Israels Gud—historiens Gud
1En visdomssang af Asaf.
Mit folk, lyt til min belæring,
hør nøje efter, hvad jeg siger.
2Jeg vil tale i billeder,
fortælle om det, der har været skjult fra verdens begyndelse.
3Det er vore forfædres historier,
som er fortalt gennem mange generationer.
4Vi vil fortælle dem til vore børn,
som igen skal give dem videre til nye generationer.
De skal også høre om Herrens magt,
om de forunderlige ting, han har gjort.
5Han gav sine love til Jakobs slægt,
åbenbarede sin vilje for sit folk, Israel.
Han befalede vore forfædre
at undervise deres børn derom,
6så den næste generation ville vide besked,
så selv de børn, som endnu ikke var født,
til sin tid kunne belære deres børn,
7for at hvert slægtled må have tillid til Gud,
huske hans vældige gerninger
og adlyde hans befalinger,
8så de ikke bliver som deres forfædre,
der var stædige og oprørske,
som ikke vendte deres hjerte til Gud,
men var troløse og ulydige mod ham.
9Efraims krigere var udrustet med buer,
men flygtede alligevel i kampens hede.
10De overholdt ikke pagten med Gud,
og de nægtede at følge hans lov.
11De glemte, hvad Gud havde gjort,
alle de store undere, han havde udført.
12Han gjorde mirakler for deres forfædre,
da de kom fra Zoans slette i Egypten.
13Han delte havet og førte dem igennem,
vandet stod som en vold på begge sider.
14Om dagen ledte han dem ved en sky,
om natten var der en søjle af ild.
15Han kløvede ørkenens klipper
og skaffede masser af vand.
16En kilde sprang frem fra klippen,
så vandet flød som en flod.
17Men de fortsatte deres oprør mod Gud,
de vakte den Almægtiges vrede i ørkenen.
18De provokerede Gud med vilje,
forlangte deres egyptiske livretter.
19De fornærmede Gud ved at sige:
„Kan Gud dække bord i ørkenen?
20Han slog ganske vist på klippen,
så vandet strømmede ud.
Men kan han give os brød?
Kan han skaffe kød til sit folk?”
21Da Gud hørte det, blev han vred.
Hans vrede blussede op imod Israel,
22for de havde ikke tillid til deres Gud.
De troede ikke på, at han kunne tage sig af dem.
23Men han gav befaling til skyerne
og åbnede himlens sluser.
24Han lod det regne ned over dem med manna,
han gav dem brød fra himlen at spise.
25Han gav dem englemad,
så de havde rigeligt at spise.
26Han lod østenvinden fare hen over himlen,
styrede søndenvinden med sin mægtige hånd,
27lod kød hagle ned over dem,
fugle så talrige som sandkornene på stranden.
28Han lod dem falde ned midt i lejren,
de lå rundt omkring imellem teltene.
29Folket spiste sig overmætte,
Gud tilfredsstillede deres grådighed.
30Men mens de endnu havde munden fuld,
blev deres grådighed straffet.
31De blev ramt af Herrens vrede,
han dræbte deres stærkeste mænd,
gjorde det af med de bedste krigere.
32Alligevel blev de ved med at synde,
til trods for hans mægtige undere.
33Derfor dræbte han folk i deres bedste alder,
de blev alle grebet af rædsel.
34Når han dræbte en stor del af dem,
søgte resten tilbage til ham.
De angrede og vendte sig igen til Gud.
35Så huskede de, at Gud var deres redning,
den almægtige Gud var deres befrier.
36Men de dyrkede kun Gud med deres ord,
deres lovprisning var ikke andet end løgn.
37Deres hjerter var langt fra Gud,
de holdt ikke fast ved hans pagt.
38Alligevel var Gud barmhjertig,
han tilgav deres synd og udslettede dem ikke.
Ofte holdt han sin vrede tilbage,
lod ikke sit raseri få frit løb.
39Han vidste jo, at de kun var mennesker,
de var som et vindpust, der farer forbi.
40Hvor ofte gjorde de ikke oprør i ørkenen?
De vakte hans vrede og voldte ham sorg.
41De provokerede deres Gud gang på gang,
de var ulydige mod Israels Herre.
42De glemte hans underfulde kraft,
som befriede dem fra fjendens tyranni.
43De glemte, hvordan han sendte plager over egypterne,
gjorde mægtige undere på Zoans slette.
44Han forvandlede floderne til blod,
så vandet ikke kunne drikkes.
45Han sendte insekter, som stak dem,
et mylder af frøer, som ødelagde deres land.
46Han gav deres afgrøde til græshopperne,
hele deres høst blev ædt op.
47Han ødelagde deres vinstokke med hagl,
deres figentræer med den iskolde regn.
48Deres kvæg bukkede under for haglene,
deres får blev ramt af lynene.
49Han udøste sin vrede over dem,
sendte ødelæggelsen ind over dem.
50Han gav sin vrede frit løb
og sparede ikke egypternes liv,
men gjorde dem til ofre for de mange plager.
51Han dræbte alle Egyptens førstefødte,
symbolet på hver eneste families frugtbarhed.
52Men han førte sit eget folk i frihed,
ledte dem som en fåreflok gennem ørkenen.
53Han ledte dem frem i sikkerhed,
mens deres fjender blev begravet i havet.
54Han førte dem til det forjættede land,
det bjergland, han havde lovet at give dem.
55Han drev folkeslag bort foran dem,
han uddelte landet til dem ved lodkastning,
så Israels stammer kunne bosætte sig der.
56Men de trodsede igen den almægtige Gud,
de adlød ikke hans befalinger.
