(1) Give ear, O heavens, let me speak; Let the earth hear the words I utter! (2) May my discourse come down as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, Like showers on young growth, Like droplets on the grass. (3) For the name of יהוה I proclaim; Give glory to our God! (4) The Rock!—whose deeds are perfect, Yea, all God’s ways are just; A faithful God, never false, True and upright indeed. (5) Unworthy children— That crooked, perverse generation— Their baseness has played God false. (6) Do you thus requite יהוה, O dull and witless people? Is not this the Father who created you— Fashioned you and made you endure!

(7) Remember the days of old, Consider the years of ages past; Ask your parent, who will inform you, Your elders, who will tell you: (8) When the Most High gave nations their homes And set the divisions of humanity, [God] fixed the boundaries of peoples In relation to Israel’s numbers. (9) For יהוה’s portion is this people; Jacob, God’s own allotment. (10) [God] found them in a desert region, In an empty howling waste. [God] engirded them, watched over them, Guarded them as the pupil of God’s eye. (11) Like an eagle who rouses its nestlings, Gliding down to its young, So did [God] spread wings and take them, Bear them along on pinions; (12)יהוה alone did guide them, No alien god alongside.

(13) [God] set them atop the highlands, To feast on the yield of the earth; Nursing them with honey from the crag, And oil from the flinty rock, (14) Curd of kine and milk of flocks; With the best of lambs, And rams of Bashan, and he-goats; With the very finest wheat— And foaming grape-blood was your drink. (15) So Jeshurun grew fat and kicked— You grew fat and gross and coarse — They forsook the God who made them And spurned the Rock of their support. (16) They incensed [God] with alien things, Vexed [God] with abominations. (17) They sacrificed to demons, no-gods, Gods they had never known, New ones, who came but lately, Who stirred not your forebears’ fears. (18) You neglected the Rock who begot you, Forgot the God who labored to bring you forth.

(19) יהוה saw and was vexed And spurned these sons and daughters. (20) [God] said: I will hide My countenance from them, And see how they fare in the end. For they are a treacherous breed, Children with no loyalty in them. (21) They incensed Me with no-gods, Vexed Me with their futilities; I’ll incense them with a no-folk, Vex them with a nation of fools. (22) For a fire has flared in My wrath And burned to the bottom of Sheol, Has consumed the earth and its increase, Eaten down to the base of the hills. (23) I will sweep misfortunes on them, Use up My arrows on them: (24) Wasting famine, ravaging plague, Deadly pestilence, and fanged beasts Will I let loose against them, With venomous creepers in dust. (25) The sword shall deal death without, As shall the terror within, To youth and maiden alike, The suckling as well as the aged. (26) I might have reduced them to naught, Made their memory cease among humankind, (27) But for fear of the taunts of the foe, Their enemies who might misjudge And say, “Our own hand has prevailed; None of this was wrought by יהוה !” (28) For they are a folk void of sense, Lacking in all discernment.

(29) Were they wise, they would think upon this, Gain insight into their future: (30) “How could one have routed a thousand, Or two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, יהוה had given them up?” (31) For their rock is not like our Rock, In our enemies’ own estimation. (32) Ah! The vine for them is from Sodom, From the vineyards of Gomorrah; The grapes for them are poison, A bitter growth their clusters. (33) Their wine is the venom of asps, The pitiless poison of vipers. (34) Lo, I have it all put away, Sealed up in My storehouses, (35) To be My vengeance and recompense, At the time that their foot falters. Yea, their day of disaster is near, And destiny rushes upon them. (36) For יהוה will vindicate God’s people And take revenge for God’s servants, Upon seeing that their might is gone, And neither bond nor free is left. (37) [God] will say: Where are their gods, The rock in whom they sought refuge, (38) Who ate the fat of their offerings And drank their libation wine? Let them rise up to your help, And let them be a shield unto you! (39) See, then, that I, I am the One; There is no god beside Me. I deal death and give life; I wounded and I will heal: None can deliver from My hand.

(40) Lo, I raise My hand to heaven And say: As I live forever, (41) When I whet My flashing blade And My hand lays hold on judgment, Vengeance will I wreak on My foes, Will I deal to those who reject Me. (42) I will make My arrows drunk with blood— As My sword devours flesh— Blood of the slain and the captive From the long-haired enemy chiefs. (43) O nations, acclaim God’s people! For He’ll avenge the blood of His servants, Wreak vengeance on His foes, And cleanse His people’s land.

(44) Moses came, together with Hosea son of Nun, and recited all the words of this poem in the hearing of the people. (45) And when Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, (46) he said to them: Take to heart all the words with which I have warned you this day. Enjoin them upon your children, that they may observe faithfully all the terms of this Teaching. (47) For this is not a trifling thing for you: it is your very life; through it you shall long endure on the land that you are to possess upon crossing the Jordan. (48) That very day יהוה spoke to Moses: (49) Ascend these heights of Abarim to Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab facing Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving the Israelites as their holding. (50) You shall die on the mountain that you are about to ascend, and shall be gathered to your kin, as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his kin; (51) for you both broke faith with Me among the Israelite people, at the waters of Meribath-kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, by failing to uphold My sanctity among the Israelite people. (52) You may view the land from a distance, but you shall not enter it—the land that I am giving to the Israelite people.

