Psalm 5

Hear me, Holy One, consider my meditations.

Attend to my voice,

hear my cry, my Sovereign, my Godde,

You are the One to whom I pray.

Holy One, morning comes, you hear my voice;

morning, I sit, waiting for you, watching …

You, Godde, have no wicked desires;

there is no evil in you.

The arrogant can not stand before you …

You hate whatever destroys relationship with you,

you obliterate lies,

you abhor spilled blood and deceit …

but, because of your extravagant kindness,

I enter your dwelling-place, and I am humbled,

awed by your willingness to dwell among us.

Holy One, keep me close to you ... 

as others watch, lead me straight

upon your path.

It is easy to mis-speak, hearts can be full of mischief.

The words rising in one's throat can be deadly;

It is so easy to speak glibly,

but you reveal our guilt, O Godde.

We fall by attending to our own counsels,

we have transgressed, rebelling against you …

you should drive us away … but

those who trust you rejoice

and sing throughout the ages,

and your protection shelters them …

All who love your name glory in you.

For you bless those who draw near to you, O Holy One,

Your grace encompasses your beloved.

Psalm 4

Godde, answer me when I call –

I trust your integrity.

You liberated me during my time of trouble

O Merciful One, help me once again.

How long must I be confronted by my shame?

Mortals! We love trifles, we embrace lies,

the Holy One embraces faithfulness.

The Gracious One hears me when I call,

and speaks to my heart, “tremble … ”

You say, “Do not leave me.”

We share my bed as you search my heart.

There is silence.

What shall I sacrifice

in order to be close to you?

I know. I will give my self to you.

Holy One, how can they demand,

“Who shows us goodness?”

while the light of your face shines on us?

Fill me with joy …

the joy of feasting, the joy of your good gifts.

Your peace surrounds me as I lie down and sleep …

You alone, O Holy One,

make it possible for me to dwell in safety.

Psalm 3

Merciful One,

my thoughts are my foes

they rise up and cloud my mind;

they taunt me, saying,

“Godde doesn't care about you.”

But I know,

somewhere in the heart of me, I know

that you are my protection, you are my glory –

my hidden self communes with you.

I call out to you, O Holy One,

you answer me from your sacred dwelling.

I lie down and sleep; I wake again

because you sustain me.

Though I am overcome by a thousand

anxious thoughts, I will not fear.

You rise up within me,

Gracious One, you deliver me,

scattering oppressive thoughts

breaking the power of doubt.

From you, Holy One, comes deliverance

May you always bless your people with your presence.

Psalm 2

Why does my mind rage,

why do I create these vain plots?

My thoughts rebel against Godde

and the Anointed.

I don't want to be a creature,

limited by laws of nature.

Godde laughs, rebukes my pride

I am overcome with awe

as Godde speaks:

“I present the Anointed One to you.”

When I listen and obey,

I proclaim Godde's grace ...

I hear, “You are my beloved child;

this day I have begotten you.”

You say, “Ask me,  

I will give you

the nations as your home ...

the ends of the earth 

will delight you. 

                                          

Thoughts that drag you down will shatter;

false pride will crumble like pottery fragments.

 

Be wise, take heed – revere me, your Creator.

Celebrate my divine presence –

tremble with reverence and delight.

Accept this kiss of peace.

Don't journey from me to your destruction –

if you turn away you will feel my great sorrow.

Don't you know?

Blessings come

from bringing your thoughts to me, your Godde.”

Psalm 1

We walk with Godde,

we discover blessing;

when we give in to our pride, our doubts

Godde's grace becomes invisible to us.

So let us delight in Godde's way,

let's meditate on Godde's holy Word

day and night, then we will be

trees planted by streams of water

we will yield fruit, and all that we do

will be part of Godde's plan for blessing others.

When we turn away from Godde,

our actions are ineffective;

Godde will reorder them:

wind scattering cuttings of dry grass.

Our brokenness makes it impossible

to stand before Godde's presence.

We acknowledge our shadow selves,

we are made new,

Godde watches us and sees our return

and transform us – our brokenness healed.

Once again

we walk with Godde.

These are alternative renderings of the Psalms. I have chosen to employ Chaucer's spelling for Godde because it creates a bridge between 'God' and 'Goddess' and reminds us that the One who created and sustains us is beyond human understanding and human limitation.

This is not a true work of translation as I can neither speak nor read Hebrew; I am working from various translations, and at times search out the etymology of a particular word, in order to engage in a poetic conversation with the ancient poet. 

My desire is to 'remediate' the "us vs them" language of these works. I have taken to heart the words of Pogo's  creator, Walt Kelly: "we have met the enemy and it is us."  I am also mindful of Carl Jung's observation: "Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves." What happens, then, when I stop directing my anger toward an exterior enemy and contemplate my own failures in love, my own faithlessness? 

In recognizing how we are like our enemies we will, by Godde's grace, find compassion for them. And there will be times when one, able to have compassion for another, will finally discover compassion for one's self.

Until we love our enemies and love our selves, as Godde has loved us, we will be fragmented and uneasy – our wounds will continue to make us vulnerable and emotionally volatile and in our fear we will be less joyous and whole than Godde intends us to be. 

In the Psalms, whether the tone is angry or sorrowful or frightened (to name only a few among a vast array of emotions) there is that moment when the poet acknowledges the faithfulness of Godde. The knowledge of being loved makes it possible to speak honestly; makes it possible to release/surrender negative emotion.

Divine faithfulness and love make it possible for us to contemplate our woundedness; possible to contemplate and acknowledge our need to be transformed by this love.

The title of this blog comes from a phrase addressed to the Holy One in Psalm 5.