Psalm 78
1 Ein Maskil; von Asaph. Horche, mein Volk, auf mein Gesetz! Neiget euer Ohr zu den Worten meines Mundes!
My friends, listen to what I am going to teach you; pay careful attention [IDM] to what I say.
2 Ich will meinen Mund auftun zu einem Spruche, will Rätsel hervorströmen lassen aus der Vorzeit.
I am going to give you some sayings that wise people have said. They will be sayings about things that happened long ago, things that were difficult to understand [MET],
3 Was wir gehört und erfahren und unsere Väter uns erzählt haben,
things that we have heard and known previously, things that our parents and grandparents told us.
4 wollen wir nicht verhehlen ihren Söhnen, dem künftigen Geschlecht erzählend den Ruhm Jehovas und seine Stärke, und seine Wunderwerke, die er getan hat.
We will tell these things to our children [LIT], and we will also tell to our grandchildren [about] Yahweh’s power and the glorious/great things that he has done.
5 Denn er hat ein Zeugnis aufgerichtet in Jakob, und ein Gesetz gestellt in Israel, die er unseren Vätern geboten hat, um sie ihren Söhnen kundzutun;
He gave laws and commandments to the Israeli people, [those who are the descendants of] Jacob [DOU], and he told our ancestors to teach them to their children
6 damit sie kennte das künftige Geschlecht, die Söhne, die geboren werden sollten, und sie aufständen und sie ihren Söhnen erzählten;
in order that their children would [also] know them and then they would teach them to their children.
7 und auf Gott ihr Vertrauen setzten, und die Taten Gottes nicht vergäßen, und seine Gebote bewahrten;
In that way, they also would trust in God, and not forget the things that he has done; instead, they would obey his commandments.
8 und nicht würden wie ihre Väter, ein widersetzliches und widerspenstiges Geschlecht, ein Geschlecht, das sein Herz nicht befestigte, und dessen Geist nicht treu war gegen Gott.
They would not be like their ancestors, who were very stubborn and kept rebelling [against God]; they did not continue firmly trusting in God, and they did not worship only him.
9 Die Söhne Ephraims, gerüstete Bogenschützen, wandten um am Tage des Kampfes.
[The soldiers of] the tribe of Ephraim had bows [and arrows] but they ran away [from their enemies] on the day that they fought a battle with their enemies.
10 Sie hielten nicht den Bund Gottes und weigerten sich, in seinem Gesetz zu wandeln;
They did not do what they had agreed with God that they would do; they refused to obey his laws.
11 und sie vergaßen seine Taten und seine Wunderwerke, die er sie hatte schauen lassen.
They forgot what he had done; they forgot about the miracles that they had seen him perform.
12 Er tat Wunder vor ihren Vätern, im Lande Ägypten, dem Gefilde Zoans.
While our ancestors were watching, God performed miracles in the area around Zoan [city] in Egypt.
13 Er spaltete das Meer und ließ sie hindurchgehen, und ließ die Wasser stehen wie einen Damm.
[Then] he caused the [Red] Sea to divide, causing the water [on each side] to pile up like a wall, with the result that [our ancestors] walked through it [on dry ground].
14 Und er leitete sie des Tages mit der Wolke und die ganze Nacht mit dem Lichte eines Feuers.
He led them by a [bright] cloud during the day and by a fiery light during the night.
15 Er spaltete Felsen in der Wüste und tränkte sie reichlich wie aus Tiefen.
He split rocks open in the desert, giving to our ancestors plenty of water from deep inside the earth.
16 Und er ließ Bäche hervorkommen aus dem Felsen und Wasser herablaufen gleich Flüssen.
He caused a stream of water to flow from the rock; the water flowed like a river [DOU].
17 Doch sie fuhren weiter fort, wider ihn zu sündigen, indem sie gegen den Höchsten widerspenstig waren in der Wüste.
But [our ancestors] continued to sin against God; in the desert they rebelled against the one who is greater than any other god.
18 Und sie versuchten Gott in ihren Herzen, indem sie Speise forderten für ihr Gelüst.
By demanding that God give them the food that they desired, they tried to find out if he would always do what they requested him to do.
