Happy are they who have not followed the advice of the wounded;

nor lingered in the way of the unenlightened,

nor sat in the seat of the scornful!

Their delight is in the magnificence of the Divine,

and they meditate on glory both day and night.

They are like trees planted by streams of water,

bearing fruit in due season with leaves that do not wither;

every thing they do shall prosper.

No so for those who waste their lives for they

shall be like the chaff that the wind blows away.

Who shall say with judgment what is wicked

and who is sinner in the council of righteousness?

For those who seek the paths of fulfillment

light will shine in the darkest destiny.

Why are the nations in an uproar?

Why do the peoples mutter empty threats?

Why do the kings of earth rise up in revolt

and the princes plot together

against the earth and its peoples?

"Let us break the yoke." they say;

"Let us cast off all bonds from us."

Those who sit on high are laughing

and ignore them with derision.

They think they can display their wrath,

and fill them with the terror of words

"I myself have made me king of the earth;

and I have set my holy hill upon the high land."

"Let me announce the decree of nature who says:

"You are my children whom I have begotten.

Ask of me and I will give you nations for inheritance

and the ends of the earth for your possession."

The just and the unjust are crushed as with an iron rod

and shattered like a thin piece of pottery.

Under the slight wisdom of kings and rulers

be ye warned, oh governors of the earth.

Walk in your ways with watchfulness,

and bow before beauty and righteousness.

Do not entertain anger lest you perish,

when your wrath is too quickly kindled

Happy are they who

take refuge in the living.

Oh God, how many adversaries I have;

how many there are who rise up against me!

How many there are who say of me,

"There is no hope for one like that!"

But I have a shield around me and

glory lifts up my head.

I call aloud upon my Beloved,

who answers me from the Holy Hill.

I lie down and go to sleep;

I wake again because life sustains me.

I will not fear multitudes of people

even if they set themselves against me.

Rise up and set me free from the thoughts

of enemies striking my face or

the wicked breaking my teeth

May I be delivered from such agonies

and be a blessing to my people.

Answer me when I call, my Beloved, defender of my causes;

you, who has set me free when I am hard-pressed;

may mercy shine on me when I pray.

It has been asked," You mortals how long will you dishonor the glory;

how long will you worship dumb idols and run after various gods?"

Yet the Beloved does wonders for the faithful;

when I call for help answers will be given to me.

Tremble then with love and rejoicing,

as you speak to your heart in silence upon your bed.

Offer the sacrifices of honor, blessings and thanksgiving

and put your trust in the concept of the Divine.

Many are saying, "Oh that we might have better times!"

Lift up your hearts instead to the light of the love of the Divine.

You have put gladness in my heart,

more than when grain and wine and oil increase.

I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep

for the Divine is with me in the safety of sleep.

Incline your ear to me my Beloved;

consider my meditation.

Hearken to my cries for help, my Beloved,

as I make my  stuttering prayers to you.

In the morning, my Beloved, you hear my voice;

early in the morning I make my appeal and watch.

For you are not a god who pleasures in hate;

and all creation is equal in your sight.

Braggarts cannot stand in your sight;

wickedness melts away before your face.

Those who speak lies are destroyed by lies;

as well as the blood-thirsty and deceitful.

But for me, I will go to your house of mercy

I will bow down toward the Holy Temple in awe.

Lead me, my Beloved in the ways of righteousness,

and make straight the ways which are before me.

For there is no truth in the mouth;

if there is destruction in the heart.

The throat can be an open grave;

when we flatter others with the tongue.

They will be found guilty and fall;

because of their nefarious schemes.

Because of their transgressions;

rebels will leave the community.

But those who take refuge in love will be glad;

and they will sing out their joy forever.

They are sheltered forever by love

and all in the name of the Divine exult.

Blessed are the righteous for love

defends them as with a shield.

Do not rebuke anyone or anything in anger,

and do not punish with your wrath.

Have pity on me when I am weak,

and heal me when my bones are racked.

Often my spirit shakes with terror;

"How long? Oh Lord, how long?"

