诗篇 77
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
患难中的安慰
亚萨的诗，照耶杜顿的做法，交给乐长。
77 我呼求上帝，我高声呼求，
上帝垂听我的祷告。
2 我在困境中寻求主。
我整夜举手祷告，
我的心无法得到安慰。
3 我思想上帝，发出哀叹；
我默想，心灵疲惫不堪。（细拉）
4 你使我无法合眼，
我心乱如麻，默然无语。
5 我回想从前的日子，
那久远的岁月，
6 想起自己夜间所唱的歌。
我沉思默想，扪心自问：
7 “难道主要永远丢弃我，
不再恩待我了吗？
8 难道祂的慈爱永远消逝了吗？
祂的应许永远落空了吗？
9 难道上帝已忘记施恩，
在愤怒中收回了祂的慈爱吗？”（细拉）
10 于是我说：“我感到悲伤的是，
至高者已不再彰显大能。”
11 耶和华啊，我要回想你的作为，
回想你从前所行的奇事。
12 我要默想你所行的一切事，
思想你一切大能的作为。
13 上帝啊，你的作为全然圣洁，
有哪个神明像你一样伟大？
14 你是行奇事的上帝，
你在列邦中彰显你的大能。
15 你以大能救赎了你的子民，
就是雅各和约瑟的后代。（细拉）
16 上帝啊，海水看见你就战栗，
深渊看见你就颤抖。
17 云层倒出雨水，
天上雷霆霹雳，电光四射。
18 旋风中传来你的雷声，
你的闪电照亮世界，
大地颤抖震动。
19 你的道路穿越海洋，经过洪涛，
但你的足迹无人看见。
20 你借着摩西和亚伦的手引领你的子民，
如同牧人引领羊群。
詩篇 77
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
患難中的安慰
亞薩的詩，照耶杜頓的做法，交給樂長。
77 我呼求上帝，我高聲呼求，
上帝垂聽我的禱告。
2 我在困境中尋求主。
我整夜舉手禱告，
我的心無法得到安慰。
3 我思想上帝，發出哀歎；
我默想，心靈疲憊不堪。（細拉）
4 你使我無法合眼，
我心亂如麻，默然無語。
5 我回想從前的日子，
那久遠的歲月，
6 想起自己夜間所唱的歌。
我沉思默想，捫心自問：
7 「難道主要永遠丟棄我，
不再恩待我了嗎？
8 難道祂的慈愛永遠消逝了嗎？
祂的應許永遠落空了嗎？
9 難道上帝已忘記施恩，
在憤怒中收回了祂的慈愛嗎？」（細拉）
10 於是我說：「我感到悲傷的是，
至高者已不再彰顯大能。」
11 耶和華啊，我要回想你的作為，
回想你從前所行的奇事。
12 我要默想你所行的一切事，
思想你一切大能的作為。
13 上帝啊，你的作為全然聖潔，
有哪個神明像你一樣偉大？
14 你是行奇事的上帝，
你在列邦中彰顯你的大能。
15 你以大能救贖了你的子民，
就是雅各和約瑟的後代。（細拉）
16 上帝啊，海水看見你就戰慄，
深淵看見你就顫抖。
17 雲層倒出雨水，
天上雷霆霹靂，電光四射。
18 旋風中傳來你的雷聲，
你的閃電照亮世界，
大地顫抖震動。
19 你的道路穿越海洋，經過洪濤，
但你的足跡無人看見。
20 你藉著摩西和亞倫的手引領你的子民，
如同牧人引領羊群。
Psalm 77
New English Translation
Psalm 77[a]
For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of Asaph.
77 I will cry out to God[b] and call for help.
I will cry out to God and he will pay attention[c] to me.
2 In my time of trouble I sought[d] the Lord.
I kept my hand raised in prayer throughout the night.[e]
I[f] refused to be comforted.
3 I said, “I will remember God while I groan;
I will think about him while my strength leaves me.”[g] (Selah)
4 You held my eyelids open;[h]
I was troubled and could not speak.[i]
5 I thought about the days of old,
about ancient times.[j]
6 I said, “During the night I will remember the song I once sang;
I will think very carefully.”
I tried to make sense of what was happening.[k]
7 I asked,[l] “Will the Lord reject me forever?
Will he never again show me his favor?
8 Has his loyal love disappeared forever?
Has his promise[m] failed forever?
