67 The Israelites being reiected, God chose Iudah, Sion, and Dauid. Gods wonders in Egypt. ¶ ^note Maschil of Asaph.

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Giue eare, O my people, to my Lawe: incline your eares to the wordes of my mouth.

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^noteI will open my mouth in a parable: I wil vtter darke sayings of old:

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Which we haue heard, ∧ knowen: and our fathers haue told vs.

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We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come, the praises of the Lord: and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.

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For he established a Testimony in Iacob, and appointed a Law in Israel, which he commaunded our fathers: ^note that they should make them knowen to their children.

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That the generation to come might know them, euen the children which should be borne: who should arise and declare them to their children:

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That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God: but keepe his Commandements,

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And might not bee as their fathers, a stubborne and rebellious generation, a generation ^note that set not their heart aright: and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.

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The children of Ephraim being armed, and ^note carying bowes, turned backe in the day of battell.

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They kept not the couenant of God: and refused to walke in his Law:

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And forgat his workes: and his wonders that he had shewed them.

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Marueilous things did he in the sight of their fathers: in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

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^noteHee diuided the Sea, and caused them to passe through: and he made the waters to stand as an heape.

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^noteIn the day time also he led them with a cloud: and all the night with a light of fire.

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^noteHee claue the rockes in the wildernes: and gaue them drinke as out of the great depthes.

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Hee brought streames also out of the rocke, and caused waters to runne downe like riuers.

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And they sinned yet more against him: by prouoking the most High in the wildernes. Gods wonders in Egypt.

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And they tempted God in their heart: by asking meat for their lust.

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^noteYea, they spake against God: they said, Can God ^note furnish a table in the wildernes?

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^noteBehold, he smote the rocke, that the waters gushed out, ∧ the streames ouerflowed; can he giue bread also? can he prouide flesh for his people?

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Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth, so a fire was kindled against Iacob: and anger also came vp against Israel.

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Because they beleeued not in God: and trusted not in his saluation:

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Though he had commanded the cloudes from aboue: and opened the doores of heauen:

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^noteAnd had rained downe Manna vpon them to eate, and had giuen them of the corne of heauen.

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^{note note}Man did eate Angels food: hee sent them meat to the full.

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He caused an East wind to ^note blow in the heauen: and by his power hee brought in the South wind.

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He rained flesh also vpon them as dust: and ^note feathered soules like as the sand of the sea.

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And hee let it fall in the midst of their campe, round about their habitations.

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So they did eate, ∧ were well filled: for he gaue them their owne desire.

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They were not estranged from their lust: but while their meate ^note was yet in their mouthes,

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The wrath of God came vpon them, and slew the fattest of them: and ^note smote downe the ^note chosen men of Israel.

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For all this they sinned still: and beleeued not for his wondrous works.

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Therefore their dayes did he consume in vanitie, and their yeeres in trouble.

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When hee slew them, then they sought him: and they returned, and inquired early after God.

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And they remembred that God was their rocke: and the high God, their redeemer.

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Neuerthelesse they did flatter him with their mouth: and they lyed vnto him with their tongues.

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For their heart was not right with him: neither were they stedfast in his couenant.

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But hee being full of compassion,

Egypt plagued. forgaue their iniquity, and destroyed them not; yea many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stirre vp all his wrath.

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For he remembred that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and commeth not againe.

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How oft did they ^note prouoke him in the wildernesse: and grieue him in the desert?

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Yea they turned backe and tempted God: and limited the holy one of Israel.

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They remembred not his hand: nor the day when hee deliuered them ^note from the enemie:

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How he had ^note wrought his signes in Egypt: and his wonders in the field of Zoan:

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^noteAnd had turned their riuers into blood: and their flouds, that they could not drinke.

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^noteHee sent diuers sorts of flies among them, which deuoured them: and frogges which destroyed them.

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^noteHe gaue also their increase vnto the caterpiller: and their labour vnto the locust.

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^noteHe ^note destroyed their vines with haile: and their Sycomore trees with ^note frost.

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^noteHe gaue vp their cattel also to the haile: and their flockes to ^note hot thunder-bolts.

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He cast vpon them the fiercenesse of his anger, wrath and indignation, and trouble: by sending euill angels among them.

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^noteHe made a way to his anger, hee spared not their soule from death: but gaue ^note their life ouer to the pestilence.

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^noteAnd smote all the first borne in Egypt: the chiefe of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:

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But made his owne people to goe forth like sheepe: and guided them in the wildernesse like a flocke.

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And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea ^{note note} ouerwhelmed their enemies.

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And he brought them to the border of his sanctuarie: euen to this mountaine which his right hand had purchased.

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^noteHe cast out the heathen also before them, and diuided them an inheritance by line: and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

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Yet they tempted and prouoked Dauid chosen. the most high God: and kept not his testimonies:

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But turned backe, and dealt vnfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitfull bowe.

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^noteFor they prouoked him to anger with their high places: and moued him to ielousie with their grauen images.

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When God heard this, hee was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:

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^noteSo that he forsooke the tabernacle of Shiloh: the tent which he placed among men,

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And deliuered his strength into captiuitie: and his glory into the enemies hand.

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He gaue his people ouer also vnto the sword: and was wroth with his inheritance.

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The fire consumed their young men: and their maidens were not ^note giuen to mariage.

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Their priests fell by the sword: and their widowes made no lamentation.

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Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleepe: and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.

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And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetuall reproch.

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Moreouer he refused the tabernacle of Ioseph: and chose not the tribe of Ephraim.

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But chose the tribe of Iudah: the mount Sion which he loued.

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And he built his sanctuarie like high palaces: like the earth which he hath ^note established for euer.

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^noteHe chose Dauid also his seruant, and tooke him from the sheepe-folds:

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^{note note}From following the ewes great with young, hee brought him to feed Iacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

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So he fed them according to the integritie of his heart: and guided them by the skilfulnesse of his hands. 557

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