I turn to my Beloved to deliver me,

"Save me for the sake of your mercy.

For in death no one remembers you;

who will give you thanks in the grave?"

I grow weary because of my groaning;

at night my bed is drenched with tears.

My eyes are wasted with grief;

worn away by my painful thoughts.

Depart from me! all such ideas

and spare the Beloved my weeping.

My supplication has been heard

and my prayers have been accepted.

All that unsettles me shall shake with fear,

and shall turn away from me in shame.

I take refuge in the heart of the Divine,

where I am safe from all that pursues me.

Lest that I be torn apart as if by a lion

who would snatch me away without help.

Beloved, search me for these things;

is there any wickedness in my hands?

Have I repaid my friend with evil?

or plundered one I thought was enemy?

Then let me feel my life being trampled,

and my honor being laid in the dust.

Stand up against the wrath and fury,

of one's self and even others.

Be awake as you decree justice and in assembly;

let the peoples gather around you to judge.

Be seated only on the throne of compassion;

when you attempt to judge the nations.

Temper judgment with righteousness;

discern the acceptance of the innocent.

Let the malice come to end of wickedness,

as we establish the righteousness of heart.

Compassion is our shield and defense,

and is the savior of the true in heart.

Let all be judged with compassion,

and in the clarity of every day reality.

If some will not repent for crimes,

then whet the sword and bend the bow.

There are weapons of death

and arrows with shafts of fire.

Those who are in labor with wickedness,

conceive evil and give birth to lies.

They dig a pit and with deeds make it deep;

and fall into the hole that they have made.

Their malice turns back upon their own heads

and their violence falls on their own scalps.

I will bear witness to compassion,

and will praise the name of the Beloved.

We shall be governed by compassion;

how exulted is this in all the world.

Out of the mouths of infants and children,

compassion is praised above the heavens.

For them you need a stronghold;

to quell the enemy and avenger.

When I consider the heavens, the work of your hand;

the moon and stars you have set in their courses.

What is man that you should be mindful of us?

why should the sons of man be sought out?

Yet we have been made only a little lower than angels

and even adorned with glory and honor;

Given the joy of the work with our hands;

and beauty lies as path under our feet.

To us are loaned all sheep and oxen,

even the wild beasts of the field,

The birds of the air and fish of the sea,

and whatsoever walks in the paths of the ocean.

We shall be governed by compassion;

how exulted is this in all the world.

I will give thanks with my whole heart,

and tell of all the marvelous works.

I will be glad and rejoice as I sing,

the name of the one Most High.

Then my enemy thoughts will be driven back;

they will stumble and perish in your presence.

For you have maintained my right cause;

you are the throne for judging what is right.

In the end the good and the wicked are destroyed;

and their names will be blotted out for ever and ever.

All who see enemies end in perpetual ruin;

their cities ploughed under – the memories perish.

But compassion is enthroned forever,

and only the Divine is worthy of a throne.

Compassion shall rule the world with righteousness,

and all people shall be judged with equity.

The Divine will be a refuge for the oppressed,

and refuge to all in times of trouble.

For those who put their trust in compassion;

they will not be forsaken by those who seek.

Sing praises to the Divine who dwells over all the earth;

proclaim to all the peoples the message of love.

No more shall the avenger of blood remember them

or listen to the cries of the afflicted.

Have pity on us, Oh Beloved as you see the misery

suffered by those who live in hatred:

Lift us up from the gate of death

so we may tell of your praises

And rejoice in the salvation of life;

before the gates of the living

We all fall into the pits we have dug

and in our snares our own feet trip.

We are known by our acts;

shortcomings are caught in our own hands.

We are all given over to the grave;

even those who do not know the Beloved.

The needy shall not be forgotten;

may hope remain forever for the poor.

Rise up so the ungodly do not have the upper hand;

let them be judged before you with compassion.

Let them feel my fears that are upon me;

let the ungodly know they are but mortal.

Why do you stand so far off;

why do you hide yourself in time of trouble?

