Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Psalm 27

of David
יְהוָה my light and my deliverance
whom will I fear?
יְהוָה from strength my life
whom will I dread?

in drawing near to me
 to break
to eat even my flesh
my troublers and my enemies

they - to me
they stumbled and fell

If an army against me is armed
my heart will not fear
if war arises against me
in this I - even I will trust

One thing I have desired from
יְהוָה that thing I will seek
that I may live in the house of
יְהוָה all the days of my life
to gaze on the beauty of
יְהוָה and to reflect in his temple

for he will treasure me in his booth in a day of evil
he will hide me hidden in his tent
on a rock he will raise me up
and now my head will be raised up above my enemies surrounding me
and I will offer in his tent sacrifices of joy

I will sing and I will give praise to יְהוָה
Hear יְהוָה
my voice
I will call
and have mercy on me and answer me

You said to my heart
seek my face
even your face יְהוָה
I will seek
do not hide your face from me
do not push your servant away in anger

You became my help
you will not leave me and you will not forsake me
O God of my deliverance
for my father and my mother forsake me
but יְהוָה
will gather me

Teach me יְהוָה
your way
and lead me in a plain path for the sake of my watchers
do not give me to the throat of my troublers
for false witnesses have risen against me breathing violence

...what if I had not believed I would see the goodness of יְהוָה
in the land of the living?

wait on יְהוָה
be resolute and he will assure your heart
so wait on יְהוָה

(1) 'break' to allude to psalm 2 - you will break them with a rod of iron. Also reflecting on the Eucharist, break and eat show the king absorbing the evil brought against him. (See also here.)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bob,

How do you get 'from evil'?

thanks
D&T

Bob MacDonald said...

It is in the motivation to draw near that I rendered מְרֵעִים as 'from evil'
I seem to have taken the participle as modifying the troublers and enemies

What thoughts do you have on it?

Bob MacDonald said...

It is quite unsatisfactory from a parallel point of view - I think I will attempt to change it.

Bob MacDonald said...

Much later ... I have revised this to show the repetition of the tetragrammaton and to highlight the break and eat of the flesh - more considerations coming.