Salme 78
1 En Maskil af Asaf. Lyt, mit Folk, til min Lære, bøj eders Øre til Ord fra min Mund;
A psalm (maskil) of Asaph. Listen to what I have to teach you, my people; hear what I have to say.
2 jeg vil aabne min Mund med Billedtale, fremsætte Gaader fra fordums Tid,
I will tell you wise sayings; I will explain mysteries from the past
3 hvad vi har hørt og ved, hvad vore Fædre har sagt os;
that we have heard before and reflected on; stories our forefathers passed down to us.
4 vi dølger det ikke for deres Børn, men melder en kommende Slægt om HERRENS Ære og Vælde og Underne, som han har gjort.
We will not keep them from our children; we will tell the next generation about God's marvelous actions—about his power and the amazing things he has done.
5 Han satte et Vidnesbyrd i Jakob, i Israel gav han en Lov, idet han bød vore Fædre at lade deres Børn det vide,
He gave his laws to the descendants of Jacob; his instructions to the people of Israel. He commanded our forefathers to teach them to their children,
6 at en senere Slægt kunde vide det, og Børn, som fødtes siden, staa frem og fortælle deres Børn derom,
so that the next generation—children yet to be born—would understand and grow up to teach their children.
7 saa de slaar deres Lid til Gud og ikke glemmer Guds Gerninger, men overholder hans Bud,
In this way they should place their trust in God and not forget what God has done, and keep his commandments.
8 ej slægter Fædrene paa, en vanartet, stridig Slægt, hvis Hjerte ikke var fast, hvis Aand var utro mod Gud
Then they would not be like their forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation that was untrustworthy and unfaithful.
9 — Efraims Børn var rustede Bueskytter, men svigted paa Stridens Dag —
The soldiers of Ephraim, though armed with bows, ran away on the day of battle.
10 Gudspagten holdt de ikke, de nægtede at følge hans Lov;
They did not keep God's agreement, and refused to follow his laws.
11 hans Gerninger gik dem ad Glemme, de Undere, han lod dem skue.
They ignored what he had done, and the amazing things he had shown them—
12 Han gjorde Undere for deres Fædre i Ægypten paa Zoans Mark;
the miracles he had performed for their forefathers near Zoan in Egypt.
13 han kløved Havet og førte dem over, lod Vandet staa som en Vold;
He split the sea in two and led them through, making the water stand like walls on either side.
14 han ledede dem ved Skyen om Dagen, Natten igennem ved Ildens Skær;
He led them with a cloud by day, and by night with a light of fire.
15 han kløvede Klipper i Ørkenen, lod dem rigeligt drikke som af Strømme,
He split open rocks in the desert to give his people plenty to drink, water as deep as the ocean.
16 han lod Bække rinde af Klippen og Vand strømme ned som Floder.
He made streams flow from the stone; water rushing down like rivers!
17 Men de blev ved at synde imod ham og vække den Højestes Vrede i Ørkenen;
But they repeatedly sinned against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 de fristede Gud i Hjertet og krævede Mad til at stille Sulten,
They deliberately provoked God by demanding the foods they longed for.
19 de talte mod Gud og sagde: »Kan Gud dække Bord i en Ørken?
They insulted God by saying, “Can God provide food here in the desert?
20 Se, Klippen slog han, saa Vand flød frem, og Bække vælded ud; mon han ogsaa kan give Brød og skaffe Kød til sit Folk?«
Yes, he can strike a rock so that water gushes out like flowing rivers, but can he give us bread? Can he supply his people with meat?”
21 Det hørte HERREN, blev vred, der tændtes en Ild mod Jakob, ja Vrede kom op mod Israel,
When he heard this, the Lord became very angry, burning like fire against the descendants of Jacob, furious with the people of Israel,
22 fordi de ikke troede Gud eller stolede paa hans Frelse.
for they didn't believe in God and didn't trust him to take care of them.