The wicked arrogantly persecute the poor,

but they are trapped in the schemes they devised.

The wicked boast of their hearts' desire;

the covetous curse and revile all life.

The wicked are so proud they care not for life;

their thought is that only their lives matter.

Their ways are devious in judgment at all times;

as they attempt to defy their enemies.

They say in their heart, "I shall not be shaken;

no harm shall ever happen to me."

Their mouths are full of cursing, deceit and oppression;

under their tongues is mischief and wrong.

They lurk in ambush in public squares and places;

they murder the innocent and spy on the helpless.

They lie in wait like the lion in a covert;

they lie in wait to seize upon the lowly

and drag them away in their nets.

The innocent are broken and humbled before them;

the helpless fall beneath their power.

They say in their hearts. "Love has been forgotten;

the face of compassion is hidden; who will notice?"

Rise up with compassion with the Beloved;

lift your hand and do not forget the afflicted.

Why is it wicked to revile compassion;

and say in one's heart, "I do not care."

Surely, you behold trouble and misery;

you see it and take it into your own hand.

The helpless commit themselves to you

for you are the helper of orphans

Break the power of hating and evil

search out wickedness until you find none.

The Beloved shall be king forever and ever

and may the hateful perish from this land.

The Beloved will hear the desires of the humble;

hearts will be strengthened and ears shall hear.

To give compassion to the orphan and the oppressed

so that mere mortals may strike terror no more.

I have taken refuge in the Beloved;

how can you tell me that I should flee?

How can you say to me,

"Fly away to the hilltops like a bird.

See how the wicked bend the bow,

and fit arrows to the string to shoot?"

When the foundations of being are destroyed;

what then can the righteous do?

We seek the Beloved in the Holy Temple

the throne that is in all of life.

Eyes behold the inhabited world;

a piercing eye weighs our worth.

The Beloved weighs the righteous as well as the wicked;

but those who delight in violence are all abhorred.

Preserve us from rains of fire and burning sulphur,

and the scorching winds of destruction.

Let the Beloved be a righteous one,

who delights in righteous deeds

And may the just see the face of compassion.

Help me, my Beloved, for no one godly is left;

the faithful seemed to have vanished from us.

Everyone speaks falsely with his neighbor;

with a smooth tongue from a double heart.

Oh that all smooth tongues would be stilled,

and closed be the lips of proud boasters.

Those who say, "With our tongue we shall prevail;

our lips are our own; who can lord it over us?"

Because the needy are oppressed,

and the poor cry out in their misery

"Love shall rise up," says the Beloved,

"give them the help they long for."

Words given in compassion are pure words;

like silver refined from ore purified seven times.

Oh Beloved, watch over us and save us

from this generation of uncaring peoples.

The wicked prowl on every side and

the worthless is prized most by everyone.

How long, my Beloved, will you forget me?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long shall I have perplexity in my mind?

and grief in my heart day after long day;

how long shall my enemies triumph over me?

Look upon me, my Beloved, O Lord, my God;

give light to my eyes lest I sleep in death;

Lest my enemies say they have prevailed over me,

and my foes rejoice that I have fallen under them.

I will put my trust in the mercy of compassion;

my heart is joyful for this saving help.

I will sing of the Beloved because of riches;

I will praise the most high name of the Beloved.

14

The fool has said in his heart, "There is no god.

All are corrupt, commit abominable acts and do no good."

Yet the Beloved looks down from heaven on us all;

to see if any are wise and seek after compassion.

If everyone has proved to be faithless;

all alike have turned bad and no one does good,

Have they no knowledge, all those evildoers,

who eat up people like bread without love?

Shall they tremble with fear before compassion

because love is in the company of righteousness?

There the aim is to reach out to the afflicted

and to take refuge in the Beloved?

Oh that the land's deliverance would come out of us;

when the fortunes of the peoples are restored to them.

All will rejoice and the nations will be glad.

Oh Beloved, who may dwell in your tabernacle?

and who may abide upon your holy hills?

