New King James Version

Christian Standard Bible

1A Contemplation of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

1My people, hear my instruction; listen to the words from my mouth.

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

2I will declare wise sayings; I will speak mysteries from the past--

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

3things we have heard and known and that our fathers have passed down to us.

4We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.

4We will not hide them from their children, but will tell a future generation the praiseworthy acts of the LORD, his might, and the wondrous works he has performed.

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

5He established a testimony in Jacob and set up a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children

6That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children,

6so that a future generation--children yet to be born--might know. They were to rise and tell their children

7That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments;

7so that they might put their confidence in God and not forget God's works, but keep his commands.

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

8Then they would not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not loyal and whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, Turned back in the day of battle.

9The Ephraimite archers turned back on the day of battle.

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

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

11And forgot His works And His wonders that He had shown them.

11They forgot what he had done, the wondrous works he had shown them.

12Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

12He worked wonders in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, the territory of Zoan.

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

13He split the sea and brought them across; the water stood firm like a wall.

14In the daytime also He led them with the cloud, And all the night with a light of fire.

14He led them with a cloud by day and with a fiery light throughout the night.

15He split the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink in abundance like the depths.

15He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as abundant as the depths.

16He also brought streams out of the rock, And caused waters to run down like rivers.

16He brought streams out of the stone and made water flow down like rivers.

17But they sinned even more against Him By rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.

17But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High.

18And they tested God in their heart By asking for the food of their fancy.

18They deliberately tested God, demanding the food they craved.

19Yes, they spoke against God: They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

19They spoke against God, saying, "Is God able to provide food in the wilderness?

20Behold, He struck the rock, So that the waters gushed out, And the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?”

20Look! He struck the rock and water gushed out; torrents overflowed. But can he also provide bread or furnish meat for his people?"

21Therefore the LORD heard this and was furious; So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also came up against Israel,

21Therefore, the LORD heard and became furious; then fire broke out against Jacob, and anger flared up against Israel

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

22because they did not believe God or rely on his salvation.

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

23He gave a command to the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven.

24Had rained down manna on them to eat, And given them of the bread of heaven.

24He rained manna for them to eat; he gave them grain from heaven.

25Men ate angels’ food; He sent them food to the full.

25People ate the bread of angels. He sent them an abundant supply of food.

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

26He made the east wind blow in the skies and drove the south wind by his might.

27He also rained meat on them like the dust, Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas;

27He rained meat on them like dust, and winged birds like the sand of the seas.

28And He let them fall in the midst of their camp, All around their dwellings.

28He made them fall in the camp, all around the tents.

29So they ate and were well filled, For He gave them their own desire.

29The people ate and were completely satisfied, for he gave them what they craved.

30They were not deprived of their craving; But while their food was still in their mouths,

30Before they had turned from what they craved, while the food was still in their mouths,

31The wrath of God came against them, And slew the stoutest of them, And struck down the choice men of Israel.

31God's anger flared up against them, and he killed some of their best men. He struck down Israel's fit young men.

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

32Despite all this, they kept sinning and did not believe his wondrous works.

33Therefore their days He consumed in futility, And their years in fear.

33He made their days end in futility, their years in sudden disaster.

34When He slew them, then they sought Him; And they returned and sought earnestly for God.

34When he killed some of them, the rest began to seek him; they repented and searched for God.

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

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

36Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth, And they lied to Him with their tongue;

36But they deceived him with their mouths, they lied to him with their tongues,

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

37their hearts were insincere toward him, and they were unfaithful to his covenant.

38But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, And did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, And did not stir up all His wrath;

38Yet he was compassionate; he atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them. He often turned his anger aside and did not unleash all his wrath.

39For He remembered that they were but flesh, A breath that passes away and does not come again.

39He remembered that they were only flesh, a wind that passes and does not return.

40How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, And grieved Him in the desert!

40How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert.

41Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel.

41They constantly tested God and provoked the Holy One of Israel.

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

42They did not remember his power shown on the day he redeemed them from the foe,

43When He worked His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan;

43when he performed his miraculous signs in Egypt and his wonders in the territory of Zoan.

44Turned their rivers into blood, And their streams, that they could not drink.

44He turned their rivers into blood, and they could not drink from their streams.

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

45He sent among them swarms of flies, which fed on them, and frogs, which devastated them.

46He also gave their crops to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.

46He gave their crops to the caterpillar and the fruit of their labor to the locust.

47He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycamore trees with frost.

47He killed their vines with hail and their sycamore fig trees with a flood.

48He also gave up their cattle to the hail, And their flocks to fiery lightning.

48He handed over their livestock to hail and their cattle to lightning bolts.

49He cast on them the fierceness of His anger, Wrath, indignation, and trouble, By sending angels of destruction among them.

49He sent his burning anger against them: fury, indignation, and calamity--a band of deadly messengers.

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

50He cleared a path for his anger. He did not spare them from death but delivered their lives to the plague.

51And destroyed all the firstborn in Egypt, The first of their strength in the tents of Ham.

51He struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the first progeny of the tents of Ham.

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

52He led his people out like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.

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

53He led them safely, and they were not afraid; but the sea covered their enemies.

54And He brought them to His holy border, This mountain which His right hand had acquired.

54He brought them to his holy territory, to the mountain his right hand acquired.

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

55He drove out nations before them. He apportioned their inheritance by lot and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

56Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God, And did not keep His testimonies,

56But they rebelliously tested the Most High God, for they did not keep his decrees.

57But turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers; They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

57They treacherously turned away like their fathers; they became warped like a faulty bow.

58For they provoked Him to anger with their high places, And moved Him to jealousy with their carved images.

58They enraged him with their high places and provoked his jealousy with their carved images.

59When God heard this, He was furious, And greatly abhorred Israel,

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

60So that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,

60He abandoned the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tent where he resided among mankind.

61And delivered His strength into captivity, And His glory into the enemy’s hand.

61He gave up his strength to captivity and his splendor to the hand of a foe.

62He also gave His people over to the sword, And was furious with His inheritance.

62He surrendered his people to the sword because he was enraged with his heritage.

63The fire consumed their young men, And their maidens were not given in marriage.

63Fire consumed his chosen young men, and his young women had no wedding songs.

64Their priests fell by the sword, And their widows made no lamentation.

64His priests fell by the sword, and the widows could not lament.

65Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, Like a mighty man who shouts because of wine.

65The Lord awoke as if from sleep, like a warrior from the effects of wine.

66And He beat back His enemies; He put them to a perpetual reproach.

66He beat back his foes; he gave them lasting disgrace.

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

67He rejected the tent of Joseph and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.

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

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

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

69He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever.

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

70He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens;

71From following the ewes that had young He brought him, To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance.

71he brought him from tending ewes to be shepherd over his people Jacob--over Israel, his inheritance.

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

72He shepherded them with a pure heart and guided them with his skillful hands.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.