Psalm 78
1 Ein Maskil Asaphs. Vernimm, mein Volk, meine Unterweisung, neigt euer Ohr den Worten 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 Sprüchen aufthun, will Rätsel aus der Vorzeit verkünden.
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 erfahren, und was unsere Väter uns erzählt haben,
things that we have heard and known previously, things that our parents and grandparents told us.
4 wollen wir ihren Kindern nicht verhehlen, indem wir dem nachfolgenden Geschlechte die ruhmwürdigen Thaten Jahwes erzählen und seine Macht und die Wunder, die er gethan hat.
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 Er stellte ein Zeugnis in Jakob auf und gab eine Weisung in Israel, indem er unseren Vätern gebot, sie ihren Söhnen kundzuthun,
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 nachkommende Geschlecht sie erführe, die Söhne, die geboren würden, damit sie aufträten und ihren Söhnen davon erzählten,
in order that their children would [also] know them and then they would teach them to their children.
7 damit sie auf Gott ihr Vertrauen setzten und der großen Thaten Gottes nicht vergäßen und seine Gebote hielten
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 wie ihre Väter würden, ein abtrünniges und widerspenstiges Geschlecht, ein Geschlecht, das nicht festes Sinnes war, und dessen Geist nicht treulich an Gott hielt.
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 Söhne Ephraims, die Bogengerüsteten, kehrten am Tage des Kampfes um.
[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 hielten 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 Sie vergaßen seine großen Thaten und seine Wunder, die er sie hatte schauen lassen.
They forgot what he had done; they forgot about the miracles that they had seen him perform.
12 Vor ihren Vätern hatte er Wunder gethan in Ägypten, im Gefilde von Zoan.
While our ancestors were watching, God performed miracles in the area around Zoan [city] in Egypt.
13 Er spaltete das Meer und ließ sie hindurchgehn und stellte 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 Er leitete sie tagsüber mit der Wolke, die ganze Nacht hindurch mit feurigem Schein.
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 Fluten in Fülle.
He split rocks open in the desert, giving to our ancestors plenty of water from deep inside the earth.
16 Er ließ Bäche aus dem Felsen hervorgehn und Wasser in Strömen herabfließen.
He caused a stream of water to flow from the rock; the water flowed like a river [DOU].
17 Dennoch sündigten sie weiter gegen ihn, indem sie sich in der Wüste gegen den Höchsten empörten.
But [our ancestors] continued to sin against God; in the desert they rebelled against the one who is greater than any other god.
18 Sie versuchten Gott in ihrem Herzen, indem sie Speise für ihr Gelüsten forderten.
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 Sie redeten wider Gott und sprachen: “Kann wohl Gott in der Wüste einen Tisch anrichten?
They insulted God by saying, “We don’t think he can supply food for us [here] in this desert!
20 “Wohl schlug er den Felsen, daß Wasser strömten, und Bäche sich ergossen; “vermag er wohl auch Brot zu geben oder seinem Volke Fleisch zu 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 Jahwe das hörte, entrüstete er sich, und Feuer entzündete sich wider Jakob, und Zorn stieg herauf 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 Gotte nicht glaubten und auf seine Hilfe nicht 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 Thüren des Himmels,
But God spoke to the sky above them; he commanded it to open [like] a door,
24 ließ Manna auf sie regnen, daß sie zu essen hätten, und verlieh ihnen Himmelskorn.
and [then food] fell down like rain, [food which they named] ‘manna’; God gave them grain from (heaven/the sky).
25 Engelbrot hatte jedermann zu essen; er sandte ihnen Zehrung in Fülle.
[So] the people ate the food that angels eat, [and] God gave to them all the manna that they wanted.
26 Er ließ den Ostwind am Himmel aufbrechen und führte durch seine Stärke 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 Er ließ Fleisch auf sie regnen wie Staub und beflügelte Vögel wie Sand am Meer.
and the wind brought birds which were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.
28 Mitten in sein Lager ließ er sie fallen, rings um seine 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 gründlich satt, und er befriedigte ihr Gelüst.
[So] the people [cooked the birds and] ate the meat and their stomachs were full, because God had given them what they wanted.
30 Noch hatten sie sich ihres Gelüstes nicht entschlagen - sie hatten ihre Speise noch im Mund -
But before they had eaten all that they wanted, and while they were still eating it,
31 da stieg der Zorn Gottes über sie herauf und würgte unter ihren Fetten und streckte die Jünglinge Israels nieder.
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 dahinschwinden und ihre Jahre in bestürzender Schnelle.
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 würgte, so fragten sie nach ihm und wendeten sich zurück 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 gedachten daran, daß Gott ihr Fels und Gott, der Höchste, ihr Erlöser sei.
