| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1A Contemplation of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. | 1A well-written song by Asaph. Pay attention, my people, to my instruction! Listen to the words I speak! |
| 2I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, | 2I will sing a song that imparts wisdom; I will make insightful observations about the past. |
| 3Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. | 3What we have heard and learned--that which our ancestors have told 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 from their descendants. We will tell the next generation about the LORD's praiseworthy acts, about his strength and the amazing things he has done. |
| 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 rule in Jacob; he set up a law in Israel. He commanded our ancestors to make his deeds known to their descendants, |
| 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 the next generation, children yet to be born, might know about them. They will grow up and tell their descendants about them. |
| 7That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments; | 7Then they will place their confidence in God. They will not forget the works of God, and they will obey 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 will not be like their ancestors, who were a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that was not committed and faithful to God. |
| 9The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, Turned back in the day of battle. | 9The Ephraimites were armed with bows, but they retreated in the day of battle. |
| 10They did not keep the covenant of God; They refused to walk in His law, | 10They did not keep their covenant with God, and they refused to obey his law. |
| 11And forgot His works And His wonders that He had shown them. | 11They forgot what he had done, the amazing things 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 did amazing things in the sight of their ancestors, in the land of Egypt, in 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 divided the sea and led them across it; he made the water stand in a heap. |
| 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 the light of a fire all night long. |
| 15He split the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink in abundance like the depths. | 15He broke open rocks in the wilderness, and gave them enough water to fill the depths of the sea. |
| 16He also brought streams out of the rock, And caused waters to run down like rivers. | 16He caused streams to flow from the rock, and made the water flow like rivers. |
| 17But they sinned even more against Him By rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness. | 17Yet they continued to sin against him, and rebelled against the sovereign One in the desert. |
| 18And they tested God in their heart By asking for the food of their fancy. | 18They willfully challenged God by asking for food to satisfy their appetite. |
| 19Yes, they spoke against God: They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? | 19They insulted God, saying, "Is God really able to give us 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?” | 20Yes, he struck a rock and water flowed out, streams gushed forth. But can he also give us food? Will he provide 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, | 21When the LORD heard this, he was furious. A fire broke out against Jacob, and his anger flared up against Israel, |
| 22Because they did not believe in God, And did not trust in His salvation. | 22because they did not have faith in God, and did not trust his ability to deliver them. |
| 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 in the sky. |
| 24Had rained down manna on them to eat, And given them of the bread of heaven. | 24He rained down manna for them to eat; he gave them the grain of heaven. |
| 25Men ate angels’ food; He sent them food to the full. | 25Man ate the food of the mighty ones. He sent them more than enough to eat. |
| 26He caused an east wind to blow in the heavens; And by His power He brought in the south wind. | 26He brought the east wind through the sky, and by his strength led forth the south wind. |
| 27He also rained meat on them like the dust, Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas; | 27He rained down meat on them like dust, birds as numerous as the sand on the seashores. |
| 28And He let them fall in the midst of their camp, All around their dwellings. | 28He caused them to fall right in the middle of their camp, all around their homes. |
| 29So they ate and were well filled, For He gave them their own desire. | 29They ate until they were stuffed; he gave them what they desired. |
| 30They were not deprived of their craving; But while their food was still in their mouths, | 30They were not yet filled up, their 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. | 31when the anger of God flared up against them. He killed some of the strongest of them; he brought the young men of Israel to their knees. |
| 32In spite of this they still sinned, And did not believe in His wondrous works. | 32Despite all this, they continued to sin, and did not trust him to do amazing things. |
| 33Therefore their days He consumed in futility, And their years in fear. | 33So he caused them to die unsatisfied and filled with terror. |
| 34When He slew them, then they sought Him; And they returned and sought earnestly for God. | 34When he struck them down, they sought his favor; they turned back and longed for God. |
| 35Then they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer. | 35They remembered that God was their protector, and that the sovereign God was their deliverer. |
| 36Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth, And they lied to Him with their tongue; | 36But they deceived him with their words, and lied to him. |
