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 veda Israēlu
1 Pateicieties Tam Kungam, piesauciet Viņa Vārdu, sludiniet tautu starpā Viņa darbus! 2 Dziediet Viņam, spēlējiet Viņam, stāstiet par visiem Viņa brīnuma darbiem! 3 Slavējiet Viņa svēto Vārdu! Lai priecājas visu sirdis, kas meklē To Kungu! 4 Meklējiet To Kungu un Viņa spēku, vienumēr meklējiet Viņa vaigu! 5 Pieminiet Viņa brīnuma darbus, ko Viņš darījis, Viņa zīmes un Viņa mutes spriedumus, 6 jūs, Ābrahāma, Viņa kalpa, dzimums, jūs, Jēkaba bērni, Dieva izredzētie! 7 Viņš, Tas Kungs, ir mūsu Dievs; Viņa tiesas lēmumi iet pār visu zemi. 8 Viņš neaizmirst Savu derību nemūžam, to vārdu, ko Viņš tūkstošiem dzimumiem devis, 9 to derību, ko Viņš slēdzis ar Ābrahāmu, un Savu zvērestu, ko Viņš devis Īzākam, 10 ko Viņš arī Jēkabam par likumu apstiprinājis un par mūžīgu derību Israēlam, 11 kad Viņš teica:"Tev Es došu Kānaāna zemi kā jūsu mantojuma tiesu!" 12 Toreiz ļaužu bija nedaudz, pavisam maz, un viņi bija svešinieki tai zemē. 13 Viņi staigāja no vienas tautas pie otras, no vienas valsts pie otras valsts ļaudīm. 14 Bet Viņš neļāva nevienam viņus apspiest un sodīja pat ķēniņus viņu dēļ: 15 "Neaizskariet Manus svaidītos un nedariet ļauna Maniem praviešiem!" 16 Kad bads uznāca tajā zemē un izbeidzās viss maizes krājums, 17 Viņš sūtīja viņiem pa priekšu vienu vīru, Jāzepu, ko pārdeva par vergu, 18 viņa kājas lika siekstā un viņu pašu iekala dzelzīs, 19 kamēr viņa paredzējums piepildījās un Tā Kunga vārds to apliecināja. 20 Kēniņš sūtīja un lika atraisīt viņu, tautu valdnieks viņu atsvabināja, 21 viņš iecēla viņu par kungu savam namam un par valdnieku visai savai mantai, 22 lai tas valda pār viņa lielkungiem pēc sava prāta un māca viņa vecajiem gudrību. 23 Tā Israēls nonāca Ēģiptes zemē, un Jēkabs dzīvoja kā svešinieks Hama zemē. 24 Tad Dievs lika Saviem ļaudīm pieaugt skaitā un darīja viņus varenākus nekā viņu pretiniekus. 25 Viņš pārveidoja viņu sirdis, lai viņi sāktu ienīst Viņa tautu un uzbrukt ar viltu Viņa kalpiem. 26 Tad viņš sūtīja Mozu, Savu kalpu, un Āronu, ko Viņš bija izraudzījis. 27 Tie darīja brīnuma zīmes viņu starpā un brīnumus Hama zemē. 28 Viņš sūtīja tumsu, diena satumsa pavisam; tomēr viņi nepiegrieza vērību Viņa vārdam. 29 Viņš pārvērta visus viņu ūdeņus asinīs, visas zivis aizgāja bojā. 30 Viņu zeme mudžēja no vardēm līdz pat ķēniņa pils telpām. 31 Viņš runāja, tad nāca kukaiņi, utis visās viņu robežās. 32 Viņš deva viņiem krusu lietus vietā un sūtīja uguns liesmas viņu zemē. 33 Viņš sasita viņu vīna kokus un vīģu kokus un nopostīja visus kokus viņu zemē. 34 Viņš runāja, tad nāca siseņi un vaboles bez skaita 35 un noēda visu zāli viņu zemē, apēda visus zemes augļus. 36 Tad Viņš nokāva visus pirmdzimtos viņu zemē, viņu pirmo spēku, 37 un izveda Savus ļaudis ar visu sudrabu un zeltu, un neviena gurdena nebija viņu ciltīs. 38 Ēģipte priecājās par viņu aiziešanu, jo bailes no viņiem to bija pārņēmušas. 39 Padebesi Viņš deva viņiem par segu un uguni naktī par gaismu. 40 Tad Mozus lūdza, un Dievs sūtīja viņiem paipalas un paēdināja viņus ar debesu maizi. 41 Viņš pāršķēla klinti, tad iztecēja ūdens un plūda pa tuksnesi straumēm, 42 jo Viņš atcerējās Savu svēto vārdu un Savu kalpu Ābrahāmu. 43 Tā Viņš izveda Savu tautu ar prieku un ar gavilēm Savus izredzētos, 44 un deva viņiem citu tautu zemi, lai viņi to iegūst un pārņem sev par īpašumu, 45 lai turētu godā Dieva likumus un pildītu Viņa baušļus. Alelujā!
