Comfort from Recalling God's Mighty Deeds

771 I was crying to God with my voice; even to God with my voice, and he gave ear to me. 2 In the day of my trouble, my heart was turned to the Lord: my hand was stretched out in the night without resting; my soul would not be comforted. 3 I will keep God in memory, with sounds of grief; my thoughts are troubled, and my spirit is overcome. (Selah.) 4 You keep my eyes from sleep; I am so troubled that no words come. 5 My thoughts go back to the days of the past, to the years which are gone. 6 The memory of my song comes back to me in the night; my thoughts are moving in my heart; my spirit is searching with care. 7 Will the Lord put me away for ever? will he be kind no longer? 8 Is his mercy quite gone for ever? has his word come to nothing? 9 Has God put away the memory of his pity? are his mercies shut up by his wrath? (Selah.) 10 And I said, It is a weight on my spirit; but I will keep in mind the years of the right hand of the Most High.

11 I will keep in mind the works of Jah: I will keep the memory of your wonders in the past. 12 I will give thought to all your work, while my mind goes over your acts of power. 13 Your way, O God, is holy: what god is so great as our God? 14 You are the God who does works of power: you have made your strength clear to the nations. 15 With your arm you have made your people free, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. (Selah.) 16 The waters saw you, O God; the waters saw you, they were in fear: even the deep was troubled. 17 The clouds sent out water; the skies gave out a sound; truly, your arrows went far and wide. 18 The voice of your thunder went rolling on; the world was flaming with the light of the storm; the earth was shaking. 19 Your way was in the sea, and your road in the great waters; there was no knowledge of your footsteps. 20 You were guiding your people like a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

God's Faithfulness to His Unfaithful People

781 Give ear, O my people, to my law; let your ears be bent down to the words of my mouth. 2 Opening my mouth I will give out a story, even the dark sayings of old times; 3 Which have come to our hearing and our knowledge, as they were given to us by our fathers. 4 We will not keep them secret from our children; we will make clear to the coming generation the praises of the Lord and his strength, and the great works of wonder which he has done. 5 He put up a witness in Jacob, and made a law in Israel; which he gave to our fathers so that they might give knowledge of them to their children; 6 So that the generation to come might have knowledge of them, even the children of the future, who would give word of them to their children; 7 So that they might put their hope in God, and not let God's works go out of their minds, but keep his laws; 8 And not be like their fathers, a stiff-necked and uncontrolled generation; a generation whose heart was hard, whose spirit was not true to God.

9 The children of Ephraim, armed with bows, were turned back on the day of the fight. 10 They were not ruled by God's word, and they would not go in the way of his law; 11 They let his works go out of their memory, and the wonders which he had made them see. 12 He did great works before the eyes of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan. 13 The sea was cut in two so that they might go through; the waters were massed together on this side and on that. 14 In the daytime he was guiding them in the cloud, and all through the night with a light of fire. 15 The rocks of the waste land were broken by his power, and he gave them drink as out of the deep waters. 16 He made streams come out of the rock; and waters came flowing down like rivers. 17 And they went on sinning against him even more, turning away from the Most High in the waste land; 18 Testing God in their hearts, requesting meat for their desire. 19 They said bitter words against God, saying, Is God able to make ready a table in the waste land? 20 See, the rock was cut open by his power, so that the water came rushing out, and overflowing streams; is he able to give us bread? is he able to get meat for his people? 21 So these things came to the Lord's ears, and he was angry; and a fire was lighted against Jacob, and wrath came up against Israel; 22 Because they had no faith in God, and no hope in his salvation. 23 And he gave orders to the clouds on high, and the doors of heaven were open; 24 And he sent down manna like rain for their food, and gave them the grain of heaven. 25 Man took part in the food of strong ones; he sent them meat in full measure. 26 He sent an east wind from heaven, driving on the south wind by his power. 27 He sent down meat on them like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the sea, 28 And he let it come down into their resting-place, round about their tents. 29 So they had food and were full; for he gave them their desire; 30 But they were not turned from their desires; and while the food was still in their mouths, 31 The wrath of God came on them, and put to death the fattest of them, and put an end to the young men of Israel. 32 For all this they went on sinning even more, and had no faith in his great wonders. 33 So their days were wasted like a breath, and their years in trouble. 34 When he sent death on them, then they made search for him; turning to him and looking for him with care; 35 In the memory that God was their Rock, and the Most High God their saviour. 36 But their lips were false to him, and their tongues were untrue to him; 37 And their hearts were not right with him, and they did not keep their agreement with him. 38 But he, being full of pity, has forgiveness for sin, and does not put an end to man: frequently turning back his wrath, and not being violently angry. 39 So he kept in mind that they were only flesh; a breath which is quickly gone, and will not come again.

