God and His People
(1 Chronicles 16.8-22)1 Give thanks to the Lord,
proclaim his greatness;
tell the nations what he has done.
2 Sing praise to the Lord;
tell the wonderful things he has done.
3 Be glad that we belong to him;
let all who worship him rejoice.
4 Go to the Lord for help;
and worship him continually.
5-6 You descendants of Abraham, his servant;
you descendants of Jacob, the man he chose:
remember the miracles that God performed
and the judgments that he gave.
7 The Lord is our God;
his commands are for all the world.
8 He will keep his covenant forever,
his promises for a thousand generations.
9 He will keep the agreement he made with Abraham
and his promise to Isaac.
10 The Lord made a covenant with Jacob,
one that will last forever.
11 “I will give you the land of Canaan,” he said.
“It will be your own possession.”
12 God's people were few in number,
strangers in the land of Canaan.
13 They wandered from country to country,
from one kingdom to another.
14 But God let no one oppress them;
to protect them, he warned the kings:
15 “Don't harm my chosen servants;
do not touch my prophets.”
16 The Lord sent famine to their country
and took away all their food.
17 But he sent a man ahead of them,
Joseph, who had been sold as a slave.
18 His feet were kept in chains,
and an iron collar was around his neck,
19 until what he had predicted came true.
The word of the Lord proved him right.
20 Then the king of Egypt had him released;
the ruler of nations set him free.
21 He put him in charge of his government
and made him ruler over all the land,
22 with power over the king's officials
and authority to instruct his advisers.
23 Then Jacob went to Egypt
and settled in that country.
24 The Lord gave many children to his people
and made them stronger than their enemies.
25 He made the Egyptians hate his people
and treat his servants with deceit.
26 Then he sent his servant Moses,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27 They did God's mighty acts
and performed miracles in Egypt.
28 God sent darkness on the country,
but the Egyptians did not obey his command.
29 He turned their rivers into blood
and killed all their fish.
30 Their country was overrun with frogs;
even the palace was filled with them.
31 God commanded, and flies and gnats
swarmed throughout the whole country.
32 He sent hail and lightning on their land
instead of rain;
33 he destroyed their grapevines and fig trees
and broke down all the trees.
34 He commanded, and the locusts came,
countless millions of them;
35 they ate all the plants in the land;
they ate all the crops.
36 He killed the first-born sons
of all the families of Egypt.
37 Then he led the Israelites out;
they carried silver and gold,
and all of them were healthy and strong.
38 The Egyptians were afraid of them
and were glad when they left.
39 God put a cloud over his people
and a fire at night to give them light.
40 They asked, and he sent quails;
he gave them food from heaven to satisfy them.
41 He opened a rock, and water gushed out,
flowing through the desert like a river.
42 He remembered his sacred promise
to Abraham his servant.
43 So he led his chosen people out,
and they sang and shouted for joy.
44 He gave them the lands of other peoples
and let them take over their fields,
45 so that his people would obey his laws
and keep all his commands.
Praise the Lord!
Kā Dievs vadīja Israēlu
(2Moz 7:8–11:101L 16:8–22)1 Pateicieties Kungam, piesauciet viņa vārdu,
pavēstiet tautām viņa darbus,
2 dziediet viņam, spēlējiet viņa slavai,
izstāstiet visus viņa brīnumus!
3 Lepojieties ar viņa svēto vārdu!
Lai priecājas sirdis tiem, kas meklē Kungu!
4 Alkstiet Kunga un viņa spēka,
viņa klātieni meklējiet vienmēr!
5 Atcerieties brīnumus, ko viņš darījis,
viņa zīmes, tiesas, ko viņš spriedis,
6 jūs, viņa kalpa Ābrahāma dzimums,
Jēkaba dēli, viņa izredzētie!
7 Viņš ir Kungs, mūsu Dievs, viņš tiesā visu zemi!
8 Viņš mūžam atcerēsies derību, ko slēdzis,
vārdu, ko devis, – uz tūkstoš audzēm! –
9 ko viņš noslēdzis ar Ābrahāmu,
ko viņš Īzakam apzvērējis,
10 ko viņš cēlis Jēkabam par likumu,
par mūžīgu derību Israēlam,
11 teikdams: tev es došu Kanaāna zemi,
jums tā būs mantojuma daļa!
12 Kad viņu vēl bija maz,
tik piemājotāji tanī zemē,
13 kad tie staigāja no vienas tautas pie otras,
no vienas valsts atkal citos ļaudīs,
14 tad nevienam viņš tos neļāva apspiest
un aprāja ķēniņus viņu dēļ:
15 neaiztieciet manus svaidītos
un maniem praviešiem nedariet ļauna! –
16 Kad viņš tai zemei uzsūtīja badu
un salauza ik labības stiebru,
17 viņš sūtīja kādu vīru viņiem pa priekšu –
Jāzepu, kuru pārdeva verdzībā.
18 Viņa kājas iekala važās,
dzelzi aplika viņam ap kaklu,
19 līdz piepildījās, ko viņš bija teicis, –
ko Kungs bija teicis, tas attaisnoja viņu!
20 Ķēniņš sūtīja viņu atbrīvot,
tautu valdnieks atlaida viņu,
21 lika savam namam par kungu,
visai savai mantai par valdītāju –
22 lai rīko augstmaņus, kā tīk,
un vecajos gudrībā māca.
23 Tad Israēls nāca uz Ēģipti
un Jēkabs piemita Hāma zemē.
24 Viņš savu tautu darīja tik auglīgu,
ka to tapa vairāk par viņu naidniekiem –
25 tiem viņš sagrozīja sirdis, lai nīst viņa tautu,
lai vērpj viltu pret viņa kalpiem.
26 Viņš sūtīja Mozu, savu kalpu,
un Āronu, kuru viņš izredzējis,
27 lai sludina viņa zīmes starp tiem
un brīnumus Hāma zemē.
28 Viņš sūtīja tumsu, lai paliek tumšs, –
vai tie nesacēlās pret viņa vārdu?!
29 Viņš tiem pārvērta ūdeņus asinīs un nonāvēja zivis.
30 Mudžēja vardes to zemē – viņu ķēniņu iekštelpās!
31 Viņš teica, un nāca mušas un knišļi visās robežās.
32 Viņš deva tiem lietus vietā krusu,
uguns liesmas viņu zemē,
33 un sita to vīnakokus un vīģes kokus,
un aplauza kokus to robežās,
34 viņš teica, un nāca siseņi un kāpuri bez skaita,
35 apēda visu zāli to zemē un apēda viņu zemes augļus.
36 Viņš sita visus pirmdzimtos to zemē –
pirmo no it visa, ko viņu spēks bija devis.
37 Bet savai tautai viņš ļāva aiziet ar sudrabu un zeltu –
neviena tizla viņa ciltīs!
38 Priecājās Ēģipte, viņiem aizejot,
jo bailes no viņiem tai bija uzkritušas!
39 Viņš izpleta mākoni par apsegu
un uguni gaismai naktī.
40 Tie lūdza, un viņš sūtīja paipalas
un debesu maizi tiem deva līdz sātam.
41 Viņš atvēra klinti – un šļācās ūdens,
plūda izkaltušā zemē kā upe.
42 Viņš neaizmirsa savu svēto solījumu
savam kalpam Ābrahāmam,
43 un līksmu viņš veda savu tautu,
un gavilēja viņa izredzētie,
44 viņš tiem atdeva tautu zemes,
un tie iemantoja cilšu pūliņus,
45 ka turētu viņa likumus
un viņa bauslību ņemtu vērā.
Slavējiet Kungu!
