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God Is Good to His People

¹ O my people, hear my teaching. Listen to the words of my mouth. ² I will open my mouth in picture-stories. I will tell things which have been kept secret from long ago, ³ which we have heard and known because our fathers have told us. ⁴ We will not hide them from their children. But we will tell the children-to-come the praises of the Lord, and of His power and the great things He has done.

⁵ For He has made His will known to Jacob. He made the Law in Israel, which He told our fathers to teach their children. ⁶ So the children-to-come might know, even the children yet to be born. So they may rise up and tell it to their children. ⁷ Then they would put their trust in God and not forget the works of God. And they would keep His Law. ⁸ They would not be like their fathers, who were not right with God and would not obey Him or be faithful to Him.

⁹ The sons of Ephraim were ready with their bows. But they turned away in the day of fighting. ¹⁰ They did not keep the agreement of God. And they would not walk in His Law. ¹¹ They forgot what He had done and His great works that He had shown them. ¹² He did powerful works in front of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. ¹³ He divided the sea and made them pass through it. He made the water stand up like a wall. ¹⁴ He led them with the cloud during the day, and with a light of fire during the night. ¹⁵ He broke the rocks in the desert, and gave them water as if it flowed from the sea. ¹⁶ He made water come out of the rock. He made the water flow down like rivers.

¹⁷ But they still kept on sinning against Him. They did not obey the Most High in the desert. ¹⁸ They tested God in their hearts by asking for the food they wanted. ¹⁹ Then they spoke against God, saying, "Can God set a table in the desert? ²⁰ See, He hit the rock and water poured out and rivers flowed over. Can He give bread also? Will He give meat to His people?"

²¹ The Lord was full of anger when He heard them. And a fire was set against Jacob. His anger went up against Israel, ²² because they did not believe in God. They did not trust in Him to save them. ²³ Yet He spoke to the clouds above, and opened the doors of heaven. ²⁴ He sent down bread from heaven for them to eat. He gave them food from heaven. ²⁵ Men ate the bread of angels. He sent them all the food they could eat. ²⁶ He made the east wind blow in the heavens. And He brought in the south wind by His power. ²⁷ He sent meat down on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the sea. ²⁸ He let them fall in the place where they were staying, all around their tents. ²⁹ So they ate until they were full. He gave them what they wanted. ³⁰ But before they had eaten all they wanted, even while it was still in their mouths, ³¹ the anger of God came upon them. And He killed the strongest of them. He cut down the young men of Israel. ³² But still they kept on sinning. They did not believe in His powerful works. ³³ So He made their days come to nothing. He made their years end in fear all at once.

³⁴ When He killed some of them, the others would look for Him. They returned and looked for God. ³⁵ They remembered that God was their rock, and that the Most High God was the One Who set them free. ³⁶ But they gave Him false honor with their mouth. They lied to Him with their tongue. ³⁷ For their heart was not right toward Him. They were not faithful to His agreement. ³⁸ But He showed them loving-kindness and forgave their sins. He did not destroy them. He held back His anger many times. He did not let all of His anger loose. ³⁹ He remembered that they were only flesh, a wind that passes and does not return.

⁴⁰ How many times they went against Him in the desert, and gave Him sorrow in that empty land! ⁴¹ They put God to the test again and again, and troubled the Holy One of Israel. ⁴² They did not remember His power and the day He saved them from those who hated them, ⁴³ when He did His powerful works in Egypt and showed His greatness in the field of Zoan. ⁴⁴ He changed their rivers into blood. They could not drink from their rivers. ⁴⁵ He sent many flies among them that ate them, and frogs that destroyed them. ⁴⁶ He gave their fields of food to the grasshopper, and all they worked for to the locust. ⁴⁷ He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with cold. ⁴⁸ He killed their cattle with hail and lightning. ⁴⁹ He sent them His burning anger and trouble. He sent a group of angels to bring trouble and sorrow to them. ⁵⁰ He made a straight path for His anger. He did not save their soul from death. But He gave their lives over to all these troubles. ⁵¹ He killed all the first-born in Egypt, the first children of their strength in the tents of Ham. ⁵² But He brought His people out like sheep. And He led them like a flock in the desert. ⁵³ He led them and kept them safe, so they were not afraid. But the sea covered those who hated them.

⁵⁴ He brought them to His holy land, to the hill country His right hand had taken. ⁵⁵ He drove out the nations before them. He gave them parts of the land for a gift. And He made the families of Israel live in their tents.

⁵⁶ But they tempted and went against the Most High God. They did not keep His Law. ⁵⁷ They turned away and acted without faith like their fathers. They were like a bow that cannot be trusted. ⁵⁸ They made Him angry with their sinful places of worship. And they made Him jealous with their false gods. ⁵⁹ God was very angry when He heard them, and He hated Israel. ⁶⁰ He left the holy tent at Shiloh, the tent He had set up among men. ⁶¹ And He let His strength be taken. He put His greatness into the hands of those who hated Israel. ⁶² He allowed His people to be killed with the sword. And He was very angry with those who belong to Him. ⁶³ Fire burned up their young men. And their young women had no wedding songs. ⁶⁴ Their religious leaders fell by the sword. And the women who lost their husbands could not cry.

⁶⁵ Then the Lord woke up as if from sleep, like a strong man wild with wine. ⁶⁶ He beat back those who hated Him. And He put them to shame forever. ⁶⁷ He turned away from the tent of Joseph. He did not choose the family of Ephraim, ⁶⁸ but chose the family of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved. ⁶⁹ He built His holy place like the high mountains, like the earth He has built forever. ⁷⁰ He chose David, His servant and took him from the flocks of sheep. ⁷¹ He brought him from caring for the sheep and their lambs to being the shepherd of Jacob His people, and Israel who belongs to Him. ⁷² So David was their shepherd with a heart that was right, and led them with good hands and wisdom.