¹(En Maskil af Asaf.) Lyt, mit folk til min lære, bøj eders øre til ord fra min Mund;

¹An Instruction of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings of my mouth.

²jeg vil åbne min Mund med Billedtale, fremsætte Gåder fra fordums Tid,

²I open with a simile my mouth, I bring forth hidden things of old,

³hvad vi har hørt og ved, hvad vore Fædre har sagt os;

³That we have heard and do know, And our fathers have recounted to us.

⁴vi dølger det ikke for deres Børn, men melder en kommende Slægt om HERRENs Ære og Vælde og Underne, som han har gjort.

⁴We do not hide from their sons, To a later generation recounting praises of Jehovah, And His strength, and His wonders that He hath done.

⁵Han satte et Vidnesbyrd i Jakob, i Israel gav han en Lov, idet han bød vore Fædre at lade deres Børn det vide,

⁵And He raiseth up a testimony in Jacob, And a law hath placed in Israel, That He commanded our fathers, To make them known to their sons.

⁶at en senere Slægt kunde vide det, og Børn, som fødtes siden, stå frem og fortælle deres Børn derom,

⁶So that a later generation doth know, Sons who are born, do rise and recount to their sons,

⁷så de slår deres Lid til Gud og ikke glemmer Guds Gerninger, men overholder hans Bud,

⁷And place in God their confidence, And forget not the doings of God, But keep His commands.

⁸ej slægter Fædrene på, en vanartet, stridig Slægt, hvis Hjerte ikke var fast, hvis Ånd var utro mod Gud

⁸And they are not like their fathers, A generation apostate and rebellious, A generation! it hath not prepared its heart, Nor stedfast with God [is] its spirit.

⁹- Efraims Børn var rustede Bueskytter, men svigted på Stridens Dag -

⁹Sons of Ephraim — armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.

¹⁰Gudspagten holdt de ikke, de nægtede at følge hans Lov;

¹⁰They have not kept the covenant of God, And in His law they have refused to walk,

¹¹hans Gerninger gik dem ad Glemme, de Undere, han lod dem skue.

¹¹And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He shewed them.

¹²Han gjorde Undere for deres Fædre i Ægypten på Zoans Mark;

¹²Before their fathers He hath done wonders, In the land of Egypt — the field of Zoan.

¹³han kløvede Havet og førte dem over, lod Vandet stå som en Vold;

¹³He cleft a sea, and causeth them to pass over, Yea, He causeth waters to stand as a heap.

¹⁴han ledede dem ved Skyen om Dagen, Natten igennem ved Ildens Skær;

¹⁴And leadeth them with a cloud by day, And all the night with a light of fire.

¹⁵han kløvede Klipper i Ørkenen, lod dem rigeligt drikke som af Strømme,

¹⁵He cleaveth rocks in a wilderness, And giveth drink — as the great deep.

¹⁶han lod Bække rinde af Klippen og Vand strømme ned som Floder.

¹⁶And bringeth out streams from a rock, And causeth waters to come down as rivers.

¹⁷Men de blev ved at synde imod ham og vække den Højestes Vrede i Ørkenen;

¹⁷And they add still to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.

¹⁸de fristede Gud i Hjertet og krævede Mad til at stille Sulten,

¹⁸And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.

¹⁹de talte mod Gud og sagde: "Kan Gud dække Bord i en Ørken?

¹⁹And they speak against God — they said: `Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?`

²⁰Se, Klippen slog han, så Vand flød frem, og Bække vælded ud; mon han også kan give Brød og skaffe kød til sit Folk?"

²⁰Lo, He hath smitten a rock, And waters flow, yea, streams overflow. `Also — bread [is] He able to give? Doth He prepare flesh for His people?`

²¹Det hørte HERREN, blev vred, der tændtes en Ild mod Jakob, ja Vrede kom op mod Israel,

²¹Therefore hath Jehovah heard, And He sheweth Himself wroth, And fire hath been kindled against Jacob, And anger also hath gone up against Israel,

²²fordi de ikke troede Gud eller stolede på hans Frelse.

²²For they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation.

²³Da bød han Skyerne oventil, lod Himlens Døre åbne

²³And He commandeth clouds from above, Yea, doors of the heavens He hath opened.

