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¹ Heare my lawe (o my people) encline yor eares vnto ye wordes of my mouth.² I wil open my mouth in parables, and speake of thinges of olde.³ Which we haue herde and knowne, and soch as oure fathers haue tolde vs.⁴ That we shulde not hyde them from the children of the generacions to come: but to shewe the honoure of the LORDE, his might and wonderfull workes that he hath done.⁵ He made a couenaunt with Iacob, and gaue Israel a lawe, which he comaunded oure forefathers to teach their children.⁶ That their posterite might knowe it, and the children which were yet vnborne.⁷ To the intent yt when they came vp, they might shewe their children the same.⁸ That they also might put their trust in God, & not to forget what he had done, but to kepe his comaundementes.

⁹ And not to be as their forefathers, a frowarde and ouerthwarte generacion, a generacion that set not their herte a right, and whose sprete was not true towarde God.¹⁰ Like as the children of Ephraim, which beynge harnessed and carienge bowes, turned them selues backe in the tyme of battayll.¹¹ They kepte not the couenaut of God, & wolde not walke in his lawe.¹² They forgat what he had done, and the wonderfull workes that he had shewed for them.¹³ Maruelous thinges dyd he in the sight of their fathers in the londe of Egipte, euen in the felde of Zoan.¹⁴ He deuyded the see and let them go thorow it, and made the waters to stonde like a wall.¹⁵ In the daye tyme he led them with a cloude, and all the night thorow with a light of fyre.¹⁶ He cloaue the hard rockes in the wildernesse, and gaue them drynke therof, as it had bene out of the greate deapth.¹⁷ He brought waters out of the stony rocke, so that they gusshed out like the ryuers.¹⁸ Yet for all this they synned agaynst him, and prouoked the most hyest in the wildernesse.¹⁹ They tempted God in their hertes, and requyred meate for their lust,²⁰ For they spake agaynst God and sayde: Yee yee, God shal prepare a table in the wyldernesse, shall he?²¹ Lo, he smote the stony rocke, that the watery streames gusshed out, and the streames flowed withall: but how can he geue bred and prouyde flesh for his people?²² When the LORDE herde this, he was wroth: so the fyre was kyndled in Iacob, and heuy displeasure agaynst Israel.²³ Because they beleued not in God, and put not their trust in his helpe.²⁴ So he commauded the cloudes aboue, and opened the dores of heauen.²⁵ He rayned downe Manna vpo them for to eate, and gaue them bred from heauen.²⁶ Then ate they angels fode, for he sent them meate ynough.²⁷ He caused the east wynde to blowe vnder the heauen, and thorow his power he brought in the south wynde.²⁸ He made flesh to rayne vpon them as thicke as dust, and fethered foules like the sonde of ye see.²⁹ He let it fall amoge their tetes roude aboute their habitacios.³⁰ So they ate & were fylled, for he gaue them their owne desyre. They were not dispoynted of their lust.³¹ But whyle ye meate was yet in theyr mouthes: The heuy wrath of God came vpo the, slewe ye welthiest of the, & smote downe ye chosen men of Israel.³² But for all this they synned yet more, and beleued not his woderous workes.³³ Therfore their dayes were consumed in vanite, and sodenly their yeares were gone.³⁴ When he slewe them, they sought him, and turned them early vnto God.³⁵ They thought then that God was their socoure, and that the hye God was their redemer.³⁶ Neuerthelesse, they dyd but flater him in their mouthes, and dissembled with him in their tonges.³⁷ For their herte was not whole with him, nether continued they in his couenaunt.³⁸ But he was so mercifull, that he forgaue their mysdedes, and destroyed them not:³⁹ Yee many a tyme turned he his wrath awaye, and wolde not suffre his whole displeasure to aryse.

⁴⁰ For he considered yt they were but flesh: euen a wynde that passeth awaye, and commeth not agayne.⁴¹ O how oft haue they greued him in the wildernesse? How many a tyme haue they prouoked him in the deserte?⁴² They turned backe & tempted God, and moued the holy one in Israel.⁴³ They thought not of his hade, in ye daye when he delyuered them from the hande of ye enemie.⁴⁴ How he had wrought his miracles in Egipte, and his woders in the londe of Zoan.⁴⁵ How he turned their waters in to bloude, so that they might not drynke of the ryuers.⁴⁶ How he sent lyse amonge them, to eate them vp, and frogges to destroye them.⁴⁷ How he gaue their frutes vnto the catirpiller, and their laboure vnto the greshopper.⁴⁸ How he bett downe their vynyardes with hayle stones, and their Molbery trees with the frost.⁴⁹ How he smote their catell with haylestones, and their flockes with hote thoder boltes.⁵⁰ How he sent vpon them ye furiousnesse of his wrath, anger & displeasure: with trouble and fallinge in of euel angels.⁵¹ When he made a waye to his fearfull indignacio, and spared not their soules from death, yee and gaue their catell ouer to the pestilence.⁵² When he smote all the firstborne in Egipte, the most principall and mightiest in ye dwellinges of Ham.⁵³ But as for his owne people, he led them forth like shepe, and caried them in the wyldernesse like a flocke.⁵⁴ He brought them out safely, that they shulde not feare, and ouerwhelmed their enemies with the see.⁵⁵ He caried them vnto the borders of his Sanctuary: euen in to this hill, which he purchased with his right hande.⁵⁶ He dyd cast out the Heithen before them, caused their londe to be deuyded amonge them for an heretage, and made ye tribes of Israel to dwell in their tetes.⁵⁷ For all this they tempted and displeased the most hye God, and kepte not his couenaunt.⁵⁸ But turned their backes and fell awaye like their forefathers, startinge asyde like a broken bowe.⁵⁹ And so they greued him with their hie places, & prouoked him with their ymages.⁶⁰ When God herde this, he was wroth, and toke sore displeasure at Israel.⁶¹ So that he forsoke the tabernacle in Silo, euen his habitacion wherin he dwelt amonge men.⁶² He delyuered their power in to captiuyte, and their glory in to the enemies hode.⁶³ He gaue his people ouer in to the swerde, for he was wroth with his heretage.⁶⁴ The fyre consumed their yonge men, and their maydes were not geuen to mariage.⁶⁵ Their prestes were slayne with the swerde, and there were no wyddowes to make lamentacion.⁶⁶ So the LORDE awaked as one out of slepe, and like a giaunte refreshed with wyne.⁶⁷ He smote his enemies in ye hynder partes, and put them to a perpetuall shame.⁶⁸ He refused the tabernacle of Ioseph, and chose not the trybe of Ephraim.⁶⁹ Neuerthelesse, he chose ye trybe of Iuda, eue the hill of Sion which he loued.⁷⁰ And there he buylded his temple on hye, and layed ye foundacion of it like ye grounde, that it might perpetually endure.⁷¹ He chose Dauid also his seruaut, and toke him awaye from the shepe foldes.⁷² As he was folowinge the yowes greate with yonge, he toke him, that he might fede Iacob his people, and Israel his enheritaunce. So he fed them with a faithfull and true hert, and ruled them with all ye diligence of his power.