Sòm 78
1 Se yon chante Asaf. Pèp mwen yo, koute sa m'ap moutre nou! Louvri zòrèy nou pou n' tande sa m'ap di!
My friends, listen to what I am going to teach you; pay careful attention [IDM] to what I say.
2 Mwen pral pale ak nou, pou m' fè nou konnen sa ki te pase nan tan lontan,
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 bagay nou te tande nan zòrèy nou, bagay nou tout te konnen, bagay zansèt nou yo te konn rakonte nou.
things that we have heard and known previously, things that our parents and grandparents told us.
4 Nou p'ap kache bagay sa yo pou pitit nou yo pa konnen yo. N'ap fè lwanj Seyè a devan timoun k'ap vini yo. N'ap fè yo konnen jan l' gen pouvwa, jan l' gen fòs, jan li fè gwo mèvèy.
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 Li te di pèp Izrayèl la sa pou li fè. Li te bay pitit pitit Jakòb yo kòmandman li yo. Li te mande zansèt nou yo pou yo te moutre pitit yo lalwa Bondye a,
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 pou timoun ki fenk fèt yo ka konnen l', pou yo menm tou, lè yo grandi, yo ka fè pitit pa yo konnen l'.
in order that their children would [also] know them and then they would teach them to their children.
7 Konsa yo menm tou, y'a mete konfyans yo nan Bondye. Yo p'ap bliye sa li te fè. Y'a toujou obeyi kòmandman li yo.
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 Konsa yo p'ap tankou zansèt yo ki te fè tèt ak Bondye, ki te derefize fè sa li te mande yo fè, ki pa t' janm gen yon konfyans fèm nan Bondye, ki pa t' kenbe pawòl yo ak Bondye.
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 Pitit Efrayim yo se moun ki konn goumen, ki fò nan tire flèch. Men, yo kouri lè batay mare.
[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 Yo pa t' kenbe kontra Bondye te pase ak yo a. Yo derefize fè sa li te mande yo fè.
They did not do what they had agreed with God that they would do; they refused to obey his laws.
11 Yo fè espre, yo bliye sa li te fè, tout mèvèy li te fè yo wè.
They forgot what he had done; they forgot about the miracles that they had seen him perform.
12 Wi, se devan je zansèt yo Bondye te fè mirak nan peyi Lejip, nan plenn Zoan an.
While our ancestors were watching, God performed miracles in the area around Zoan [city] in Egypt.
13 Li fann lanmè a an de, li fè yo pase nan mitan l'. Li fè dlo yo kanpe dwat tankou miray.
[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 Pou l' moutre yo chemen pou yo pran, lajounen li ba yo yon nwaj, lannwit li ba yo yon dife ki t'ap mache devan yo.
He led them by a [bright] cloud during the day and by a fiery light during the night.
15 Li fann gwo wòch nan dezè a, li ba yo kont dlo pou yo bwè.
He split rocks open in the desert, giving to our ancestors plenty of water from deep inside the earth.
16 Li fè sous dlo pete nan wòch la, li fè dlo koule tankou dlo larivyè.
He caused a stream of water to flow from the rock; the water flowed like a river [DOU].
17 Men, yo pa t' sispann fè peche kont Bondye, yo revòlte dèyè Bondye ki anwo nan syèl la, lè yo te nan dezè a.
But [our ancestors] continued to sin against God; in the desert they rebelled against the one who is greater than any other god.
18 Yo te vle sonde Bondye: yo mande pou l' ba yo manje yo te vle manje a.
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 Yo pale Bondye mal, yo di: -Eske Bondye ka mete manje sou tab nan mitan dezè sa a?
They insulted God by saying, “We don’t think he can supply food for us [here] in this desert!
20 Wi, se vre. Li frape wòch la: Dlo koule kou larivyè. Men, èske li kapab ban nou pen? Eske li ka bay pèp li a vyann?
[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 Lè Seyè a tande sa, li fè kòlè. Se te tankou yon dife li te limen dèyè pitit Jakòb yo. Li vin ankòlè anpil sou yo,
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 paske yo pa t' gen konfyans nan Bondye, yo pa t' kwè li ta kapab delivre yo.
[He did that] because they did not trust in him, and they did not believe that he would rescue them.