²⁴og Manna regne på dem til Føde, han gav dem Himmelkorn;

²⁴And He raineth on them manna to eat, Yea, corn of heaven He hath given to them.

²⁵Mennesker spiste Englebrød, han sendte dem Mad at mætte sig med.

²⁵Food of the mighty hath each eaten, Venison He sent to them to satiety.

²⁶Han rejste Østenvinden på Himlen, førte Søndenvinden frem ved sin Kraft;

²⁶He causeth an east wind to journey in the heavens, And leadeth by His strength a south wind,

²⁷Kød lod han regne på dem som Støv og vingede Fugle som Havets Sand,

²⁷And He raineth on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas — winged fowl,

²⁸lod dem falde midt i sin Lejr, rundt omkring sine Boliger;

²⁸And causeth [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Round about His tabernacles.

²⁹Og de spiste sig overmætte, hvad de ønskede, lod han dem få.

²⁹And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And their desire He bringeth to them.

³⁰Men før deres Attrå var stillet, mens Maden var i deres Mund,

³⁰They have not been estranged from their desire, Yet [is] their food in their mouth,

³¹rejste Guds Vrede sig mod dem; han vog deres kraftige Mænd, fældede Israels Ynglinge.

³¹And the anger of God hath gone up against them, And He slayeth among their fat ones, And youths of Israel He caused to bend.

³²Og dog blev de ved at synde og troede ej på hans Undere.

³²With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.

³³Da lod han deres Dage svinde i Tomhed og endte brat deres År.

³³And He consumeth in vanity their days, And their years in trouble.

³⁴Når han vog dem, søgte de ham, vendte om og spurgte om Gud,

³⁴If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and sought God earnestly,

³⁵kom i Hu, at Gud var deres Klippe, Gud den Allerhøjeste deres Genløser.

³⁵And they remember that God [is] their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.

³⁶De hyklede for ham med Munden, løj for ham med deres Tunge;

³⁶And — they deceive Him with their mouth, And with their tongue do lie to Him,

³⁷deres Hjerter holdt ikke fast ved ham, hans Pagt var de ikke tro.

³⁷And their heart hath not been right with Him, And they have not been stedfast in His covenant.

³⁸Og dog er han barmhjertig, han tilgiver Misgerning, lægger ej øde, hans Vrede lagde sig Gang på Gang, han lod ikke sin Harme fuldt bryde frem;

³⁸And He — the Merciful One, Pardoneth iniquity, and destroyeth not, And hath often turned back His anger, And waketh not up all His fury.

³⁹han kom i Hu, de var Kød, et Pust, der svinder og ej vender tilbage.

³⁹And He remembereth that they [are] flesh, A wind going on — and it returneth not.

⁴⁰Hvor tit stod de ham ikke imod i Ørkenen og voldte ham Sorg i det øde Land!

⁴⁰How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?

⁴¹De fristede alter Gud, de krænkede Israels Hellige;

⁴¹Yea, they turn back, and try God, And the Holy One of Israel have limited.

⁴²hans Hånd kom de ikke i Hu, de Dag han friede dem fra Fjenden,

⁴²They have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.

⁴³da han gjorde sine Tegn i Ægypten, sine Undere på Zoans Mark,

⁴³When He set His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan,

⁴⁴forvandlede deres Floder til Blod, så de ej kunde drikke af Strømmene,

⁴⁴And He turneth to blood their streams, And their floods they drink not.

⁴⁵sendte Myg imod dem, som åd dem, og Frøer, som lagde dem øde,

⁴⁵He sendeth among them the beetle, and it consumeth them, And the frog, and it destroyeth them,

⁴⁶gav Æderen, hvad de avlede, Græshoppen al deres Høst,

⁴⁶And giveth to the caterpillar their increase, And their labour to the locust.

⁴⁷slog deres Vinstokke ned med Hagl, deres Morbærtræer med Frost,

⁴⁷He destroyeth with hail their vine, And their sycamores with frost,

⁴⁸prisgav Kvæget for Hagl og deres Hjorde for Lyn.

⁴⁸And delivereth up to the hail their beasts, And their cattle to the burning flames.

