Psalms 78
1 AN INSTRUCTION OF ASAPH. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings of my mouth.
Þjóð mín, hlustaðu á kenningu mína. Gefðu gaum að því sem ég hef að segja.
2 I open my mouth with an allegory, I bring forth hidden things of old,
Nú ætla ég að rifja upp fyrir þér liðna atburði,
3 That we have heard and know, And our fathers have recounted to us.
frásagnir sem varðveist hafa frá kynslóð til kynslóðar.
4 We do not hide from their sons, Recounting praises of YHWH to a later generation, And His strength, and His wonders that He has done.
Ég birti ykkur sannleikann, svo að þið getið sagt börnum ykkar frá dásemdarverkum Drottins, öllum þeim undrum sem hann vann.
5 And He raises up a testimony in Jacob, And has placed a law in Israel, That He commanded our fathers, To make them known to their sons.
Lögmál sitt gaf hann Ísrael og bauð forfeðrunum að kenna það börnum sínum
6 So that a later generation knows, Sons who are born, rise and recount to their sons,
sem síðan skyldu kenna það sínum afkomendum. Þannig skyldi lögmál hans berast frá einni kynslóðinni til annarrar.
7 And place their confidence in God, And do not forget the doings of God, But keep His commands.
Því hefur sérhver kynslóð getað haldið lög Guðs, treyst honum og heyrt um hans dásemdarverk.
8 And they are not like their fathers, A generation apostatizing and being rebellious, A generation—it has not prepared its heart, Nor [is] its spirit steadfast with God.
Ný kynslóð skyldi ekki þurfa að fara að fordæmi feðra sinna sem voru þrjóskir, óhlýðnir og ótrúir og forhertu sig gegn Guði.
9 Sons of Ephraim—armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.
Þótt íbúar Efraím væru alvopnaðir, þá flúðu þeir þegar að orustunni kom.
10 They have not kept the covenant of God, And they have refused to walk in His law,
Þannig rufu þeir sáttmálann við Guð og fóru sína eigin leið.
11 And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He showed them.
Þeir gleymdu máttarverkum Drottins,
12 He has done wonders before their fathers, In the land of Egypt—the field of Zoan.
sem hann hafði fyrir þá gert og forfeður þeirra í Egyptalandi,
13 He cleft a sea, and causes them to pass over, Indeed, He causes waters to stand as a heap.
þegar hann klauf hafið og leiddi þá yfir þurrum fótum. Vatnið stóð eins og veggur til beggja handa!
14 And leads them with a cloud by day, And with a light of fire all the night.
Að degi til leiddi hann þá með skýi, en eldstólpa um nætur.
15 He cleaves rocks in a wilderness, And gives drink—as the great deep.
Hann rauf gat á klettinn í eyðimörkinni. Vatnið streymdi fram og þeir svöluðu þorsta sínum.
16 And brings out streams from a rock, And causes waters to come down as rivers.
Já, það flæddi frá klettinum, líkast rennandi á!
17 And they still add to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.
Samt héldu þeir fast við þrjósku sína og syndguðu gegn hinum hæsta Guði.
18 And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.
Þeir kvörtuðu og kveinuðu og heimtuðu annað að borða en það sem Guð gaf þeim.
19 And they speak against God—they said: “Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?”
Þeir ásökuðu jafnvel sjálfan Guð og sögðu:
20 Behold, He has struck a rock, And waters flow, indeed, streams overflow. “Also, [is] He able to give bread? Does He prepare flesh for His people?”
„Hann gaf okkur vatn, en hvers vegna fáum við ekki brauð eða kjöt?!“
21 Therefore YHWH has heard, And He shows Himself angry, And fire has been kindled against Jacob, And anger has also gone up against Israel,
Drottinn hlustaði og honum rann í skap, reiði hans upptendraðist gegn Ísrael.
22 For they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation.
Enda treystu þeir honum ekki, né trúðu forsjá hans.