Whoever leads a blameless life, does what's right

and speaks the truth from his or her heart.

There is no guile on such a tongue,

no evil is done to that person's friend;

there is no contempt for the neighbor.

Wickedness is rejected from sight,

and honors given to the compassionate.

No wrong is sworn to with raised hand,

and that person's word is not taken back.

Money is not given with hope of gain,

nor are bribes taken against the innocent.

Whosoever uphold these precepts,

shall never be overthrown.

Protect me, my Beloved for I take refuge in love.

I have said that compassion is a good above all other.

All my delight is upon the godly in the land;

upon those who are noble among the people.

But those who entertain hate and strife

shall have their troubles multiplied.

The libations of blood I will not offer

or worry the name of their god on my lips.

Oh Beloved, you are my portion and my cup;

it is you who upholds my lot in life.

My boundaries enclose a pleasant land;

indeed I have a goodly heritage.

I will bless the Beloved who gives me counsel;

as my heart teaches me, night after night.

I have set the Beloved always before me;

because love is at my right hand I shall not fail.

My heart, therefore, is glad and my spirit rejoices

and thus, my body shall rest in hope.

For I will not be abandoned at the grave

nor will I be condemned to the pit.

I have been shown the path of life;

in such presence is the fullness of joy

Here are the pleasures forever more.

Hear my plea of innocence, Oh Beloved;

give heed to my cries of distress and grief.

Listen to my prayers that do not come

from lips which lie or a heart that is untrue.

Let my vindication come forth from compassion;

let my eyes be fixed upon justice.

Weigh my heart, summon me by night;

melt me down, that no impurity be found.

Let my mouth give no offense

when I speak of love.

May my footsteps hold fast to the ways of love

and in these paths may I not stumble.

I call out in love and I am answered with love;

incline your heart and hear my words of adoration.

Show me your marvelous loving kindness,

as those who follow you in compassion are saved.

Keep me as the apple of your eye;

hide me under the shadow of your wings.

From the wickedness that assaults me

and the deadliness of evil that surrounds me,

From those who have closed their hearts to pity,

their mouths speak with proud things.

When I am hard pressed and surrounded

by those watching to cast me to the ground.

Like a lion greedy for its prey

and a young lion lurking in secret places.

Arise, Beloved and bring them to reason and love,

and deliver me from my worst fears.

Deliver me, my Beloved, by your kindness,

to those who appreciate life in this world

Whose bellies are filled with your treasures;

who are well supplied with children,

and who leave their wealth to their little ones.

As vindication may I see the face of compassion

when I awake and be satisfied beholding your likeness.

I love you my Beloved, my strength;

my stronghold, my crag and my haven.

You are my god, the rock in that I trust;

my shield, the horn of praise and refuge.

I will call upon the Most Beloved;

and so shall be saved from all fear.

The breakers of death may roll over me;

and torrents of oblivion make me afraid.

The cords of loss and separation bind me;

and the snares of death that are set for me.

I call upon my Beloved in my distress;

as one cries out to a god for help.

My voice rings in the heavenly dwelling,

and my cries of anguish rose to holy ears.

The earth reeled and rocked;

the roots of the mountains shook,

they trembled with anger.

Smoke rose from the nostrils of mountains

and a consuming fire came out of the mouth;

hot burning coals blazed forth as if flung.

The heavens parted and coming down

was a storm in a billowing cloud.

On a cherubim a great something flew

and swooped on the winds of the tempest.

Darkness was wrapped all about

in dark waters and thick clouds.

From the brightness burst

hailstones and coals of fire.

As if a voice thundered from heaven;

the earth spoke with its majesty of origin.

Arrows were loosened and scattered about;

thunderbolts were hurled from the very air.

The beds of the seas were uncovered

and the foundations of the world laid bare.

Like the battle cries of old gods

with a blast of breath in the nostrils.

From on high I was grasped;

I was drawn out of great waters.

I was delivered from my hate,

which had become too strong for me.

