¶ Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

I will³ open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings⁴ of old:

⁵Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

We will⁶ not hide them from their children, shewing⁷ to the generation to come the praises⁸ of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.

For he⁹ established a testimony¹⁰ in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they¹¹ should make them known to their children:

That¹² the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who¹³ should arise and declare them to their children:

That they might set¹⁴ their hope in God, and not forget¹⁵ the works of God, but keep¹⁶ his commandments:

And might not be as their¹⁷ fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not¹⁸ their heart aright, and whose¹⁹ spirit was not stedfast with God.

¶ The children²⁰ of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying²¹ bows, turned back in the day of battle.

¶²²They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;

²³And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.

Marvellous²⁴ things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan²⁵.

He divided²⁶ the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made²⁷ the waters to stand as an heap.

²⁸In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.

²⁹He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.

³⁰He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

³¹And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.

And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat³² for their lust.

Yea,³³ they spake against God; they said, Can God³⁴ furnish³⁵ a table in the wilderness?

¶ Behold, he smote³⁶ the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give³⁷ bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?

Therefore the LORD³⁸ heard this, and was wroth: so a fire³⁹ was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;

⁴⁰Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:

Though⁴¹ he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened⁴² the doors of heaven,

And had rained⁴³ down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven⁴⁴.

Man⁴⁵ did eat angels' food: he sent⁴⁶ them meat to the full.

He caused⁴⁷ an east wind to blow⁴⁸ in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.

He rained⁴⁹ flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls⁵⁰ like as the sand of the sea:

And he let⁵¹ it fall⁵² in the midst of their camp⁵³, round about their habitations⁵⁴.

So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave⁵⁵ them their own desire;

¶ They were not estranged from their lust. But⁵⁶ while their meat was yet in their mouths,

The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down⁵⁷ the chosen men of Israel.

For all this they sinned⁵⁸ still, and believed⁵⁹ not for his wondrous works.

Therefore their days⁶⁰ did he consume in vanity, and their years⁶¹ in trouble.

⁶²When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.

And they remembered⁶³ that God was⁶⁴ their rock, and the high⁶⁵ God their redeemer⁶⁶.

Nevertheless⁶⁷ they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied⁶⁸ unto him with their tongues.

For their heart⁶⁹ was not right with him, neither were they stedfast⁷⁰ in his covenant.

But he,⁷¹ being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many⁷² a time turned he his anger away, and did not⁷³ stir up all his wrath.

For he⁷⁴ remembered that they were but flesh; a wind⁷⁵ that passeth away, and cometh not again.

¶ How oft⁷⁶ did they provoke him⁷⁷ in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

Yea,⁷⁸ they turned back and tempted God, and limited⁷⁹ the Holy One of Israel.

They remembered⁸⁰ not his hand, nor the day⁸¹ when he delivered them from the enemy⁸².

How⁸³ he had wrought⁸⁴ his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:

⁸⁵And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.

He sent⁸⁶ divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs⁸⁷, which destroyed them.

He gave also⁸⁸ their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.

He destroyed⁹⁰ their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost⁹².

He gave up⁹³ their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

He cast⁹⁴ upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending⁹⁵ evil angels among them.

¶ He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence⁹⁷;

And smote⁹⁸ all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief⁹⁹ of their strength in the tabernacles¹⁰⁰ of Ham:

But¹⁰¹ made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a¹⁰² flock.

And he led them on safely, so that¹⁰³ they feared not: but¹⁰⁴ the sea overwhelmed¹⁰⁵ their enemies.

And he¹⁰⁶ brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right¹⁰⁷ hand had purchased.

He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided¹⁰⁹ them an inheritance by line, and made¹¹⁰ the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

¹¹¹Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:

But¹¹² turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were¹¹³ turned aside like a deceitful bow.

For they provoked him to anger with their high¹¹⁴ places, and moved¹¹⁵ him to jealousy with¹¹⁶ their graven images.

When God¹¹⁷ heard this, he was wroth, and greatly¹¹⁸ abhorred Israel:

¶¹¹⁹So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;

And delivered his strength¹²⁰ into captivity, and his glory¹²¹ into the enemy's hand.

He gave¹²² his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.

The fire¹²⁴ consumed their young men; and their maidens¹²⁵ were not given to marriage¹²⁶.

Their priests¹²⁷ fell by the sword; and their widows¹²⁸ made no lamentation.

Then¹²⁹ the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like¹³⁰ a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.

And he¹³¹ smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put¹³² them to a perpetual reproach.

¹³³Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:

But chose¹³⁴ the tribe of Judah, the mount¹³⁵ Zion which he loved.

And he¹³⁶ built his sanctuary like high¹³⁷ palaces, like the earth¹³⁸ which he hath established¹³⁹ for ever.

¶ He chose¹⁴⁰ David also his servant, and took¹⁴¹ him from the sheepfolds:

From following¹⁴² the ewes great with young he brought¹⁴³ him to feed¹⁴⁴ Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

So he fed them according¹⁴⁵ to the integrity of his heart; and guided¹⁴⁶ them by the skilfulness of his hands.