第 78 篇
上帝引導祂的子民
亞薩的訓誨詩。
1我的百姓啊！
你們要聽我的教導，
側耳傾聽我的話。
2我要開口講比喻，
道出古時的奧秘，
3是我們所聞所知、世代流傳下來的事。
4我們不要在子孫面前隱瞞事實，
要把耶和華當受稱頌的作為、
祂的權能和所行的奇事告訴下一代。
5因為祂為雅各制定法度，
為以色列設立律法，
又吩咐我們的祖先把這些律法傳給兒女，
6好讓他們也照樣教導自己的子孫後代，
世代相傳。
7這樣，他們就會信靠上帝，
遵行祂的命令，
不忘記祂的作為；
8也不會像自己的祖先那樣頑梗叛逆，
對上帝不忠，心懷二意。
9以法蓮人備上了弓箭，
卻臨陣逃命。
10他們不遵守上帝的約，
拒絕遵行祂的律法。
11他們忘記了祂的作為，
忘記了祂為他們所行的奇事。
12祂曾在埃及，在瑣安當著他們祖先的面行神蹟。
13祂把海水分開，
帶領他們安然渡過；
祂使海水堆起如牆壁。
14祂白天以雲柱帶領他們，
晚上用火柱引導他們。
15祂在曠野劈開磐石，
供應他們豐沛的水源。
16祂使水從磐石中滾滾流出，
如滔滔江河。
17然而，他們仍舊犯罪，
在曠野反叛至高的上帝。
18他們頑梗地試探上帝，
索要他們想吃的食物。
19他們抱怨上帝，說：
「難道上帝可以在曠野擺宴席嗎？
20祂擊打磐石，
水就湧出，流淌成河，
但祂能賜給我們——祂的子民食物和肉嗎？」
21耶和華聽後大怒，
祂的怒火燒向雅各，
祂的怒氣撒向以色列。
22因為他們不相信上帝，也不信靠祂的拯救。
23祂向穹蒼發出命令，
又打開天門，
24降下嗎哪給他們吃，賜下天糧。
25他們吃了天使的食物，
上帝賜給他們豐富的食物。
26祂使空中颳起東風，
用大能引來南風，
27使飛鳥像雨點一般降在他們當中，多如塵埃，
使他們有多如海沙的肉吃。
28祂使飛鳥降落在他們營中的帳篷周圍，
29讓他們盡情地吃，
遂了他們的心願。
30但是，他們還沒有吃完，
肉還在口中的時候，
31上帝就向他們發怒，
殺掉了他們當中最強壯的，
消滅了以色列的青年。
32即使如此，
他們依舊犯罪，
不相信上帝奇妙的作為。
33所以上帝使他們虛度一生，
讓他們的歲月充滿恐懼。
34直到上帝擊殺他們的時候，
他們才回轉，誠心尋求上帝。
35他們才想起上帝是他們的磐石，
至高的上帝是他們的救贖主。
36他們卻虛情假意，滿口謊言。
37他們不忠於祂，
也不信守祂的約。
38但上帝充滿憐憫，
赦免了他們的罪，
沒有毀滅他們。
祂多次收住怒氣，
沒有完全發出祂的烈怒。
39祂顧念他們不過是血肉之軀，
像一陣風轉眼消逝。
40他們在曠野屢屢反叛祂，
使祂傷心。
41他們再三試探上帝，
惹以色列的聖者發怒。
42他們忘記了祂的大能，
忘記了祂救他們脫離壓迫的日子，
43也忘記了祂在埃及所行的神蹟，
在瑣安的田野所行的奇事。
44祂曾使江河溪流變成血，
以致無人能喝。
45祂曾使成群的蒼蠅吞沒他們，
使青蛙毀滅他們。
46祂將他們的五穀賞給蚱蜢，
讓蝗蟲吃盡他們的收成。
47祂用冰雹毀壞他們的葡萄樹，
用嚴霜毀壞他們的無花果樹，
48又用冰雹毀滅他們的牛群，
用閃電毀滅他們的牲畜。
49祂把怒火、烈怒、憤恨和禍患傾倒在他們身上，
遣下一群降災的天使。
50祂的怒氣盡發，
使他們被瘟疫吞噬，難逃一死。
51祂擊殺了埃及人所有的長子，
就是含帳篷中頭生的兒子。
52祂領出自己的子民，
好像領出羊群，
引領他們經過曠野，
53使他們一路平安，免受驚嚇，
大海卻淹沒了他們的仇敵。
54祂帶領自己的子民來到聖地的邊界，
來到祂親手為他們預備的山區，
55從他們面前趕出外族人，
把外族人的土地分給他們，
作為他們的產業，
使以色列各支派安頓下來。
56可是，他們仍舊試探上帝，
反叛至高者，不遵行祂的法度。
57他們跟祖先一樣背信棄義，
像斷弓一樣毫不可靠。
58他們建造邱壇，惹祂發怒；
他們豎起神像，令祂憤怒。
59上帝知道了他們的惡行，
怒不可遏，
徹底棄絕了以色列人。
60祂離棄了設在示羅的聖幕，
就是祂在人間的居所。
61祂任憑自己的約櫃被人擄去，
讓自己的榮耀落在敵人手中。
62祂使自己的子民被刀劍殺戮，
向自己的產業大發怒氣。
63青年被烈火吞噬，
少女無法婚嫁。
64祭司喪身刀下，
寡婦無法哭喪。
65那時，主像從睡眠中醒來，
又如酒後醒來的勇士。
66祂擊退仇敵，
叫他們永遠蒙羞。
67祂丟棄了約瑟的子孫，
沒有揀選以法蓮支派。
68祂揀選了猶大支派，
祂所喜愛的錫安山。
69祂為自己建造高聳的聖所，
使它像大地一樣長存。
70祂揀選了祂的僕人大衛，
把他從羊圈中召來，
71讓他離開牧羊的生活，
去牧養祂的子民雅各的後裔，
牧養祂的產業以色列。
72於是，大衛以正直的心牧養他們，
用靈巧的手帶領他們。
Psalm 78
A maskil of Asaph.
1My people, listen to my teaching.
Pay attention to what I say.
2I will open my mouth and tell a story.
I will speak about things that were hidden.
They happened a long time ago.
3We have heard about them and we know them.
Our people who lived before us have told us about them.
4We won’t hide them from our children.
