⁵ For ^(E)He established a testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers,
That ^(F)they should make them known to their children;
^6 (G)That the generation to come might know them,
The children who would be born,
That they may arise and declare them to their children,
⁷ That they may set their hope in God,
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments;
⁸ And ^(H)may not be like their fathers,
^(I)A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation ^(J)that did not ^[c]set its heart aright,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

⁹ The children of Ephraim, being armed and ^[d]carrying bows,
Turned back in the day of battle.
^10 (K)They did not keep the covenant of God;
They refused to walk in His law,
¹¹ And ^(L)forgot His works
And His wonders that He had shown them.

^12 (M)Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers,
In the land of Egypt, ^(N)in the field of Zoan.
^13 (O)He divided the sea and caused them to pass through;
And ^(P)He made the waters stand up like a heap.
^14 (Q)In the daytime also He led them with the cloud,
And all the night with a light of fire.
^15 (R)He split the rocks in the wilderness,
And gave them drink in abundance like the depths.
¹⁶ He also brought ^(S)streams out of the rock,
And caused waters to run down like rivers.

¹⁷ But they sinned even more against Him
By ^(T)rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.
¹⁸ And ^(U)they tested God in their heart
By asking for the food of their fancy.
^19 (V)Yes, they spoke against God:
They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
^20 (W)Behold, He struck the rock,
So that the waters gushed out,
And the streams overflowed.
Can He give bread also?
Can He provide meat for His people?”

²¹ Therefore the Lord heard this and ^(X)was furious;
So a fire was kindled against Jacob,
And anger also came up against Israel,
²² Because they ^(Y)did not believe in God,
And did not trust in His salvation.
²³ Yet He had commanded the clouds above,
^(Z)And opened the doors of heaven,
^24 (AA)Had rained down manna on them to eat,
And given them of the ^[e]bread of ^(AB)heaven.
²⁵ Men ate angels’ food;
He sent them food to ^[f]the full.

^26 (AC)He caused an east wind to blow in the heavens;
And by His power He brought in the south wind.
²⁷ He also rained meat on them like the dust,
Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas;
²⁸ And He let them fall in the midst of their camp,
All around their dwellings.
^29 (AD)So they ate and were well filled,
For He gave them their own desire.
³⁰ They were not ^[g]deprived of their craving;
But ^(AE)while their food was still in their mouths,
³¹ The wrath of God came against them,
And slew the stoutest of them,
And struck down the choice men of Israel.

³² In spite of this ^(AF)they still sinned,
And ^(AG)did not believe in His wondrous works.
^33 (AH)Therefore their days He consumed in futility,
And their years in fear.

^34 (AI)When He slew them, then they sought Him;
And they returned and sought earnestly for God.
³⁵ Then they remembered that ^(AJ)God was their rock,
And the Most High God ^(AK)their Redeemer.
³⁶ Nevertheless they ^(AL)flattered Him with their mouth,
And they lied to Him with their tongue;
³⁷ For their heart was not steadfast with Him,
Nor were they faithful in His covenant.
^38 (AM)But He, being full of ^(AN)compassion, forgave their iniquity,
And did not destroy them.
Yes, many a time ^(AO)He turned His anger away,
And ^(AP)did not stir up all His wrath;
³⁹ For ^(AQ)He remembered ^(AR)that they were but flesh,
^(AS)A breath that passes away and does not come again.