(48) That very day יהוה spoke to Moses: (49) Ascend these heights of Abarim to Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab facing Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving the Israelites as their holding. (50) You shall die on the mountain that you are about to ascend, and shall be gathered to your kin, as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his kin; (51) for you both broke faith with Me among the Israelite people, at the waters of Meribath-kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, by failing to uphold My sanctity among the Israelite people. (52) You may view the land from a distance, but you shall not enter it—the land that I am giving to the Israelite people.

(1) David addressed the words of this song to GOD, after GOD had saved him from the hands of all his enemies and from the hands of Saul. (2) He said: O ETERNAL One, my crag, my fortress, my deliverer! (3)O God, the rock in which I take shelter: My shield, my mighty champion, my haven and refuge! My savior, You who rescue me from violence!(4)All praise! I called on GODAnd was delivered from my enemies.(5)For the breakers of Death encompassed me,The torrents of Belial terrified me; (6)The ropes of Sheol encircled me,The snares of Death engulfed me.(7)In my anguish I called on the ETERNAL, Cried out to my God,Who from a heavenly abode heard my voice, Whose ears received my cry.(8)Then the earth rocked and quaked,The foundations of heaven shook— Rocked by divine indignation.(9)Smoke went up from God’s nostrils—Devouring fire from God’s mouth;Live coals blazing forth.(10)[God] bent the sky and came down,Thick cloud beneath divine feet.(11)[God] mounted a cherub and flew,And was seen on the wings of the wind. (12)Pavilions of darkness all around,Dripping clouds, huge thunderheads;(13)In the divine brillianceBlazed fiery coals.(14) GOD thundered from heaven, The Most High gave forth voice—(15)Letting shafts fly, and scattering them;Lightning, and routing them.(16)The bed of the sea was exposed,The foundations of the world were laid bareBy the ETERNAL’s mighty roaring, At the blast of God’s breath.(17)Reaching down from on high, [God] took me,Drawing me out of the mighty waters— (18)Rescuing me from my fierce enemy,From foes too strong for me.(19)They attacked me on my day of calamity,But GOD was my support. (20)Bringing me out to freedom,Pleased with me enough to rescue me.(21) GOD rewarded me according to my merit, Requiting the cleanness of my hands—(22)For I have kept to the ways of GODAnd have not been guilty before my God;(23)For I am mindful of all God’s rulesAnd have not departed from God’s laws.(24)I have been blameless before [God],And have guarded myself against sinning—(25)And GOD has requited my merit According to my evident cleanness.(26)With the loyal, You deal loyally;With the blameless hero, blamelessly. (27)With the pure, You act in purity,And with the perverse, You are wily.(28)To lowly folk You give victory,And You look with scorn on the haughty.(29)You, O ETERNAL One, are my lamp; GOD lights up my darkness. (30)With You, I can rush a barrier;With my God, I can scale a wall.(31)The way of God is perfect,The word of the ETERNAL is pure. [God] shields all who seek refuge.(32)Truly, who is a god except the ETERNAL, Who is a rock except our God?—(33)The God, my mighty stronghold,Who kept my path secure; (34)Who made my legs like a deer’s,And set me firmly on the heights; (35)Who trained my hands for battle—My arms can bend a bow of bronze!(36)You have granted me the shield of Your protectionAnd Your providence has made me great.(37)You have let me stride on freely;My feet have not slipped.(38)I pursued my enemies and wiped them out,I did not turn back till I destroyed them.(39)I destroyed them, I struck them down;They rose no more, they lay at my feet.(40)You have girded me with strength for battle,Brought low my adversaries before me,(41)Made my enemies turn tail before me,My foes—and I wiped them out.(42)They looked, but there was none to deliver; To GOD, who did not answer them. (43)I pounded them like dust of the earth,Stamped, crushed them like dirt of the streets.(44)You have rescued me from the strife of peoples,Kept me to be at the head of nations; Peoples I knew not must serve me.(45)Foreign peoples cringe before me,Are submissive at the mere report of me.(46)Foreign peoples lose courageAnd come trembling out of their strongholds.(47) The ETERNAL lives! Blessed is my rock! Exalted be God, the rockWho gives me victory;(48)The God who has vindicated meAnd made peoples subject to me,(49)Who rescued me from my enemies,Who raised me clear of my adversaries,Saved me from the lawless opposition!(50)For this I sing Your praise, ETERNAL One, among the nations And hymn Your name:(51)Tower of victory to Your king, Keeping faith with Your anointed, With David and his offspring evermore.