A Tephillah Of David
(Psalm 17)
Shamah, YaHUWaH
Hear and answer,
O, YaHUWaH,
From the straight paths,
Prick up Your ears,
Sharpen Your hearing;
Listen to my mournful cry,
My wailing.
Hear now my tephillah–
My prayer–
Which is not muffled
Within my mouth,
Nor does it proceed
From deceitful lips.
From before Your faces,
My judgment has come forth.
From Your court,
The place where You decide
The controversy,
The sentence is pronounced.
Your eyes perceive,
You have experienced
Straightness of path.
You have examined
The evidence.
You have proved me;
You have tested my substance
And the inner workings of my heart.
You have visited me
In the night season–
Layilah, that twisting away
From light–
You have refined me as gold.
You find no impurities.
I shall not transgress
With my mouth;
I have purposed
Not to pass over
Or to depart
From the correct path.
Concerning the wages
Of ‘adam,
In the word of Your lips,
I have kept watch;
I have guarded my feet
From the path
Of the violent man.
Hold fast my steps
As I follow Your course of action.
As I transverse
The Way of YaHUWaH,
Let not my steps waver;
Do not let my feet slip
And fall into ruin.
I have cried to You,
Weeping,
For I know that
You will hear
And answer tunefully.
You Who are the Power and Authority
In Yashar’EL,
Bend down Your ear
Unto me,
Hear my hymn of supplication.
Behold the mouth of our leader.
Show the words of Your favor.
You support me.
You preserve me.
You make broad the space
Of my liberty.
Those outside
Who experience the thorns,
The affliction sent upon those
Who rise up against the right;
From the devouring chaos,
Guard me.
Protect me
As the little man of Your eye–
The pupil of darkness–
In the shadow of Your defense,
Under the edges of Your garments,
Let me be hidden,
From the faces
Of the wicked and condemned,
From those
Who are guilty of death,
Who have left
The correct path,
My haters.
They encircle my nephesh–
The living, breathing vitality
Of self–
To strike at me.
They are shut up
With the richest and choicest things:
Fat of the land,
Fat of beasts.
The words of their mouth
Are lifted up with pride.
In a short time,
The way of our going
They have prevented.
They have turned aside,
These adversaries.
Their works
Encircle our dwelling
Like strong cedars
Or the boxwood.
Eyes
They have set in array.
They descended,
They have stretched out their tent,
They have perverted the way
Upon the earth.
In the similitude of a lion,
Pale with hunger,
Pounce,
Tearing flesh;
And just as the shaggy beast
Lurks in his secret dwelling,
Hunched down,
Ready to spring
At his prey,
Stand up, O, YaHUWaH,
Rush onto the scene!
Suddenly and unexpectedly,
Come before the faces
Of mine adversaries.
Bring them to their knees!
Afflict them!
Cause me to slip away
From the condemned and guilty,
From one worthy of death;
Bear me away!
Save my nephesh—
My living, breathing essence—
From my enemy
And from the edge of the sword.
Chaos!
Chaos!
From men!
Your sign, O, YaHUWaH,
The work of Your hand—
Chaos!
Chaos!
From the men of this age!
Their smooth flatteries,
Their lot and portion
In the land of the living
You fill them
With Your hidden treasures,
And the womb is filled
With offspring.
Their house continues;
Yet, they depart
And their unbridled excess
Is left unto suckling babes.
O, YaHUWaH,
I will perceive
Your straight paths.
From the slumber of death,
I will arise
To behold Your faces.
As the thirsty land
Drinks the rain of heaven,
Even so,
With Your appearance,
Will I be satisfied.
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 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.
If you enjoyed this article, then consider becoming a Patron here at The Unexpected Cosmology! With Patron status, you will be able to access and download ALL of the Archived articles here on TUC!