1 Vnderstanding to Asaph. MY people attend ye to my law: incline your eare vnto the wordes of my mouth.
2 I wil open my mouth in parables: I wil speake propositions from the beginning.
3 How great thinges haue we heard and haue knowne them, and our fathers haue told vs.
4 They were not hid from their children, in an other generation. Telling the prayses of our Lord, and his powers, and his meruelous workes which he hath done.
5 And he raised vp a testimonie in Iacob: and he made a law in Israel. How great thinges he commanded our fathers, to make the same knowne to their children:
6 that an other generation may know. The children that shal be borne, and shal rise vp, and shal tel their children.
7 That they may put their hope in God, and may not forget the workes of God: and may seeke after his commandmentes.
8 That they become not as their fathers: a peruerse generation and exasperating. A generation, that hath not directed their hart, their spirit hath not bene faithful towards God.
9 The children of Ephrem bending, and shooting with bow: were turned in the day of battel.
10 They kept not the testament of God: and in his law they would not walke.
11 And they forgate his benefites, and his meruelous workes, which he shewed them.
12 Before their fathers he did meruelous thinges in the land of Ægypt, in the filde of Tanis.
13 He diuided the sea & brought them through: and he made the waters to stand as in a bottle.
14 And he conducted them in a cloude by day: and al the night by light of fire.
15 He stroke the rocke in the desert: and gaue them water to drinke as in a great depth.
16 And he brought forth water out of the rocke: and made waters runne downe as riuers.
17 And they added as yet to sinne vnto him: they prouoked the Highest to wrath in the place without water.
18 And they tempted God in their hartes: so that they asked meats for their liues.
19 And they spake euil of God: they saide: Can God prepare a table in the desert?
20 Because he stroke the rocke and waters ranne, & torrentes flowed: Can he also giue bread, or prepare a table for his people?
21 Therfore our Lord heard, and made delay: and fire was kindled in Iacob, and wrath ascended vpon Israel.
22 Because they beleued not in God, nor hoped in his saluation.
23 And he commanded the cloudes from aboue, and opened the gates of heauen.
24 And he rayned them Manna to eate, and bread of heauen he gaue to them.
25 Bread of Angels did man eate: he sent them victuals in abundance.
26 He transported the Southwinde from heauen: and in his powre he brought in the Southwestwinde.
27 And he rayned vpon them flesh as dust: and as the sand of the sea fethered fowles.
28 And they fel in the middes of their campe: about their tabernacles.
29 And they did eate and were filled excedingly, and their desire he brought to them:
30 They were not defrauded of their desire. As yet their meats were in their mouth:
31 And the wrath of God ascended vpon them. And he killed their fat ones, and the chosen of Israel he hindered.
32 In al these things they sinned as yet: and they beleued not in his meruelous workes.
33 And their daies failed in vanitie: and their years in hast.
34 When he slew them, they sought him: and they returned, and early they came to him.
35 And they remembred that God is their helper: and the high God is their redemer.
36 And they loued him with their mouth, and with theirtongue they did lie to him.
37 But their hart was not right with him: neither were they counted faithful in his testament.
38 But he is merciful, and wil be propicious to their sinnes: and he wil not destroy them. And he abunded to turne away his wrath: and he kindled not al his wrath.
39 And he remembred that they are flesh: spirit going, and not returning.
40 How often haue they exasperated him in the desert: prouoked him to wrath in the place without water.
41 And they returned, and tempted God: and the holie one of Israel they exasperaed.
42 They did not remember his hand: in the day that he redemed them from the hand of the afflicter.
43 As he put his signes in Ægypt, and his wonders in the filde of Tanis.
44 And he turned their riuers into bloude, & their showers that they might not drinke.
45 He sent vpon them a swarme of flies, and it eate them: and the frogge, and it destroyed them.
46 And he gaue their fruites to the blast, and their labors to the locuste.
47 And he killed their vineyeardes with haile: and their mulberie trees with horefrost.
48 And he deliuered their beast to haile: and their possession to fire.
49 He sent vpon them the wrath of his indignation: indignation, & wrath, and tribulation: immissions by euil angels.
50 He made a way to the path of his wrath, he spared not their liues from death: and their cattel he shut vp in death.
51 And he stroke al the firstborne in the land of Ægypt: the first fruites of al their labors in the tabernacles of Cham.
52 And he tooke away his people as sheepe: and led them as a flock in the desert.
53 And he brought them forth in hope, and they feared not: and the sea couered their enemies.
54 And he brought them into the mount of his sanctification, the mount, which his right hand purchased. And he cast out the gentiles from their face: and by lot he diuided the land of them in a corde of distribution:
55 And he made the tribes of Israel to dwel in their tabernacles.
56 And they tempted, and exasperated God the highest, and they kept not his testimonies.
57 And they turned away themselues, & kept not the couenant: euen as their fathers, they were turned as a crooked bow.
58 They incensed him to wrath in their hilles: and in their grauens they prouoked him to emulation.
56 God heard, and contemned: and he brought Israel to nothing excedingly.
60 And he reiected the tabernacle of Silo, his tabernacle, where he dwelt among men.
61 And he deliuered their force into captiuitie: and their beautie into the hands of the enemie.
62 And he shut vp his people in the sword: and he dispised his inheritance.
63 Fyre deuoured their young men: and their virgins were not lamented.
64 Their Priestes fel by the sworde: and their widowes were not wept for.
65 And our Lord was raised vp as one that sleepeth: as a mightie man hauing surfited of wine.
66 And he stroke his enemies on the hinder partes: an euerlasting reproch he gaue to them.
67 And he reiected the tabernacle of Ioseph: and the tribe of Ephraim he chose not.
68 But he chose the tribe of Iuda, mount Sion which he loued.
69 And he built his sanctuarie as of vnicornes in the land, which he hath founded for euer.
70 And he chose Dauid his seruant, and tooke him from the flockes of sheepe: from after the ewes with yong he tooke him.
71 To feede Iacob his seruant, and Israel his inheritance.
72 And he fedde them in the innocencie of his hart: and in the vnderstandings of his hands he conducted them.