23 And He commands clouds from above, Indeed, He has opened doors of the heavens.
Jafnvel þótt hann lyki upp himninum – eins og glugga! –
24 And He rains manna on them to eat, Indeed, He has given grain of the heavens to them.
og léti manna rigna niður.
25 Each has eaten food of the mighty, He sent provision to them to satiety.
Já, þeir átu englabrauð! – og urðu mettir.
26 He causes an east wind to journey in the heavens, And leads a south wind by His strength,
Þá lét hann austanvind blása og stýrði vestanvindinum með krafti sínum.
27 And He rains on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas—winged bird,
Og viti menn, fuglum rigndi af himni, – þeir voru eins og sandur á sjávarströnd!
28 And causes [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Around His dwelling places.
Af hans völdum féllu þeir til jarðar um allar tjaldbúðirnar.
29 And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And He brings their desire to them.
Og fólkið át nægju sína. Hann mettaði hungur þeirra.
30 They have not been estranged from their desire, Their food [is] yet in their mouth,
En varla höfðu þeir lokið matnum – fæðan var enn í munni þeirra,
31 And the anger of God has gone up against them, And He slays among their fat ones, And He caused youths of Israel to bend.
þá reiddist Drottinn þeim og lagði að velli æskumenn Ísraels.
32 With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.
En þeir sáu sig ekki um hönd, en héldu áfram að syndga og vildu ekki trúa kraftaverkum Drottins.
33 And He consumes their days in vanity, And their years in trouble.
Þess vegna stytti hann ævi þeirra og sendi þeim miklar hörmungar.
34 If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and earnestly sought God,
En þegar neyðin var stærst, tóku þeir að leita Guðs. Þeir iðruðust og snéru sér til hans.
35 And they remember that God [is] their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.
Þeir viðurkenndu að Guð er eini grundvöllur lífsins – að hinn hæsti Guð væri frelsari þeirra.
36 And they deceive Him with their mouth, And lie to Him with their tongue,
En því miður fylgdu þeir honum aðeins í orði kveðnu, en ekki af heilum hug,
37 And their heart has not been right with Him, And they have not been steadfast in His covenant.
hjarta þeirra var langt frá honum. Þeir stóðu ekki við orð sín.
38 And He, the Merciful One, pardons iniquity, and does not destroy, And has often turned back His anger, And does not awaken all His fury.
Samt var hann þeim miskunnsamur, fyrirgaf syndir þeirra og tortímdi þeim ekki. Margoft hélt hann aftur af reiði sinni.
39 And He remembers that they [are] flesh, A wind going on—and it does not return.
Hann minntist þess að þeir voru dauðlegir menn, eins og andblær sem kemur og fer.
40 How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?
Já, oft risu þeir gegn Guði í eyðimörkinni og ollu honum vonbrigðum.
41 Indeed, they turn back, and try God, And have limited the Holy One of Israel.
Aftur og aftur sneru þeir við honum baki og freistuðu hans.
42 They have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.
Þeir gleymdu krafti hans og kærleika og hvernig hann hafði frelsað þá frá óvinum þeirra.
43 When He set His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan,
Þeir gleymdu plágunum sem hann sendi Egyptum í Sóan
44 And He turns their streams to blood, And they do not drink their floods.
þegar hann breytti fljótum þeirra í blóð, svo að enginn gat drukkið.
45 He sends among them the beetle, and it consumes them, And the frog, and it destroys them,
Eða þegar hann fyllti landið af flugum og froskum!
46 And gives their increase to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.
Lirfurnar spilltu uppskerunni og engispretturnar átu allt, hvort tveggja var frá honum komið.
47 He destroys their vine with hail, And their sycamores with frost,
Hann eyddi vínviði þeirra með hagléli og mórberjatrjánum með frosti.
48 And delivers their beasts up to the hail, And their livestock to the burning flames.
Búpeningurinn hrundi niður í haganum, haglið rotaði hann og sauðirnir drápust í eldingum.