9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has his anger stifled his compassion?” (Selah)
10 Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought
that the Most High[n] might become inactive.[o]
11 I will remember the works of the Lord.
Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago.[p]
12 I will think about all you have done;
I will reflect upon your deeds.”
13 [q] O God, your deeds are extraordinary.[r]
What god can compare to our great God?[s]
14 You are the God who does amazing things;
you have revealed your strength among the nations.
15 You delivered[t] your people by your strength[u]—
the children of Jacob and Joseph. (Selah)
16 The waters[v] saw you, O God,
the waters saw you and trembled.[w]
Yes, the depths of the sea[x] shook with fear.[y]
17 The clouds poured down rain;[z]
the skies thundered.[aa]
Yes, your arrows[ab] flashed about.
18 Your thunderous voice was heard in the wind;
the lightning bolts lit up the world.
The earth trembled and shook.[ac]
19 You walked through the sea;[ad]
you passed through the surging waters,[ae]
but left no footprints.[af]
20 You led your people like a flock of sheep,
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Footnotes
- Psalm 77:1 sn Psalm 77. The psalmist recalls how he suffered through a time of doubt, but tells how he found encouragement and hope as he recalled the way in which God delivered Israel at the Red Sea.
- Psalm 77:1 tn Heb “my voice to God.” The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qaraʾ, “to call out; to cry out”) should probably be understood by ellipsis (see Ps 3:4) both here and in the following (parallel) line.
- Psalm 77:1 tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive is best taken as future here (although some translations render this as a past tense; cf. NEB, NIV). The psalmist expresses his confidence that God will respond to his prayer. This mood of confidence seems premature (see vv. 3-4), but v. 1 probably reflects the psalmist’s attitude at the end of the prayer (see vv. 13-20). Having opened with an affirmation of confidence, he then retraces how he gained confidence during his trial (see vv. 2-12).
- Psalm 77:2 tn Here the psalmist refers back to the very recent past, when he began to pray for divine help.
- Psalm 77:2 tn Heb “my hand [at] night was extended and was not growing numb.” The verb נָגַר (nagar), which can mean “flow” in certain contexts, here has the nuance “be extended.” The imperfect form (תָפוּג, tafug, “to be numb”) is used here to describe continuous action in the past.
- Psalm 77:2 tn Or “my soul.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
- Psalm 77:3 tn Heb “I will remember God and I will groan, I will reflect and my spirit will grow faint.” The first three verbs are cohortatives, the last a perfect with vav (ו) consecutive. The psalmist’s statement in v. 4 could be understood as concurrent with v. 1, or, more likely, as a quotation of what he had said earlier as he prayed to God (see v. 2). The words “I said” are supplied in the translation at the beginning of the verse to reflect this interpretation (see v. 10).
- Psalm 77:4 tn Heb “you held fast the guards of my eyes.” The “guards of the eyes” apparently refers to his eyelids. The psalmist seems to be saying that God would not bring him relief, which would have allowed him to shut his eyes and get some sleep (see v. 2).
- Psalm 77:4 tn The imperfect is used in the second clause to emphasize that this was an ongoing condition in the past.
- Psalm 77:5 tn Heb “the years of antiquity.”
- Psalm 77:6 tn Heb “I will remember my song in the night, with my heart I will reflect. And my spirit searched.” As in v. 4, the words of v. 6a are understood as what the psalmist said earlier. Consequently the words “I said” are supplied in the translation for clarification (see v. 10). The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive at the beginning of the final line is taken as sequential to the perfect “I thought” in v. 6.
- Psalm 77:7 tn As in vv. 4 and 6a, the words of vv. 7-9 are understood as a quotation of what the psalmist said earlier. Therefore the words “I asked” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Psalm 77:8 tn Heb “word,” which may refer here to God’s word of promise (note the reference to “loyal love” in the preceding line).
- Psalm 77:10 sn The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
- Psalm 77:10 tc Heb “And I said, ‘This is my wounding, the changing of the right hand of the Most High.’” The form חַלּוֹתִי (khalloti) appears to be a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלַל (khalal, “to pierce; to wound”). The present translation assumes an emendation to חֲלוֹתִי (khaloti), a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbחָלָה (khalah, “be sick, weak”). The form שְׁנוֹת (shenot) is understood as a Qal infinitive construct from שָׁנָה (shanah, “to change”) rather than a plural noun form, “years” (see v. 5). “Right hand” here symbolizes by metonymy God’s power and activity. The psalmist observes that his real problem is theological in nature. His experience suggests that the sovereign Lord has abandoned him and become inactive. However, this goes against the grain of his most cherished beliefs.
