Adapted from a Mizmor of David (Psalm 5)
Preeminent Musician,
Superintendent of Temple Services:
To be performed on the woodwind instrument (flute)
To the Melody “Behold the Divided Inheritance”
Hearken to my words.
Listen,
O, AHAYAH, Self-Existent, Eternal One,
Consider diligently
My murmuring,
My whispered complaint.
Incline Your ears
Unto my voice,
Unto the sound of my cry!
Melek! King and Messenger!
I will set my thoughts in order,
I will array myself in battle gear,
Door keeper, Strong Leader,
Keep watch for me.
O, ALOHIM, Strong Leader,
Toward You
Do I make supplication.
Hear me.
Consider my meditations;
Incline Your attention.
Mark well
The cry—shevah—
The sound of the woodwind,
The song of my heart.
For unto You,
Melek ALOHIM,
Strong Leader,
I do pray.
YAHUAH,
When night ends
And sunrise brings bright joy,
Grant my request.
Hear with interest
My voice as it breaks
At the coming of daylight.
Strong Leader,
You do not desire wickedness.
You do not favor crimes
Against Your moral law.
Violence does not please You.
You do not sojourn
With the disagreeable.
You do not inhabit
The tents of the unkind.
You do not dwell
With the malignant
And quarrelsome.
The boastful ones
Shall not present themselves
Before Your eye.
You oppose all
Who practice
Systematic and habitual
Falsehood.
Workers of vanity,
Sowers of sorrow
Shall not position themselves
In Your holy court.
Destroyed be speakers of untruth.
They vanish,
Those weavers of deceit.
Liars perish.
The man who sheds innocent blood,
The treacherous,
YAHUAH detests.
As for me,
In the abundance of Your kindness,
In the excellence of Your favor,
I come into Your family.
Your faithfulness multiplies!
I shelter in Your house.
In the land of Ephraim,
I bow down.
Within Your set-apart dwelling,
Before the Presence,
I reverence You, O, ALOHIM.
O, YAHUAH, turn my eyes
Toward tsedek, righteousness.
As one outside, a weary traveler,
Guide me toward your Tabernacle Bestow upon me the inheritance of righteousness,
In order to reveal the purpose of my opponent,
On account of the insidious watchers.
In front of seraphim
And in the faces of cherubim,
Make straight
My path,
My journey,
The course of my life.
Their breath is not stable.
Their mouth is not established.
In due time,
Their work shall be revealed.
In the house of man,
Their thoughts shall be made apparent.
Their throat opens into a chasm.
Their tongue devours calamity and ruin.
With breath, they scatter.
With speech, they divide,
With language, they plunder.
These strong who lead into chaos,
Who ensnare, devour, and offend,
O, ALOHIM, cast down these fallen ones
By their own devices.
Ensnare them with their own counsel.
Let all rejoice and be glad
That flee for protection,
That seek refuge in ALOHIM.
You lead them to the ancient house.
You establish them,
Fixed,
Immovable,
For this time,
Further than one could see or perceive,
To the edge of the horizon and beyond.
Give a ringing cry!
Exult in praise!
Sing for joy!
Fenced about,
Shut in,
Defended,
They dwell triumphant
In Your house.
They rejoice in Your fame.
You bestow gifts of righteousness,
A rich inheritance,
Upon those who guard Your torah.
O, YAHUAH, Self-Existent, Eternal One.
You surround the just with goodwill.
You crown the faithful with favor.
As a barbed shield,
As a buckler crafted of scaly dragon hide
That guards with prickliness
And with piercing cold,
You protect all those who wait on You!
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.
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!