23 Li pale ak nwaj yo ki anwo nan syèl la, li ba yo lòd pou yo louvri pòt syèl la.
But God spoke to the sky above them; he commanded it to open [like] a door,
24 Li grennen laman sou yo pou yo manje. Li ba yo manje farin ki soti nan syèl la.
and [then food] fell down like rain, [food which they named] ‘manna’; God gave them grain from (heaven/the sky).
25 Se konsa, yo manje manje zanj Bondye yo. Li ba yo manje pou yo manje plen vant yo.
[So] the people ate the food that angels eat, [and] God gave to them all the manna that they wanted.
26 Lèfini, li fè yon van lès soufle nan syèl la. Avèk pouvwa li, li fè yon van leve soti nan sid.
[Later], he caused the wind to blow from the east, and by his power he also sent wind from the south,
27 Li grennen vyann sou yo tankou pousyè. Li fè zwazo soti nan syèl la tonbe atè, tankou sab bò lanmè.
and the wind brought birds which were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.
28 Li fè yo tonbe nan mitan kote yo te rete a, tout bò kay yo.
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 Yo tout te manje plen vant yo. Bondye ba yo tou sa yo te anvi.
[So] the people [cooked the birds and] ate the meat and their stomachs were full, because God had given them what they wanted.
30 Men, yo pa t' ankò fin manje, yo pa t' ankò fin plen vant yo, manje a te nan bouch yo toujou,
But before they had eaten all that they wanted, and while they were still eating it,
31 lè Bondye fache sou yo. Li touye pi gwonèg nan mitan yo, li kraze tout jenn gason nan peyi Izrayèl la.
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 Atousa, pèp la donnen pi rèd nan fè peche. Yo pa t' vle kwè nan mirak sa yo.
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 Se konsa, li fè lavi yo disparèt tankou lafimen. Li sezi yo, yo mouri frèt.
So, he caused their lives to end as quickly as a puff of wind ends; they died when disasters suddenly struck them.
34 Li te fè detwa ladan yo mouri. Se lè sa a yo tounen vin jwenn li, yo chanje lavi yo, yo lapriyè nan pye li.
When God caused [some of] them to die, [the others] turned to God; they repented and earnestly asked God [to save them].
35 Yo vin chonje se Bondye ki te pwoteksyon yo. Se Bondye anwo nan syèl la ki te delivre yo.
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 Men, tout bèl pawòl sa yo, se te manti. Tou sa yo t'ap di a, se te pawòl nan bouch.
But they [tried to] deceive God by what they said [MTY]; their words [MTY] were [all] lies.
37 Yo pa t' sensè avè li, yo pa t' kenbe kontra li te pase ak yo.
They were not loyal to him; they disregarded/ignored the agreement that he had made with them.
38 Men, paske Bondye te gen pitye pou yo, li padonnen peche yo, li pa t' touye yo. Anpil fwa menm, li kenbe, li pa t' fè kòlè sou yo. Li pa t' kite kòlè l' tonbe sou yo.
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 Li chonje se moun yo ye, se pase y'ap pase tankou van k'ap soufle.
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 Men, se pa ni de ni twa fwa yo te leve dèyè li nan dezè a! Se pa ni de ni twa fwa yo te fè l' fè kòlè!
Many times our ancestors rebelled against God in the desert and caused him to become very sad.
41 Se tout tan yo t'ap tante Seyè a! Se tout tan yo t'ap pwovoke Bondye pèp Izrayèl la, ki yon Bondye apa!
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 Yo bliye jan li gen pouvwa. Yo bliye lè li te sove yo anba lènmi yo,
They forgot about his [great] power, and they (forgot/did not think) about the time when he rescued them from their enemies.
43 lè li te fè gwo mirak ak bèl mèvèy nan peyi Lejip, nan plenn Zoan an.
They forgot about when he performed many miracles in the area near Zoan [city] in Egypt.
44 Li fè dlo larivyè yo tounen san. Pesonn pa t' ka bwè dlo sa yo.
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 Li voye mouchavè sou yo pou devore yo. Li voye krapo pou detwi yo.
He sent among the people of Egypt swarms of flies that bit them, and he sent frogs that ate up everything.
46 Li voye krikèt vèt pou manje rekòt yo, chwalbwa pou devore tout jaden yo.
He sent locusts to eat their crops and the other things that grew in their fields.
47 Li touye pye rezen yo ak lagrèl, li touye pye sikomò yo ak fredi.
He sent hail that destroyed the grapevines, and sent frost that ruined the figs.