⁴⁹Han sendte sin Vredesglød mod dem, Harme, Vrede og Trængsel, en Sendefærd af Ulykkesengle;

⁴⁹He sendeth on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress — A discharge of evil messengers.

⁵⁰frit Løb gav han sin Vrede, skånede dem ikke for Døden, gav deres Liv til Pris for Pest;

⁵⁰He pondereth a path for His anger, He kept not back their soul from death, Yea, their life to the pestilence He delivered up.

⁵¹alt førstefødt i Ægypten slog han, Mandskraftens Førstegrøde i Kamiternes Telte,

⁵¹And He smiteth every first-born in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.

⁵²lod sit Folk bryde op som en Hjord, ledede dem som Kvæg i Ørkenen,

⁵²And causeth His people to journey as a flock, And guideth them as a drove in a wilderness,

⁵³ledede dem trygt, uden Frygt, mens Havet lukked sig over deres Fjender;

⁵³And He leadeth them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And their enemies hath the sea covered.

⁵⁴han bragte dem til sit hellige Land, de Bjerge, hans højre vandt,

⁵⁴And He bringeth them in unto the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had got,

⁵⁵drev Folkeslag bort foran dem, udskiftede ved Lod deres Land og lod Israels Stammer bo i deres Telte.

⁵⁵And casteth out nations from before them, And causeth them to fall in the line of inheritance, And causeth the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents,

⁵⁶Dog fristed og trodsede de Gud den Allerhøjeste og overholdt ikke hans Vidnesbyrd;

⁵⁶And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And His testimonies have not kept.

⁵⁷de faldt fra, var troløse som deres Fædre, svigtede som en slappet Bue,

⁵⁷And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,

⁵⁸de krænkede ham med deres Offerhøje, æggede ham med deres Gudebilleder.

⁵⁸And make Him angry with their high places, And with their graven images make Him zealous,

⁵⁹Det hørte Gud og blev vred følte højlig Lede ved Israel;

⁵⁹God hath heard, and sheweth Himself wroth. And kicketh exceedingly against Israel.

⁶⁰han opgav sin Bolig i Silo, det Telt, hvor han boede blandt Mennesker;

⁶⁰And He leaveth the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,

⁶¹han gav sin Stolthed i Fangenskab, sin Herlighed i Fjendehånd,

⁶¹And He giveth His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,

⁶²prisgav sit Folk for Sværdet, blev vred på sin Arvelod;

⁶²And delivereth up to the sword His people, And with His inheritance shewed Himself angry.

⁶³Ild fortærede dets unge Mænd, dets Jomfruer fik ej Bryllupssange,

⁶³His young men hath fire consumed, And His virgins have not been praised.

⁶⁴dets Præster faldt for Sværdet, dets Enker holdt ikke Klagefest.

⁶⁴His priests by the sword have fallen, And their widows weep not.

⁶⁵Da vågnede Herren som en, der har sovet, som en Helt, der er døvet af Vin;

⁶⁵And the Lord waketh as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.

⁶⁶han slog sine Fjender på Ryggen, gjorde dem evigt til Skamme.

⁶⁶And He smiteth His adversaries backward, A reproach age-during He hath put on them,

⁶⁷Men han fik Lede ved Josefs Telt, Efraims Stamme udvalgte han ikke;

⁶⁷And He kicketh against the tent of Joseph, And on the tribe of Ephraim hath not fixed.

⁶⁸han udvalgte Judas Stamme, Zions Bjerg, som han elsker;

⁶⁸And He chooseth the tribe of Judah, With mount Zion that He loved,

⁶⁹han byggede sit Tempel himmelhøjt, grundfæstede det evigt som Jorden.

⁶⁹And buildeth His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it to the age.

⁷⁰Han udvalgte David, sin Tjener, og tog ham fra Fårenes Folde,

⁷⁰And He fixeth on David His servant, And taketh him from the folds of a flock,

⁷¹hentede ham fra de diende Dyr til at vogte Jakob, hans Folk, Israel, hans Arvelod;

⁷¹From behind suckling ones He hath brought him in, To rule over Jacob His people, And over Israel His inheritance.

⁷²han vogtede dem med oprigtigt Hjerte, ledede dem med kyndig Hånd.

⁷²And he ruleth them according to the integrity of his heart, And by the skilfulness of his hands leadeth them!