International Standard Version

New American Standard Bible 1995

1Listen, my people, to my instruction. Hear the words of my mouth.

1A Maskil of Asaph. Listen, O my people, to my instruction; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2I will tell a parable, speaking riddles from long ago—

2I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,

3things that we have heard and known and that our ancestors related to us.

3Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us.

4We will not withhold them from their descendants; we'll declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD— his might and awesome deeds that he has performed.

4We will not conceal them from their children, But tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.

5He established a decree in Jacob, and established the Law in Israel, that he commanded our ancestors to reveal to their children

5For He established a testimony in Jacob And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers That they should teach them to their children,

6in order that the next generation— children yet to be born— will know them and in turn teach them to their children.

6That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them to their children,

7Then they will put their trust in God and they will not forget his awesome deeds. Instead, they will keep his commandments.

7That they should put their confidence in God And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments,

8They will not be like the rebellious generation of their ancestors, a rebellious generation, whose heart was not steadfast, and whose spirits were unfaithful to God.

8And not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not prepare its heart And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9The descendants of Ephraim were sharp shooters with the bow, but they retreated in the day of battle.

9The sons of Ephraim were archers equipped with bows, Yet they turned back in the day of battle.

10They did not keep God's covenant, and refused to live by his Law.

10They did not keep the covenant of God And refused to walk in His law;

11They have forgotten what he has done, his awesome deeds that they witnessed.

11They forgot His deeds And His miracles that He had shown them.

12He performed marvelous things in the presence of their ancestors in the land of Egypt— in the fields of Zoan.

12He wrought wonders before their fathers In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

13He divided the sea so that they were able to cross; he caused the water to stand in a single location.

13He divided the sea and caused them to pass through, And He made the waters stand up like a heap.

14He led them with a cloud during the day, and during the night with light from the fire.

14Then He led them with the cloud by day And all the night with a light of fire.

15He caused the rocks to split in the wilderness, and gave them water as from an abundant sea.

15He split the rocks in the wilderness And gave them abundant drink like the ocean depths.

16He brought streams from rock, causing water to flow like a river.

16He brought forth streams also from the rock And caused waters to run down like rivers.

17But time and again, they sinned against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.

17Yet they still continued to sin against Him, To rebel against the Most High in the desert.

18To test God was in their minds, when they demanded food to satisfy their cravings.

18And in their heart they put God to the test By asking food according to their desire.

19They spoke against God by asking, "Is God able to prepare a feast in the desert?

19Then they spoke against God; They said, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

20It's true that Moses struck the rock so that water flowed forth and torrents of water gushed out, but is he also able to give bread or to supply meat for his people?"

20"Behold, He struck the rock so that waters gushed out, And streams were overflowing; Can He give bread also? Will He provide meat for His people?"

21Therefore, when the LORD heard this, he was angry, and fire broke out against Jacob. Moreover, his anger flared against Israel,

21Therefore the LORD heard and was full of wrath; And a fire was kindled against Jacob And anger also mounted against Israel,

22because they didn't believe in God and didn't trust in his deliverance.

22Because they did not believe in God And did not trust in His salvation.

23Yet he commanded the skies above and the doors of the heavens to open,

23Yet He commanded the clouds above And opened the doors of heaven;

24so that manna rained down on them for food and he sent them the grain of heaven.

24He rained down manna upon them to eat And gave them food from heaven.

25Mortal men ate the food of angels; he sent provision to them in abundance.

25Man did eat the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance.

26He stirred up the east wind in the heavens and drove the south wind by his might.

26He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens And by His power He directed the south wind.

27He caused meat to rain on them like dust and winged birds as the sand of the sea.

27When He rained meat upon them like the dust, Even winged fowl like the sand of the seas,

28He caused these to fall in the middle of the camp and all around their tents.

28Then He let them fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their dwellings.

29So they ate and were very satisfied, because he granted their desire.

29So they ate and were well filled, And their desire He gave to them.

30However, before they had fulfilled their desire, while their food was still in their mouths,

30Before they had satisfied their desire, While their food was in their mouths,

31the anger of God flared against them, and he killed the strongest men and humbled Israel's young men.

31The anger of God rose against them And killed some of their stoutest ones, And subdued the choice men of Israel.

32In spite of all of this, they kept on sinning and didn't believe in his marvelous deeds.

32In spite of all this they still sinned And did not believe in His wonderful works.

33So he made their days end in futility, and their years with sudden terror.

33So He brought their days to an end in futility And their years in sudden terror.

34When he struck them, they sought him; they repented, and eagerly sought God.

34When He killed them, then they sought Him, And returned and searched diligently for God;

35Then they remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God was their deliverer.

35And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer.

36But they deceived him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues.

36But they deceived Him with their mouth And lied to Him with their tongue.

