Bryan Ray

05 October 2025

Soms 72–77

(A som that is David’s prayer for Solomon.)

Give good judgment and righteousness to my son, the new president.

Let him judge the wayfarers righteously, and the poor with good judgment.

All the mountains and little hills shall be at peace.

He shall strengthen the poor, and save the children of the needy, and break in pieces the oppressor.

His term shall last as long as the sun and the moon.

He shall come down out of the sky like rain, and like showers upon the mown grass.

His dominion shall be from sea to shining sea, and from the river to the place where it cascades off the earth.

Even the dwellers of the wilderness shall bow before him. And his enemies lick the dust.

The Archon of Hawaii-Alaska shall bring presents. And the prime minister of Oceania shall offer gifts. The king of Sheba shall put forth many bribes, even the queen his wife.

All nations shall serve him. He shall make Eldorado an Empire.

He shall help the poor and needy, and deliver their soul from deceit and violence. He shall not force them to labor. If he turns toward the ways of Ancient Egypt, let his country be riven, as the coat of Joseph.

He shall be given much gold from Sheba. He shall have corn in abundance, up to the top of the mountains.

Blessed be Yahweh God, the protector of the caravan, who only does wondrous things. Amen, and amen.

The prayers of David the son of Michaelangelo are ended.

It is a fact that God is good to the caravansary, even to those who have a pure heart.

But as for me, I was slippery footed; I slid toward foolishness, and I envied the prosperity of the wicked: For they seemed to have defeated death, their stance on earth was so sure. They were not in trouble like other men; they were not plagued as other men. Pride was a strong chain supporting them; violence covered them as a garment.

Their eyes stand out with fatness, they have more than a heart could wish. They are corrupt; they work oppression; they speak loftily. They set their mouth against the sky, and their tongue walks through the earth. About their misdeeds, they say: “How would God know? The Most High will never see.”

These are the uncompassionate ones; they prosper in the world; they increase in riches. I was swept up by their way; I contracted their addiction. My desire was to ignore harmony: it was too painful for me.

Until I stood in the furnace of potential, and meditated on the Volcano: then I understood their end.

Surely, they are sliding; you have cast them off; they are funneling into destruction. They are spiraling ever downward: Now they arrive at desolation, in an instant! They are utterly consumed with terrors.

As when one awakes from a dream, O Yahweh, so they awake to despise their image.

This happened to me. In my heart I was grieved. I was pricked in my reins. So foolish was I, and ignorant. I was like a beast.

Nevertheless, you are continually with me; you hold my hand. You guide me with your counsel. Then, afterward, you receive me into glory.

Who is my advocate among the sky-beings but you? And I would not want the help of any earthling. The god Yahweh is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever. Together, we will figure out all things, and go a whoring after righteousness.

O God, why have you cast us away for eternity? Why does your anger smoke against the goats of your pasture?

Remember the price that you paid for your congregation. You spent your inheritance on the caravan.

Your enemies have ruined your places of worship. Where you desire mixing and mingling, they want war.

A man was famous for lifting up axes against thick trees. You told that man: “Break down the carved work of all my places of worship. Those who claim me, I am against them.”

You set fire to the place they called your sanctuary. You set fire to the place they called your dwelling.

They said: “We see neither signs nor wonders; there is no more any prophet.” They have strayed from the volcano of potential.

O God, you are the Mad King of Old, working weirdness upon the earth. You divided the seas with bounds of crooked genius; you broke the heads of the dragons in the waters. Leviathan of Chaos got divvied in pieces: you gave him as meat to the people in the wilderness.

You split the fountain and cleaved the flood: you dried up the mighty rivers.

The day is yours; the night is yours. You invented the light and the sun.

You made the Emptiness for the Fulness. You dashed borderlines all over the earth. You fashioned summer and winter. You fixed an ongoing blast at the center of everything.

People blaspheme your name, and it does not faze you. You are truly superhuman.

But listen, O Yahweh: deliver not the soul of your turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked. Do not ignore the poor forever. Have respect for your covenant. You signed a contract; desist from emulating our statesmen, who make a habit of breaking treaties. Look: the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty. This is your doing.

Let not the oppressed remain ashamed. Let the poor and needy praise your name.

Arise, O God: stand up for your own cause!

We thank you for all that you have done, dear God. If you leave us to tend your herd, we will do so with care. But lo, the earth and all her inhabitants are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it. Just look!