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 Sie beschwatzten ihn mit ihrem Munde und logen ihm mit ihrer Zunge;
But they [tried to] deceive God by what they said [MTY]; their words [MTY] were [all] lies.
37 aber ihr Sinn war ihm gegenüber nicht fest, und sie hielten nicht treulich an seinem Bund,
They were not loyal to him; they disregarded/ignored the agreement that he had made with them.
38 während doch er barmherzig war, Schuld vergab und sie nicht vertilgte, gar oft von seinem Zorn abließ und nicht seinen ganzen Grimm aufbot.
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 gedachte daran, daß sie Fleisch seien, ein Hauch, der dahinfährt und nicht wiederkommt.
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 gegen ihn in der Wüste, betrübten sie ihn in der Einöde!
Many times our ancestors rebelled against God in the desert and caused him to become very sad.
41 Immer wieder versuchten sie Gott 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 gedachten nicht an seine gewaltige Hand, an den Tag, da er sie vom Feinde befreit hatte,
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 in Ägypten hinstellte und seine Wunder im Gefilde von Zoan.
They forgot about when he performed many miracles in the area near Zoan [city] in Egypt.
44 Denn er verwandelte ihre Ströme in Blut und ihre Bäche, damit sie nicht trinken könnten.
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 Er sandte Hundsfliegen gegen sie, die fraßen sie, und Frösche, die verderbten sie.
He sent among the people of Egypt swarms of flies that bit them, and he sent frogs that ate up everything.
46 Er gab ihr Gewächs dem Ungeziefer preis und was sie erarbeitet, der Heuschrecke.
He sent locusts to eat their crops and the other things that grew in their fields.
47 Er erschlug ihre Weinstöcke mit Hagel und ihre Maulbeerfeigenbäume mit Schloßen.
He sent hail that destroyed the grapevines, and sent frost that ruined the figs.
48 Er gab ihr Vieh dem Hagel preis und ihre Herden den Blitzen.
He sent hail that killed their cattle and sent lightning that killed their sheep and cows.
49 Er entsandte wider sie die Glut seines Zorns, Wut und Grimm und Drangsal, eine Schar 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 Er ließ seinem Zorne freien Lauf, entzog ihre Seele nicht dem Tod und überlieferte ihr Leben der Pest.
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 Er schlug alle Erstgeburt in Ägypten, die Erstlinge der Manneskraft in den Zelten 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 in der Wüste wie eine Herde.
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 Er führte sie sicher, und sie brauchten sich nicht zu fürchten; ihre Feinde aber bedeckte das Meer.
He led them safely, and they were not afraid, but their enemies were drowned in the sea.
54 Er brachte sie in sein heiliges Gebiet, zu dem Berge, den seine Rechte erworben hatte.
[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 Er vertrieb vor ihnen Völker, verloste ihr Land zum erblichen Besitz 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 Gott, den Höchsten, und empörten sich gegen ihn und hielten seine Gebote 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 Sie wandten sich ab und waren treulos wie ihre Väter, wandelten sich, 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 Sie erzürnten ihn mit ihren Höhen und erregten seinen Eifer durch ihre Bilder.
Because they [worshiped] carved images of their gods on the tops of hills, they caused God to become angry [DOU].
59 Da Gott das vernahm, entrüstete er sich und verwarf Israel völlig.
He saw what they were doing and became very angry, so he rejected the Israeli people.
60 Er gab die Wohnung zu Silo preis, 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 ließ seine Macht in die Gefangenschaft wandern und seine Zier in die Gewalt des Feindes.
He allowed their enemies to capture [the sacred chest], [which was the symbol of] his power and his glory.
62 Er gab sein Volk dem Schwerte preis und entrüstete sich über sein Besitztum.
Because he was angry with his people, he allowed them to be killed [MTY] [by their enemies].
63 Seine Jünglinge fraß das Feuer, und seine Jungfrauen blieben ohne Hochzeitslied.
Young men were killed in battles, with the result that the young women had no one to marry.
64 Seine Priester fielen durch das Schwert, und seine Witwen hielten keine Totenklage.
[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 Held, der vom Weine besiegt ward.
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 Schmach brachte er über sie.
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, den er liebgewonnen.
Instead he chose [the area where] the tribe of Judah [lived]; he chose Zion Hill, which he loves.
69 Und er baute so fest wie die Himmelshöhen sein Heiligtum, wie die Erde, die er für die Ewigkeit 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 Er erwählte seinen Knecht David und nahm ihn von den Schafhürden hinweg.
He chose David, who served him [faithfully], and took him from the pastures
71 Von den säugenden Schafen holte er ihn weg, daß er sein Volk Jakob weide und Israel, sein Besitztum.
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 in Herzenseinfalt und führte sie mit kluger Hand.
David took care of the Israeli people sincerely and wholeheartedly, and guided them skillfully/wisely.