We will tell them to those who live after us.
We will tell them what the Lord has done that is worthy of praise.
We will talk about his power and the wonderful things he has done.
5He gave laws to the people of Jacob.
He gave Israel their law.
He commanded our people who lived before us
to teach his laws to their children.
6Then those born later would know his laws.
Even their children yet to come would know them.
And they in turn would tell their children.
7Then they would put their trust in God.
They would not forget what he had done.
They would obey his commands.
8They would not be like their people who lived long ago.
Those people were stubborn. They refused to obey God.
They turned away from him.
Their spirits were not faithful to him.
9The soldiers of Ephraim were armed with bows.
But they ran away on the day of battle.
10They didn’t keep the covenant God had made with them.
They refused to live by his law.
11They forgot what he had done.
They didn’t remember the wonders he had shown them.
12He did miracles right in front of their people who lived long ago.
At that time they were living in Egypt, in the area of Zoan.
13God parted the Red Sea and led them through it.
He made the water stand up like a wall.
14He guided them with the cloud during the day.
He led them with the light of a fire all night long.
15He broke the rocks open in the desert.
He gave them as much water as there is in the oceans.
16He brought streams out of a rocky cliff.
He made water flow down like rivers.
17But they continued to sin against him.
In the desert they refused to obey the Most High God.
18They were stubborn and tested God.
They ordered him to give them the food they wanted.
19They spoke against God. They said,
“Can God really put food on a table in the desert?
20It is true that he struck the rock, and streams of water poured out.
Huge amounts of water flowed down.
But can he also give us bread?
Can he supply meat for his people?”
21When the Lord heard what they said, he was very angry.
His anger broke out like fire against the people of Jacob.
He became very angry with Israel.
22That was because they didn’t believe in God.
They didn’t trust in his power to save them.
23But he gave a command to the skies above.
He opened the doors of the heavens.
24He rained down manna for the people to eat.