I said to the fools: “Deal not foolishly;” and to the wicked: “Speak not with a stiff neck.” I explained to them that promotion comes not from upper management but from the Volcano.

For in the hand of Yahweh there is a cup, and the wine is red; and every soul is invited to sip; but the dregs he shall dump out onto the wicked, and make them gag.

God is known in the caravan. He has his Tabernacle of Potential. And there is the Temple of the Hairy One.

He breaks all the arrows, bows, shields, and swords, when he battles. Think about that.

You are more glorious and excellent than whole mountains of prey piled up.

You spoil the stouthearted; slay them, and toss them on the heaps.

At one word from you, O God, both the chariot and horse are cast into a deep sleep.

You are to be feared. Who can stand in your sight, once you are angry?

Your judgment thundered from heaven. The earth trembled in terror. Then all was still.

Now God arises towering over the landscape, to do what great deed? To save the meek. Think about that.

Make vows to Yahweh God. Bring him presents and gifts, so that he may not unnerve you.

He shall strip the spirit from princes. He is terrible to all the leaders of the earth.

I was troubled all night with running sores; my soul could not find comfort. I remembered God, and I complained: my spirit was overwhelmed.

My eyes are wide open when I should be sleeping. I am so upset that I cannot speak.

I began thinking about the old days, the ancient times, when God led the workers out of the Empire. The waters saw you, O God, they saw you, and they were afraid; the depths also were troubled. The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: your flashing arrows went abroad: the voice of your thunder was in the heaven: your lightnings lit up the world: the earth trembled and shook. You chose a path straight through the ocean; the way of your footsteps is unknown.

Thus were my thoughts about the old days, the ancient times. And I began to wonder: Has Yahweh abandoned us for good and all? Will he never again be favorable? Is his mercy clean gone forever? Did his promise fail?

04 October 2025

The Story of Tobit

Chapter 1

My name is Tobit. I am a righteous man. Everything I have ever done accorded with truth and justice. I also performed almsdeeds routinely. Nonetheless, my nation got kidnapped by the Funlanders.

When I was young, back in my own country of Eldorado, my family sacrificed to the LORD. And I myself took frequent trips to the Temple of the Hairy One, to meditate before the Furnace of Potential, where the LORD often visits, and where the robo-butler named Man sits atop his high chair overlooking the fire lake.

When I came of age, I married my wife Anna, and we begat our lad Tobias. Then we were carried away captives to Funland, and we broke bread with that nation, and mixed and mingled.

I worked well and got a good job as a servant in that country. I kept giving alms to the needy; I fed those who were hungry; I clothed the naked; and if I ever met a dead body, I made sure to bury it.

Now the king changed from one who was gentle to one who was wrathful. Thus, this new king went on a slaughtering spree, and he left behind him a sea of corpses. So I took it upon me to bury all these cadavers in a mass grave. But when this wrathful king learned of my good deed, he was furious. Therefore, in fear of being executed, I withdrew from the land.

Then all my belongings were forcibly taken away, and nothing was left to me, except my wife Anna, and our son Tobias.

But then there was a further development in Funland’s governance. The wrathful king of whom I told you, the one who did nothing but kill, kill, kill – he himself was slain. And the new king was nicer: he appointed my nephew Mason to be his cupbearer as well as his signet keeper and steward and overseer. So, Mason was basically the second in command: you might call him the Vice Pharaoh: my very own nephew! I had a friend in high places.

Chapter 2

Now when I came home again with my wife Anna and our son Tobias, it was the time of Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, later known as Pentecost. So I had a good dinner prepared for me, and I sat down to eat. And when I saw the abundance of meat, I said to my son: “Go and find some poor person on the street who is hungry, and let him come in and share this meal with us.”

But my son Tobias returned, saying: “Father, Come quick! Someone has been strangled in the marketplace!”

So I leapt up from my dinner before I had even tasted it, and sought out the victim, and buried his body.

Then I returned home, and washed myself, and ate my holiday meal in a sorrowful mood, recalling that poem from Amos, where he says: “Your feasts shall be turned into mourning, and all your mirth into lamentation.” Then I began to weep. And I went out and put some flowers on that new grave.

But my neighbors mocked me, saying: “This fellow Tobit is a fool, for he already went into hiding once, having had his life threatened for burying the dead, and now he’s right back at it again. The man is a funeral addict.”