- Psalm 77:11 tn Heb “yes, I will remember from old your wonders.”sn The psalmist refuses to allow skepticism to win out. God has revealed himself to his people in tangible, incontrovertible ways in the past and the psalmist vows to remember the historical record as a source of hope for the future.
- Psalm 77:13 sn Verses 13-20 are the content of the psalmist’s reflection (see vv. 11-12). As he thought about God’s work in Israel’s past, he reached the place where he could confidently cry out for God’s help (see v. 1).
- Psalm 77:13 tn Heb “O God, in holiness [is] your way.” God’s “way” here refers to his actions. “Holiness” is used here in the sense of “set apart, unique,” rather than in a moral/ethical sense. As the next line and the next verse emphasize, God’s deeds are incomparable and set him apart as the one true God.
- Psalm 77:13 tn Heb “Who [is] a great god like God?” The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “No one!”
- Psalm 77:15 tn Or “redeemed.”
- Psalm 77:15 tn Heb “with [your] arm.”
- Psalm 77:16 tn The waters of the Red Sea are here personified; they are portrayed as seeing God and fearing him.
- Psalm 77:16 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.
- Psalm 77:16 tn The words “of the sea” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Psalm 77:16 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.
- Psalm 77:17 tn Heb “water.”
- Psalm 77:17 tn Heb “a sound the clouds gave.”
- Psalm 77:17 tn The lightning accompanying the storm is portrayed as the Lord’s “arrows” (see v. 18).
- Psalm 77:18 tn The prefixed verbal form may be taken as a preterite or as an imperfect with past progressive force.sn Verses 16-18 depict the Lord coming in the storm to battle his enemies and subdue the sea. There is no record of such a storm in the historical account of the Red Sea crossing. The language the psalmist uses here is stereotypical and originates in Canaanite myth, where the storm god Baal subdues the sea in his quest for kingship. The psalmist has employed the stereotypical imagery to portray the exodus vividly and at the same time affirm that it is not Baal who subdues the sea, but Yahweh.
- Psalm 77:19 tn Heb “in the sea [was] your way.”
- Psalm 77:19 tn Heb “and your paths [were] in the mighty waters.”
- Psalm 77:19 tn Heb “and your footprints were not known.”
Psalm 77
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 77[a]
Lament and Consolation in Distress
1 For the director.[b] For Jeduthun. A psalm of Asaph.
2 [c]I cry aloud to God,
for when I cry out to God, he hears me.[d]
3 In the time of my distress I seek the Lord;
at night I stretch out my hands unceasingly,
and my soul refuses to be consoled.
4 [e]I groan as I think of God;
my spirit grows faint as I meditate on him. Selah
5 You keep my eyes from closing in sleep;
I am much too distraught to speak.
6 I reflect on the days of old
and recall the years long past.
7 At night I meditate in my heart,[f]
and as I reflect, my spirit questions:
8 [g]“Will the Lord cast us off forever
and never again show us his favor?
9 Has his kindness[h] vanished forever?
Has his promise ceased for all time?
10 Has God forgotten how to be merciful?
Has he shut up his compassion in anger?” Selah
11 [i]And I say: “This is my grief—
that the right hand[j] of the Most High has changed.”
12 I will remember the works of the Lord;
I will call to mind your wonders in the past.
13 I will reflect on all your deeds
and ponder your wondrous works.[k]
14 O God, your way is holy.[l]
What god is as great as our God?
15 You are the God who works wonders;
you have displayed your might to the nations.
16 With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.[m] Selah
17 [n]When the waters[o] beheld you, O God,
when the waters beheld you, they writhed;
the very depths trembled.
18 The clouds poured forth their water,
the skies thundered,
your arrows[p] flashed back and forth.
19 The crash of your thunder resounded in the heavens;
your flashes of lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and shook.[q]
20 Your path led through the sea,
your way, through the mighty waters,
though none could trace your footsteps.[r]
21 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.[s]
Footnotes
- Psalm 77:1 During a difficult period that the people of Israel are experiencing after the return from the Exile, more than one fervent Israelite can think that God has abandoned his own. But the Lord does not act after the fashion of human beings: has he not from Egypt to Canaan, by means of the wonders of the Exodus (vv. 14-20), transformed a motley group of slaves into a people of his own?
