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English Standard Version ESV
1 My people, listen to my teaching; listen to what I say.
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Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 I will speak using stories; I will tell secret things from long ago.
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I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 We have heard them and known them by what our ancestors have told us.
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things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.
4 We will not keep them from our children; we will tell those who come later about the praises of the Lord. We will tell about his power and the miracles he has done.
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We 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.
5 The Lord made an agreement with Jacob and gave the teachings to Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children.
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He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children,
6 Then their children would know them, even their children not yet born. And they would tell their children.
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that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,
7 So they would all trust God and would not forget what he had done but would obey his commands.
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so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;
8 They would not be like their ancestors who were stubborn and disobedient. Their hearts were not loyal to God, and they were not true to him.
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and 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.
9 The men of Ephraim had bows for weapons, but they ran away on the day of battle.
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The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle.
10 They didn't keep their agreement with God and refused to live by his teachings.
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They did not keep God’s covenant, but refused to walk according to his law.
11 They forgot what he had done and the miracles he had shown them.
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They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them.
12 He did miracles while their ancestors watched, in the fields of Zoan in Egypt.
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In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
13 He divided the Red Sea and led them through. He made the water stand up like a wall.
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He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap.
14 He led them with a cloud by day and by the light of a fire by night.
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In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a fiery light.
15 He split the rocks in the desert and gave them more than enough water, as if from the deep ocean.
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He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
16 He brought streams out of the rock and caused water to flow down like rivers.
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He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers.
17 But the people continued to sin against him; in the desert they turned against God Most High.
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Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 They decided to test God by asking for the food they wanted.
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They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.
19 Then they spoke against God, saying, "Can God prepare food in the desert?
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They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
20 When he hit the rock, water poured out and rivers flowed down. But can he give us bread also? Will he provide his people with meat?"
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He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people? ”
21 When the Lord heard them, he was very angry. His anger was like fire to the people of Jacob; his anger grew against the people of Israel.
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Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob; his anger rose against Israel,
22 They had not believed God and had not trusted him to save them.
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because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.
23 But he gave a command to the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven.
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Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven,
24 He rained manna down on them to eat; he gave them grain from heaven.
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and he rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven.
25 So they ate the bread of angels. He sent them all the food they could eat.
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Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance.
26 He sent the east wind from heaven and led the south wind by his power.
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He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind;
27 He rained meat on them like dust. The birds were as many as the sand of the sea.
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he rained meat on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas;
28 He made the birds fall inside the camp, all around the tents.
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he let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings.
29 So the people ate and became very full. God had given them what they wanted.
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And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved.
30 While they were still eating, and while the food was still in their mouths,
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But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths,
31 God became angry with them. He killed some of the healthiest of them; he struck down the best young men of Israel.
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the anger of God rose against them, and he killed the strongest of them and laid low the young men of Israel.
32 But they kept on sinning; they did not believe even with the miracles.
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In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe.
33 So he ended their days without meaning and their years in terror.
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So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror.
34 Anytime he killed them, they would look to him for help; they would come back to God and follow him.
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When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly.
35 They would remember that God was their Rock, that God Most High had saved them.
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They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer.
36 But their words were false, and their tongues lied to him.
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But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues.
37 Their hearts were not really loyal to God; they did not keep his agreement.
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Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 Still God was merciful. He forgave their sins and did not destroy them. Many times he held back his anger and did not stir up all his anger.
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Yet 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.
39 He remembered that they were only human, like a wind that blows and does not come back.
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He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.
40 They turned against God so often in the desert and grieved him there.
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How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert!
41 Again and again they tested God and brought pain to the Holy One of Israel.
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They tested God again and again and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his power or the time he saved them from the enemy.
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They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,
43 They forgot the signs he did in Egypt and his wonders in the fields of Zoan.
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when he performed his signs in Egypt and his marvels in the fields of Zoan.
44 He turned their rivers to blood so no one could drink the water.
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He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams.
45 He sent flies that bit the people. He sent frogs that destroyed them.
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He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave their crops to grasshoppers and what they worked for to locusts.
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He gave their crops to the destroying locust and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore trees with sleet.
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He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamores with frost.
48 He killed their animals with hail and their cattle with lightning.
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He gave over their cattle to the hail and their flocks to thunderbolts.
49 He showed them his hot anger. He sent his strong anger against them, his destroying angels.
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He let loose on them his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels.
50 He found a way to show his anger. He did not keep them from dying but let them die by a terrible disease.
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He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death, but gave their lives over to the plague.
51 God killed all the firstborn sons in Egypt, the oldest son of each family of Ham.
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He struck down every firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 But God led his people out like sheep and he guided them like a flock through the desert.
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Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 He led them to safety so they had nothing to fear, but their enemies drowned in the sea.
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He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 So God brought them to his holy land, to the mountain country he took with his own power.
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And he brought them to his holy land, to the mountain which his right hand had won.
55 He forced out the other nations, and he had his people inherit the land. He let the tribes of Israel settle there in tents.
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He drove out nations before them; he apportioned them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 But they tested God and turned against God Most High; they did not keep his rules.
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Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies,
57 They turned away and were disloyal just like their ancestors. They were like a crooked bow that does not shoot straight.
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but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow.
58 They made God angry by building places to worship gods; they made him jealous with their idols.
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For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols.
59 When God heard them, he became very angry and rejected the people of Israel completely.
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When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel.
60 He left his dwelling at Shiloh, the Tent where he lived among the people.
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He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mankind,
61 He let the Ark, his power, be captured; he let the Ark, his glory, be taken by enemies.
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and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe.
62 He let his people be killed; he was very angry with his children.
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He gave his people over to the sword and vented his wrath on his heritage.
63 The young men died by fire, and the young women had no one to marry.
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Fire devoured their young men, and their young women had no marriage song.
64 Their priests fell by the sword, but their widows were not allowed to cry.
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Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the Lord got up as if he had been asleep; he awoke like a man who had been drunk with wine.
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Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a strong man shouting because of wine.
66 He struck down his enemies and disgraced them forever.
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And he put his adversaries to rout; he put them to everlasting shame.
67 But God rejected the family of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
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He rejected the tent of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 Instead, he chose the tribe of Judah and Mount Zion, which he loves.
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but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves.
69 And he built his Temple high like the mountains. Like the earth, he built it to last forever.
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He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever.
70 He chose David to be his servant and took him from the sheep pens.
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He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 He brought him from tending the sheep so he could lead the flock, the people of Jacob, his own people, the people of Israel.
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from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance.
72 And David led them with an innocent heart and guided them with skillful hands. A psalm of Asaph.
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With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.