19 Und sie redeten wider Gott; sie sprachen: Sollte Gott in der Wüste einen Tisch zu bereiten vermögen?
They insulted God by saying, “We don’t think he can supply food for us [here] in this desert!
20 Siehe, den Felsen hat er geschlagen, und Wasser flossen heraus, und Bäche strömten; wird er auch Brot zu geben vermögen, oder wird er seinem Volke Fleisch verschaffen?
[It is true that] he struck the rock, with the result that water gushed/flowed out, [but] (can he also provide bread and meat for [us], his people?/we doubt that he can also provide bread and meat for us, his people.)” [RHQ]
21 Darum, als Jehova es hörte, ergrimmte er, und Feuer entzündete sich gegen Jakob, und auch Zorn stieg auf gegen Israel;
So, when Yahweh heard that, he became very angry, and he sent a fire to burn up [some of] his Israeli [people]. [MTY, DOU]
22 weil sie Gott nicht glaubten und nicht vertrauten auf seine Rettung.
[He did that] because they did not trust in him, and they did not believe that he would rescue them.
23 Und doch hatte er den Wolken oben geboten und die Türen des Himmels geöffnet
But God spoke to the sky above them; he commanded it to open [like] a door,
24 und Manna auf sie regnen lassen, damit sie äßen, und ihnen Himmelsgetreide gegeben.
and [then food] fell down like rain, [food which they named] ‘manna’; God gave them grain from (heaven/the sky).
25 Der Mensch aß Brot der Starken, Speise sandte er ihnen bis zur Sättigung.
[So] the people ate the food that angels eat, [and] God gave to them all the manna that they wanted.
26 Er führte den Ostwind herbei am Himmel, und durch seine Stärke trieb er herbei den Südwind;
[Later], he caused the wind to blow from the east, and by his power he also sent wind from the south,
27 und er ließ Fleisch auf sie regnen wie Staub, und geflügeltes Gevögel wie Sand der Meere,
and the wind brought birds which were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.
28 und ließ es fallen in ihr Lager, rings um ihre Wohnungen.
God caused those birds to fall [dead] in the middle of (their camp)/the area where the people had put up their tents. [There were dead birds] all around their tents.
29 Und sie aßen und sättigten sich sehr, und ihr Gelüst führte er ihnen zu.
[So] the people [cooked the birds and] ate the meat and their stomachs were full, because God had given them what they wanted.
30 Noch hatten sie sich nicht abgewandt von ihrem Gelüst, noch war ihre Speise in ihrem Munde,
But before they had eaten all that they wanted, and while they were still eating it,
31 da stieg der Zorn Gottes wider sie auf; und er würgte unter ihren Kräftigen, und die Auserlesenen Israels streckte er nieder.
God was [still] very angry with them, and he caused their strongest men to die; he got rid of [many of] the finest [young] Israeli men.
32 Bei alledem sündigten sie wiederum und glaubten nicht durch seine Wunderwerke.
In spite of all that, the people continued to sin; in spite of all the miracles that God had performed, they still did not trust that he [would take care of them].
33 Da ließ er in Eitelkeit hinschwinden ihre Tage, und ihre Jahre in Schrecken.
So, he caused their lives to end as quickly as a puff of wind ends; they died when disasters suddenly struck them.
34 Wenn er sie tötete, dann fragten sie nach ihm, und kehrten um und suchten Gott eifrig;
When God caused [some of] them to die, [the others] turned to God; they repented and earnestly asked God [to save them].
35 und sie gedachten daran, daß Gott ihr Fels sei, und Gott, der Höchste, ihr Erlöser.
They remembered that God is [like] a huge rock ledge [under which they would be safe] [MET], and that he, who was greater than any other god, is the one who protected/rescued them.
36 Und sie heuchelten ihm mit ihrem Munde, und mit ihrer Zunge logen sie ihm;
But they [tried to] deceive God by what they said [MTY]; their words [MTY] were [all] lies.
