¹Hear my teaching, my people. Turn your ears to the words of my mouth.

¹משכיל לאסף האזינה עמי תורתי הטו אזנכם לאמרי פי׃

²I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings of old,

²אפתחה במשל פי אביעה חידות מני קדם׃

³Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

³אשר שמענו ונדעם ואבותינו ספרו לנו׃

⁴We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of Yahweh, his strength, and his wondrous works that he has done.

⁴לא נכחד מבניהם לדור אחרון מספרים תהלות יהוה ועזוזו ונפלאותיו אשר עשה׃

⁵For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a teaching in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children;

⁵ויקם עדות ביעקב ותורה שם בישראל אשר צוה את אבותינו להודיעם לבניהם׃

⁶that the generation to come might know, even the children who should be born; who should arise and tell their children,

⁶למען ידעו דור אחרון בנים יולדו יקמו ויספרו לבניהם׃

⁷that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments,

⁷וישימו באלהים כסלם ולא ישכחו מעללי אל ומצותיו ינצרו׃

⁸and might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that didn’t make their hearts loyal, whose spirit was not steadfast with God.

⁸ולא יהיו כאבותם דור סורר ומרה דור לא הכין לבו ולא נאמנה את אל רוחו׃

⁹The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.

⁹בני אפרים נושקי רומי קשת הפכו ביום קרב׃

¹⁰They didn’t keep God’s covenant, and refused to walk in his law.

¹⁰לא שמרו ברית אלהים ובתורתו מאנו ללכת׃

¹¹They forgot his doings, his wondrous works that he had shown them.

¹¹וישכחו עלילותיו ונפלאותיו אשר הראם׃

¹²He did marvelous things in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

¹²נגד אבותם עשה פלא בארץ מצרים שדה צען׃

¹³He split the sea, and caused them to pass through. He made the waters stand as a heap.

¹³בקע ים ויעבירם ויצב מים כמו נד׃

¹⁴In the daytime he also led them with a cloud, and all night with a light of fire.

¹⁴וינחם בענן יומם וכל הלילה באור אש׃

¹⁵He split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.

¹⁵יבקע צרים במדבר וישק כתהמות רבה׃

¹⁶He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

¹⁶ויוצא נוזלים מסלע ויורד כנהרות מים׃

¹⁷Yet they still went on to sin against him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert.

¹⁷ויוסיפו עוד לחטא לו למרות עליון בציה׃

¹⁸They tempted God in their heart by asking food according to their desire.

¹⁸וינסו אל בלבבם לשאל אכל לנפשם׃

¹⁹Yes, they spoke against God. They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

¹⁹וידברו באלהים אמרו היוכל אל לערך שלחן במדבר׃

²⁰Behold, he struck the rock, so that waters gushed out, and streams overflowed. Can he give bread also? Will he provide flesh for his people?”

²⁰הן הכה צור ויזובו מים ונחלים ישטפו הגם לחם יוכל תת אם יכין שאר לעמו׃

²¹Therefore Yahweh heard, and was angry. A fire was kindled against Jacob, anger also went up against Israel,

²¹לכן שמע יהוה ויתעבר ואש נשקה ביעקב וגם אף עלה בישראל׃

²²because they didn’t believe in God, and didn’t trust in his salvation.

²²כי לא האמינו באלהים ולא בטחו בישועתו׃

²³Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven.

²³ויצו שחקים ממעל ודלתי שמים פתח׃

²⁴He rained down manna on them to eat, and gave them food from the sky.

²⁴וימטר עליהם מן לאכל ודגן שמים נתן למו׃

²⁵Man ate the bread of angels. He sent them food to the full.

²⁵לחם אבירים אכל איש צידה שלח להם לשבע׃

²⁶He caused the east wind to blow in the sky. By his power he guided the south wind.

²⁶יסע קדים בשמים וינהג בעזו תימן׃

²⁷He rained also flesh on them as the dust; winged birds as the sand of the seas.

²⁷וימטר עליהם כעפר שאר וכחול ימים עוף כנף׃

²⁸He let them fall in the midst of their camp, around their habitations.

²⁸ויפל בקרב מחנהו סביב למשכנתיו׃

²⁹So they ate, and were well filled. He gave them their own desire.

²⁹ויאכלו וישבעו מאד ותאותם יבא להם׃

³⁰They didn’t turn from their cravings. Their food was yet in their mouths,

³⁰לא זרו מתאותם עוד אכלם בפיהם׃

³¹when the anger of God went up against them, killed some of their fattest, and struck down the young men of Israel.

³¹ואף אלהים עלה בהם ויהרג במשמניהם ובחורי ישראל הכריע׃

³²For all this they still sinned, and didn’t believe in his wondrous works.

³²בכל זאת חטאו עוד ולא האמינו בנפלאותיו׃

³³Therefore he consumed their days in vanity, and their years in terror.

³³ויכל בהבל ימיהם ושנותם בבהלה׃

³⁴When he killed them, then they inquired after him. They returned and sought God earnestly.

³⁴אם הרגם ודרשוהו ושבו ושחרו אל׃

³⁵They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God, their redeemer.

³⁵ויזכרו כי אלהים צורם ואל עליון גאלם׃

³⁶But they flattered him with their mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.

