[A wise instruction of Asaph.]
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Heare my lawe O my people: enclyne your eares vnto the wordes of my mouth.
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I wyll open my mouth in a parable: I wyll declare harde sentences of the olde tyme past.
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Which we haue hearde and knowen: and such as our fathers haue tolde vs.
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We wyll not hyde them from their children: nay we wyll set foorth in wordes to the generation to come, the prayses of God, and his myght and wonderfull workes that he hath done.
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For he reuiued a statute in Iacob, and gaue Israel a lawe: in the whiche he commaunded our forefathers to teache their children.
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To the intent the posteritie shoulde knowe it, [and] children whiche shalbe borne: that they shoulde ryse vp and declare it to their children.
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That they shoulde put their trust in God, and not forget the workes of God: but kepe his commaundementes.
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And that they be not as their forefathers [were] a rebellious and a mutable generation: a generation that directed not their heart aright, and whose spirite cleaued not stedfastly vnto God.
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[Like as] the children of Ephraim, which beyng harnessed & carying bowes: turned their backes in the day of battayle.
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They kept not the couenaunt of God: and they woulde not walke in his law.
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But they forgat his workes: and his wonders which he had shewed them.
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Marueylous thinges dyd he in the sight of their fathers: in the land of Egypt, in the fielde of Zoan.
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He deuided the sea and let them go thorowe: he made the waters to stande as on an heape.
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In the day time also he led them with a cloude: and all the night through with a light of fire.
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He cloued the harde rockes in the wildernes: & gaue them drinke therof, as it had ben out of the great deepe waters.
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He brought running streames out of a stonie rocke: and caused waters to gushe downe, like as out of riuers.
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Yet for all this they sinned still against hym: so that they prouoked the most hyghest in the wildernesse.
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And they temped god in their heartes: in requiring meate for their lust.
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They spake against God: they said, can God prepare a table in the wildernesse?
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Beholde, he hath smytten the stonie rocke, and waters haue gushed out, and streames haue flowed out aboundantly: but can he likewise geue bread, can he prouide fleshe for his people?
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Wherefore God hearde [them,] he was wroth, a fire was kindled in Iacob: and there arose vp heauy displeasure against Israel.
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Because they beleued not in the Lord: nor did put their trust in his saluation.
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And yet he commaunded the cloudes aboue: and opened the doores of heauen.
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He raigned downe Manna also vpon them, that they shoulde eate: and gaue them corne from heauen.
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[So] man dyd eate the bread of angels: he sent them meate inough.
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He remoued the east winde from vnder the heauen: and through his power he brought in the south winde.
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He rained fleshe vpon them as thycke as dust: and fethered foules like as the sande of the sea.
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He let it fall among their tentes: euen rounde about their pauilions.
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So they dyd eate and were wel filled, for he gaue them their owne desire: neuerthelesse they were not alienated from their lust.
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But whyle the meate was yet in their mouthes, the heauy wrath of God came vpon them, and slue the welthyest of them: and made the chosen men of Israel to stoupe.
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For all this they sinned still: and beleued not his wonderous workes.
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Therfore their dayes dyd he consume in vanitie: & their yeres in a short [troublous] time.
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When he slue them, they sought hym: they repented them, and made God their morninges worke.
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And they remembred that the Lorde was their rocke: & that the Lorde most hyghest was their redeemer.
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Neuerthelesse they dyd but flatter him with their mouth: and they made hym a lye with their tongue.
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For their heart was not vpright with him: neither continued they faythfull in his couenaunt.
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Yet for all that he beyng most merciful: cleane pardoned all their misdeedes, and destroyed them not.
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Yea many a tyme he dyd much for to represse his anger: and neuer woulde suffer his whole rage to breake out.
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For he considered that they were but fleshe, and that they were euen a winde that passeth away & cometh not againe.
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How oft dyd they prouoke hym in the wildernes: & greeued hym in the desert?
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They turned backe and tempted the Lorde: and prescribed boundes to the most holy [God] of Israel.
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They thought not of his hande: in the day when he redeemed them from the enemie.
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Howe he had wrought his miracles in Egypt: and his wonders in the fielde of Zoan.
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For he turned into blood their riuers & fluddes: so that they might not drinke.
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He sent amongst them all kind of flyes who dyd eate them: and frogges who destroyed them.
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He gaue their fruites vnto the caterpiller: & their labour to the grashopper.
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He destroyed their vines with hayle stones: and their wilde figge trees with the harde frost.
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He smote their cattell also with haylestones: and their flockes with thunder boltes.
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He cast vpon them the rage of his furie, anger, disdayne, and trouble: by sending foorth euill angels amongst them.
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He made away to his indignation, & spared not their soule from death: he gaue their lyfe to be subiect to the pestilence.
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And he smote all the first borne of Egypt: the first fruites of concupiscence in the pauilions of Cham.
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But as for his owne people, he led them foorth like sheepe: and conducted them through the wildernesse like a flocke of cattell.
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He brought them out safely that they shoulde not feare: and ouerwhelmed their enemies with the sea.
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And brought them within the borders of his sanctuarie: euen to this mountayne which his right hand purchased.
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He dyd cast out the heathen also before them: he caused their land to be deuided among the for an heritage, & made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tentes.
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Neuerthelesse, they tempted and displeased the most hyghest Lorde: & kept not his testimonies.
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They turned backewarde, and they went astray like their forefathers: they started aside like a bowe that breaketh.
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For they stirred hym to anger with their hygh places: and prouoked him to ielousie with their carued images.
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When the Lorde hearde this, he was wroth: & toke sore displeasure at Israel.
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So that he forsoke the tabernacle in Silo: the pauilion [wherin] he dwelt amongst men.
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He deliuered his force into captiuitie: and his glorie into the enemies hande.
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He gaue also his people ouer to the sword: and was wroth with his inheritaunce.
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Fire consumed his young men: and his maydens were not maryed.
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His priestes were slayne with the sworde: and his wydowes made no lamentation.
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But the Lorde awaked as though he had slept: like a giaunt making a triumphant noyse after wine.
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He smote his enemies in the hynder parts: & put them to a perpetual shame.
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He refused the tabernacle of Ioseph: and chose not the tribe of Ephraim.
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But he chose the tribe of Iuda: euen the hill of Sion which he loued.
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And there he buylded his temple on high: and layde the foundation of it like a grounde euer to continue.
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He chose also Dauid his seruaunt: and toke hym away from the sheepefoldes.
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As he was folowing the ewes great with young he toke hym: that he might feede Iacob his people, and Israel his inheritaunce.
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So he fed them according to the simplicitie of his heart: and guided them by the discretion of his handes.