I was comforted in the day of disaster;

because the Beloved was my support.

I was brought out into an open place

and I was rescued with joy and thanksgiving.

For righteous dealings we think the Beloved rewards;

when my hands are clean I think I shall be rewarded.

I say, "For I have kept the ways of the Beloved,

and I have not offended the Beloved

The compassion of the Beloved is before me,

and the desire to act with love is within me.

Therefore I wish to be blameless before love;

and to hold myself high from iniquity.

May I be awarded for righteous dealings

and for the cleanliness of my spiritual hands.

With the faithful the Beloved appears faithful

with the forthright the Beloved comes as forthright,

with the pure the Beloved shows a pure self

but to the crooked compassion seems to be wily."

The lowly people will be held up;

the haughty eyes will be humbled.

Oh Beloved you are my lamp

that makes the darkness bright,

with you I can break down an enclosure

with the help of the Beloved I can scale a wall.

For the ways of the Beloved are perfect

and these ways have been tried with fire;

the Beloved is a shield to those who trust.

Who is the Beloved but the Lord God,

who is the Rock except Divine Presence?

It is the Beloved who girds me with strength

and makes my lowly ways secure.

The Beloved makes me sure-footed like a deer

and lets me stand secure upon the heights.

The Beloved trains my hands for service

and my arms for the bending to help.

The Beloved has given me a shield of sharing

on the right hand is given sustenance

loving care makes me great.

My stride is lengthened beneath me

and my ankles do not give way.

If I pursue evil thoughts and am overtaken by them;

I will not turn back until I have cast them far away.

I push them away so they cannot rise;

they fall defeated at my sandals.

The Beloved gives me strength for such a battle

so the adversaries are cast down before me

and enemies are all put to flight.

I will release anything wanting to destroy me;

hate shall flee in the glow of loving.

It will be small like dust before the wind;

trampled like the mud in the streets.

Deliver me from the strife of the peoples

and those at the head of the nations.

I shall serve the known and unknown;

I will hear their cries for help;

even if they are strangers cringing before me.

The foreign peoples shall find heart

come trembling out of their strongholds.

The Beloved lives as Love! Blessed! Blessed!

exulted is the redeemer of our salvation.

It is a victory for the Beloved who rises

up in the peoples around me in support.

I have been saved from a deadly foe;

therefore I will extol the Beloved.

I will exult the Beloved to all nations,

and sing praises to name of compassion.

Who needs the victories of kings,

when loving kindness anoints the heads

of nations and their descendants forever?

Thus do the heavens declare their glory,

and the firmament shows its handiwork.

One day tells its tale to another,

and one night imparts knowledge to another.

Although they have no words or language,

and their voices are not heard,

Their sound has gone out into all lands,

and their message to the ends of the world.

In the deep is set a pavilion for the sun;

coming like a bridegroom from his chamber;

It rejoices like a champion running a course;

it goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens,

And runs about to the end of it again;

nothing is hidden from its burning heat.

The love of the Divine is perfect and revives the soul;

the testimony of the Divine is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent.

The statues of the Divine are just and rejoice the heart;

the compassion of the Divine is clear and gives light to the eyes.

The love of the Divine is clean and it endures forever;

the acceptance of the Divine is truth and righteousness together.

More to be desired are they than gold; more than much fine gold;

they are far sweeter than honey, richer than honey in the comb.

By them is your worshipper enlightened,

and in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can tell how often one offends?

cleanse me from my secret faults.

Keep me from presumptuousness;

let that not get dominion over me;

Then shall I be whole and sound,

and innocent of great offence.

Let the words of my mouth and meditations of my heart

be acceptable in your sight O God, my strength and my redeemer.

May the Beloved answer you in the days of trouble;

may the name of the Most High Compassion defend you.

May you be sent help from that holy place,

and strength that comes to you from the land.

Remember to give thanks and honor

and accept the gifts with graciousness.

May you be granted your heart's desire,

and may all your plans prosper.

We will shout for joy at your victory

and triumph in the name of the Beloved;

may all your requests be granted.