23 Da bød han Skyerne oventil, lod Himlens Døre aabne
Even so he commanded the skies above and the doors of heaven to open,
24 og Manna regne paa dem til Føde, han gav dem Himmelkorn;
and he made manna rain down on them to eat, giving them bread from heaven.
25 Mennesker spiste Englebrød, han sendte dem Mad at mætte sig med.
Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them more than enough food.
26 Han rejste Østenvinden paa Himlen, førte Søndenvinden frem ved sin Kraft;
He sent the east wind blowing across the sky; by his power he drove the south wind.
27 Kød lod han regne paa dem som Støv og vingede Fugle som Havets Sand,
He rained down meat on them as plentiful as dust; birds as numerous as sand on a beach.
28 lod dem falde midt i sin Lejr, rundt omkring sine Boliger;
He made them fall right in the middle of their camp, all around where they were living.
29 Og de spiste sig overmætte, hvad de ønsked, lod han dem faa.
They ate until they were full. He gave them the food they longed for.
30 Men før deres Attraa var stillet, mens Maden var i deres Mund,
But before they satisfied their appetite, while the meat was still in their mouths,
31 rejste Guds Vrede sig mod dem; han vog deres kraftige Mænd, fældede Israels Ynglinge.
God became angry with them and he killed their strongest men, striking them down in the prime of life.
32 Og dog blev de ved at synde og troede ej paa hans Undere.
Despite all this they went right on sinning. Despite the miracles, they refused to trust him.
33 Da lod han deres Dage svinde i Tomhed og endte brat deres Aar.
So he snuffed out their futile lives, bringing them to an end in terror.
34 Naar han vog dem, søgte de ham, vendte om og spurgte om Gud,
When he began killing them, the rest came back to God in repentance, praying to him.
35 kom i Hu, at Gud var deres Klippe, Gud den Allerhøjeste deres Genløser.
They remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their Savior.
36 De hyklede for ham med Munden, løj for ham med deres Tunge;
They flattered him by what they told him, but they were only lying.
37 deres Hjerter holdt ikke fast ved ham, hans Pagt var de ikke tro.
Deep down they were not sincere, and did not keep the agreement they had with him.
38 Og dog er han barmhjertig, han tilgiver Misgerning, lægger ej øde, hans Vrede lagde sig Gang paa Gang, han lod ikke sin Harme fuldt bryde frem;
But being compassionate he pardoned their guilt and did not destroy all of them. He often held back his anger—he did not pour out all his fury.
39 han kom i Hu, de var Kød, et Pust, der svinder og ej vender tilbage.
He remembered their mortality—that they were like a puff of wind that would not return.
40 Hvor tit stod de ham ikke imod i Ørkenen og voldte ham Sorg i det øde Land!
How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, giving him grief in the desert!
41 De fristede atter Gud, de krænkede Israels Hellige;
Again and again they provoked God, causing pain to the Holy One of Israel.
42 hans Haand kom de ikke i Hu, den Dag han friede dem fra Fjenden,
They did not remember his strength when he rescued them from their oppressors,
43 da han gjorde sine Tegn i Ægypten, sine Undere paa Zoans Mark,
performing miracles in Egypt, doing wonderful things on the plain of Zoan.
44 forvandled deres Floder til Blod, saa de ej kunde drikke af Strømmene,
There he turned their rivers and their streams into blood so that no one could drink from them.
45 sendte Myg imod dem, som aad dem, og Frøer, som lagde dem øde,
He sent flies among them to destroy them, and frogs to ruin everything.
46 gav Æderen, hvad de avlede, Græshoppen al deres Høst,
He gave their crops to locusts; everything they worked had for was taken by locusts.
47 slog deres Vinstokke ned med Hagl, deres Morbærtræer med Frost,
He destroyed their vines with hail, and their fig trees with freezing rain.
48 prisgav Kvæget for Hagl og deres Hjorde for Lyn.
He handed over their cattle to hail and their flocks to lightning bolts.
