English Standard Version

New Living Translation

1Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!

1O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying,

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

2for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—

3things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.

3stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us.

4We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

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.

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

5For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children,

6that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,

6so the next generation might know them— even the children not yet born— and they in turn will teach their own children.

7so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;

7So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.

8and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

8Then they will not be like their ancestors— stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.

9The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle.

9The warriors of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned their backs and fled on the day of battle.

10They did not keep God’s covenant, but refused to walk according to his law.

10They did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his instructions.

11They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them.

11They forgot what he had done— the great wonders he had shown them,

12In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.

12the miracles he did for their ancestors on the plain of Zoan in the land of Egypt.

13He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap.

13For he divided the sea and led them through, making the water stand up like walls!

14In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a fiery light.

14In the daytime he led them by a cloud, and all night by a pillar of fire.

15He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.

15He split open the rocks in the wilderness to give them water, as from a gushing spring.

16He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

16He made streams pour from the rock, making the waters flow down like a river!

17Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.

17Yet they kept on sinning against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.

18They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.

18They stubbornly tested God in their hearts, demanding the foods they craved.

19They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?

19They even spoke against God himself, saying, “God can’t give us food in the wilderness.

20He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?”

20Yes, he can strike a rock so water gushes out, but he can’t give his people bread and meat.”

21Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob; his anger rose against Israel,

21When the LORD heard them, he was furious. The fire of his wrath burned against Jacob. Yes, his anger rose against Israel,

22because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.

22for they did not believe God or trust him to care for them.

23Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven,

23But he commanded the skies to open; he opened the doors of heaven.

24and he rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven.

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

25Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance.

25They ate the food of angels! God gave them all they could hold.

26He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind;

26He released the east wind in the heavens and guided the south wind by his mighty power.

27he rained meat on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas;

27He rained down meat as thick as dust— birds as plentiful as the sand on the seashore!

28he let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings.

28He caused the birds to fall within their camp and all around their tents.

29And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved.

29The people ate their fill. He gave them what they craved.

30But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths,

30But before they satisfied their craving, while the meat was yet in their mouths,

31the anger of God rose against them, and he killed the strongest of them and laid low the young men of Israel.

31the anger of God rose against them, and he killed their strongest men. He struck down the finest of Israel’s young men.

32In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe.

32But in spite of this, the people kept sinning. Despite his wonders, they refused to trust him.

33So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror.

33So he ended their lives in failure, their years in terror.

34When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly.

34When God began killing them, they finally sought him. They repented and took God seriously.

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

35Then they remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their redeemer.

36But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues.

36But all they gave him was lip service; they lied to him with their tongues.

37Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.

37Their hearts were not loyal to him. They did not keep his covenant.

38Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.

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!

39He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.

39For he remembered that they were merely mortal, gone like a breath of wind that never returns.

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

40Oh, how often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved his heart in that dry wasteland.

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

41Again and again they tested God’s patience and provoked the Holy One of Israel.

42They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,

42They did not remember his power and how he rescued them from their enemies.

43when he performed his signs in Egypt and his marvels in the fields of Zoan.

43They did not remember his miraculous signs in Egypt, his wonders on the plain of Zoan.

44He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams.

44For he turned their rivers into blood, so no one could drink from the streams.

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

45He sent vast swarms of flies to consume them and hordes of frogs to ruin them.

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

46He gave their crops to caterpillars; their harvest was consumed by locusts.

47He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamores with frost.

47He destroyed their grapevines with hail and shattered their sycamore-figs with sleet.

48He gave over their cattle to the hail and their flocks to thunderbolts.

48He abandoned their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning.

49He let loose on them his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels.

49He loosed on them his fierce anger— all his fury, rage, and hostility. He dispatched against them a band of destroying angels.

50He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death, but gave their lives over to the plague.

50He turned his anger against them; he did not spare the Egyptians’ lives but ravaged them with the plague.

51He struck down every firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.

51He killed the oldest son in each Egyptian family, the flower of youth throughout the land of Egypt.

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

52But he led his own people like a flock of sheep, guiding them safely through the wilderness.

53He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

53He kept them safe so they were not afraid; but the sea covered their enemies.

54And he brought them to his holy land, to the mountain which his right hand had won.

54He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this land of hills he had won for them.

55He drove out nations before them; he apportioned them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

55He drove out the nations before them; he gave them their inheritance by lot. He settled the tribes of Israel into their homes.

56Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies,

56But they kept testing and rebelling against God Most High. They did not obey his laws.

57but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow.

57They turned back and were as faithless as their parents. They were as undependable as a crooked bow.

58For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols.

58They angered God by building shrines to other gods; they made him jealous with their idols.

59When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel.

59When God heard them, he was very angry, and he completely rejected Israel.

60He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mankind,

60Then he abandoned his dwelling at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he had lived among the people.

61and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe.

61He allowed the Ark of his might to be captured; he surrendered his glory into enemy hands.

62He gave his people over to the sword and vented his wrath on his heritage.

62He gave his people over to be butchered by the sword, because he was so angry with his own people—his special possession.

63Fire devoured their young men, and their young women had no marriage song.

63Their young men were killed by fire; their young women died before singing their wedding songs.

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

64Their priests were slaughtered, and their widows could not mourn their deaths.

65Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a strong man shouting because of wine.

65Then the Lord rose up as though waking from sleep, like a warrior aroused from a drunken stupor.

66And he put his adversaries to rout; he put them to everlasting shame.

66He routed his enemies and sent them to eternal shame.

67He rejected the tent of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,

67But he rejected Joseph’s descendants; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.

68but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves.

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

69He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever.

69There he built his sanctuary as high as the heavens, as solid and enduring as the earth.

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

70He chose his servant David, calling him from the sheep pens.

71from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance.

71He took David from tending the ewes and lambs and made him the shepherd of Jacob’s descendants— God’s own people, Israel.

72With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.

72He cared for them with a true heart and led them with skillful hands.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

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.