Now that I know the Beloved gives victory

and answers from the holiest of heavens

with the strength of mountains and rivers.

Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses;

but I will call upon the name of Compassion.

They will collapse and fall down

but I will rise to stand upright.

Oh Beloved, give victory to each one

and answer us when we call.

May kings rejoice in the strength of compassion;

in this precept may they exult their victories.

When they've been given their hearts' desire,

nor denied the request of their lips.

For the peoples the blessings of prosperity

and garlands of flowers upon their heads.

When they asked for life, it was given to them,

a length of day, for ever and ever.

Honor is great because of the victory;

splendor and majesty are bestowed.

May all be given lasting felicity,

with gladness and joy in our presence.

If kings put their trust in the Beloved

because of the loving kindness of the Most High

not one will fail to lead the people.

No one will lay a hand upon enemies

or try to seize those living in hate.

They shall be like a fiery furnace

when the Beloved appears.

All wrath shall be swallowed up

and consumed without flame.

The offspring of the land will be blessed;

their descendents and all peoples of the earth.

If some intend evil against others

and devise wicked schemes;

they shall not prevail.

For the Beloved will put them to flight

and aim arrows of light at them.

Be exalted Oh Beloved in your might

we will sing and praise your power.

Oh my Beloved have you forsaken me?

are you far from my cry and words of distress?

My Beloved, I cry in the daytime but you do not answer;

I cry in the night as well, but I find no rest on my pillow.

You are the Holy one, enthroned on the highest places

put there by praises since the days of old.

Our forefathers put their trust in You;

they trusted and they were delivered.

They cried out for deliverance;

they trusted and were not shamed.

But as for me, I am a small being;

scorned and despised by others.

Those who see me laugh their scorn;

they curl their lips, wag their heads to say:

"That one trusted in love, let love deliver;

let love rescue one who believes in love."

It was love of life that took me from my mother's womb,

love that kept me safe on my mother's breast.

I have been entrusted to the Beloved since I was born;

the Beloved was my god while I was still in the womb.

But not far from me now, trouble is near,

and there is no one who can help me.

Many young bulls encircle me;

the strong bulls of men surround me.

They open wide their jaws at me,

like a hungry and roaring lion.

I am poured out like water, and my bones are out of joint;

my heart within my heaving breast is melting wax.

My mouth is dried out like a pot shard,

my tongue stick sticks to the roof of my mouth;

I have been laid in the dust of the grave.

Packs of dogs close me in,

and gangs of evildoers circle me,

they pierce my hands and feet;

I can count all of my bones.

Be not so far away Oh my Beloved;

send strength with haste to help me.

Save me from the sword,

and my life from the dog.

Save me from the lion's mouth,

my body from the horns of bulls.

I will declare your name to my brethren

in the midst of the congregation I will praise the Beloved.

Praise the Lord, you who love life,

stand in awe of the offspring of the land

and all of you who breath, give glory.

Do not despise or abhor the poor in their poverty

nor hide your face from them in these times,

but when they cry you will listen to them.

My praise of the Beloved rises in the assembly

I will perform my vows in the presence of them.

The poor shall eat and be satisfied,

and those who seek the Beloved shall sing,

"May your heart live forever in us!"

All the ends of the earth shall remember the goodness of the Beloved

and turn toward compassion calling out the name of the Divine Presence.

The families of the nations shall bow;

all heads in awe before the Beloved.

For there is no kingship with the Beloved;

yet no one else is the ruler.

All on earth who sleep shall bow down in worship,

and all who go down into the dust have bowed before.

My soul shall live in the Beloved;

my descendants shall be compassionate

and be known as the Beloved's children.

They shall come and make known,

to a people not yet born,

the saving deeds of love.

The Divine is my Shepard

I shall not want;

I lie down in green pastures,

I am led by still waters.

My soul is restored,

in the paths of beauty

Yea, though I walk through

the valley of the shadow of death,

I will know no fear because

The Light of the World is with me.