37For their hearts weren't committed to him, and they weren't faithful to his covenant.

37For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.

38But he, being merciful, forgave their iniquity and didn't destroy them; He restrained his anger and didn't vent all his wrath.

38But He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them; And often He restrained His anger And did not arouse all His wrath.

39For he remembered that they were only flesh, a passing wind that doesn't return.

39Thus He remembered that they were but flesh, A wind that passes and does not return.

40How they rebelled against him in the desert, grieving him in the wilderness!

40How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness And grieved Him in the desert!

41They tested God again and again, provoking the Holy One of Israel.

41Again and again they tempted God, And pained the Holy One of Israel.

42They did not remember his power— the day he delivered them from their adversary,

42They did not remember His power, The day when He redeemed them from the adversary,

43when he set his signs in Egypt and his wonders in the plain of Zoan.

43When He performed His signs in Egypt And His marvels in the field of Zoan,

44He turned their rivers into blood and made their streams undrinkable.

44And turned their rivers to blood, And their streams, they could not drink.

45He sent swarms of insects to bite them and frogs to destroy them.

45He sent among them swarms of flies which devoured them, And frogs which destroyed them.

46He gave their crops to caterpillars and what they worked for to locusts.

46He gave also their crops to the grasshopper And the product of their labor to the locust.

47He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore trees with frost.

47He destroyed their vines with hailstones And their sycamore trees with frost.

48He delivered their beasts to hail and their livestock to lightning bolts.

48He gave over their cattle also to the hailstones And their herds to bolts of lightning.

49He inflicted his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, sending destroying angels among them.

49He sent upon them His burning anger, Fury and indignation and trouble, A band of destroying angels.

50He blazed a path for his anger; he did not stop short from killing them, but handed them over to pestilence.

50He leveled a path for His anger; He did not spare their soul from death, But gave over their life to the plague,

51He struck every firstborn in Egypt, the first fruits of their manhood in the tents of Ham.

51And smote all the firstborn in Egypt, The first issue of their virility in the tents of Ham.

52Yet he led out his people like sheep, guiding them like a flock in the desert.

52But He led forth His own people like sheep And guided them in the wilderness like a flock;

53He led them to safety so they would not fear. As for their enemies, the sea covered them.

53He led them safely, so that they did not fear; But the sea engulfed their enemies.

54He brought the people to the border of his holy mountain, which he acquired by his might.

54So He brought them to His holy land, To this hill country which His right hand had gained.

55He drove out nations before them and allotted their tribal inheritance, settling the tribes of Israel in their tents.

55He also drove out the nations before them And apportioned them for an inheritance by measurement, And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.

56But they tested the Most High God by rebelling against him, and they did not obey his statutes.

56Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God And did not keep His testimonies,

57They fell away and were as disloyal as their ancestors. They became unreliable, like a defective bow;

57But turned back and acted treacherously like their fathers; They turned aside like a treacherous bow.

58they angered him with their high places and with their carved images they made him jealous.

58For they provoked Him with their high places And aroused His jealousy with their graven images.

59God heard and became furious, and he completely rejected Israel.

59When God heard, He was filled with wrath And greatly abhorred Israel;

60He abandoned the tent at Shiloh, the tent that he established among mankind.

60So that He abandoned the dwelling place at Shiloh, The tent which He had pitched among men,

61Then he sent his might into captivity and his glory into the control of the adversary.

61And gave up His strength to captivity And His glory into the hand of the adversary.

62He delivered his people over to the sword and was angry with his possession.

62He also delivered His people to the sword, And was filled with wrath at His inheritance.

63The young men were consumed by fire, and the virgins had no marriage celebrations.

63Fire devoured His young men, And His virgins had no wedding songs.

64The priests fell by the sword, yet their widows couldn't weep.

64His priests fell by the sword, And His widows could not weep.

65The LORD awoke as though from sleep, like a mighty warrior stimulated by wine.

65Then the Lord awoke as if from sleep, Like a warrior overcome by wine.

66He beat back his adversaries, permanently disgracing them.

66He drove His adversaries backward; He put on them an everlasting reproach.

67He rejected the clan of Joseph; and the tribe of Ephraim he did not choose.

67He also rejected the tent of Joseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,

68But he chose the tribe of Judah, the mountain of Zion, which he loves.

68But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved.

69He built his sanctuary, high as the heavens, like the earth that he established forever.

69And He built His sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which He has founded forever.

70Then he chose his servant David, whom he took from the sheepfold.

70He also chose David His servant And took him from the sheepfolds;

71He brought him from birthing sheep to care for Jacob, his people, Israel, his possession.

71From the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought him To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance.

72David shepherded them with a devoted heart, and led them with skillful hands.

72So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them with his skillful hands.

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org