5-8. He planted a witness in Jacob,set his Word firmly in Israel,Then commanded our parentsto teach it to their childrenSo the next generation would know,and all the generations to come—Know the truth and tell the storiesso their children can trust in God,Never forget the works of Godbut keep his commands to the letter.Heaven forbid they should be like their parents,bullheaded and bad,A fickle and faithless bunchwho never stayed true to God.
56-64. But they kept on giving him a hard time,rebelled against God, the High God,refused to do anything he told them.They were worse, if that’s possible, than their parents:traitors—crooked as a corkscrew.Their pagan orgies provoked God’s anger,their obscene idolatries broke his heart.When God heard their carryings-on, he was furious;he posted a huge No over Israel.He walked off and left Shiloh empty,abandoned the shrine where he had met with Israel.He let his pride and joy go to the dogs,turned his back on the pride of his life.He turned them loose on fields of battle;angry, he let them fend for themselves.Their young men went to war and never came back;their young women waited in vain.Their priests were massacred,and their widows never shed a tear.
65-72. Suddenly the Lord was up on his feetlike someone roused from deep sleep,shouting like a drunken warrior.He hit his enemies hard, sent them running,yelping, not daring to look back.He disqualified Joseph as leader,told Ephraim he didn’t have what it takes,And chose the Tribe of Judah instead,Mount Zion, which he loves so much.He built his sanctuary there, resplendent,solid and lasting as the earth itself.Then he chose David, his servant,handpicked him from his work in the sheep pens.One day he was caring for the ewes and their lambs,the next day God had him shepherding Jacob,his people Israel, his prize possession.His good heart made him a good shepherd;he guided the people wisely and well.