Bishops(i)
1 Heare my lawe O my people: enclyne your eares vnto the wordes of my mouth
2 I wyll open my mouth in a parable: I wyll declare harde sentences of the olde tyme past
3 Which we haue hearde and knowen: and such as our fathers haue tolde vs
4 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
5 For he reuiued a statute in Iacob, and gaue Israel a lawe: in the whiche he commaunded our forefathers to teache their children
6 To the intent the posteritie shoulde knowe it, [and] children whiche shalbe borne: that they shoulde ryse vp and declare it to their children
7 That they shoulde put their trust in God, and not forget the workes of God: but kepe his commaundementes
8 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
9 [Like as] the children of Ephraim, which beyng harnessed & carying bowes: turned their backes in the day of battayle
10 They kept not the couenaunt of God: and they woulde not walke in his law
11 But they forgat his workes: and his wonders which he had shewed them
12 Marueylous thinges dyd he in the sight of their fathers: in the land of Egypt, in the fielde of Zoan
13 He deuided the sea and let them go thorowe: he made the waters to stande as on an heape
14 In the day time also he led them with a cloude: and all the night through with a light of fire
15 He cloued the harde rockes in the wildernes: & gaue them drinke therof, as it had ben out of the great deepe waters
16 He brought running streames out of a stonie rocke: and caused waters to gushe downe, like as out of riuers
17 Yet for all this they sinned still against hym: so that they prouoked the most hyghest in the wildernesse
18 And they temped god in their heartes: in requiring meate for their lust
19 They spake against God: they said, can God prepare a table in the wildernesse
20 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
21 Wherefore God hearde [them,] he was wroth, a fire was kindled in Iacob: and there arose vp heauy displeasure against Israel
22 Because they beleued not in the Lord: nor did put their trust in his saluation
23 And yet he commaunded the cloudes aboue: and opened the doores of heauen
24 He raigned downe Manna also vpon them, that they shoulde eate: and gaue them corne from heauen
25 [So] man dyd eate the bread of angels: he sent them meate inough
26 He remoued the east winde from vnder the heauen: and through his power he brought in the south winde
27 He rained fleshe vpon them as thycke as dust: and fethered foules like as the sande of the sea
28 He let it fall among their tentes: euen rounde about their pauilions
29 So they dyd eate and were wel filled, for he gaue them their owne desire: neuerthelesse they were not alienated from their lust
30 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
31 For all this they sinned still: and beleued not his wonderous workes
32 Therfore their dayes dyd he consume in vanitie: & their yeres in a short [troublous] time
33 When he slue them, they sought hym: they repented them, and made God their morninges worke
34 And they remembred that the Lorde was their rocke: & that the Lorde most hyghest was their redeemer
35 Neuerthelesse they dyd but flatter him with their mouth: and they made hym a lye with their tongue
36 For their heart was not vpright with him: neither continued they faythfull in his couenaunt
37 Yet for all that he beyng most merciful: cleane pardoned all their misdeedes, and destroyed them not
38 Yea many a tyme he dyd much for to represse his anger: and neuer woulde suffer his whole rage to breake out
39 For he considered that they were but fleshe, and that they were euen a winde that passeth away & cometh not againe
40 How oft dyd they prouoke hym in the wildernes: & greeued hym in the desert
41 They turned backe and tempted the Lorde: and prescribed boundes to the most holy [God] of Israel
42 They thought not of his hande: in the day when he redeemed them from the enemie
43 Howe he had wrought his miracles in Egypt: and his wonders in the fielde of Zoan
44 For he turned into blood their riuers & fluddes: so that they might not drinke
45 He sent amongst them all kind of flyes who dyd eate them: and frogges who destroyed them
46 He gaue their fruites vnto the caterpiller: & their labour to the grashopper
47 He destroyed their vines with hayle stones: and their wilde figge trees with the harde frost
48 He smote their cattell also with haylestones: and their flockes with thunder boltes
49 He cast vpon them the rage of his furie, anger, disdayne, and trouble: by sending foorth euill angels amongst them
50 He made away to his indignation, & spared not their soule from death: he gaue their lyfe to be subiect to the pestilence
51 And he smote all the first borne of Egypt: the first fruites of concupiscence in the pauilions of Cham
52 But as for his owne people, he led them foorth like sheepe: and conducted them through the wildernesse like a flocke of cattell
53 He brought them out safely that they shoulde not feare: and ouerwhelmed their enemies with the sea
54 And brought them within the borders of his sanctuarie: euen to this mountayne which his right hand purchased
55 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
56 Neuerthelesse, they tempted and displeased the most hyghest Lorde: & kept not his testimonies
57 They turned backewarde, and they went astray like their forefathers: they started aside like a bowe that breaketh
58 For they stirred hym to anger with their hygh places: and prouoked him to ielousie with their carued images
59 When the Lorde hearde this, he was wroth: & toke sore displeasure at Israel
60 So that he forsoke the tabernacle in Silo: the pauilion [wherin] he dwelt amongst men
61 He deliuered his force into captiuitie: and his glorie into the enemies hande
62 He gaue also his people ouer to the sword: and was wroth with his inheritaunce
63 Fire consumed his young men: and his maydens were not maryed
64 His priestes were slayne with the sworde: and his wydowes made no lamentation
65 But the Lorde awaked as though he had slept: like a giaunt making a triumphant noyse after wine
66 He smote his enemies in the hynder parts: & put them to a perpetual shame
67 He refused the tabernacle of Ioseph: and chose not the tribe of Ephraim
68 But he chose the tribe of Iuda: euen the hill of Sion which he loued
69 And there he buylded his temple on high: and layde the foundation of it like a grounde euer to continue
70 He chose also Dauid his seruaunt: and toke hym away from the sheepefoldes
71 As he was folowing the ewes great with young he toke hym: that he might feede Iacob his people, and Israel his inheritaunce
72 So he fed them according to the simplicitie of his heart: and guided them by the discretion of his handes