they should put their confidence in God,not forgetting His works, but keeping His commandments.

8Then they will not be like their fathers,a stubborn and rebellious generation,whose heart was not loyal,whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9The archers of Ephraimturned back on the day of battle.

10They failed to keep God’s covenantand refused to live by His law.

11They forgot what He had done,the wonders He had shown them.

12He worked wonders before their fathersin the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.

13He split the sea and brought them through;He set the waters upright like a wall.

14He led them with a cloud by dayand with a light of fire all night.

15He split the rocks in the wildernessand gave them drink as abundant as the seas.

16He brought streams from the stoneand made water flow down like rivers.

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

18They willfully tested Godby demanding the food they craved.

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

20When He struck the rock, water gushed outand torrents raged.But can He also give breador supply His people with meat?”

21Therefore the LORD heardand was filled with wrath;so a fire was kindled against Jacob,and His anger flared against Israel,

22because they did not believe Godor rely on His salvation.

23Yet He commanded the clouds aboveand opened the doors of the heavens.

24He rained down manna for them to eat;He gave them grain from heaven.

25Man ate the bread of angels;He sent them food in abundance.

26He stirred the east wind from the heavensand drove the south wind by His might.

27He rained meat on them like dust,and winged birds like the sand of the sea.

28He felled them in the midst of their camp,all around their dwellings.

29So they ate and were well filled,for He gave them what they craved.

30Yet before they had filled their desire,with the food still in their mouths,

31God’s anger flared against them,and He put to death their strongest and subdued the young men of Israel.

32In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.

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

34When He slew them, they would seek Him;they repented and searched for God.

35And they remembered that God was their Rock,that God Most Highwas their Redeemer.

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

37Their hearts were disloyal to Him,and they were unfaithful to His covenant.

38And yet He was compassionate;He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them.He often restrained His angerand did not unleash His full wrath.

39He remembered that they were but flesh,a passing breeze that does not return.

40How often they disobeyed Him in the wildernessand grieved Him in the desert!

41Again and again they tested Godand provoked the Holy One of Israel.

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

43when He performed His signs in Egyptand His wonders in the fields of Zoan.

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

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

46He gave their crops to the grasshopper,the fruit of their labor to the locust.

47He killed their vines with hailstonesand their sycamore-figs with sleet.

48He abandoned their cattle to the hailand their livestock to bolts of lightning.

49He unleashed His fury against them,wrath, indignation, and calamity— a band of destroying angels.

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

51He struck all the firstborn of Egypt,the virility in the tents of Ham.

52He led out His people like sheepand guided them like a flock in the wilderness.

53He led them safely, so they did not fear,but the sea engulfed their enemies.

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

55He drove out nations before themand apportioned their inheritance; He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

56But they tested and disobeyed God Most High,for they did not keep His decrees.

57They turned back and were faithless like their fathers,twisted like a faulty bow.

58They enraged Him with their high placesand provoked His jealousy with their idols.

59On hearing it, God was furiousand rejected Israel completely.

60He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,the tent He had pitched among men.

61He delivered His strength to captivity,and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.

62He surrendered His people to the swordbecause He was enraged by His heritage.

63Fire consumed His young men,and their maidens were left without wedding songs.

64His priests fell by the sword,but their widows could not lament.

65Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,like a mighty warrior overcome by wine.

66He beat back His foes;He put them to everlasting shame.

67He rejected the tent of Josephand refused the tribe of Ephraim.

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

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

70He chose David His servantand took him from the sheepfolds;

71from tending the ewes He brought himto be shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance.

72So David shepherded them with integrity of heartand guided them with skillful hands.