He gave them the grain of heaven.
25Mere human beings ate the bread of angels.
He sent them all the food they could eat.
26He made the east wind blow from the heavens.
By his power he caused the south wind to blow.
27He rained down meat on them like dust.
He sent them birds like sand on the seashore.
28He made the birds come down inside their camp.
The birds fell all around their tents.
29People ate until they couldn’t eat any more.
He gave them what they had wanted.
30But even before they had finished eating, God acted.
He did it while the food was still in their mouths.
31His anger rose up against them.
He put to death the strongest among them.
He struck down Israel’s young men.
32But even after all that, they kept on sinning.
Even after the wonderful things he had done, they still didn’t believe.
33So he brought their days to an end like a puff of smoke.
He ended their years with terror.
34Every time God killed some of them, the others would seek him.
They gladly turned back to him again.
35They remembered that God was their Rock.
They remembered that God Most High had set them free.
36But they didn’t mean it when they praised him.
They lied to him when they spoke.
37They turned away from him.
They weren’t faithful to the covenant he had made with them.
38But he was full of tender love.
He forgave their sins
and didn’t destroy his people.
Time after time he held back his anger.
He didn’t let all his burning anger blaze out.
39He remembered that they were only human.
He remembered they were only a breath of air
that drifts by and doesn’t return.
40How often they refused to obey him in the desert!
How often they caused him sorrow in that dry and empty land!
41Again and again they tested God.
They made the Holy One of Israel sad and angry.
42They didn’t remember his power.
They forgot the day he set them free
from those who had treated them so badly.
43They forgot how he had shown them his signs in Egypt.
They forgot his miracles in the area of Zoan.
44He turned the river of Egypt into blood.
The people of Egypt couldn’t drink water from their streams.
45He sent large numbers of flies that bit them.
He sent frogs that destroyed their land.
46He gave their crops to the grasshoppers.
He gave their food to the locusts.
47He destroyed their vines with hail.
He destroyed their fig trees with sleet.
48He killed their cattle with hail.
Their livestock were struck by lightning.
49Because he was so angry with Egypt, he caused them to have great trouble.
In his great anger he sent destroying angels against them.
50God prepared a path for his anger.
He didn’t spare their lives.
He gave them over to the plague.
51He killed the oldest son of each family in Egypt.
He struck down the oldest son in every house in the land of Ham.
52But he brought his people out like a flock.
He led them like sheep through the desert.
53He guided them safely, and they weren’t afraid.
But the Red Sea swallowed up their enemies.
54And so he brought his people to the border of his holy land.
He led them to the central hill country he had taken by his power.
55He drove out the nations to make room for his people.
He gave to each family a piece of land to pass on to their children.
He gave the tribes of Israel a place to make their homes.
56But they tested God.
They refused to obey the Most High God.
They didn’t keep his laws.
57They were like their people who lived long ago.
They turned away from him and were not faithful.
They were like a bow that doesn’t shoot straight.
They couldn’t be trusted.
58They made God angry by going to their high places.
They made him jealous by worshiping the statues of their gods.
59When God saw what the people were doing, he was very angry.
He turned away from them completely.
60He deserted the holy tent at Shiloh.
He left the tent he had set up among his people.
61He allowed the ark to be captured.
Into the hands of his enemies he sent the ark where his glory rested.
62He let his people be killed by swords.
He was very angry with them.
63Fire destroyed their young men.
Their young women had no one to marry.
64Their priests were killed by swords.
Their widows weren’t able to weep.
65Then the Lord woke up as if he had been sleeping.
He was like a warrior waking up from the deep sleep caused by wine.
66He drove back his enemies.
He put them to shame that will last forever.
67He turned his back on the tents of the people of Joseph.
He didn’t choose to live in the tribe of Ephraim.
68Instead, he chose to live in the tribe of Judah.
He chose Mount Zion, which he loved.
69There he built his holy place as secure as the heavens.
He built it to last forever, like the earth.
70He chose his servant David.
He took him from the sheep pens.
71He brought him from tending sheep
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob.
He made him the shepherd of Israel, his special people.
72David cared for them with a faithful and honest heart.
With skilled hands he led them.
