Psalms 114

When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;

1Israel came out of Egypt, where they had been slaves. Jacob's family left a land where people spoke a language they did not know.

Note"The house of Jacob" means Jacob's family and all the people who came after him. That is another name for Israel.

2Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.

2Judah became the place where God lived among His people. Israel became the land He ruled as king.

3The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back.

3The sea saw God coming, and it ran away. The Jordan River stopped and turned back.

NoteThe sea here is the Red Sea, which opened so Israel could walk through. The Jordan River later stopped so they could cross into their new land.

4The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.

4The mountains jumped like male sheep. The small hills jumped like baby lambs.

5What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?

5Sea, what was wrong with you? Why did you run away? Jordan River, why did you turn back?

6Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs?

6Mountains, why did you jump like male sheep? Little hills, why did you jump like lambs?

7Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;

7Shake, earth! The Lord is here. The God of Jacob is standing right here.

8Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.

8He turned a hard rock into a pool of water. He made water pour out of solid stone.