³⁶ויפתוהו בפיהם ובלשונם יכזבו לו׃

³⁷For their heart was not right with him, neither were they faithful in his covenant.

³⁷ולבם לא נכון עמו ולא נאמנו בבריתו׃

³⁸But he, being merciful, forgave iniquity, and didn’t destroy them. Yes, many times he turned his anger away, and didn’t stir up all his wrath.

³⁸והוא רחום יכפר עון ולא ישחית והרבה להשיב אפו ולא יעיר כל חמתו׃

³⁹He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes away, and doesn’t come again.

³⁹ויזכר כי בשר המה רוח הולך ולא ישוב׃

⁴⁰How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, and grieved him in the desert!

⁴⁰כמה ימרוהו במדבר יעציבוהו בישימון׃

⁴¹They turned again and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.

⁴¹וישובו וינסו אל וקדוש ישראל התוו׃

⁴²They didn’t remember his hand, nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;

⁴²לא זכרו את ידו יום אשר פדם מני צר׃

⁴³how he set his signs in Egypt, his wonders in the field of Zoan,

⁴³אשר שם במצרים אתותיו ומופתיו בשדה צען׃

⁴⁴he turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, so that they could not drink.

⁴⁴ויהפך לדם יאריהם ונזליהם בל ישתיון׃

⁴⁵He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

⁴⁵ישלח בהם ערב ויאכלם וצפרדע ותשחיתם׃

⁴⁶He gave also their increase to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust.

⁴⁶ויתן לחסיל יבולם ויגיעם לארבה׃

⁴⁷He destroyed their vines with hail, their sycamore fig trees with frost.

⁴⁷יהרג בברד גפנם ושקמותם בחנמל׃

⁴⁸He gave over their livestock also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

⁴⁸ויסגר לברד בעירם ומקניהם לרשפים׃

⁴⁹He threw on them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, and a band of angels of evil.

⁴⁹ישלח בם חרון אפו עברה וזעם וצרה משלחת מלאכי רעים׃

⁵⁰He made a path for his anger. He didn’t spare their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence,

⁵⁰יפלס נתיב לאפו לא חשך ממות נפשם וחיתם לדבר הסגיר׃

⁵¹and struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.

⁵¹ויך כל בכור במצרים ראשית אונים באהלי חם׃

⁵²But he led forth his own people like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

⁵²ויסע כצאן עמו וינהגם כעדר במדבר׃

⁵³He led them safely, so that they weren’t afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

⁵³וינחם לבטח ולא פחדו ואת אויביהם כסה הים׃

⁵⁴He brought them to the border of his sanctuary, to this mountain, which his right hand had taken.

⁵⁴ויביאם אל גבול קדשו הר זה קנתה ימינו׃

⁵⁵He also drove out the nations before them, allotted them for an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

⁵⁵ויגרש מפניהם גוים ויפילם בחבל נחלה וישכן באהליהם שבטי ישראל׃

⁵⁶Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, and didn’t keep his testimonies;

⁵⁶וינסו וימרו את אלהים עליון ועדותיו לא שמרו׃

⁵⁷but turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers. They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

⁵⁷ויסגו ויבגדו כאבותם נהפכו כקשת רמיה׃

⁵⁸For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their engraved images.

⁵⁸ויכעיסוהו בבמותם ובפסיליהם יקניאוהו׃

⁵⁹When God heard this, he was angry, and greatly abhorred Israel;

⁵⁹שמע אלהים ויתעבר וימאס מאד בישראל׃

⁶⁰So that he forsook the tent of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;

⁶⁰ויטש משכן שלו אהל שכן באדם׃

⁶¹and delivered his strength into captivity, his glory into the adversary’s hand.

⁶¹ויתן לשבי עזו ותפארתו ביד צר׃

⁶²He also gave his people over to the sword, and was angry with his inheritance.

⁶²ויסגר לחרב עמו ובנחלתו התעבר׃

⁶³Fire devoured their young men. Their virgins had no wedding song.

⁶³בחוריו אכלה אש ובתולתיו לא הוללו׃

⁶⁴Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows couldn’t weep.

⁶⁴כהניו בחרב נפלו ואלמנתיו לא תבכינה׃

⁶⁵Then the Lord awakened as one out of sleep, like a mighty man who shouts by reason of wine.

⁶⁵ויקץ כישן אדני כגבור מתרונן מיין׃

⁶⁶He struck his adversaries backward. He put them to a perpetual reproach.

⁶⁶ויך צריו אחור חרפת עולם נתן למו׃

⁶⁷Moreover he rejected the tent of Joseph, and didn’t choose the tribe of Ephraim,

⁶⁷וימאס באהל יוסף ובשבט אפרים לא בחר׃

⁶⁸But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which he loved.

⁶⁸ויבחר את שבט יהודה את הר ציון אשר אהב׃

⁶⁹He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he has established forever.

⁶⁹ויבן כמו רמים מקדשו כארץ יסדה לעולם׃

⁷⁰He also chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds;

⁷⁰ויבחר בדוד עבדו ויקחהו ממכלאת צאן׃

⁷¹from following the ewes that have their young, he brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.

⁷¹מאחר עלות הביאו לרעות ביעקב עמו ובישראל נחלתו׃

⁷²So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.

⁷²וירעם כתם לבבו ובתבונות כפיו ינחם׃