I Will Open My Mouth in Parables
(Matthew 13:34–35)

1Heare my lawe (o my people) encline yor eares vnto ye wordes of my mouth.

2I wil open my mouth in parables, and speake of thinges of olde.

3Which we haue herde and knowne, and soch as oure fathers haue tolde vs.

4That we shulde not hyde them from the children of the generacions to come: but to shewe the honoure of the LORDE, his might and wonderfull workes that he hath done.

5He made a couenaunt with Iacob, and gaue Israel a lawe, which he comaunded oure forefathers to teach their children.

6That their posterite might knowe it, and the children which were yet vnborne. To the intent yt when they came vp, they might shewe their children the same.

7That they also might put their trust in God, & not to forget what he had done, but to kepe his comaundementes.

8And not to be as their forefathers, a frowarde and ouerthwarte generacion, a generacion that set not their herte a right, and whose sprete was not true towarde God.

9Like as the children of Ephraim, which beynge harnessed and carienge bowes, turned them selues backe in the tyme of battayll.

10They kepte not the couenaut of God, & wolde not walke in his lawe.

11They forgat what he had done, and the wonderfull workes that he had shewed for them.

12Maruelous thinges dyd he in the sight of their fathers in the londe of Egipte, euen in the felde of Zoan.

13He deuyded the see and let them go thorow it, and made the waters to stonde like a wall.

14In the daye tyme he led them with a cloude, and all the night thorow with a light of fyre.

15He cloaue the hard rockes in the wildernesse, and gaue them drynke therof, as it had bene out of the greate deapth.

16He brought waters out of the stony rocke, so that they gusshed out like the ryuers.

17Yet for all this they synned agaynst him, and prouoked the most hyest in the wildernesse.

18They tempted God in their hertes, and requyred meate for their lust,

19For they spake agaynst God and sayde: Yee yee, God shal prepare a table in the wyldernesse, shall he?

20Lo, he smote the stony rocke, that the watery streames gusshed out, and the streames flowed withall: but how can he geue bred and prouyde flesh for his people?

21When the LORDE herde this, he was wroth: so the fyre was kyndled in Iacob, and heuy displeasure agaynst Israel.

22Because they beleued not in God, and put not their trust in his helpe.

23So he commauded the cloudes aboue, and opened the dores of heauen.

24He rayned downe Manna vpo them for to eate, and gaue them bred from heauen.

25Then ate they angels fode, for he sent them meate ynough.

26He caused the east wynde to blowe vnder the heauen, and thorow his power he brought in the south wynde.

27He made flesh to rayne vpon them as thicke as dust, and fethered foules like the sonde of ye see.

28He let it fall amoge their tetes roude aboute their habitacios.

29So they ate & were fylled, for he gaue them their owne desyre. They were not dispoynted of their lust.

30But whyle ye meate was yet in theyr mouthes:

31The heuy wrath of God came vpo the, slewe ye welthiest of the, & smote downe ye chosen men of Israel.

32But for all this they synned yet more, and beleued not his woderous workes.

33Therfore their dayes were consumed in vanite, and sodenly their yeares were gone.

34When he slewe them, they sought him, and turned them early vnto God.

35They thought then that God was their socoure, and that the hye God was their redemer.

36Neuerthelesse, they dyd but flater him in their mouthes, and dissembled with him in their tonges.

37For their herte was not whole with him, nether continued they in his couenaunt.

38But he was so mercifull, that he forgaue their mysdedes, and destroyed them not: Yee many a tyme turned he his wrath awaye, and wolde not suffre his whole displeasure to aryse.

39For he considered yt they were but flesh: euen a wynde that passeth awaye, and commeth not agayne.

40O how oft haue they greued him in the wildernesse? How many a tyme haue they prouoked him in the deserte?

41They turned backe & tempted God, and moued the holy one in Israel.

42They thought not of his hade, in ye daye when he delyuered them from the hande of ye enemie.

43How he had wrought his miracles in Egipte, and his woders in the londe of Zoan.

44How he turned their waters in to bloude, so that they might not drynke of the ryuers.

45How he sent lyse amonge them, to eate them vp, and frogges to destroye them.

46How he gaue their frutes vnto the catirpiller, and their laboure vnto the greshopper.

47How he bett downe their vynyardes with hayle stones, and their Molbery trees with the frost.

48How he smote their catell with haylestones, and their flockes with hote thoder boltes.

49How he sent vpon them ye furiousnesse of his wrath, anger & displeasure: with trouble and fallinge in of euel angels.

50When he made a waye to his fearfull indignacio, and spared not their soules from death, yee and gaue their catell ouer to the pestilence.

51When he smote all the firstborne in Egipte, the most principall and mightiest in ye dwellinges of Ham.

52But as for his owne people, he led them forth like shepe, and caried them in the wyldernesse like a flocke.

53He brought them out safely, that they shulde not feare, and ouerwhelmed their enemies with the see.

54He caried them vnto the borders of his Sanctuary: euen in to this hill, which he purchased with his right hande.

55He dyd cast out the Heithen before them, caused their londe to be deuyded amonge them for an heretage, and made ye tribes of Israel to dwell in their tetes.

56For all this they tempted and displeased the most hye God, and kepte not his couenaunt.

57But turned their backes and fell awaye like their forefathers, startinge asyde like a broken bowe.

58And so they greued him with their hie places, & prouoked him with their ymages.

59When God herde this, he was wroth, and toke sore displeasure at Israel.

60So that he forsoke the tabernacle in Silo, euen his habitacion wherin he dwelt amonge men.

61He delyuered their power in to captiuyte, and their glory in to the enemies hode.

62He gaue his people ouer in to the swerde, for he was wroth with his heretage.

63The fyre consumed their yonge men, and their maydes were not geuen to mariage.

64Their prestes were slayne with the swerde, and there were no wyddowes to make lamentacion.

65So the LORDE awaked as one out of slepe, and like a giaunte refreshed with wyne.

66He smote his enemies in ye hynder partes, and put them to a perpetuall shame.

67He refused the tabernacle of Ioseph, and chose not the trybe of Ephraim.

68Neuerthelesse, he chose ye trybe of Iuda, eue the hill of Sion which he loued.

69And there he buylded his temple on hye, and layed ye foundacion of it like ye grounde, that it might perpetually endure.

70He chose Dauid also his seruaut, and toke him awaye from the shepe foldes.

71As he was folowinge the yowes greate with yonge, he toke him, that he might fede Iacob his people, and Israel his enheritaunce.

72So he fed them with a faithfull and true hert, and ruled them with all ye diligence of his power.