Psalm 78
1 Give ear, O my people, to my law: Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,
3 Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, And his strength, and his wondrous works that he hath done.
5 For he established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which he commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children;
6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children that should be born; Who should arise and tell them to their children,
7 That they might set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep his commandments,
8 And might not be as their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that set not their heart aright, And whose spirit was not stedfast with God.
9 The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, Turned back in the day of battle.
10 They kept not the covenant of God, And refused to walk in his law;
11 And they forgat his doings, And his wondrous works that he had showed them.
12 Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 He clave the sea, and caused them to pass through; And he made the waters to stand as a heap.
14 In the day-time also he led them with a cloud, And all the night with a light of fire.
15 He clave rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.
16 He brought streams also out of the rock, And caused waters to run down like rivers.
17 Yet went they on still to sin against him, To rebel against the Most High in the desert.
18 And they tempted God in their heart By asking food according to their desire.
19 Yea, they spake against God; They said, Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 Behold, he smote the rock, so that waters gushed out, And streams overflowed; Can he give bread also? Will he provide flesh for his people?
21 Therefore Jehovah heard, and was wroth; And a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also went up against Israel;
22 Because they believed not in God, And trusted not in his salvation.
23 Yet he commanded the skies above, And opened the doors of heaven;
24 And he rained down manna upon them to eat, And gave them food from heaven.
25 Man did eat the bread of the mighty: He sent them food to the full.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens; And by his power he guided the south wind.
27 He rained flesh also upon them as the dust, And winged birds as the sand of the seas:
28 And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their habitations.
29 So they did eat, and were well filled; And he gave them their own desire.
30 They were not estranged from that which they desired, Their food was yet in their mouths,
31 When the anger of God went up against them, And slew of the fattest of them, And smote down the young men of Israel.
32 For all this they sinned still, And believed not in his wondrous works.
33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, And their years in terror.
34 When he slew them, then they inquired after him; And they returned and sought God earnestly.
35 And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their redeemer.
36 But they flattered him with their mouth, And lied unto him with their tongue.
37 For their heart was not right with him, Neither were they faithful in his covenant.
38 But he, being merciful, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: Yea, many a time turned he his anger away, And did not stir up all his wrath.
39 And he remembered that they were but flesh, A wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.
40 How oft did they rebel against him in the wilderness, And grieve him in the desert!
41 And they turned again and tempted God, And provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They remember not his hand, Nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;
43 How he set his signs in Egypt, And his wonders in the field of Zoan,
44 And turned their rivers into blood, And their streams, so that they could not drink.
45 He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them; And frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, And their labor unto the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycomore-trees with frost.
48 He gave over their cattle also to the hail, And their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, and indignation, and trouble, A band of angels of evil.
50 He made a path for his anger; He spared not their soul from death, But gave their life over to the pestilence,
51 And smote all the first-born in Egypt, The chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 But he led forth his own people like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 And he led them safely, so that they feared not; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, To this mountain, which his right hand had gotten.
55 He drove out the nations also before them, And allotted them for an inheritance by line, And made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
56 Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, And kept not his testimonies;
57 But turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers: They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, And moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
59 When God heard this, he was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel;
60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent which he placed among men;
61 And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the adversary’s hand.
62 He gave his people over also unto the sword, And was wroth with his inheritance.
63 Fire devoured their young men; And their virgins had no marriage-song.
64 Their priests fell by the sword; And their widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, Like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.
66 And he smote his adversaries backward: He put them to a perpetual reproach.
67 Moreover he refused the tent of Joseph, And chose not the tribe of Ephraim,
68 But chose the tribe of Judah, The mount Zion which he loved.
69 And he built his sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which he hath established for ever.
70 He chose David also his servant, And took him from the sheepfolds:
71 From following the ewes that have their young he brought him, To be the shepherd of Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
72 So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
Salmene 78
1 En læresalme av Asaf.
Lytt, mitt folk, til min lov,
vend øret til ordene fra min munn!
2 t Jeg vil åpne min munn og tale i bilder,
la gåter fra gammel tid strømme fram.
3 t Det vi har hørt og kjenner til,
det våre fedre har fortalt oss,
4 t det skjuler vi ikke for deres barn.
For neste slektsledd
vil vi lovprise Herren,
hans velde og det underfulle han har gjort.
5 t Han satte opp lovbud i Jakob,
ga en lov i Israel.
Han påla våre fedre
å gjøre den kjent for sine barn,
6 så neste slektsledd,
de barn som siden ble født,
skulle lære loven å kjenne.
De skulle stå fram
og kunngjøre den for sine barn,
7 så de kunne sette sin lit til Gud
og ikke glemme Guds gjerninger,
men holde hans bud.
8 t De skulle ikke bli som sine fedre,
en slekt som var trassig og opprørsk,
en slekt som ikke gjorde hjertet fast
og ikke var trofast mot Gud i sin ånd.
9 Efraim-folket, væpnet med buer,
snudde på stridens dag.
10 De holdt ikke Guds pakt
og nektet å følge hans lov.
11 De glemte hans gjerninger,
de underfulle verk han hadde vist dem.
12 t Han gjorde under for deres fedre
i Egypt, på markene ved Soan.
13 t Han kløvde havet og førte dem over
mens han lot vannet stå som en voll.
14 t Om dagen ledet han dem i en sky,
hele natten i en lysende ild.
15 t Han kløvde klipper i ørkenen
og lot dem drikke som fra det store dypet.