49 Han sendte sin Vredesglød mod dem, Harme, Vrede og Trængsel, en Sendefærd af Ulykkesengle;
He poured out on them his fierce anger—rage and hostility and anguish—sending a band of destroying angels against them.
50 frit Løb gav han sin Vrede, skaaned dem ikke for Døden, gav deres Liv til Pris for Pest;
He sent his unrestrained anger against them; he did not spare them from death, handing them over to the plague.
51 alt førstefødt i Ægypten slog han, Mandskraftens Førstegrøde i Kamiternes Telte,
He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the first to be conceived in the tents of Ham.
52 lod sit Folk bryde op som en Hjord, leded dem som Kvæg i Ørkenen,
But he led out his people like sheep, and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
53 leded dem trygt, uden Frygt, mens Havet lukked sig over deres Fjender;
He led them to safety, and they were not afraid. He drowned their enemies in the sea.
54 han bragte dem til sit hellige Land, de Bjerge, hans højre vandt,
He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountainous land that he had conquered for them.
55 drev Folkeslag bort foran dem, udskiftede ved Lod deres Land og lod Israels Stammer bo i deres Telte.
He drove out the heathen nations before them. He divided up the land for them to own. He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 Dog fristed og trodsede de Gud den Allerhøjeste og overholdt ikke hans Vidnesbyrd;
But they provoked God Most High, rebelling against him. They did not follow what he had told them.
57 de faldt fra, var troløse som deres Fædre, svigtede som en slappet Bue,
Just like their forefathers they turned away from God and were unfaithful to him, as twisted as a defective bow.
58 de krænked ham med deres Offerhøje, ægged ham med deres Gudebilleder.
They made him angry with their pagan high places of worship; they made him jealous with their idols.
59 Det hørte Gud og blev vred, følte højlig Lede ved Israel;
When God heard their worship he became furious and he totally rejected Israel.
60 han opgav sin Bolig i Silo, det Telt, hvor han boede blandt Mennesker;
He abandoned his place at Shiloh, the Tabernacle where he lived among the people.
61 han gav sin Stolthed i Fangenskab, sin Herlighed i Fjendehaand,
He surrendered the Ark of his power, allowing it to be captured; handing it over into enemy hands.
62 prisgav sit Folk for Sværdet, blev vred paa sin Arvelod;
He handed over his people to be slaughtered by the sword; he was furious with his chosen people.
63 Ild fortæred dets unge Mænd, dets Jomfruer fik ej Bryllupssange,
Their young men were destroyed by fire; their young women had no wedding songs.
64 dets Præster faldt for Sværdet, dets Enker holdt ikke Klagefest.
Their priests were killed by the sword; their widows were unable to mourn.
65 Da vaagned Herren som en, der har sovet, som en Helt, der er døvet af Vin;
Then the Lord woke up as if from sleep, as a warrior sobering up from drinking wine.
66 han slog sine Fjender paa Ryggen, gjorde dem evigt til Skamme.
He defeated his enemies, striking them on the back, causing them everlasting shame.
67 Men han fik Lede ved Josefs Telt, Efraims Stamme udvalgte han ikke;
He rejected the descendants of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 han udvalgte Judas Stamme, Zions Bjerg, som han elsker;
Instead he chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion which he loves.
69 han bygged sit Tempel himmelhøjt, grundfæsted det evigt som Jorden.
There he built his sanctuary, high like the heavens, on earth that he made to last forever.
70 Han udvalgte David, sin Tjener, og tog ham fra Faarenes Folde,
He chose his servant David, taking him from the sheep pens,
71 hentede ham fra de diende Dyr til at vogte Jakob, hans Folk, Israel, hans Arvelod;
taking him from caring for the sheep and lambs to be a shepherd to the descendants of Jacob—God's special people, Israel.
72 han vogtede dem med oprigtigt Hjerte, ledede dem med kyndig Haand.
Like a shepherd, he took care of them with sincere devotion, leading them with skillful hands.