| 37For their heart was not steadfast with Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant. | 37They were not really committed to 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 is compassionate. He forgives sin and does not destroy. He often holds back his anger, and does not stir up his fury. |
| 39For He remembered that they were but flesh, A breath that passes away and does not come again. | 39He remembered that they were made of flesh, and were like a wind that blows past 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 insulted him in the desert! |
| 41Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel. | 41They again challenged God, and offended the Holy One of Israel. |
| 42They did not remember His power: The day when He redeemed them from the enemy, | 42They did not remember what he had done, how he delivered them from the enemy, |
| 43When He worked His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan; | 43when he performed his awesome deeds in Egypt, and his acts of judgment in the region 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 swarms of biting insects against them, as well as frogs that overran their land. |
| 46He also gave their crops to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust. | 46He gave their crops to the grasshopper, the fruit of their labor to the locust. |
| 47He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycamore trees with frost. | 47He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamore-fig trees with driving rain. |
| 48He also gave up their cattle to the hail, And their flocks to fiery lightning. | 48He rained hail down on their cattle, and hurled lightning bolts down on their livestock. |
| 49He cast on them the fierceness of His anger, Wrath, indignation, and trouble, By sending angels of destruction among them. | 49His raging anger lashed out against them, He sent fury, rage, and trouble as messengers who bring disaster. |
| 50He made a path for His anger; He did not spare their soul from death, But gave their life over to the plague, | 50He sent his anger in full force; he did not spare them from death; he handed their lives over to destruction. |
| 51And destroyed all the firstborn in Egypt, The first of their strength in the tents of Ham. | 51He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of their reproductive power in the tents of Ham. |
| 52But He made His own people go forth like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock; | 52Yet he brought out his people like sheep; he led them through the wilderness like a flock. |
| 53And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies. | 53He guided them safely along, while 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 the border of his holy land, to this mountainous land which 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 the nations out from before them; he assigned them their tribal allotments and allowed the tribes of Israel to settle down. |
| 56Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God, And did not keep His testimonies, | 56Yet they challenged and defied the sovereign God, and did not obey his commands. |
| 57But turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers; They were turned aside like a deceitful bow. | 57They were unfaithful and acted as treacherously as their ancestors; they were as unreliable as a malfunctioning bow. |
| 58For they provoked Him to anger with their high places, And moved Him to jealousy with their carved images. | 58They made him angry with their pagan shrines, and made him jealous with their idols. |
| 59When God heard this, He was furious, And greatly abhorred Israel, | 59God heard and was angry; he completely rejected Israel. |
| 60So that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men, | 60He abandoned the sanctuary at Shiloh, the tent where he lived among men. |
| 61And delivered His strength into captivity, And His glory into the enemy’s hand. | 61He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured; he gave the symbol of his splendor into the hand of the enemy. |
| 62He also gave His people over to the sword, And was furious with His inheritance. | 62He delivered his people over to the sword, and was angry with his chosen nation. |
| 63The fire consumed their young men, And their maidens were not given in marriage. | 63Fire consumed their young men, and their virgins remained unmarried. |
| 64Their priests fell by the sword, And their widows made no lamentation. | 64Their priests fell by the sword, but their widows did not weep. |
| 65Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, Like a mighty man who shouts because of wine. | 65But then the Lord awoke from his sleep; he was like a warrior in a drunken rage. |
| 66And He beat back His enemies; He put them to a perpetual reproach. | 66He drove his enemies back; he made them a permanent target for insults. |
| 67Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, | 67He rejected the tent of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim. |
| 68But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved. | 68He chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion, which he loves. |
| 69And He built His sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which He has established forever. | 69He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above; as secure as the earth, which he established permanently. |
| 70He also chose David His servant, And took him from the sheepfolds; | 70He chose David, his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds. |
| 71From following the ewes that had young He brought him, To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. | 71He took him away from following the mother sheep, and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people, and of Israel, his chosen nation. |
| 72So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands. | 72David cared for them with pure motives; he led them with skill. |
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