57De var troløse som deres forfædre og vendte sig bort,
de svigtede deres Gud som en bue, der er skæv.
58De krænkede ham med deres afgudsbilleder,
æggede ham med deres offerhøje.
59Gud så deres opførsel og blev meget vred,
han følte en stærk lede ved sit folk.
60Han forlod sin helligdom i Shilo,
hvor han havde lovet at bo blandt sit folk.
61Han tillod, at arken blev taget som bytte,
overgav symbolet på sin herlighed til fjenden.
62Han lod mange blive dræbt i krig,
for han var vred på sit udvalgte folk.
63De tapre krigere døde i deres ungdom,
de unge piger havde ingen at gifte sig med.
64Præsterne blev myrdet af fjendens soldater,
enkerne fik ikke lov at synge klagesange.
65Da rejste Herren sig som af søvne,
som en rasende kriger, der har fået for meget at drikke.
66Han drev fjenderne på flugt,
voldte dem et nederlag, der aldrig blev glemt.
67Men han forkastede Efraims krigere,
de der var efterkommere af Josef.
68I stedet valgte han Judas stamme,
og besluttede sig for Zions bjerg.
69Dér byggede han sin prægtige helligdom
på et fundament, som varer til evig tid.
70Han udvalgte sin tjener David,
som ikke var andet end en fårehyrde.
71Han fjernede ham fra faderens får
og gjorde ham til konge i Israel,
til hyrde for sit udvalgte folk.
72David blev en god og retfærdig konge,
han ledte folket med kyndig hånd.
Psalm 78
A maskilTitle: Probably a literary or musical term of Asaph.
1My people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
2I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
3things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.
4We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
5He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
6so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
7Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.
8They would not be like their ancestors—
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
whose spirits were not faithful to him.
9The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,
turned back on the day of battle;
10they did not keep God’s covenant
and refused to live by his law.
11They forgot what he had done,
the wonders he had shown them.
12He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors
in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
13He divided the sea and led them through;
he made the water stand up like a wall.
14He guided them with the cloud by day
and with light from the fire all night.
15He split the rocks in the wilderness
and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16he brought streams out of a rocky crag
and made water flow down like rivers.
17But they continued to sin against him,
rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
18They willfully put God to the test
by demanding the food they craved.
19They spoke against God;
they said, “Can God really
spread a table in the wilderness?
20True, he struck the rock,
and water gushed out,
streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
Can he supply meat for his people?”
21When the Lord heard them, he was furious;
his fire broke out against Jacob,
and his wrath rose against Israel,
22for they did not believe in God
or trust in his deliverance.
23Yet he gave a command to the skies above
and opened the doors of the heavens;
24he rained down manna for the people to eat,
he gave them the grain of heaven.
25Human beings ate the bread of angels;
he sent them all the food they could eat.
26He let loose the east wind from the heavens
and by his power made the south wind blow.
27He rained meat down on them like dust,
birds like sand on the seashore.
28He made them come down inside their camp,
all around their tents.
29They ate till they were gorged—
he had given them what they craved.
30But before they turned from what they craved,
even while the food was still in their mouths,
31God’s anger rose against them;
he put to death the sturdiest among them,
cutting down the young men of Israel.
32In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;
in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.
33So he ended their days in futility
and their years in terror.
34Whenever God slew them, they would seek him;
they eagerly turned to him again.
35They remembered that God was their Rock,
that God Most High was their Redeemer.
36But then they would flatter him with their mouths,
lying to him with their tongues;
37their hearts were not loyal to him,
they were not faithful to his covenant.
38Yet he was merciful;
he forgave their iniquities
and did not destroy them.
Time after time he restrained his anger
and did not stir up his full wrath.
39He remembered that they were but flesh,
a passing breeze that does not return.
40How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness
and grieved him in the wasteland!
41Again and again they put God to the test;
they vexed the Holy One of Israel.
42They did not remember his power—
the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,
43the day he displayed his signs in Egypt,
his wonders in the region of Zoan.
44He turned their river into blood;
they could not drink from their streams.
45He sent swarms of flies that devoured them,
and frogs that devastated them.
46He gave their crops to the grasshopper,
their produce to the locust.
47He destroyed their vines with hail
and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48He gave over their cattle to the hail,
their livestock to bolts of lightning.
49He unleashed against them his hot anger,
his wrath, indignation and hostility—
a band of destroying angels.
50He prepared a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death
but gave them over to the plague.
51He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt,
the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.
52But he brought his people out like a flock;
he led them like sheep through the wilderness.
53He guided them safely, so they were unafraid;
but the sea engulfed their enemies.
54And so he brought them to the border of his holy land,
to the hill country his right hand had taken.
55He drove out nations before them
and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance;
he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.
56But they put God to the test
and rebelled against the Most High;
they did not keep his statutes.
57Like their ancestors they were disloyal and faithless,
as unreliable as a faulty bow.
58They angered him with their high places;
they aroused his jealousy with their idols.
59When God heard them, he was furious;
he rejected Israel completely.
60He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,
the tent he had set up among humans.
61He sent the ark of his might into captivity,
his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
62He gave his people over to the sword;
he was furious with his inheritance.
63Fire consumed their young men,
and their young women had no wedding songs;
64their priests were put to the sword,
and their widows could not weep.
65Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.
66He beat back his enemies;
he put them to everlasting shame.
67Then he rejected the tents of Joseph,
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
68but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which he loved.
69He built his sanctuary like the heights,
like the earth that he established forever.
70He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheep pens;
71from tending the sheep he brought him
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of Israel his inheritance.
72And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
with skillful hands he led them.