Now, my religious belief is that any man who touches the dead remains polluted for one whole day. So, fearing to contaminate my own bed, I spent the night out in our barn, and slept in the straw. And I was not aware that there were sparrows nesting in the rafters. Thus, when I lay on my back in the straw, with my eyes wide open, the sparrows muted warm dung into my eyes, and a whiteness filled my vision.

So I went to the physicians, but, as usual, they did far more harm than help.

Thus, being blinded, I could not work, and my fear was that my family would therefore starve. But my nephew the Vice Pharoah Mason helped us out by sending us a cartload of government cheese. Also, my wife Anna found a job doing women’s work. (She did this secretively, without my knowing: for she thought that if I knew of her employment, I would feel guilt and become depressed at my helpless state.)

Now when my wife went to collect her wages, the bosses gave her a goatling. And when this goatling came into our house, it began to cry. Then I said to my wife: “Is that a goatling I hear? Where did you get the money to buy such a thing? You must have taken it by force! Please return it: for it is not lawful for us to eat anything that is stolen.”

Then my wife Anna tried to calm me, by explaining: “The goatling was given to me for my wages.” But I did not believe her; so I kept pressing her to take the creature back to its rightful owners: I was ashamed at her, and I began to grow angry.

Chapter 3

Then I burst into tears. And, with great feeling, I prayed to God, saying:

“Dear Baal, you are just, and all your works and all your ways are mercy and truth, and you judge correctly and righteously forever.
“Please do not forget about me. Look upon me with favor. Waive your right to punish me. Leave off penalizing me for the sins of my fathers. And pay no mind to all my ignorances.
“Look: you have rendered me an invalid. Now therefore deal with me as seems best to you. Command my spirit to be taken from me, so that I may be dissolved, and become earth. It would be more profitable for me to die than to keep living. Do not turn a deaf ear to my plea: deliver me from this distress.”

Now there lived a woman named Princess – yes, that was her real name: Princess – and she had been married to seven husbands. And all seven of these husbands had been killed by an evil spirit named Asmodeus. This always happened the same way: On the wedding night, before each husband had a chance to lie with his new bride Princess, the evil spirit Asmodeus would fizzle forth and slay that husband.

Now, because this history was so incredible, Princess herself became the target of an accusation leveled by her robo-maids: “Do you know what we think?” said the robo-maids: “We think that you have murdered your own husbands. Consider the facts: After seven wedding ceremonies, not a single one has been consummated, because each man has died before reaching your marriage bed. How convenient.”

When Princess heard these words, she was so sad that she desired herself to die. And she ran to the window, and cried the following prayer:

“O Yahweh my God, let your glorious name be blessed. Let all your works praise you forever. And now, O Yahweh, I set my eyes and my face towards you, and I beg you: Take me out of this world, so that I might no longer hear the reproaches of my maidservants. You know, O Yahweh, that I am pure from all sin. I yearn to lie with a man, but every time I try to do so, he expires. All seven of my husbands have met this selfsame fate, and now people distrust me. So why should I live?”

Now, both of these prayers – the prayer of Princess and the prayer of Tobit – were heard at once before the majesty of the great Metatron. And he sent one of his elohims, the Italian painter Raphael from the High Renaissance, out of the Fulness to go and comfort these two supplicants.

So Raphael came and scaled away the whiteness from Tobit’s eyes, and then he caused Princess to become the wife of Tobit’s son Tobias; also, he bound Asmodeus the evil spirit, and stored him away.

The following chapters explain how all these marvels came to pass.

Chapter 4

Now, at the instant that Tobit was ready to give up the ghost, he remembered the fortune of money – thirty silver caesars – that he had deposited with Gabriel the Banker, who lived in a town called Natural Rug. (This Gabriel was an archangel who fell from his cloud and now shuffled around the earth volunteering to safekeep people’s assets.) So Tobit said to himself:

I wished for death; but why do I not call for my son Tobias first, so that I may at least inform him of the existence of this inheritance before I pass away?

And when he had called him, Tobit said to Tobias: “My son, when I am dead, bury me; and take care of your mother. (For you were a difficult birth, and you gave your mother pains when you were in her womb.) Then, when she is dead, bury her next to me in the ground.

“My son, be mindful of Baal our deity all your days, and be good rather than bad. Give alms. Help the poor. If you grow rich, give your excess away to the needy. Do not act stingy or miserly with your abundance: if you acquire luxuries, share freely. God will repay you for all that you give away. Also, be wise in your conversation. Treat others as you yourself would like to be treated; and do nothing that you would hate to see another man do.

