Psalm 78
1 Eine Unterweisung; von Asaph. Höre, mein Volk, meine Lehre, neiget eure Ohren zu den Reden 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 zu einem Spruche öffnen, will Rätsel vortragen aus alter Zeit,
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 gelernt und was unsre Väter uns erzählt haben.
things that we have heard and known previously, things that our parents and grandparents told us.
4 Es wurde ihren Söhnen nicht vorenthalten, sondern sie haben dem spätern Geschlecht den Ruhm des HERRN erzählt, seine Macht und seine Wunder, die er getan,
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 nämlich, daß er ein Zeugnis aufstellte in Jakob und ein Gesetz gab in Israel, von welchem er unsern Vätern befahl, es ihren Kindern 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 das spätere Geschlecht es wisse, die Kinder, die noch sollten geboren werden, und damit auch sie, wenn sie aufgewachsen wären, es ihren Kindern erzählten;
in order that their children would [also] know them and then they would teach them to their children.
7 daß diese auf Gott ihr Vertrauen setzten und nicht vergäßen die Taten Gottes und seine Gebote befolgten
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 abtrünniges und widerspenstiges Geschlecht, ein Geschlecht, das kein festes Herz hatte, 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 Kinder Ephraims, geübte Bogenschützen, wandten um am Tage der Schlacht.
[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 bewahrten den Bund Gottes nicht und wollten nicht nach seinem Gesetze 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 Wunder, die er ihnen erzeigt.
They forgot what he had done; they forgot about the miracles that they had seen him perform.
12 Vor ihren Vätern hatte er Wunder getan im Lande Ägypten, im Gefilde Zoan.
While our ancestors were watching, God performed miracles in the area around Zoan [city] in Egypt.
13 Er spaltete das Meer und führte sie hindurch und türmte die Wasser auf 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 leitete sie bei Tag mit einer Wolke und während der ganzen Nacht mit einem hellen Feuer.
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 wie mit großen Fluten,
He split rocks open in the desert, giving to our ancestors plenty of water from deep inside the earth.
16 und ließ Bäche aus dem Felsen hervorspringen und Wasser herabfließen in Strömen.
He caused a stream of water to flow from the rock; the water flowed like a river [DOU].
17 Dennoch fuhren sie fort, wider ihn zu sündigen und den Höchsten zu erzürnen 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 ihrem Herzen, indem sie Speise forderten nach ihrem Gelüste.
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 und sprachen: «Kann Gott einen Tisch bereiten in der Wüste?
They insulted God by saying, “We don’t think he can supply food for us [here] in this desert!
20 Siehe, er hat den Felsen geschlagen, daß Wasser flossen und Bäche sich ergossen. Kann er aber auch Brot geben? 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 der HERR das hörte, ward er entrüstet, und Feuer entbrannte wider Jakob, ja, Zorn stieg auf über 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 auf seine Hilfe vertrauten.
[He did that] because they did not trust in him, and they did not believe that he would rescue them.
23 Und er gebot den Wolken droben und öffnete die Türen des Himmels;
But God spoke to the sky above them; he commanded it to open [like] a door,
24 und er ließ Manna auf sie regnen zum Essen und gab ihnen Himmelskorn.
and [then food] fell down like rain, [food which they named] ‘manna’; God gave them grain from (heaven/the sky).
25 Der Mensch aß Engelsbrot; er sandte ihnen Speise genug.
[So] the people ate the food that angels eat, [and] God gave to them all the manna that they wanted.
26 Er erregte den Ostwind am Himmel und führte durch seine Kraft den Südwind herbei,
[Later], he caused the wind to blow from the east, and by his power he also sent wind from the south,
27 ließ Fleisch auf sie regnen wie Staub und beschwingte Vögel wie Sand am Meer,
and the wind brought birds which were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.
28 und ließ sie fallen mitten in ihr Lager, rings um ihre Wohnung her.
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 Da aßen sie und wurden allzu satt; was sie gewünscht hatten, gewährte er ihnen.
[So] the people [cooked the birds and] ate the meat and their stomachs were full, because God had given them what they wanted.
30 Sie hatten sich ihres Gelüstes noch nicht entschlagen, und ihre Speise war noch in ihrem Munde,
But before they had eaten all that they wanted, and while they were still eating it,
31 als der Zorn Gottes sich wider sie erhob und die Fetten unter ihnen erwürgte und die Jungmannschaft Israels darniederstürzte.
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 Trotz alledem sündigten sie weiter und glaubten nicht an seine Wunder.
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 Darum ließ er ihre Tage wie einen Hauch vergehen und ihre Jahre durch plötzlichen Untergang.
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, so suchten sie ihn und kehrten sich wieder zu Gott
When God caused [some of] them to die, [the others] turned to God; they repented and earnestly asked God [to save them].
