Psalmorum 78
1 Intellectus Asaph. Attendite popule meus legem meam: inclinate aurem vestram in verba oris mei.
My friends, listen to what I am going to teach you; pay careful attention [IDM] to what I say.
2 Aperiam in parabolis os meum: loquar propositiones ab initio.
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 Quanta audivimus et cognovimus ea: et patres nostri narraverunt nobis.
things that we have heard and known previously, things that our parents and grandparents told us.
4 Non sunt occultata a filiis eorum, in generatione altera. Narrantes laudes Domini, et virtutes eius, et mirabilia eius quæ fecit.
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 Et suscitavit testimonium in Iacob: et legem posuit in Israel. Quanta mandavit patribus nostris nota facere ea filiis suis:
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 ut cognoscat generatio altera. Filii qui nascentur, et exurgent, et narrabunt filiis suis,
in order that their children would [also] know them and then they would teach them to their children.
7 Ut ponant in Deo spem suam, et non obliviscantur operum Dei: et mandata eius exquirant.
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 Ne fiant sicut patres eorum: generatio prava et exasperans. Generatio, quæ non direxit cor suum: et non est creditus cum Deo spiritus eius.
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 Filii Ephrem intendentes et mittentes arcum: conversi sunt in die belli.
[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 Non custodierunt testamentum Dei, et in lege eius noluerunt ambulare.
They did not do what they had agreed with God that they would do; they refused to obey his laws.
11 Et obliti sunt benefactorum eius, et mirabilium eius quæ ostendit eis.
They forgot what he had done; they forgot about the miracles that they had seen him perform.
12 Coram patribus eorum fecit mirabilia in terra Ægypti, in campo Taneos.
While our ancestors were watching, God performed miracles in the area around Zoan [city] in Egypt.
13 Interrupit mare, et perduxit eos: et statuit aquas quasi in utre.
[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 Et deduxit eos in nube diei: et tota nocte in illuminatione ignis.
He led them by a [bright] cloud during the day and by a fiery light during the night.
15 Interrupit petram in eremo: et adaquavit eos velut in abysso multa.
He split rocks open in the desert, giving to our ancestors plenty of water from deep inside the earth.
16 Et eduxit aquam de petra: et deduxit tamquam flumina aquas.
He caused a stream of water to flow from the rock; the water flowed like a river [DOU].
17 Et apposuerunt adhuc peccare ei: in iram excitaverunt Excelsum in inaquoso.
But [our ancestors] continued to sin against God; in the desert they rebelled against the one who is greater than any other god.
18 Et tentaverunt Deum in cordibus suis: ut peterent escas animabus suis.
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 Et male locuti sunt de Deo: dixerunt: Numquid poterit Deus parare mensam in deserto?
They insulted God by saying, “We don’t think he can supply food for us [here] in this desert!
20 Quoniam percussit petram, et fluxerunt aquæ, et torrentes inundaverunt. Numquid et panem poterit dare, aut parare mensam populo suo?
[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 Ideo audivit Dominus, et distulit: et ignis accensus est in Iacob, et ira ascendit in 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 Quia non crediderunt in Deo, nec speraverunt in salutari eius:
[He did that] because they did not trust in him, and they did not believe that he would rescue them.
23 Et mandavit nubibus desuper, et ianuas cæli aperuit.
But God spoke to the sky above them; he commanded it to open [like] a door,
24 Et pluit illis manna ad manducandum, et panem cæli dedit eis.
and [then food] fell down like rain, [food which they named] ‘manna’; God gave them grain from (heaven/the sky).
25 Panem angelorum manducavit homo: cibaria misit eis in abundantia.
[So] the people ate the food that angels eat, [and] God gave to them all the manna that they wanted.
26 Transtulit Austrum de cælo: et induxit in virtute sua Africum.
[Later], he caused the wind to blow from the east, and by his power he also sent wind from the south,
27 Et pluit super eos sicut pulverem carnes, et sicut arenam maris volatilia pennata.
and the wind brought birds which were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.
28 Et ceciderunt in medio castrorum eorum: circa tabernacula eorum.
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 Et manducaverunt et saturati sunt nimis, et desiderium eorum attulit eis:
[So] the people [cooked the birds and] ate the meat and their stomachs were full, because God had given them what they wanted.
30 non sunt fraudati a desiderio suo. Adhuc escæ eorum erant in ore ipsorum,
But before they had eaten all that they wanted, and while they were still eating it,
31 et ira Dei ascendit super eos. Et occidit pingues eorum, et electos Israel impedivit.
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 In omnibus his peccaverunt adhuc: et non crediderunt in mirabilibus eius.
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 Et defecerunt in vanitate dies eorum: et anni eorum cum festinatione.
So, he caused their lives to end as quickly as a puff of wind ends; they died when disasters suddenly struck them.
34 Cum occideret eos, quærebant eum: et revertebantur, et diluculo veniebant ad eum.
When God caused [some of] them to die, [the others] turned to God; they repented and earnestly asked God [to save them].
35 Et rememorati sunt quia Deus adiutor est eorum: et Deus excelsus redemptor eorum est.
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 Et dilexerunt eum in ore suo, et lingua sua mentiti sunt ei:
But they [tried to] deceive God by what they said [MTY]; their words [MTY] were [all] lies.