Its warmth and its power;

it is a comfort to me.

The world is my table;

a banquet prepared for us all.

Blessings rain down on me daily;

my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy

shall follow me all the days of my life,

And I shall dwell in the house

Of the Divine forever and ever.

The earth is the Creator's and all that is in it;

the world and all who dwell within.

For the Divine founded it upon the seas,

and made it from the rivers of the deep

Who can ascend the hills of the Divine;

and who can stand in the holy places?

Those who have clean hands and a pure heart

who are not pledged to falsehood or fraud.

They shall receive the blessings of the Divine,

and a just reward from the giver of salvation.

Such is the generation of those who seek

the faces of the Beloved of our ancestors.

Lift up your hearts, oh gates, lift them high;

everlasting doors so the King of Glory can come in.

Who is the King of Glory?

The Creator strong and mighty.

Lift up your heads, oh gates, lift them high;

everlasting doors so the King of Glory can come in.

Who is the King of Glory?

The Beloved with Compassion.

To my Beloved I lift up my soul;

my Beloved I put my trust in You.

Let me not be humiliated,

nor my enemies triumph over me.

Let none who look to You be shamed;

let the treacherous be disappointed.

Show me your ways my Beloved,

and teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth and teach me

for you are the good in which I trust.

I remember, oh Beloved,

your compassion and love everlasting.

Remember not the foolishness of my youth;

remember me according to your love

for the sake of your goodness.

Gracious and upright is my Beloved,

teaching the way of righteousness.

All paths are of love and righteousness,

are taught to the humble and the lowly.

All paths are of love and faithfulness are

to those who keep the commandments.

For the sake of your name, Beloved,

show me how to live in love.

Who are they who do not fear the Beloved?

they will be taught the way to choose.

They shall dwell in prosperity,

and their offspring shall inherit the land.

The Beloved is a friend to those in fear

and will show them a covenant.

My eyes are ever looking toward the Beloved

as my feet are plucked from the net.

Turn to me and have pity on me,

for I am alone and in misery.

The sorrows of my heart increase;

deliver me from my troubles.

Look upon my adversity and misery;

forgive me of any shortcoming.

Look upon my enemies for they are many;

and they bear a hatred against me.

Protect my life and deliver me;

let me not be put to shame.

Let integrity and uprightness preserve me;

for my hope has been in you.

Deliver this bit of land, Oh Beloved,

out of all my troubles.

Judge me not, Oh my Beloved,

for I have tried to live with integrity.

I have trusted in the word of the Beloved,

and seldom have I faltered.

Test me, Oh Beloved, and try me;

examine my heart and mind.

Your love is always before me

and I have walked faithfully with you.

I have not sat with the wastrels;

nor do I consort with the deceitful.

I avoid the company of evildoers;

I do not sit down with the wicked.

I wash my hands in innocence,

that I may walk around your altar

Singing a song of thanksgiving,

and recounting your wondrous deeds.

Beloved, I love the houses where you dwell

and the places where your glory abides.

Do not sweep me aside with the sinners,

nor blot out my life with the blood-thirsty

Whose left hands are full of evil plots,

and their right hands are full of bribes.

As for me, I will live with integrity;

on me, Oh Beloved, do have pity.

My foot stands on level ground

in the assembly, I will bless the Beloved.

The Beloved is my light and salvation of whom shall I be afraid?

The Beloved is the strength of my life of whom shall I have fear?

When evildoers come upon me to eat my flesh

It was my foes and adversaries who stumbled and fell.

Though an army should encamp against me, I am not afraid.

Though war shall rise up against me, I put my trust in the Beloved.

One thing I have asked of the Beloved, one thing I seek;

that I may dwell in the house of the Beloved all the days

of my life to behold the fair beauty of the Beloved

and to always seek the Beloved in the temple.

For in the days of trouble I shall be sheltered

in the secrecy of that dwelling high on a rock.

Even now my head is lifted up,

above the enemies around me.

In that dwelling I offer thanks with great gladness;

I will sing and make music to the Beloved.

