Psalms 114

1 When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a barbarous people:

When the Israeli [people] left Egypt, when they who were descendants of Jacob left people who spoke a foreign/different language,

2 Judea made his sanctuary, Israel his dominion.

[the land of] Judah became the place where people worshiped God; and Israel became the land (OR, the [Israeli people] became the people) that he ruled over.

3 The sea saw and fled: Jordan was turned back.

[When they came to] the [Red] Sea, [it was as though the water] saw [them] and ran away! When they came to the Jordan [River], that [water in the] river stopped flowing [so that the Israelis could cross it].

4 The mountains skipped like rams, and the hills like the lambs of the flock.

[When they came to Sinai Mountain and there was a big earthquake], [it was as though] the mountains skipped/jumped like goats do and the hills jumped around like lambs do.

5 What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou didst flee: and thou, O Jordan, that thou wast turned back?

[If someone asks], “What happened at the [Red] Sea that caused the water to run away? What happened that caused [the water in] the Jordan [River] to stop flowing?

6 Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams, and ye hills, like lambs of the flock?

What happened that caused the mountains to skip like goats and caused the hills to jump around like lambs?”

7 At the presence of the Lord the earth was moved, at the presence of the God of Jacob:

[I would reply that] it was the presence of the Lord that caused those things to happen! [Everyone/Everything on] the earth should tremble in the presence of God, whom (Jacob [worshiped]/the Israeli people [worship])!

8 Who turned the rock into pools of water, and the stony hill into fountains of waters.

He is the one who caused pools of water [for the Israeli people to drink to flow] from a rock; he caused a spring [to flow] from a solid rock cliff!