| King James Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. | 1A Maskil of Asaph. My people, hear my instruction; listen to what I say. |
| 2I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: | 2I will declare wise sayings; I will speak mysteries from the past-- |
| 3Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. | 3things we have heard and known and that our fathers have passed down to us. |
| 4We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. | 4We must not hide them from their children, but must tell a future generation the praises of the LORD, His might, and the wonderful works He has performed. |
| 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 testimony in Jacob and set up a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children |
| 6That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: | 6so that a future generation-- children yet to be born--might know. They were to rise and tell their children |
| 7That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: | 7so that they might put their confidence in God and not forget God's works, but keep His commands. |
| 8And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God. | 8Then they would not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not loyal and whose spirit was not faithful to God. |
| 9The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. | 9The Ephraimite archers turned back on the day of battle. |
| 10They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law; | 10They did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by His law. |
| 11And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them. | 11They forgot what He had done, the wonderful works He had shown them. |
| 12Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. | 12He worked wonders in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, the region of Zoan. |
| 13He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap. | 13He split the sea and brought them across; the water stood firm like a wall. |
| 14In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire. | 14He led them with a cloud by day and with a fiery light throughout the night. |
| 15He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths. | 15He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as abundant as the depths. |
| 16He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers. | 16He brought streams out of the stone and made water flow down like rivers. |
| 17And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness. | 17But they continued to sin against Him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High. |
| 18And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust. | 18They deliberately tested God, demanding the food they craved. |
| 19Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? | 19They spoke against God, saying," Is God able to provide food in the wilderness? |
| 20Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people? | 20Look! He struck the rock and water gushed out; torrents overflowed. But can He also provide bread or furnish meat for His people?" |
| 21Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel; | 21Therefore, the LORD heard and became furious; then fire broke out against Jacob, and anger flared up against Israel |
| 22Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation: | 22because they did not believe God or rely on His salvation. |
| 23Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, | 23He gave a command to the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven. |
| 24And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. | 24He rained manna for them to eat; He gave them grain from heaven. |
| 25Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full. | 25People ate the bread of angels. He sent them an abundant supply of food. |
| 26He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind. | 26He made the east wind blow in the skies and drove the south wind by His might. |
| 27He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea: | 27He rained meat on them like dust, and winged birds like the sand of the seas. |
| 28And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations. | 28He made them fall in His camp, all around His tent. |
| 29So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire; | 29They ate and were completely satisfied, for He gave them what they craved. |
| 30They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths, | 30Before they had satisfied their desire, while the food was still in their mouths, |
| 31The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel. | 31God's anger flared up against them, and He killed some of their best men. He struck down Israel's choice young men. |
| 32For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works. | 32Despite all this, they kept sinning and did not believe His wonderful works. |
| 33Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble. | 33He made their days end in futility, their years in sudden disaster. |
| 34When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early after God. | 34When He killed some of them, the rest began to seek Him; they repented and searched for God. |
| 35And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. | 35They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God, their Redeemer. |
| 36Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. | 36But they deceived Him with their mouths, they lied to Him with their tongues, |
| 37For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant. | 37their hearts were insincere toward Him, and they were unfaithful to His covenant. |
| 38But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. | 38Yet He was compassionate; He atoned for their guilt and did not destroy them. He often turned His anger aside and did not unleash all His wrath. |
| 39For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. | 39He remembered that they were only flesh, a wind that passes and does not return. |
| 40How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! | 40How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert. |
| 41Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. | 41They constantly tested God and provoked the Holy One of Israel. |
| 42They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy. | 42They did not remember His power shown on the day He redeemed them from the foe, |
| 43How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan: | 43when He performed His miraculous signs in Egypt and His wonders in the region of Zoan. |
| 44And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink. | 44He turned their rivers into blood, and they could not drink from their streams. |
| 45He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them. | 45He sent among them swarms of flies, which fed on them, and frogs, which devastated them. |
| 46He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust. | 46He gave their crops to the caterpillar and the fruit of their labor to the locust. |
| 47He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost. | 47He killed their vines with hail and their sycamore fig trees with a flood. |
| 48He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts. | 48He handed over their livestock to hail and their cattle to lightning bolts. |
| 49He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them. | 49He sent His burning anger against them: fury, indignation, and calamity-- a band of deadly messengers. |
| 50He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence; | 50He cleared a path for His anger. He did not spare them from death but delivered their lives to the plague. |
| 51And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham: | 51He struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the first progeny of the tents of Ham. |
| 52But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. | 52He led His people out like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness. |
| 53And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. | 53He led them safely, and they were not afraid; but the sea covered their enemies. |
| 54And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased. | 54He brought them to His holy land, to the mountain His right hand acquired. |
| 55He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents. | 55He drove out nations before them. He apportioned their inheritance by lot and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents. |
| 56Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies: | 56But they rebelliously tested the Most High God, for they did not keep His decrees. |
| 57But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow. | 57They treacherously turned away like their fathers; they became warped like a faulty bow. |
| 58For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images. | 58They enraged Him with their high places and provoked His jealousy with their carved images. |
| 59When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel: | 59God heard and became furious; He completely rejected Israel. |
| 60So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men; | 60He abandoned the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tent where He resided among men. |
| 61And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand. | 61He gave up His strength to captivity and His splendor to the hand of a foe. |
| 62He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance. | 62He surrendered His people to the sword because He was enraged with His heritage. |
| 63The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage. | 63Fire consumed His chosen young men, and His young women had no wedding songs. |
| 64Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation. | 64His priests fell by the sword, but the widows could not lament. |
| 65Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine. | 65Then the Lord awoke as if from sleep, like a warrior from the effects of wine. |
| 66And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach. | 66He beat back His foes; He gave them lasting shame. |
| 67Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim: | 67He rejected the tent of Joseph and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim. |
| 68But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved. | 68He chose instead the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which He loved. |
| 69And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever. | 69He built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that He established forever. |
| 70He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds: | 70He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds; |
| 71From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance. | 71He brought him from tending ewes to be shepherd over His people Jacob-- over Israel, His inheritance. |
| 72So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands. | 72He shepherded them with a pure heart and guided them with his skillful hands. |
|