35 und dachten 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 Aber sie heuchelten ihm mit ihrem Munde und logen mit ihren Zungen;
But they [tried to] deceive God by what they said [MTY]; their words [MTY] were [all] lies.
37 denn ihr Herz war nicht aufrichtig gegen ihn, und sie hielten nicht treu an seinem Bund.
They were not loyal to him; they disregarded/ignored the agreement that he had made with them.
38 Er aber war barmherzig und vergab die Schuld und vertilgte sie nicht und hat oftmals seinen Zorn abgewandt und nicht allen seinen Grimm erweckt;
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 denn er dachte daran, daß sie Fleisch seien, ein Wind, der hinfährt 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 empörten sie sich wider ihn in der Wüste und 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 immer wieder 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 sind seiner Hand nicht eingedenk gewesen, des Tages, da er sie vom Feinde erlöste;
They forgot about his [great] power, and they (forgot/did not think) about the time when he rescued them from their enemies.
43 da er seine Zeichen tat in Ägypten und seine Wunder im Gefilde Zoan;
They forgot about when he performed many miracles in the area near Zoan [city] in Egypt.
44 als er ihre Ströme in Blut verwandelte und ihre Bäche, so daß man nicht trinken konnte;
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 da er Ungeziefer unter sie sandte, das sie fraß, 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 da er den Fressern ihre Früchte gab und den Heuschrecken ihre Erzeugnisse;
He sent locusts to eat their crops and the other things that grew in their fields.
47 da er ihre Weinstöcke mit Hagel schlug und ihre Maulbeerbäume mit Schlossen
He sent hail that destroyed the grapevines, and sent frost that ruined the figs.
48 und ihr Vieh dem Hagel preisgab und ihre Herden den Wetterstrahlen;
He sent hail that killed their cattle and sent lightning that killed their sheep and cows.
49 da er gegen sie die Glut seines Zornes entsandte, Grimm und Ungnade und Drangsal, Scharen 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 da er seinem Zorn den Lauf ließ, ihre Seele nicht vor dem Tod bewahrte, sondern ihr Leben der Pest preisgab;
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 da er alle Erstgeburt in Ägypten schlug, die Erstlinge ihrer Kraft in den Hütten Hams.
He also caused all the firstborn sons of the people of Egypt to die.
52 Und er ließ sein Volk ausziehen wie Schafe und leitete sie wie eine 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 führte sie sicher, daß sie sich nicht fürchteten; ihre Feinde aber 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 in die Grenzen seines Heiligtums; zu diesem Berg, 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 vor ihnen her die Heiden und teilte ihnen das Erbe aus mit der Meßschnur und ließ in ihren Zelten die Stämme Israels wohnen.
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 und erzürnten den höchsten Gott und hielten seine Zeugnisse 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 sondern wichen zurück und fielen ab wie ihre Väter; sie gingen fehl wie ein trügerischer 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 reizten ihn zum Zorn durch ihre Höhen und zur Eifersucht durch ihre Götzen.
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 entrüstete sich und verabscheute Israel sehr.
He saw what they were doing and became very angry, so he rejected the Israeli people.
60 Und er verließ seine Wohnung zu Silo, das Zelt, wo er unter den Menschen wohnte,
He no longer appeared to them at Shiloh in the tent where he had lived among them.
61 und gab seine Macht in Gefangenschaft und seine Herrlichkeit in Feindeshand,
He allowed their enemies to capture [the sacred chest], [which was the symbol of] his power and his glory.
62 und überlieferte sein Volk dem Schwert und war entrüstet über sein Erbe.
Because he was angry with his people, he allowed them to be killed [MTY] [by their enemies].
63 Seine Jünglinge hat das Feuer verzehrt, und seine Jungfrauen mußten ohne Brautlied bleiben.
Young men were killed in battles, with the result that the young women had no one to marry.
64 Seine Priester sind durchs Schwert gefallen, und seine Witwen konnten nicht weinen.
[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 der Herr wie ein Schlafender, wie ein Starker, der sich Mut zugetrunken.
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 zurück, ewige Schande fügte er ihnen zu.
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 erwählte nicht den Stamm Ephraim,
[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 erwählte den Stamm Juda, den Berg Zion, welchen er liebt.
Instead he chose [the area where] the tribe of Judah [lived]; he chose Zion Hill, which he loves.
69 Und er baute sein Heiligtum wie Himmelshöhen, 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 seinen Knecht David und nahm ihn von den Schafhürden weg.
He chose David, who served him [faithfully], and took him from the pastures
71 Da er den tragenden Schafen nachging, holte er ihn, daß er weiden sollte Jakob, sein Volk, und Israel, sein Erbe.
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 mit aller Treue seines Herzens und leitete sie mit geschickter Hand.
David took care of the Israeli people sincerely and wholeheartedly, and guided them skillfully/wisely.