The striking evocation of the passage through the Red Sea and the coming of God at Sinai enables the psalmist to rediscover the great certitude that God still guides his people. Such a certitude is present even when one must realize that God’s ways are mysterious. Hope is reborn, purified by adversity and more unshakable than ever.
This psalm is a reminder of the Father’s faithfulness toward Christ and calls us to remain faithful ourselves in times of distress and spiritual dryness. “Let us remain firm in the confession of our hope without wavering, for the one who made the promise is trustworthy” (Heb 10:23). We must imitate the ancients and, even more, Christ, by remaining faithful even in the darkest of times, for “we are not among those who draw back and are lost. Rather, we are among those who have faith and are saved” (Heb 10:39). - Psalm 77:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. Jeduthun: see note on Ps 39:1. Asaph: see notes on Pss 73–89.
- Psalm 77:2 To the psalmist, God seems to have deserted his people; he no longer responds to appeals for help in time of distress and intense prayer.
- Psalm 77:2 The psalmist looked to God as the sole comforter of his distressed soul (see Gen 37:35; Jer 31:15). He cried out ceaselessly in prayer with hands outstretched—but remained uncomforted. Soul: see note on Ps 6:4.
- Psalm 77:4 Sleeplessness and dryness in prayer lead the psalmist’s faith to be shaken, but he puts his mind on the origins of his people as God’s people and attempts to rediscover hope (see Ps 119:52; Deut 32:7ff).
- Psalm 77:7 Heart: see note on Ps 4:8.
- Psalm 77:8 These verses follow the style of laments (see Pss 74:1; 89:47ff; Isa 63:15; Lam 3:21-24, 31ff). The prophetic word had ceased (see Ps 74:9); still God remained faithful to his promises, inscribed in the ancient writings on which the psalmist meditated endlessly (see Pss 1:2; 105:3ff) to convince himself that God had not changed in his love for his people (see Isa 49:14ff; Mal 3:6).
- Psalm 77:9 Kindness: see note on Ps 6:5.
- Psalm 77:11 The psalmist takes up the Book of History, so to speak, and meditates upon the great deeds of the Lord, the miracles he wrought in the past. He is so captivated by the reading that, in meditating on the glorious deeds that the Lord did for Israel in former times, he obtains peace of mind and forgets his present distress.
- Psalm 77:11 The psalmist remembers the years when God—by means of his right hand—provided strong guidance and protection for his people (see Pss 17:7; 18:35; Isa 41:10). And, he laments the loss of this protection once accorded them by their God.
- Psalm 77:13 The psalmist reflects on the Lord’s works in their great variety—in creation, redemption, judgment, and salvation. See also note on Ps 9:2.
- Psalm 77:14 Your way is holy: see Ps 18:31; Deut 32:4. Another translation is: “your ways are seen in the sanctuary” (see Ps 63:3).
- Psalm 77:16 Descendants of Jacob and Joseph: those who emigrated to Egypt (Jacob) and those who were born there (Joseph’s sons) (see Ps 81:5ff; Gen 46:26f; 48:5).
- Psalm 77:17 The miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea is presented in a cosmic perspective, possibly to heighten the description of God’s majesty in bringing his people from slavery to freedom, which led to the Passover. For Christians, the culminating miracle was God’s deed in bringing Jesus from death to life after the crucifixion (see Mt 28:2; Eph 1:18-22), which led to the Christian Passover, Easter.
- Psalm 77:17 The waters are at the mercy of the Creator (see Pss 89:10; 93:3f; 104:7; 106:9; 114:3; Job 7:12; 38:10; Nah 1:4; Hab 3:10).
- Psalm 77:18 This verse is inspired by Hab 3:11. See also Pss 18:16; 68:9; 144:6. Arrows: i.e., lightning bolts.
- Psalm 77:19 This verse evokes the theophany at Sinai (see Ps 97:4; Ex 19:18).
- Psalm 77:20 See Neh 9:11; Wis 14:3; Isa 43:16; 51:10. God’s action reveals his invisible presence as Shepherd and Savior (see Ps 78:52; Isa 63:11ff; Mic 6:4).
- Psalm 77:21 The conclusion to the thought expressed in verse 16: God led his people through the wilderness under the care of Moses and Aaron.
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