Study Desk

A ^[a]Maskil of Asaph.

^(a)Listen, O my people, to my ^[b]instruction; ^(b)Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

I will ^(c)open my mouth in a parable; I will utter ^(d)dark sayings of old,

Which we have heard and known, And ^(e)our fathers have told us.

We will ^(f)not conceal them from their children, But ^(g)tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord , And His strength and His ^(h)wondrous works that He has done.

For He established a ⁽ⁱ⁾testimony in Jacob And appointed a ^(j)law in Israel, Which He ^(k)commanded our fathers That they should ^[c](l)teach them to their children,

^(m)That the generation to come might know, even ⁽ⁿ⁾the children yet to be born, That they may arise and ^(o)tell them to their children,

That they should put their confidence in God And ^(p)not forget the works of God, But ^(q)keep His commandments,

And ^(r)not be like their fathers, A ^(s)stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that ^(t)did not ^[d]prepare its heart And whose spirit was not ^(u)faithful to God.

The sons of Ephraim ^[e]were ^(v)archers equipped with bows, Yet ^(w)they turned back in the day of battle.

They ^(x)did not keep the covenant of God And refused to ^(y)walk in His law;

They ^(z)forgot His deeds And His ^[f]miracles that He had shown them.

^(aa)He wrought wonders before their fathers In the land of Egypt, in the ^(ab)field of Zoan.

He ^(ac)divided the sea and caused them to pass through, And He made the waters stand ^(ad)up like a heap.

Then He led them with the cloud by ^(ae)day And all the night with a ^(af)light of fire.

He ^(ag)split the rocks in the wilderness And gave them abundant drink like the ocean depths.

He ^(ah)brought forth streams also from the rock And caused waters to run down like rivers.

Yet they still continued to sin against Him, To ^(ai)rebel against the Most High in the desert.

And in their heart they ^(aj)put God to the test By asking ^(ak)food according to their desire.

Then they spoke against God; They said, "^(al)Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

"Behold, He ^(am)struck the rock so that waters gushed out, And streams were overflowing; Can He give bread also? Will He provide ^[g](an)meat for His people?"

Therefore the Lord heard and ^[h]was ^(ao)full of wrath; And a fire was kindled against Jacob And anger also mounted against Israel,

Because they ^(ap)did not believe in God And did not trust in His salvation.

Yet He commanded the clouds above And ^(aq)opened the doors of heaven;

He ^(ar)rained down manna upon them to eat And gave them ^[i](as)food from heaven.

Man did eat the bread of ^[j]angels; He sent them ^[k]food ^[l](at)in abundance.

He ^(au)caused the east wind to blow in the heavens And by His ^[m]power He directed the south wind.

When He rained ^[n]meat upon them like the dust, Even ^(av)winged fowl like the sand of the seas,

Then He let them fall in the midst of ^[o]their camp, Round about their dwellings.

So they ^(aw)ate and were well filled, And their desire He gave to them.

^[p]Before they had satisfied their desire, ^(ax)While their food was in their mouths,

The ^(ay)anger of God rose against them And killed ^[q]some of their ^(az)stoutest ones, And ^[r]subdued the choice men of Israel.

In spite of all this they ^(ba)still sinned And ^(bb)did not believe in His wonderful works.

So He brought ^(bc)their days to an end in ^[s]futility And their years in sudden terror.

When He killed them, then they ^(bd)sought Him, And returned and searched ^(be)diligently for God;

And they remembered that God was their ^(bf)rock, And the Most High God their ^(bg)Redeemer.

But they ^(bh)deceived Him with their mouth And ^(bi)lied to Him with their tongue.

For their heart was not ^(bj)steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.

But He, being ^(bk)compassionate, ^[t](bl)forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them; And often He ^[u](bm)restrained His anger And did not arouse all His wrath.

Thus ^(bn)He remembered that they were but ^(bo)flesh, A ^[v](bp)wind that passes and does not return.

How often they ^(bq)rebelled against Him in the wilderness And ^(br)grieved Him in the ^(bs)desert!

Again and again they ^[w](bt)tempted God, And pained the ^(bu)Holy One of Israel.

They ^(bv)did not remember ^(bw)His ^[x]power, The day when He ^(bx)redeemed them from the adversary,

When He performed His ^(by)signs in Egypt And His ^(bz)marvels in the field of Zoan,

And ^(ca)turned their rivers to blood, And their streams, they could not drink.

He sent among them swarms of ^(cb)flies which devoured them, And ^(cc)frogs which destroyed them.

He gave also their crops to the ^(cd)grasshopper And the product of their labor to the ^(ce)locust.

He ^[y]destroyed their vines with ^(cf)hailstones And their sycamore trees with frost.

He gave over their ^(cg)cattle also to the hailstones And their herds to bolts of lightning.

He ^(ch)sent upon them His burning anger, Fury and indignation and trouble, ^[z]A band of destroying angels.

He leveled a path for His anger; He did not spare their soul from death, But ^(ci)gave over their life to the plague,

And ^(cj)smote all the firstborn in Egypt, The ^(ck)first issue of their virility in the tents of ^(cl)Ham.

But He ^(cm)led forth His own people like sheep And guided them in the wilderness ^(cn)like a flock;

He led them ^(co)safely, so that they did not fear; But ^(cp)the sea engulfed their enemies.

So ^(cq)He brought them to His holy ^[aa]land, To this ^[ab](cr)hill country ^(cs)which His right hand had gained.

He also ^(ct)drove out the nations before them And ^(cu)apportioned them for an inheritance by measurement, And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.

Yet they ^[ac](cv)tempted and ^(cw)rebelled against the Most High God And did not keep His testimonies,

But turned back and ^(cx)acted treacherously like their fathers; They ^(cy)turned aside like a treacherous bow.

For they ^(cz)provoked Him with their ^(da)high places And ^(db)aroused His jealousy with their ^(dc)graven images.

When God heard, He ^[ad]was filled with ^(dd)wrath And greatly ^(de)abhorred Israel;

So that He ^(df)abandoned the ^(dg)dwelling place at Shiloh, The tent ^[ae]which He had pitched among men,

And gave up His ^(dh)strength to captivity And His glory ^(di)into the hand of the adversary.

He also ^(dj)delivered His people to the sword, And ^[af]was filled with wrath at His inheritance.

^(dk)Fire devoured ^[ag]His young men, And ^[ah]His ^(dl)virgins had no wedding songs.

^[ai]His ^(dm)priests fell by the sword, And ^[aj]His ^(dn)widows could not weep.

Then the Lord ^(do)awoke as if from sleep, Like a ^(dp)warrior ^[ak]overcome by wine.

He ^[al](dq)drove His adversaries backward; He put on them an everlasting reproach.

He also ^(dr)rejected the tent of Joseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,

But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount ^(ds)Zion which He loved.

And He ^(dt)built His sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which He has founded forever.

He also ^(du)chose David His servant And took him from the sheepfolds;

From ^[am](dv)the care of the ^[an]ewes ^(dw)with suckling lambs He brought him To ^(dx)shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel ^(dy)His inheritance.

So he shepherded them according to the ^(dz)integrity of his heart, And guided them with his skillful hands.