Hearken to my voice, Oh Beloved, when I call;

have mercy on me and answer to me.

You speak in my heart to say, "Seek my face."

Your face, my Beloved, I will seek.

Hide not your face from me,

nor turn away from me in displeasure.

You have been my helper, do not cast me away,

Do not forsake me, My Beloved, my salvation.

Though my father and my mother forsake me,

the Divine precept of compassion will sustain me.

Show me the way My Beloved;

lead me on a level path of friendship.

Deliver me not into the hand of wrong-doers;

if false witness is raised against me,

let them not speak with malice.

What if I had not believed in My Beloved;

that I should see the goodness of Beloved,

in the land of the living?

Oh stay to await my Beloved's pleasure;

be strong and be comforted in heart;

waiting patiently for the Beloved.

I call upon the Beloved; my Rock do not be deaf to my cry,

because if you do not hear me I become one who goes into a pit.

Hear the voice of my prayer when I cry out to you,

and when I lift up my hands in your Holy of Holies.

Do not snatch me away with the wicked evildoers,

who speak peaceably to neighbors with strife in their hearts.

They will be repaid according to their deeds,

and in the measurement of the wickedness of their deeds.

According to the work of their hands shall they be repaid;

from the seeds they sow shall they reap.

For those who have no understanding of the Divine's doings,

nor appreciation for the works of such hands;

those persons will be broken down in spirit.

Blessed is the Divine and blessed is the One,

who listens to the voice of my prayers

My Beloved is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts, and I have been helped.

Therefore my heart dances for joy

and in my song I will praise the Beloved.

The Divine is the strength of the people;

a safe refuge for those anointed with love.

May all peoples be saved and blessed with inheritance;

shepherd them and carry them forever with compassion.

Affirm yourself to the Divine all you beings;

ascribe to the Divine glory and strength.

Ascribe to the Divine the glory due such a name;

worship the Divine in the beauty of holiness.

The voice of the Divine is upon the waters;

the glory of the Divine thunders on the mighty seas.

The voice of the Divine is a powerful voice;

the voice of the Divine is a voice of splendor.

The voice of the Divine raises up the cedar trees

the voice of the Divine sounds in the mountain.

The voice of the Divine makes the valleys skip like a calf

and the mountains range like young wild oxen.

The voice of the Divine splits the flames of fire;

the voice of the Divine shakes the wilderness,

yea even the unseen unknown wildernesses.

The voice of the Divine makes the oak trees writhe;

and strips the forests bare in the fall of the year.

And in the temple of the Divine

all are crying, "Glory!"

The Divine sits enthroned above the flood;

in the highest places is the Divine forever more.

The Divine gives strength to the peoples of earth

and the Divine shall give the blessings of peace.

I will exalt you, Oh my Beloved because you have lifted me up,

and have not let my enemies triumph over me.

Oh my Beloved, I cried out to you in sickness,

and you restored me to the meadows of health.

You brought me up, my Beloved from the dead;

you restored my life as I was going down to the grave.

Sing to the Beloved all of you who love;

give thanks in remembrance of this holiness.

For wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye,

but keeps me within affliction for a lifetime.

Weeping may spend the night;

but joy comes in the morning.

While I felt secure, I said, "I shall never be disturbed;

my Beloved has made me as strong as the mountains."

Then the face of the Beloved was hidden

and I was filled with fear.

I cried out to the Beloved;

I pleaded with the Beloved saying:

"What is there in my blood if I go down to the grave?

will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?

Hear me, my Beloved and have mercy upon me

Oh my Beloved be my closest helper."

You have turned my wailing into dancing;

you have put off my sack-cloth and clothed me with joy.

Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing

Oh my Beloved, I will give you thanks forever.

Copyright © Jane Reichhold 2001

Book 2 Psalms of the New Testament 31 - 59

Book 3 Psalms of the New Testament 60 - 89 

Book 4 Psalms of the New Testament 90 - 119

Book Five Psalms of the New Testament 120 - 150

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