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[1]An Instruction of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings of my mouth.
[2]I open with a simile my mouth, I bring forth hidden things of old,
[3]That we have heard and do know, And our fathers have recounted to us.
[4]We do not hide from their sons, To a later generation recounting praises of Jehovah, And His strength, and His wonders that He hath done.
[5]And 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.
[6]So that a later generation doth know, Sons who are born, do rise and recount to their sons,
[7]And place in God their confidence, And forget not the doings of God, But keep His commands.
[8]And 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.
[9]Sons of Ephraim -- armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.
[10]They have not kept the covenant of God, And in His law they have refused to walk,
[11]And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He shewed them.
[12]Before their fathers He hath done wonders, In the land of Egypt -- the field of Zoan.
[13]He cleft a sea, and causeth them to pass over, Yea, He causeth waters to stand as a heap.
[14]And leadeth them with a cloud by day, And all the night with a light of fire.
[15]He cleaveth rocks in a wilderness, And giveth drink -- as the great deep.
[16]And bringeth out streams from a rock, And causeth waters to come down as rivers.
[17]And they add still to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.
[18]And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.
[19]And they speak against God -- they said: `Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?'
[20]Lo, 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?'
[21]Therefore hath Jehovah heard, And He sheweth Himself wroth, And fire hath been kindled against Jacob, And anger also hath gone up against Israel,
[22]For they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation.
[23]And He commandeth clouds from above, Yea, doors of the heavens He hath opened.
[24]And He raineth on them manna to eat, Yea, corn of heaven He hath given to them.
[25]Food of the mighty hath each eaten, Venison He sent to them to satiety.
[26]He causeth an east wind to journey in the heavens, And leadeth by His strength a south wind,
[27]And He raineth on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas -- winged fowl,
[28]And causeth [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Round about His tabernacles.
[29]And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And their desire He bringeth to them.
[30]They have not been estranged from their desire, Yet [is] their food in their mouth,
[31]And the anger of God hath gone up against them, And He slayeth among their fat ones, And youths of Israel He caused to bend.
[32]With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.
[33]And He consumeth in vanity their days, And their years in trouble.
[34]If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and sought God earnestly,
[35]And they remember that God [is] their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.
[36]And -- they deceive Him with their mouth, And with their tongue do lie to Him,
[37]And their heart hath not been right with Him, And they have not been stedfast in His covenant.
[38]And He -- the Merciful One, Pardoneth iniquity, and destroyeth not, And hath often turned back His anger, And waketh not up all His fury.
[39]And He remembereth that they [are] flesh, A wind going on -- and it returneth not.
[40]How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?
[41]Yea, they turn back, and try God, And the Holy One of Israel have limited.
[42]They have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.
[43]When He set His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan,
[44]And He turneth to blood their streams, And their floods they drink not.
[45]He sendeth among them the beetle, and it consumeth them, And the frog, and it destroyeth them,
[46]And giveth to the caterpillar their increase, And their labour to the locust.
[47]He destroyeth with hail their vine, And their sycamores with frost,
[48]And delivereth up to the hail their beasts, And their cattle to the burning flames.
[49]He sendeth on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress -- A discharge of evil messengers.
[50]He pondereth a path for His anger, He kept not back their soul from death, Yea, their life to the pestilence He delivered up.
[51]And He smiteth every first-born in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.
[52]And causeth His people to journey as a flock, And guideth them as a drove in a wilderness,
[53]And He leadeth them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And their enemies hath the sea covered.
[54]And He bringeth them in unto the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had got,
[55]And 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,
[56]And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And His testimonies have not kept.
[57]And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,
[58]And make Him angry with their high places, And with their graven images make Him zealous,
[59]God hath heard, and sheweth Himself wroth. And kicketh exceedingly against Israel.
[60]And He leaveth the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,
[61]And He giveth His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,
[62]And delivereth up to the sword His people, And with His inheritance shewed Himself angry.
[63]His young men hath fire consumed, And His virgins have not been praised.
[64]His priests by the sword have fallen, And their widows weep not.
[65]And the Lord waketh as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.
[66]And He smiteth His adversaries backward, A reproach age-during He hath put on them,
[67]And He kicketh against the tent of Joseph, And on the tribe of Ephraim hath not fixed.
[68]And He chooseth the tribe of Judah, With mount Zion that He loved,
[69]And buildeth His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it to the age.
[70]And He fixeth on David His servant, And taketh him from the folds of a flock,
[71]From behind suckling ones He hath brought him in, To rule over Jacob His people, And over Israel His inheritance.
[72]And he ruleth them according to the integrity of his heart, And by the skilfulness of his hands leadeth them!
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