49 He sends on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress—A discharge of evil messengers.
Hann úthellti reiði sinni yfir þá, sendi þeim ógn og skelfingu. Hann leysti út sendiboða ógæfunnar – engla sem létu þá kenna á því!
50 He ponders a path for His anger, He did not keep back their soul from death, Indeed, He delivered up their life to the pestilence.
Hann gaf reiðinni lausan tauminn. Og ekki hlífði hann Egyptunum. Þeir fengu vænan skerf af plágum og sjúkdómum.
51 And He strikes every firstborn in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.
Þá deyddi hann frumburði Egypta, efnilegan ungviðinn, sem vonirnar voru bundnar við.
52 And causes His people to journey as a flock, And guides them as a drove in a wilderness,
Sinn eigin lýð leiddi hann styrkri hendi gegnum eyðimörkina.
53 And He leads them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And the sea has covered their enemies.
Hann var skjól þeirra og vörn. Þeir þurftu ekkert að óttast, en hafið gleypti óvini þeirra.
54 And He brings them to the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had acquired,
Hann greiddi för þeirra til fyrirheitna landsins, til hæðanna sem hann hafði skapað.
55 And casts out nations from before them, And causes them to fall in the line of inheritance, And causes the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents,
Íbúum landsins stökkti hann á flótta en gaf þar ættkvíslum Ísraels erfðahlut og skjól.
56 And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And have not kept His testimonies.
En þótt þeir nytu gæsku Guðs, risu þeir gegn hinum hæsta og fyrirlitu boðorð hans.
57 And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,
Þeir sneru af leið og rufu trúnað rétt eins og feður þeirra. Eins og bogin ör misstu þeir marksins sem Guð hafði sett þeim.
58 And make Him angry with their high places, And make Him zealous with their carved images,
Þeir tóku aðra guði, reistu þeim ölturu og egndu Drottin á móti sér.
59 God has heard, and shows Himself angry. And kicks exceedingly against Israel.
Guð sá verk þeirra og reiddist – fékk viðbjóð á Ísrael.
60 And He leaves the Dwelling Place of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,
Hann yfirgaf helgidóm sinn í Síló, bústað sinn meðal manna.
61 And He gives His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,
Örk sína lét hann falla í hendur óvinanna og vegsemd hans var óvirt af heiðingjum.
62 And delivers His people up to the sword, And showed Himself angry with His inheritance.
Hann reiddist lýð sínum og lét hann falla fyrir sverði óvinanna.
63 Fire has consumed His young men, And His virgins have not been praised.
Æskumenn Ísraels fórust í eldi og ungu stúlkurnar upplifðu ekki sinn brúðkaupsdag.
64 His priests have fallen by the sword, And their widows do not weep.
Prestunum var slátrað og ekkjur þeirra dóu áður en þær gátu harmað þá.
65 And the Lord wakes as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.
Þá var sem Drottinn vaknaði af svefni, eins og hetja sem rís upp úr vímu,
66 And He strikes His adversaries backward, He has put a continuous reproach on them,
og hann gaf þeim vænt spark í bakhlutann og sendi þá burt með skömm, sömu leið og þeir komu.
67 And He kicks against the tent of Joseph, And has not fixed on the tribe of Ephraim.
Hann hafnaði fjölskyldu Jósefs, ætt Efraíms,
68 And He chooses the tribe of Judah, With Mount Zion that He loved,
en kaus Júdaættkvísl og Síonfjall, sem hann elskar.
69 And builds His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it for all time.
Þar reisti hann musteri sitt – voldugt og traust rétt eins og himin og jörð.
70 And He fixes on His servant David, And takes him from the folds of a flock,
Hann kaus Davíð sem þjón sinn, tók hann frá sauðunum,
71 He has brought him in from behind suckling ones, To rule over Jacob His people, And over Israel His inheritance.
úr smalamennskunni, til að verða leiðtogi og hirðir þjóðar sinnar.
72 And he rules them according to the integrity of his heart, And leads them by the skillfulness of his hands!
Og hann gætti hennar af öryggi og með hreinu hjarta.