37 denn ihr Herz war nicht fest gegen ihn, und sie hielten nicht treulich an seinem Bunde.
They were not loyal to him; they disregarded/ignored the agreement that he had made with them.
38 Er aber war barmherzig, er vergab die Ungerechtigkeit und verderbte sie nicht; und oftmals wandte er seinen Zorn ab und ließ nicht erwachen seinen ganzen Grimm.
But God was merciful to his people. He forgave them for having sinned and did not get rid of them. Many times he refrained from becoming angry [with them] and restrained from furiously/severely [punishing them] [MTY].
39 Und er gedachte daran, daß sie Fleisch seien, ein Hauch, der dahinfährt und nicht wiederkehrt.
He remembered/considered that they were only humans who die; they [disappear quickly] [SIM], like a wind that blows by and then is gone.
40 Wie oft waren sie widerspenstig gegen ihn in der Wüste, betrübten ihn in der Einöde!
Many times our ancestors rebelled against God in the desert and caused him to become very sad.
41 Und sie versuchten Gott wiederum und kränkten den Heiligen Israels.
Many times they did evil things, to find out [if they could do those things without God punishing them]. They frequently caused the holy God of Israel to become disgusted/sad.
42 Sie gedachten nicht an seine Hand, an den Tag, da er sie von dem Bedränger erlöste,
They forgot about his [great] power, and they (forgot/did not think) about the time when he rescued them from their enemies.
43 als er seine Zeichen tat in Ägypten und seine Wunder in dem Gefilde Zoans:
They forgot about when he performed many miracles in the area near Zoan [city] in Egypt.
44 Er verwandelte ihre Ströme in Blut, so daß sie ihre fließenden Wasser nicht trinken konnten.
He caused the [Nile] River (OR, their sources of water) to become [red like] blood, with the result that the people of Egypt had no water to drink.
45 Er sandte Hundsfliegen unter sie, welche sie fraßen, und Frösche, die sie verderbten.
He sent among the people of Egypt swarms of flies that bit them, and he sent frogs that ate up everything.
46 Und er gab der Grille ihren Ertrag, und ihre Arbeit der Heuschrecke.
He sent locusts to eat their crops and the other things that grew in their fields.
47 Ihren Weinstock schlug er nieder mit Hagel, und ihre Maulbeerfeigenbäume mit Schloßen.
He sent hail that destroyed the grapevines, and sent frost that ruined the figs.
48 Und er gab ihr Vieh dem Hagel preis, und ihre Herden den Blitzen.
He sent hail that killed their cattle and sent lightning that killed their sheep and cows.
49 Er ließ gegen sie los seines Zornes Glut, Wut und Grimm und Drangsal, eine Schar von Unglücksengeln.
Because God was fiercely angry with the people of Egypt, he caused them to be very distressed. The disasters that struck them were like a group of angels that destroyed [everything].
50 Er bahnte seinem Zorne einen Weg, entzog nicht dem Tode ihre Seele und gab ihr Leben der Pest preis.
He did not lessen his being angry [with them], and he did not (spare their lives/prevent them from dying); he sent a (plague/serious illness) that killed [many of] them.
51 Und er schlug alle Erstgeburt in Ägypten, die Erstlinge der Kraft in den Zelten Hams.
He also caused all the firstborn sons of the people of Egypt to die.
52 Und er ließ sein Volk wegziehen gleich Schafen, und leitete sie gleich einer Herde in der Wüste;
Then he led his people out [of Egypt] like [a shepherd leads] his sheep [SIM], and he guided them [while they walked] through the desert.
53 und er führte sie sicher, so daß sie sich nicht fürchteten; und ihre Feinde bedeckte das Meer.
He led them safely, and they were not afraid, but their enemies were drowned in the sea.
54 Und er brachte sie zu der Grenze seines Heiligtums, zu diesem Berge, den seine Rechte erworben.
[Later] he brought them to [Canaan], his sacred land, to [Zion] Hill (OR, the hilly area) and by his power [MTY] he enabled them to conquer [the people who were living there].
