1 Give ear, O my people, to my law;

Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in a bparable;

I will utter 2dark sayings of old,

3 Which we have heard and known,

And our fathers have told us.

4 cWe will not hide them from their children,

dTelling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,

And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.

5 For eHe established a testimony in Jacob,

And appointed a law in Israel,

Which He commanded our fathers,

That fthey should make them known to their children;

6 gThat the generation to come might know them,

The children who would be born,

That they may arise and declare them to their children,

7 That they may set their hope in God,

And not forget the works of God,

But keep His commandments;

8 And hmay not be like their fathers,

iA stubborn and rebellious generation,

A generation jthat did not 3set its heart aright,

And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9 The children of Ephraim, being armed and 4carrying bows,

Turned back in the day of battle.

10 kThey did not keep the covenant of God;

They refused to walk in His law,

11 And lforgot His works

And His wonders that He had shown them.

12 mMarvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers,

In the land of Egypt, nin the field of Zoan.

13 oHe divided the sea and caused them to pass through;

And pHe made the waters stand up like a heap.

14 qIn the daytime also He led them with the cloud,

And all the night with a light of fire.

15 rHe split the rocks in the wilderness,

And gave them drink in abundance like the depths.

16 He also brought sstreams out of the rock,

And caused waters to run down like rivers.

17 But they sinned even more against Him

By trebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.

18 And uthey tested God in their heart

By asking for the food of their fancy.

19 vYes, they spoke against God:

They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

20 wBehold, 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?”

21 Therefore the Lord heard this and xwas furious;

So a fire was kindled against Jacob,

And anger also came up against Israel,

22 Because they ydid not believe in God,

And did not trust in His salvation.

23 Yet He had commanded the clouds above,

zAnd opened the doors of heaven,

24 aHad rained down manna on them to eat,

And given them of the 5bread of bheaven.

25 Men ate angels’ food;

He sent them food to 6the full.

26 cHe caused an east wind to blow in the heavens;

And by His power He brought in the south wind.

27 He also rained meat on them like the dust,

Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas;

28 And He let them fall in the midst of their camp,

All around their dwellings.

29 dSo they ate and were well filled,

For He gave them their own desire.

30 They were not 7deprived of their craving;

But ewhile their food was still in their mouths,

31 The wrath of God came against them,

And slew the stoutest of them,

And struck down the choice men of Israel.

32 In spite of this fthey still sinned,

And gdid not believe in His wondrous works.

33 hTherefore their days He consumed in futility,

And their years in fear.

34 iWhen He slew them, then they sought Him;

And they returned and sought earnestly for God.

35 Then they remembered that jGod was their rock,

And the Most High God ktheir Redeemer.

36 Nevertheless they lflattered Him with their mouth,

And they lied to Him with their tongue;

37 For their heart was not steadfast with Him,

Nor were they faithful in His covenant.

38 mBut He, being full of ncompassion, forgave their iniquity,

And did not destroy them.

Yes, many a time oHe turned His anger away,

And pdid not stir up all His wrath;

39 For qHe remembered rthat they were but flesh,

sA breath that passes away and does not come again.