“Finally, dear son, I wish to inform you that I have deposited a fortune of money – thirty silver caesars – with Gabriel the Banker.”

Chapter 5

Tobias then answered Tobit and said: “O Father, I will do just as you have instructed me. But tell me this one thing: How shall I receive the money, seeing as I have never once set eyes on this Gabriel the Banker, whom you say is the safekeeper of your fortune?”

Then Tobit gave his son a handwritten testimony, and he said: “Seek out a man who will accompany you on your journey; and pay him a percentage of the fortune, if he helps you retrieve the money.”

Therefore, Tobit’s son Tobias went to find an help meet for him, and lo: the Italian painter Raphael stood in his path like an adversary, blocking the way. And Tobias knew not that this man was an elohim sent from Metatron. Then the lad Tobias said to Raphael: “O Sir, will you help me seek my fortune? I am told that it is being held by one Gabriel the Banker, who lives in a town called Natural Rug.”

And Raphael the elohim said: “I will help you. I know this man of whom you speak: he and I once shared a residence.”

Then Tobias said: “Good! Wait here, while I go tell my father.”

Then Raphael said: “Please make haste.”

And Tobias said to Tobit: “Dear father, I have found a stranger who is willing to go with me on this adventure.”

Then Tobit said: “My son, call this man here unto me, so that I may question him, to make sure that he can be trusted.”

So Tobias called in Raphel, and he and Tobit saluted each other. Then Tobit said: “Greetings, stranger. I am the father of this young lad Tobias; my name is Tobit. Before you accompany my son on his trip, to help him retrieve our family fortune, I wish to know if you are indeed a trustworthy fellow. Please, therefore, hagiographize yourself.”

Then Raphael said: “Would you rather that I accompany your son, or that I tell you tell you my life story? Your family is mortal; time is precious.”

So Tobit said: “Then give only a brief highlight or two; just enough to satisfy me that you are not a slave trafficker for the U.S.”

So he said: “I am known for having painted The School of Athens (1511) and La Fornarina (1519); also The Transfiguration (1520).”

Then Tobit said: “Ah, welcome, brother; be not angry with me for inquiring about your background. By what you have said, I can tell, you are of good stock. Now tell me, what wages will you require? I was planning on paying a doubloon a day; and if you fulfill the mission, and acquire the money from Gabriel, then you shall keep a percentage.” And Tobit turned to his son and said: “Go with this man; and may Baal, who dwells in heaven, prosper your travels.”

So they went forth, the elohim and the young man with his dog.

But Anna the mother of Tobias wept, and said to her husband Tobit: “Why have you sent away our son? Be not greedy to add money to money: but let it be as dreck in respect of our child. For that which Baal has given us to live with is sufficient.”

Then said Tobit to her: “Fear not, my dear; our lad shall return safely, and you shall see him again. Baal will send his angel to watch over him.”

Then she made an end of weeping.

Chapter 6

So Raphael Elohim and young Tobias went forth on their journey. And in the evening they came to the river Tigris, and they lodged there.

Now when the youth went down to bathe, behold: a fish leaped out of the river, and would have devoured him. Then Raphael shouted: “Take the fish.” And young Tobias laid hold of the fish, and dragged it to land. Then Raphael said: “Open the fish, and remove the heart, the liver, and the gall; and put them all in your purse.”

So the youth did as the elohim instructed. And after they had roasted the fish, they ate it for supper. Then they returned on their way.

Now, as they walked, young Tobias said to the elohim: “O Raphael, why did we save the heart and the liver and gall of the fish?”

Then he answered: “With regard to the heart and the liver, if an evil spirit ever bothers a damsel in our presence, we shall make a smoke from these organs, and she will cease to be vexed. As for the gall, it is good to anoint a man who has whiteness in his eyes: this shall heal him.”

Now when they entered the town of Natural Rug, the elohim Raphael said to young Tobias: “Brother, today we shall lodge with a lovely maiden named Princess. I will speak to her, and persuade her to become your wife. I believe you will like her: for this damsel is fair and wise.”

Then young Tobias answered the elohim, saying: “O Raphael, I have heard of this one whose name you say is Princess: she is famous throughout the land, for she has been married to seven men, all of whom died before they reached the marriage bed. I appreciate your intention, but consider that I am the only son of my parents: I am afraid that, if I try to go in unto this Princess, I will die, like all the other husbands before me: for they say that a wicked spirit loves the lass, which murders any person who attempts to lie with her. This terrifies me, because, if I go down to the grave, then my father and mother have no other son to bury them.”