37 Cor autem eorum non erat rectum cum eo: nec fideles habiti sunt in testamento eius.
They were not loyal to him; they disregarded/ignored the agreement that he had made with them.
38 Ipse autem est misericors, et propitius fiet peccatis eorum: et non disperdet eos. Et abundavit ut averteret iram suam: et non accendit omnem iram suam:
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 Et recordatus est quia caro sunt: spiritus vadens, et non rediens.
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 Quoties exacerbaverunt eum in deserto, in iram concitaverunt eum in inaquoso?
Many times our ancestors rebelled against God in the desert and caused him to become very sad.
41 Et conversi sunt, et tentaverunt Deum: et sanctum Israel exacerbaverunt.
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 Non sunt recordati manus eius, die qua redemit eos de manu tribulantis,
They forgot about his [great] power, and they (forgot/did not think) about the time when he rescued them from their enemies.
43 Sicut posuit in Ægypto signa sua, et prodigia sua in campo Taneos.
They forgot about when he performed many miracles in the area near Zoan [city] in Egypt.
44 Et convertit in sanguinem flumina eorum, et imbres eorum, ne biberent.
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 Misit in eos cœnomyiam, et comedit eos: et ranam, et disperdidit eos.
He sent among the people of Egypt swarms of flies that bit them, and he sent frogs that ate up everything.
46 Et dedit ærugini fructus eorum: et labores eorum locustæ.
He sent locusts to eat their crops and the other things that grew in their fields.
47 Et occidit in grandine vineas eorum: et moros eorum in pruina.
He sent hail that destroyed the grapevines, and sent frost that ruined the figs.
48 Et tradidit grandini iumenta eorum: et possessionem eorum igni.
He sent hail that killed their cattle and sent lightning that killed their sheep and cows.
49 Misit in eos iram indignationis suæ: indignationem, et iram, et tribulationem: immissiones per angelos malos.
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 Viam fecit semitæ iræ suæ, non pepercit a morte animabus eorum: et iumenta eorum in morte conclusit.
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 Et percussit omne primogenitum in terra Ægypti: primitias omnis laboris eorum in tabernaculis Cham.
He also caused all the firstborn sons of the people of Egypt to die.
52 Et abstulit sicut oves populum suum: et perduxit eos tamquam gregem in deserto.
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 Et deduxit eos in spe, et non timuerunt: et inimicos eorum operuit mare.
He led them safely, and they were not afraid, but their enemies were drowned in the sea.
54 Et induxit eos in montem sanctificationis suæ, montem, quem acquisivit dextera eius. Et eiecit a facie eorum Gentes: et sorte divisit eis terram in funiculo distributionis.
[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 Et habitare fecit in tabernaculis eorum tribus Israel.
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 Et tentaverunt, et exacerbaverunt Deum excelsum: et testimonia eius non custodierunt.
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 Et averterunt se, et non servaverunt pactum: quemadmodum patres eorum, conversi sunt in arcum pravum.
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 In iram concitaverunt eum in collibus suis: et in sculptilibus suis ad æmulationem eum provocaverunt.
Because they [worshiped] carved images of their gods on the tops of hills, they caused God to become angry [DOU].
59 Audivit Deus, et sprevit: et ad nihilum redegit valde Israel.
He saw what they were doing and became very angry, so he rejected the Israeli people.
60 Et repulit tabernaculum Silo, tabernaculum suum, ubi habitavit in hominibus.
He no longer appeared to them at Shiloh in the tent where he had lived among them.
61 Et tradidit in captivitatem virtutem eorum: et pulchritudinem eorum in manus inimici.
He allowed their enemies to capture [the sacred chest], [which was the symbol of] his power and his glory.
62 Et conclusit in gladio populum suum: et hereditatem suam sprevit.
Because he was angry with his people, he allowed them to be killed [MTY] [by their enemies].
63 Iuvenes eorum comedit ignis: et virgines eorum non sunt lamentatæ.
Young men were killed in battles, with the result that the young women had no one to marry.
64 Sacerdotes eorum in gladio ceciderunt: et viduæ eorum non plorabantur.
[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 Et excitatus est tamquam dormiens Dominus, tamquam potens crapulatus a vino.
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 Et percussit inimicos suos in posteriora: opprobrium sempiternum dedit illis.
He pushed their enemies back and caused them to be [very] ashamed for a long time [HYP] [because they had been defeated].
67 Et repulit tabernaculum Ioseph: et tribum Ephraim non elegit:
[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 Sed elegit tribum Iuda, montem Sion quem dilexit.
Instead he chose [the area where] the tribe of Judah [lived]; he chose Zion Hill, which he loves.
69 Et ædificavit sicut unicornium sanctificium suum in terra, quam fundavit in sæcula.
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 Et elegit David servum suum, et sustulit eum de gregibus ovium: de post fœtantes accepit eum.
He chose David, who served him [faithfully], and took him from the pastures
71 Pascere Iacob servum suum, et Israel hereditatem suam:
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 Et pavit eos in innocentia cordis sui: et in intellectibus manuum suarum deduxit eos.
David took care of the Israeli people sincerely and wholeheartedly, and guided them skillfully/wisely.
