Psalms 114

1 At the time of the exodus of Israel from Egypt, when the descendants of Jacob left that foreign country,

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

2 the land of Judah became the Lord's sanctuary, Israel his kingdom.

[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 Red Sea saw them and ran away; the Jordan River retreated.

[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 Mountains jumped in fright like rams, hills startled like lambs.

[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 Red Sea—why did you run away? Jordan River—why did you retreat?

[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 Mountains—why did you jump in fright? Hills—why did you startle like lambs?

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

7 Earth, tremble in the presence of the Lord, tremble in 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 He is the one who turned the rock into a pool of water; making water flow from the hard rock.

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!