48 Li touye tout bèt jaden nan savann yo ak lagrèl, li touye bann mouton yo ak loray.
He sent hail that killed their cattle and sent lightning that killed their sheep and cows.
49 Li te ankòlè anpil sou yo, li te move, li te fache. Li fè anpil malè tonbe sou yo. Li voye yon lame zanj pou detwi yo.
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 Li kite kòlè l' pase sou yo, li pa t' sove lavi yo yonn. Li lage yon epidemi ki t'ap fini ak yo.
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 Li touye tout premye pitit gason ki nan peyi Lejip la, tout premye pitit gason nan laras Kam lan.
He also caused all the firstborn sons of the people of Egypt to die.
52 Lèfini, tankou yon bann mouton, li mennen pèp li ale, li kondi yo nan mitan dezè a.
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 Li mennen yo san danje san malè. Yo pa t' bezwen pè anyen. Men, lanmè a te kouvri tout lènmi yo.
He led them safely, and they were not afraid, but their enemies were drowned in the sea.
54 Li fè yo rive sou fwontyè peyi li te chwazi pou li a, toupre mòn li te pran ak fòs kouraj li a.
[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 Li mete lòt nasyon yo deyò pou bay pèp li a plas. Li separe tè a, li bay chak branch fanmi Izrayèl la pa yo. Li kite yo moute kay yo kote lènmi yo te rete.
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 Men, yo kenbe tèt ak Bondye ki gen tout pouvwa a. Yo t'ap wè jouk ki bò li te ye ak yo: Yo pa fè sa li te mande yo fè!
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 Yo pa kenbe pawòl yo. Yo vire do ba li tankou zansèt yo te fè. Yo pati sou move pye, yo mal derape.
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 Yo fè l' fache paske yo bati tanp pou lòt bondye yo, yo pòte l' fè jalouzi poutèt vye zidòl yo.
Because they [worshiped] carved images of their gods on the tops of hills, they caused God to become angry [DOU].
59 Bondye fache lè li wè sa. Se konsa li voye pèp Izrayèl la jete.
He saw what they were doing and became very angry, so he rejected the Israeli people.
60 Li kite kay li te genyen Silo a, kote li t'ap viv pami moun sou latè a.
He no longer appeared to them at Shiloh in the tent where he had lived among them.
61 Li kite lènmi yo pran Bwat Kontra a, ki te garanti pouvwa li ak fòs li nan mitan yo, li kite yo pote l' ale.
He allowed their enemies to capture [the sacred chest], [which was the symbol of] his power and his glory.
62 Li te fache nèt sou pèp li a, li kite lènmi touye yo nan lagè.
Because he was angry with his people, he allowed them to be killed [MTY] [by their enemies].
63 Jenn gason yo mouri nan dife. Jenn fi yo pa jwenn pesonn pou marye ak yo.
Young men were killed in battles, with the result that the young women had no one to marry.
64 Tout prèt yo mouri anba kout nepe. Vèv yo pa t' kriye pou yo.
[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 Se lè sa a Seyè a leve, tankou si li t'ap leve nan dòmi. Li parèt tankou yon vanyan gason ki anba gwòg li.
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 Li frape lènmi yo, li fè yo kouri. Li fè yo wont pou tout tan.
He pushed their enemies back and caused them to be [very] ashamed for a long time [HYP] [because they had been defeated].
67 Li voye pitit Jozèf yo jete, li pa t' chwazi branch fanmi Efrayim lan.
[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 Li chwazi branch fanmi Jida a pito, ansanm ak mòn Siyon li renmen anpil lan.
Instead he chose [the area where] the tribe of Judah [lived]; he chose Zion Hill, which he loves.
69 Se la li bati tanp li a ki pòtre ak kay li nan syèl la. Li fè l' solid tankou latè, pou tout tan.
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 Li te chwazi David, yon moun ki t'ap sèvi l'. Li wete l' dèyè mouton li t'ap okipe yo,
He chose David, who served him [faithfully], and took him from the pastures
71 dèyè manman mouton ki gen pitit dèyè yo, li fè l' wa sou pitit Jakòb yo. Li mete l' gadò pèp Izrayèl la.
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 David pran swen yo ak tout kè li. Li kondi yo avèk anpil ladrès.
David took care of the Israeli people sincerely and wholeheartedly, and guided them skillfully/wisely.