⁴⁰ How often they ^(AT)provoked^[h] Him in the wilderness,
And grieved Him in the desert!
⁴¹ Yes, ^(AU)again and again they tempted God,
And limited the Holy One of Israel.
⁴² They did not remember His ^[i]power:
The day when He redeemed them from the enemy,
⁴³ When He worked His signs in Egypt,
And His wonders in the field of Zoan;
^44 (AV)Turned their rivers into blood,
And their streams, that they could not drink.
^45 (AW)He sent swarms of flies among them, which devoured them,
And ^(AX)frogs, which destroyed them.
⁴⁶ He also gave their crops to the caterpillar,
And their labor to the ^(AY)locust.
^47 (AZ)He destroyed their vines with hail,
And their sycamore trees with frost.
⁴⁸ He also gave up their ^(BA)cattle to the hail,
And their flocks to fiery ^[j]lightning.
⁴⁹ He cast on them the fierceness of His anger,
Wrath, indignation, and trouble,
By sending angels of destruction among them.
⁵⁰ He made a path for His anger;
He did not spare their soul from death,
But gave ^[k]their life over to the plague,
⁵¹ And destroyed all the ^(BB)firstborn in Egypt,
The first of their strength in the tents of Ham.
⁵² But He ^(BC)made His own people go forth like sheep,
And guided them in the wilderness like a flock;
⁵³ And He ^(BD)led them on safely, so that they did not fear;
But the sea ^(BE)overwhelmed their enemies.
⁵⁴ And He brought them to His ^(BF)holy border,
This mountain ^(BG)which His right hand had acquired.
^55 (BH)He also drove out the nations before them,
^(BI)Allotted them an inheritance by ^[l]survey,
And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.

^56 (BJ)Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God,
And did not keep His testimonies,
⁵⁷ But ^(BK)turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers;
They were turned aside ^(BL)like a deceitful bow.
^58 (BM)For they provoked Him to anger with their ^(BN)high places,
And moved Him to jealousy with their carved images.
⁵⁹ When God heard this, He was furious,
And greatly abhorred Israel,
^60 (BO)So that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh,
The tent He had placed among men,
^61 (BP)And delivered His strength into captivity,
And His glory into the enemy’s hand.
^62 (BQ)He also gave His people over to the sword,
And was furious with His inheritance.
⁶³ The fire consumed their young men,
And ^(BR)their maidens were not given in marriage.
^64 (BS)Their priests fell by the sword,
And ^(BT)their widows made no lamentation.

⁶⁵ Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
^(BU)Like a mighty man who shouts because of wine.
⁶⁶ And ^(BV)He beat back His enemies;
He put them to a perpetual reproach.

⁶⁷ Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph,
And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
⁶⁸ But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion ^(BW)which He loved.
⁶⁹ And He built His ^(BX)sanctuary like the heights,
Like the earth which He has established forever.
^70 (BY)He also chose David His servant,
And took him from the sheepfolds;
⁷¹ From following ^(BZ)the ewes that had young He brought him,
^(CA)To shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel His inheritance.
⁷² So he shepherded them according to the ^(CB)integrity of his heart,
And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.

² “If one attempts a word with you, will you become weary?
But who can withhold himself from speaking?
³ Surely you have instructed many,
And you ^(A)have strengthened weak hands.
⁴ Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,
And you ^(B)have strengthened the ^[a]feeble knees;
⁵ But now it comes upon you, and you are weary;
It touches you, and you are troubled.
⁶ Is not ^(C)your reverence ^(D)your confidence?
And the integrity of your ways your hope?

⁷ “Remember now, ^(E)who ever perished being innocent?
Or where were the upright ever cut off?
⁸ Even as I have seen,
^(F)Those who plow iniquity
And sow trouble reap the same.
⁹ By the blast of God they perish,
And by the breath of His anger they are consumed.
¹⁰ The roaring of the lion,
The voice of the fierce lion,
And ^(G)the teeth of the young lions are broken.
^11 (H)The old lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

¹² “Now a word was secretly brought to me,
And my ear received a whisper of it.
^13 (I)In disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on men,
¹⁴ Fear came upon me, and ^(J)trembling,
Which made all my bones shake.
¹⁵ Then a spirit passed before my face;
The hair on my body stood up.
¹⁶ It stood still,
But I could not discern its appearance.
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence;
Then I heard a voice saying:
¹⁷ ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God?
Can a man be more pure than his Maker?
¹⁸ If He ^(K)puts no trust in His servants,
If He charges His angels with error,
¹⁹ How much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
Whose foundation is in the dust,
Who are crushed before a moth?
^20 (L)They are broken in pieces from morning till evening;
They perish forever, with no one regarding.
²¹ Does not their own excellence go away?
They die, even without wisdom.’