40 How frequently did they go against him in the waste land, and give him cause for grief in the dry places! 41 Again they put God to the test, and gave pain to the Holy One of Israel. 42 They did not keep in mind the work of his hand, or the day when he took them from the power of their haters; 43 How he had done his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan; 44 So that their rivers were turned to blood, and they were not able to get drink from their streams. 45 He sent different sorts of flies among them, poisoning their flesh; and frogs for their destruction. 46 He gave the increase of their fields to worms, the fruits of their industry to the locusts. 47 He sent ice for the destruction of their vines; their trees were damaged by the bitter cold. 48 Ice was rained down on their cattle; thunderstorms sent destruction among the flocks. 49 He sent on them the heat of his wrath, his bitter disgust, letting loose evil angels among them. 50 He let his wrath have its way; he did not keep back their soul from death, but gave their life to disease. 51 He gave to destruction all the first sons of Egypt; the first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham; 52 But he took his people out like sheep, guiding them in the waste land like a flock. 53 He took them on safely so that they had no fear; but their haters were covered by the sea. 54 And he was their guide to his holy land, even to the mountain, which his right hand had made his; 55 Driving out nations before them, marking out the line of their heritage, and giving the people of Israel their tents for a resting-place. 56 But they were bitter against the Most High God, testing him, and not keeping his laws; 57 Their hearts were turned back and untrue like their fathers; they were turned to one side like a twisted bow. 58 They made him angry with their high places; moving him to wrath with their images. 59 When this came to God's ears he was very angry, and gave up Israel completely; 60 So that he went away from the holy place in Shiloh, the tent which he had put among men; 61 And he let his strength be taken prisoner, and gave his glory into the hands of his hater. 62 He gave his people up to the sword, and was angry with his heritage. 63 Their young men were burned in the fire; and their virgins were not praised in the bride-song. 64 Their priests were put to death by the sword, and their widows made no weeping for them. 65 Then was the Lord like one awaking from sleep, and like a strong man crying out because of wine. 66 His haters were turned back by his blows and shamed for ever. 67 And he put the tent of Joseph on one side, and took not the tribe of Ephraim; 68 But he took the tribe of Judah for himself, and the mountain of Zion, in which he had pleasure. 69 And he made his holy place like the high heaven, like the earth which is fixed by him for ever. 70 He took David to be his servant, taking him from the place of the flocks; 71 From looking after the sheep which were giving milk, he took him to give food to Jacob his people, and to Israel his heritage. 72 So he gave them food with an upright heart, guiding them by the wisdom of his hands.

101 Brothers, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is, that they may get salvation. 2 For I give witness of them that they have a strong desire for God, but not with knowledge. 3 Because, not having knowledge of God's righteousness, and desiring to give effect to their righteousness, they have not put themselves under the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who has faith. 5 For Moses says that the man who does the righteousness which is of the law will get life by it. 6 But the righteousness which is of faith says these words, Say not in your heart, Who will go up to heaven? (that is, to make Christ come down:) 7 Or, Who will go down into the deep? (that is, to make Christ come again from the dead:) 8 But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart: that is, the word of faith of which we are the preachers: 9 Because, if you say with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and have faith in your heart that God has made him come back from the dead, you will have salvation: 10 For with the heart man has faith to get righteousness, and with the mouth he says that Jesus is Lord to get salvation. 11 Because it is said in the holy Writings, Whoever has faith in him will not be shamed.

12 And the Jew is not different from the Greek: for there is the same Lord of all, who is good to all who have hope in his name: 13 Because, Whoever will give worship to the name of the Lord will get salvation. 14 But how will they give worship to him in whom they have no faith? and how will they have faith in him of whom they have not had news? and how will they have news without a preacher? 15 And how will there be preachers if they are not sent? As it is said, How beautiful are the feet of those who give the glad news of good things. 16 But they have not all given ear to the good news. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has had faith in our word? 17 So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. 18 But I say, Did not the word come to their ears? Yes, certainly: Their sound has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. 19 But I say, Had Israel no knowledge? First Moses says, You will be moved to envy by that which is not a nation, and by a foolish people I will make you angry. 20 And Isaiah says without fear, Those who were not searching for me made discovery of me; and I was seen by those whose hearts were turned away from me. 21 But about Israel he says; All the day my hands have been stretched out to a people whose hearts were turned away, and who put themselves against my word.