aListen, O my people
, to my 1instruction
; bIncline
your ears
to the words
of my mouth
.
I will aopen my mouth
in a parable
; I will utter
bdark
sayings
of old
,
Which we have heard
and known
, And aour fathers
have told
us.
We will anot conceal them from their children
, But btell
to the generation
to come
the praises
of the LORD
, And His strength
and His cwondrous
works
that He has done
.
For He established a atestimony
in Jacob
And appointed
a blaw
in Israel
, Which
He ccommanded
our fathers
That they should 1 dteach
them to their children
,
aThat the generation to come
might know
, even bthe children
yet to be born
, That they may arise
and ctell
them to their children
,
That they should put their confidence
in God
And anot forget
the works
of God
, But bkeep
His commandments
,
And anot be like their fathers, A bstubborn
and rebellious
generation
, A generation
that cdid not 1prepare
its heart
And whose spirit
was not dfaithful
to God
.
The sons of Ephraim
1were aarchers
equipped
with bows
, Yet bthey turned
back
in the day
of battle
.
They adid not keep the covenant
of God
And refused
to bwalk
in His law
;
They aforgot His deeds
And His 1miracles
that He had shown
them.
aHe wrought wonders
before
their fathers
In the land
of Egypt
, in the bfield
of Zoan
.
He adivided the sea
and caused them to pass
through
, And He made the waters
stand
bup like
a heap
.
Then He led them with the cloud
by aday
And all
the night
with a blight
of fire
.
He asplit the rocks
in the wilderness
And gave
them abundant
drink
like the ocean
depths
.
He abrought forth
streams
also from the rock
And caused waters
to run
down
like rivers
.
Yet they still continued
to sin
against Him, To arebel
against the Most
High
in the desert
.
And in their heart they aput
God
to the test
By asking
bfood
according to their desire
.
Then they spoke against God
; They said
, " aCan
God
prepare
a table
in the wilderness
?
"Behold, He astruck
the rock
so that waters
gushed
out, And streams
were overflowing
; Can
He give
bread
also
? Will He provide
1 bmeat
for His people
?"
Therefore the LORD
heard
and 1was afull
of wrath
; And a fire
was kindled
against Jacob
And anger
also
mounted
against Israel
,
Because they adid not believe
in God
And did not trust
in His salvation
.
Yet He commanded the clouds
above
And aopened
the doors
of heaven
;
He arained down
manna
upon them to eat
And gave
them 1 bfood
from heaven
.
Man did eat
the bread
of 1angels
; He sent
them 2food
3 ain abundance
.
He acaused the east wind
to blow
in the heavens
And by His 1power
He directed
the south
wind
.
When He rained 1meat
upon them like the dust
, Even awinged
fowl
like the sand
of the seas
,
Then He let them fall in the midst
of 1their camp
, Round
about
their dwellings
.
So they aate and were well
filled
, And their desire
He gave
to them.
1Before they had satisfied their desire
, aWhile
their food
was in their mouths
,
The aanger of God
rose
against them And killed
1some of their bstoutest
ones, And 2subdued
the choice
men
of Israel
.
In spite of all this
they astill
sinned
And bdid not believe
in His wonderful
works
.
So He brought atheir days
to an end
in 1futility
And their years
in sudden
terror
.
When He killed
them, then they asought
Him, And returned
and searched
bdiligently
for God
;
And they remembered that God
was their arock
, And the Most
High
God
their bRedeemer
.
But they adeceived Him with their mouth
And blied
to Him with their tongue
.
For their heart was not asteadfast
toward
Him, Nor
were they faithful
in His covenant
.
But He, being acompassionate, 1 bforgave
their iniquity
and did not destroy
them; And often
He 2 crestrained
His anger
And did not arouse
all
His wrath
.
Thus aHe remembered that they were but bflesh
, A 1 cwind
that passes
and does not return
.
How often
they arebelled
against Him in the wilderness
And bgrieved
Him in the cdesert
!
Again and again they 1 atempted
God
, And pained
the bHoly
One
of Israel
.
They adid not remember bHis 1power
, The day
when
He credeemed
them from the adversary
,
When He performed
His asigns
in Egypt
And His bmarvels
in the field
of Zoan
,
And aturned their rivers
to blood
, And their streams
, they could not drink
.
He sent among them swarms
of aflies
which devoured
them, And bfrogs
which destroyed
them.
He gave also their crops
to the agrasshopper
And the product
of their labor
to the blocust
.
He 1destroyed their vines
with ahailstones
And their sycamore
trees
with frost
.
He gave over
their acattle
also to the hailstones
And their herds
to bolts
of lightning
.
He asent upon them His burning
anger
, Fury
and indignation
and trouble
, 1A band
of destroying
angels
.
He leveled a path
for His anger
; He did not spare
their soul
from death
, But agave
over
their life
to the plague
,
And asmote all
the firstborn
in Egypt
, The bfirst
issue of their virility
in the tents
of cHam
.
But He aled forth
His own people
like sheep
And guided
them in the wilderness
blike a flock
;
He led them asafely
, so that they did not fear
; But bthe sea
engulfed
their enemies
.
So aHe brought them to His holy
1land
, To this
2 bhill
country
cwhich His right
hand
had gained
.
He also adrove out the nations
before
them And bapportioned
them for an inheritance
by measurement
, And made the tribes
of Israel
dwell
in their tents
.
Yet they 1 atempted and brebelled
against
the Most
High
God
And did not keep
His testimonies
,
But turned back
and aacted
treacherously
like their fathers
; They bturned
aside
like a treacherous
bow
.
For they aprovoked Him with their bhigh
places
And caroused His jealousy
with their dgraven
images
.
When God heard
, He 1was filled
with awrath
And greatly
babhorred
Israel
;
So that He aabandoned the bdwelling
place
at Shiloh
, The tent
1which He had pitched
among men
,
And gave up His astrength
to captivity
And His glory
binto the hand
of the adversary
.
He also adelivered His people
to the sword
, And 1was filled
with wrath
at His inheritance
.
aFire devoured
1His young
men
, And 1His bvirgins
had no
wedding
songs
.
1His apriests fell
by the sword
, And 1His bwidows
could not weep
.
Then the Lord aawoke
as if from sleep
, Like a bwarrior
1overcome
by wine
.
He 1 adrove His adversaries
backward
; He put
on them an everlasting
reproach
.
He also arejected the tent
of Joseph
, And did not choose
the tribe
of Ephraim
,
But chose the tribe
of Judah
, Mount
aZion
which
He loved
.
And He abuilt His sanctuary
like
the heights
, Like the earth
which He has founded
forever
.
He also achose David
His servant
And took
him from the sheepfolds
;
From 1 athe care of the 2ewes
bwith suckling
lambs
He brought
him To cshepherd
Jacob
His people
, And Israel
dHis inheritance
.
So he shepherded them according to the aintegrity
of his heart
, And guided
them with his skillful
hands
.