Adapted from a Mizmor of David (Psalm 23)
To be played upon the stringed instrument
YAHUAH ro’i lo ah-sar
The Self-Existent, Eternal One–
YAHUAH shepherds me;
I lack no good thing.
I possess all that I need.
YAHUAH keeps company with me.
He is both friend and guide.
He navigates my journey.
He conducts me to wellsprings of consolation.
In a relaxed, recumbent position,
Among tender, green herbs,
I lie down and find rest.
I reside in comely, pleasant places.
As a sparkling watercourse flows past,
I sigh with contentment:
I am sustained,
I am protected,
I am safe.
He recovers and refreshes
My nephesh, my vitality.
The Self-Existent One guides me
In the way of tsedek
For the purpose of His honor
And for His character’s sake.
Yes, even though, as I walk,
I am chased,
Hunted,
Ensnared,
Carried away
Under a narrow gorge
By the death-shadow,
I will fear neither adversity nor affliction.
YAHUAH–
His tribe,
His staff,
His scepter
Will support and console me.
In front of the bound ones,
Right in the faces
Of those who treated me with enmity,
YAHUAH arranges the king’s table.
Seraphim and cherubim watch
From a distance
As, conspicuously,
He furnishes a feast.
He anoints my head,
Washing away ashes,
Pouring oil.
My cup,
My portion,
My inheritance
Is both wealthy and satisfying.
Good, indeed only the best,
Shall chase me down and overtake me.
Kindness shall pursue me,
From the sunrise to the sunset
Of my life,
And I will be established
In the house,
In the family
Of the Self-Existent One, AHAYAH,
For this time
And further than I can see or perceive,
To the edge of the horizon
And beyond.
Pamela Glasgow
The Psalm Project represents my desire for a deeper understanding of the Word of YAHUAH. It is not a mechanical translation, a one-word-for-word exchange from Hebrew to English. We have those. This is is a lyrical adaptation of the many possibilities hidden in the Hebrew, arranged with consideration for the poetic and musical intent of the original writer. I pray you are as enriched in the reading as I was in the transcribing.
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