16 Han lot bekker strømme fram av klippen,
lot vannet renne ned som elver.
17 Men de syndet stadig mot ham,
de trosset Den høyeste i det tørre landet.
18 t De satte Gud på prøve i sitt hjerte
da de krevde mat til seg selv.
19 t De talte mot Gud.
De sa: «Kan Gud dekke bord i ørkenen?
20 Vel slo han på klippen så vannet rant
og bekkene flommet fram.
Men kan han også skaffe brød
eller sørge for kjøtt til sitt folk?»
21 t Da Herren hørte det, ble han harm.
En ild brøt ut mot Jakob,
vrede reiste seg mot Israel
22 fordi de ikke stolte på Gud
og satte sin lit til hans frelse.
23 Han befalte skyene i det høye
og åpnet himmelens dører,
24 t han lot manna regne over dem til føde,
han ga dem korn fra himmelen.
25 Englebrød fikk menneskene spise.
Gud sendte mat, og de ble mette.
26 t Han lot østavinden fare ut fra himmelen,
førte sønnavinden fram ved sin makt.
27 Han lot kjøtt regne ned over dem som støv,
fugler så mange som havets sand.
28 Midt i leiren lot han dem falle,
rundt omkring teltene.
29 De spiste seg mer enn mette,
han ga dem alt de hadde lyst på.
30 Men før de hadde snudd seg bort fra det,
mens de fortsatt hadde mat i munnen,
31 da reiste Guds vrede seg mot dem.
De kraftigste blant dem drepte han,
Israels unge menn tvang han i kne.
32 t Likevel fortsatte de å synde
og stolte ikke på hans underfulle verk.
33 Så lot han deres dager ende i et pust,
deres leveår i redsel.
34 Når han drepte, søkte de ham,
de vendte om og lette etter Gud.
35 t De husket at Gud er deres klippe,
at Gud, Den høyeste, er deres forløser.
36 t Likevel bedro de ham med munnen,
de løy for ham med tungen.
37 Hjertet holdt ikke fast ved ham,
de var ikke tro mot hans pakt.
38 t Men han var barmhjertig,
han tilga synden og ødela dem ikke.
Gang på gang holdt han vreden tilbake
og slapp ikke all sin harme løs.
39 t Han husket at de var av kjøtt og blod,
vind som farer av sted og ikke vender tilbake.
40 Hvor ofte trosset de ham ikke i ørkenen!
I ødemarken gjorde de ham sorg.
41 Stadig satte de Gud på prøve
og krenket Israels Hellige.
42 De husket ikke at han grep inn
den dagen han fridde dem fra fienden,
43 da han viste sine tegn i Egypt,
sine underfulle verk på markene ved Soan.
44 t Han gjorde elvene til blod,
ingen kunne drikke av bekkene.
45 t Han sendte insekter som åt dem,
og frosk som ødela.
46 t Han lot gresshoppen gnage opp avlingen,
gresshoppesvermen fikk grøden.
47 t Han ødela vinstokkene med hagl
og morbærtrærne med frost.
48 Han sendte hagl over feet
og ild over buskapen.
49 t Han sendte mot dem sin brennende vrede,
harme, sinne og trengsel,
engler ble sendt med ulykke.
50 Han banet vei for sin vrede
og sparte dem ikke for døden,
men overga deres liv til pesten.
51 t Han slo alle førstefødte i Egypt,
førstegrøden av kraften i Hams telt.
52 t Så lot han sitt folk dra ut som sauer,
i ørkenen førte han dem som en flokk.
53 t Han ledet dem trygt, de fryktet ikke,
havet skylte over fienden.
54 t Han førte dem til sitt hellige land,
til fjellet hans høyre hånd hadde vunnet.
55 t Han drev folkeslag bort for dem.
Han målte ut eiendom til dem med målesnor.
Og han lot Israels stammer flytte inn i teltene.
56 Men de utfordret og trosset Gud, Den høyeste,
og holdt ikke hans bud.
57 t De trakk seg tilbake
og var troløse som sine fedre,
de sviktet, lik en bue som blir slakk.
58 t Med sine offerhauger gjorde de ham rasende,
med avgudsbilder gjorde de ham sjalu.
59 Gud hørte det og ble harm,
han vraket Israel helt og fullt.
60 t t Han oppga sin bolig i Sjilo,
det teltet han bodde i blant mennesker.
61 t Han lot sin makt bli tatt til fange,
ga sin glans i fiendens hånd.
62 Han overga sitt folk til sverdet,
han ble harm på sin eiendom.
63 Ilden fortærte deres unge stridsmenn,
jentene fikk ingen bryllupssang.
64 Prestene deres falt for sverd,
enkene fikk ikke gråte.
65 Da våknet Herren lik en som har sovet,
lik en stridsmann drukken av vin.
66 Han slo motstanderne tilbake
og ga dem evig skam.
67 Han vraket Josefs telt,
han valgte ikke ut Efraims stamme.
68 t Men Judas stamme valgte han,
og Sion-fjellet, som han elsker.
69 t Han bygde sin helligdom lik den høye himmelen,
lik jorden, som han grunnla for alltid.
70 t Han valgte ut David,
fra sauekveen hentet han sin tjener.
71 t Han førte ham bort fra søyene
så han skulle gjete Jakob, hans folk,
og Israel, hans eiendom.
72 Han gjette dem med et helt hjerte
og ledet dem med kyndig hånd.