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!