⁸ “But as for me, I would seek God,
And to God I would commit my cause—
⁹ Who does great things, and unsearchable,
Marvelous things without number.
^10 (Q)He gives rain on the earth,
And sends waters on the fields.
^11 (R)He sets on high those who are lowly,
And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
^12 (S)He frustrates the devices of the crafty,
So that their hands cannot carry out their plans.
¹³ He catches the ^(T)wise in their own craftiness,
And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.
¹⁴ They meet with darkness in the daytime,
And grope at noontime as in the night.
¹⁵ But ^(U)He saves the needy from the sword,
From the mouth of the mighty,
And from their hand.
^16 (V)So the poor have hope,
And injustice shuts her mouth.

¹⁷ “Behold,^(W) happy is the man whom God corrects;
Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
^18 (X)For He bruises, but He binds up;
He wounds, but His hands make whole.
^19 (Y)He shall deliver you in six troubles,
Yes, in seven ^(Z)no evil shall touch you.
^20 (AA)In famine He shall redeem you from death,
And in war from the ^[f]power of the sword.
^21 (AB)You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes.
²² You shall laugh at destruction and famine,
And ^(AC)you shall not be afraid of the ^(AD)beasts of the earth.
^23 (AE)For you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field,
And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
²⁴ You shall know that your tent is in peace;
You shall visit your dwelling and find nothing amiss.
²⁵ You shall also know that ^(AF)your descendants shall be many,
And your offspring ^(AG)like the grass of the earth.
^26 (AH)You shall come to the grave at a full age,
As a sheaf of grain ripens in its season.
²⁷ Behold, this we have ^(AI)searched out;
It is true.
Hear it, and know for yourself.”

² “Oh, that my grief were fully weighed,
And my calamity laid with it on the scales!
³ For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea—
Therefore my words have been rash.
^4 (AJ)For the arrows of the Almighty are within me;
My spirit drinks in their poison;
^(AK)The terrors of God are arrayed ^(AL)against me.
⁵ Does the ^(AM)wild donkey bray when it has grass,
Or does the ox low over its fodder?
⁶ Can flavorless food be eaten without salt?
Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
⁷ My soul refuses to touch them;
They are as loathsome food to me.

⁸ “Oh, that I might have my request,
That God would grant me the thing that I long for!
⁹ That it would please God to crush me,
That He would loose His hand and ^(AN)cut me off!
¹⁰ Then I would still have comfort;
Though in anguish I would exult,
He will not spare;
For ^(AO)I have not concealed the words of ^(AP)the Holy One.

¹¹ “What strength do I have, that I should hope?
And what is my end, that I should prolong my life?
¹² Is my strength the strength of stones?
Or is my flesh bronze?
¹³ Is my help not within me?
And is success driven from me?

¹⁴ “To^(AQ) him who is ^[g]afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend,
Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
^15 (AR)My brothers have dealt deceitfully like a brook,
^(AS)Like the streams of the brooks that pass away,
¹⁶ Which are dark because of the ice,
And into which the snow vanishes.
¹⁷ When it is warm, they cease to flow;
When it is hot, they vanish from their place.
¹⁸ The paths of their way turn aside,
They go nowhere and perish.
¹⁹ The caravans of ^(AT)Tema look,
The travelers of ^(AU)Sheba hope for them.
²⁰ They are ^(AV)disappointed^[h] because they were confident;
They come there and are confused.
²¹ For now ^(AW)you are nothing,
You see terror and ^(AX)are afraid.
²² Did I ever say, ‘Bring something to me’?
Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth’?
²³ Or, ‘Deliver me from the enemy’s hand’?
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of oppressors’?

²⁴ “Teach me, and I will hold my tongue;
Cause me to understand wherein I have erred.
²⁵ How forceful are right words!
But what does your arguing prove?
²⁶ Do you intend to rebuke my words,
And the speeches of a desperate one, which are as wind?
²⁷ Yes, you overwhelm the fatherless,
And you ^(AY)undermine your friend.
²⁸ Now therefore, be pleased to look at me;
For I would never lie to your face.
^29 (AZ)Yield now, let there be no injustice!
Yes, concede, my ^(BA)righteousness ^[i]still stands!
³⁰ Is there injustice on my tongue?
Cannot my ^[j]taste discern the unsavory?