New Living Translation | New International Version |
1O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying, | 1A maskil of Asaph. My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. |
2for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past— | 2I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old-- |
3stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us. | 3things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. |
4We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the LORD, about his power and his mighty wonders. | 4We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. |
5For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, | 5He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, |
6so the next generation might know them— even the children not yet born— and they in turn will teach their own children. | 6so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. |
7So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands. | 7Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. |
8Then they will not be like their ancestors— stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God. | 8They would not be like their ancestors-- a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him. |
9The warriors of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned their backs and fled on the day of battle. | 9The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; |
10They did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his instructions. | 10they did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by his law. |
11They forgot what he had done— the great wonders he had shown them, | 11They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them. |
12the miracles he did for their ancestors on the plain of Zoan in the land of Egypt. | 12He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. |
13For he divided the sea and led them through, making the water stand up like walls! | 13He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand up like a wall. |
14In the daytime he led them by a cloud, and all night by a pillar of fire. | 14He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night. |
15He split open the rocks in the wilderness to give them water, as from a gushing spring. | 15He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them water as abundant as the seas; |
16He made streams pour from the rock, making the waters flow down like a river! | 16he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers. |
17Yet they kept on sinning against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert. | 17But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High. |
18They stubbornly tested God in their hearts, demanding the foods they craved. | 18They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved. |
19They even spoke against God himself, saying, “God can’t give us food in the wilderness. | 19They spoke against God; they said, "Can God really spread a table in the wilderness? |
20Yes, he can strike a rock so water gushes out, but he can’t give his people bread and meat.” | 20True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out, streams flowed abundantly, but can he also give us bread? Can he supply meat for his people?" |
21When the LORD heard them, he was furious. The fire of his wrath burned against Jacob. Yes, his anger rose against Israel, | 21When the LORD heard them, he was furious; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel, |
22for they did not believe God or trust him to care for them. | 22for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance. |
23But he commanded the skies to open; he opened the doors of heaven. | 23Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens; |
24He rained down manna for them to eat; he gave them bread from heaven. | 24he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven. |
25They ate the food of angels! God gave them all they could hold. | 25Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat. |
26He released the east wind in the heavens and guided the south wind by his mighty power. | 26He let loose the east wind from the heavens and by his power made the south wind blow. |
27He rained down meat as thick as dust— birds as plentiful as the sand on the seashore! | 27He rained meat down on them like dust, birds like sand on the seashore. |
28He caused the birds to fall within their camp and all around their tents. | 28He made them come down inside their camp, all around their tents. |
29The people ate their fill. He gave them what they craved. | 29They ate till they were gorged-- he had given them what they craved. |
30But before they satisfied their craving, while the meat was yet in their mouths, | 30But before they turned from what they craved, even while the food was still in their mouths, |
31the anger of God rose against them, and he killed their strongest men. He struck down the finest of Israel’s young men. | 31God's anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them, cutting down the young men of Israel. |
32But in spite of this, the people kept sinning. Despite his wonders, they refused to trust him. | 32In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe. |
33So he ended their lives in failure, their years in terror. | 33So he ended their days in futility and their years in terror. |
34When God began killing them, they finally sought him. They repented and took God seriously. | 34Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again. |
35Then they remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their redeemer. | 35They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. |
36But all they gave him was lip service; they lied to him with their tongues. | 36But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues; |
37Their hearts were not loyal to him. They did not keep his covenant. | 37their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant. |
38Yet he was merciful and forgave their sins and did not destroy them all. Many times he held back his anger and did not unleash his fury! | 38Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. |
39For he remembered that they were merely mortal, gone like a breath of wind that never returns. | 39He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return. |
40Oh, how often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved his heart in that dry wasteland. | 40How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the wasteland! |
41Again and again they tested God’s patience and provoked the Holy One of Israel. | 41Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel. |
42They did not remember his power and how he rescued them from their enemies. | 42They did not remember his power-- the day he redeemed them from the oppressor, |
43They did not remember his miraculous signs in Egypt, his wonders on the plain of Zoan. | 43the day he displayed his signs in Egypt, his wonders in the region of Zoan. |
44For he turned their rivers into blood, so no one could drink from the streams. | 44He turned their river into blood; they could not drink from their streams. |
45He sent vast swarms of flies to consume them and hordes of frogs to ruin them. | 45He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them. |
46He gave their crops to caterpillars; their harvest was consumed by locusts. | 46He gave their crops to the grasshopper, their produce to the locust. |
47He destroyed their grapevines with hail and shattered their sycamore-figs with sleet. | 47He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore-figs with sleet. |
48He abandoned their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning. | 48He gave over their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning. |
49He loosed on them his fierce anger— all his fury, rage, and hostility. He dispatched against them a band of destroying angels. | 49He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility-- a band of destroying angels. |
50He turned his anger against them; he did not spare the Egyptians’ lives but ravaged them with the plague. | 50He prepared a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague. |
51He killed the oldest son in each Egyptian family, the flower of youth throughout the land of Egypt. | 51He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham. |
52But he led his own people like a flock of sheep, guiding them safely through the wilderness. | 52But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the wilderness. |
53He kept them safe so they were not afraid; but the sea covered their enemies. | 53He guided them safely, so they were unafraid; but the sea engulfed their enemies. |
54He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this land of hills he had won for them. | 54And so he brought them to the border of his holy land, to the hill country his right hand had taken. |
55He drove out the nations before them; he gave them their inheritance by lot. He settled the tribes of Israel into their homes. | 55He drove out nations before them and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes. |
56But they kept testing and rebelling against God Most High. They did not obey his laws. | 56But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes. |
57They turned back and were as faithless as their parents. They were as undependable as a crooked bow. | 57Like their ancestors they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow. |
58They angered God by building shrines to other gods; they made him jealous with their idols. | 58They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols. |
59When God heard them, he was very angry, and he completely rejected Israel. | 59When God heard them, he was furious; he rejected Israel completely. |
60Then he abandoned his dwelling at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he had lived among the people. | 60He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among humans. |
61He allowed the Ark of his might to be captured; he surrendered his glory into enemy hands. | 61He sent the ark of his might into captivity, his splendor into the hands of the enemy. |
62He gave his people over to be butchered by the sword, because he was so angry with his own people—his special possession. | 62He gave his people over to the sword; he was furious with his inheritance. |
63Their young men were killed by fire; their young women died before singing their wedding songs. | 63Fire consumed their young men, and their young women had no wedding songs; |
64Their priests were slaughtered, and their widows could not mourn their deaths. | 64their priests were put to the sword, and their widows could not weep. |
65Then the Lord rose up as though waking from sleep, like a warrior aroused from a drunken stupor. | 65Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine. |
66He routed his enemies and sent them to eternal shame. | 66He beat back his enemies; he put them to everlasting shame. |
67But he rejected Joseph’s descendants; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim. | 67Then he rejected the tents of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim; |
68He chose instead the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion, which he loved. | 68but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved. |
69There he built his sanctuary as high as the heavens, as solid and enduring as the earth. | 69He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever. |
70He chose his servant David, calling him from the sheep pens. | 70He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; |
71He took David from tending the ewes and lambs and made him the shepherd of Jacob’s descendants— God’s own people, Israel. | 71from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. |
72He cared for them with a true heart and led them with skillful hands. | 72And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them. |
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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