55 Und er vertrieb Nationen vor ihnen, und verloste sie als Schnur des Erbteils und ließ in ihren Zelten wohnen die Stämme Israels.
He expelled the people-groups while his people were advancing; he allotted part of the land for [each tribe] to possess, and he gave to the Israeli people the houses of those people who had been expelled.
56 Aber sie versuchten Gott, den Höchsten, und waren widerspenstig gegen ihn, und seine Zeugnisse bewahrten sie nicht.
However, the Israeli people rebelled against God, who is greater than any other god, and they did many evil things to see if they could do those things without God punishing them, and they did not obey his commandments.
57 Und sie wichen zurück und handelten treulos wie ihre Väter; sie wandten sich um gleich einem trügerischen Bogen.
Instead, like their ancestors did, they rebelled against God and (were not loyal to/did not faithfully [obey]) him; they were as [unreliable as] a crooked arrow [that does not go straight] [SIM].
58 Und sie erbitterten ihn durch ihre Höhen und reizten ihn zur Eifersucht durch ihre geschnitzten Bilder.
Because they [worshiped] carved images of their gods on the tops of hills, they caused God to become angry [DOU].
59 Gott hörte es und ergrimmte, und er verachtete Israel sehr.
He saw what they were doing and became very angry, so he rejected the Israeli people.
60 Und er verließ die Wohnung zu Silo, das Zelt, welches er unter den Menschen aufgeschlagen hatte.
He no longer appeared to them at Shiloh in the tent where he had lived among them.
61 Und er gab in die Gefangenschaft seine Kraft, und seine Herrlichkeit in die Hand des Bedrängers.
He allowed their enemies to capture [the sacred chest], [which was the symbol of] his power and his glory.
62 Und er gab sein Volk dem Schwerte preis, und gegen sein Erbteil ergrimmte er.
Because he was angry with his people, he allowed them to be killed [MTY] [by their enemies].
63 Seine Jünglinge fraß das Feuer, und seine Jungfrauen wurden nicht besungen;
Young men were killed in battles, with the result that the young women had no one to marry.
64 seine Priester fielen durch das Schwert, und seine Witwen weinten nicht.
[Many] priests were killed by [their enemies’] swords, and (the people did not allow the priests’ widows/the priests’ widows were not allowed) to mourn.
65 Da erwachte, gleich einem Schlafenden, der Herr, gleich einem Helden, der da jauchzt vom Wein;
Later, [it was as though] the Lord awoke from sleeping; he was like a strong man who (became stimulated/felt that he was strong) by (OR, became sober after) [drinking] a lot of wine [SIM].
66 und er schlug seine Feinde von hinten, gab ihnen ewige Schmach.
He pushed their enemies back and caused them to be [very] ashamed for a long time [HYP] [because they had been defeated].
67 Und er verwarf das Zelt Josephs, und den Stamm Ephraim erwählte er nicht;
[But] he did not set up his tent where [the people of] the tribe of Ephraim lived; he did not choose their area [to do that].
68 sondern er erwählte den Stamm Juda, den Berg Zion, den er geliebt hat.
Instead he chose [the area where] the tribe of Judah [lived]; he chose Zion Hill, which he loves.
69 Und er baute gleich Höhen sein Heiligtum, gleich der Erde, die er auf ewig gegründet hat.
He [decided to have] his temple built [there], high up, like [his home in] heaven; he caused it to be firm, [and intended that] his temple would last forever, like the earth.
70 Und er erwählte David, seinen Knecht, und nahm ihn von den Hürden der Schafe;
He chose David, who served him [faithfully], and took him from the pastures
71 hinter den Säugenden weg ließ er ihn kommen, um Jakob, sein Volk, zu weiden, und Israel, sein Erbteil.
where he was taking care of his [father’s] sheep, and appointed him to be the leader [MET] of the Israeli people, the people who belong to God.
72 Und er weidete sie nach der Lauterkeit seines Herzens, und mit der Geschicklichkeit seiner Hände leitete er sie.
David took care of the Israeli people sincerely and wholeheartedly, and guided them skillfully/wisely.
