New American Standard Bible 1995

Holman Christian Standard Bible

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

1A Maskil of Asaph. My people, hear my instruction; listen to what I say.

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 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.

4We must not hide them from their children, but must tell a future generation the praises of the LORD, His might, and the wonderful 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 teach them 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, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell 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 should put their confidence 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 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.

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 sons of Ephraim were archers equipped with bows, Yet they 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 And refused to walk in His law;

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

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

11They forgot what He had done, the wonderful works He had shown them.

12He wrought wonders before 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 region 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.

14Then He led them with the cloud by day 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 abundant drink like the ocean depths.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

19Then 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?

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?"

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 and was full of wrath; And a fire was kindled against Jacob And anger also mounted 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 commanded the clouds above And opened the doors of heaven;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

28He made them fall in His camp, all around His tent.

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

29They ate and were completely satisfied, for He gave them what they craved.

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

30Before they had satisfied their desire, while the food was still in their mouths,

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

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

32Despite all this, they kept sinning and did not believe His wonderful works.

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

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

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

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

35And 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.

36But they deceived Him with their mouth And 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 toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.

37their hearts were insincere toward Him, and they were unfaithful to His covenant.

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.

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

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

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

40How often they rebelled against 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.

41Again and again they tempted God, And pained 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 adversary,

42They did not remember His power shown on the day He redeemed them from the foe,

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

43when He performed His miraculous signs in Egypt and His wonders in the region of Zoan.

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

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

45He sent among them swarms of flies 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 gave also their crops to the grasshopper And the product of 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 hailstones And their sycamore trees with frost.

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

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

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

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

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

50He leveled a path for His anger; He did not spare their soul from death, But gave over their life 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 smote all the firstborn in Egypt, The first issue of their virility in the tents of Ham.

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

52But He led forth His own people 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.

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

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

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

54He brought them to His holy land, to the mountain His right hand acquired.

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.

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

56Yet they tempted and rebelled against 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 treacherously like their fathers; They turned aside like a treacherous bow.

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

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

58They enraged Him with their high places and provoked His jealousy with their carved images.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

66He beat back His foes; He gave them lasting shame.

67He also 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 founded 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 sheepfolds;

71From the care of the ewes with suckling lambs 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 with his skillful hands.

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

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

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.