Now Raphael said to the youth: “O my brother, pay no mind to the evil spirit; for tonight I will entice this maid named Princess to join you in wedlock.”

Then Tobias cried: “But what shall I do when the wicked one snuffs out my life?”

Raphael said: “Do not worry. When you come into the marriage chamber, fetch a live coal out of the fireplace, and lay it upon the heart and liver of the fish: this shall send forth a smoke. And the devil shall smell it, and flee away, and never come back. But once you and your bride are conjoined in the bed together, pray as one to God, and he will help you conceive. For God is potent. Now, if you do all that I say, then it is my prediction that this Princess shall bear you children.”

When Tobias had heard all these things, he loved the damsel, and his heart was effectually joined unto her.

Chapter 7

So when they arrived at their destination, the woman named Princess came outside to meet them. And after they had saluted one another, she brought them into the house.

This Princess blessed her visitors, and she invited them to dine with her. As they ate, she asked after the youth’s family, saying: “I hope your kinfolk are well.” And Tobias explained that his father Tobit had been blinded. Then he wept. And when the damsel saw the youth weeping, she wept too.

Tobias then said to Raphael: “Speak of that matter that you mentioned along the way, and let this business be dispatched.”

So Raphael communicated with Princess, and she was persuaded to marry Tobias; but first she said that she must make a confession: “I will declare unto you the truth,” she said. “I have been married seven times, to seven men; and every one of my husbands died on the instant they tried to come in unto me. Knowing this, do you wish to cancel your proposal?”

And Tobias answered: “I have faith that Baal shall protect me.”

Then Raphael Elohim took Princess by the hand, and he took also the hand of the young Tobias, and he joined them in matrimony, prompting them to recite the vows, so that the ceremony was completed. Then he blessed the couple, and drew up a covenant on parchment, and sealed it officially.

Then they returned to their feast.

Chapter 8

Now once they had supped, they brought Tobias in unto her. And as he went, he remembered the words of Raphael: thus, the newlywed Tobias took a live coal from the fireplace, and set it upon the heart and the liver of the fish, and therewith made a smoke.

Then the evil spirit smelled the smell, and he fled into the utmost parts of Egypt. And Raphael bound him.

And after the married couple were both shut in together, Tobias said: “Princess, let us pray to God.” Then while in the bed together they prayed, saying: “O Baal, blessed is your holy and glorious name; let the heavens praise you forever. You created Adam, the first man, and gave him Eve, the first woman, for a helper, and of them came all mankind. You said: ‘It is not good for man to be alone.’” And, at this point, Tobias prayed solo: “Now, O Baal, I take not this maiden for lust, but uprightly: therefore mercifully grant that we may become elderly together.” And then they both said: “Amen.”

So they slept that night.

And on the morrow, when Princess arose, she went out and made a grave, saying: “I am sure that my husband is not sleeping but dead, like all the rest.”

Then she came back into the house, and she opened the door to her bedroom, thinking to take Tobias outside and lay him in the earth. But when she touched his body, lo, it was not cold but warm. And his eyes opened, and he arose, and told her that he was alive.

Then the bride praised God, and said: “O Baal, you are worthy to be praised with all pure and holy praise; therefore let your saints praise you with all your creatures; and let all your cherubs and your elect angels praise you for ever. You are to be praised, for you have made me joyful; and what I feared would happen has not occurred, but you have dealt with us according to your great mercy. O Baal, please grant now that we finish our life in health.”

Then Princess went back out and refilled the grave with dirt.

And they celebrated their wedding feast fourteen days.

Chapter 9

Then Tobias called the elohim back from Egypt, and said unto him: “O Raphael, take two camels, and go into the town of Natural Rug, and find Gabriel the Banker, and bring me the money of my inheritance.”

So Raphael went and lodged with Gabriel, and gave him the handwritten testimony from Tobias’s father Tobit. And the banker brought forth bags which were sealed up, and gave them to the elohim. Then Raphael arose early in the morning, and returned to the feast; and he delivered Tobias the money. So the young groom blessed his wife with his father’s fortune.

Chapter 10

Now Tobit his father counted the days that his son was gone, and it seemed to him that young Tobias and his companion should have returned home long ago, but they came not. Then Tobit said: “Are they detained? Or is Gabriel dead, so that there is no man to give him the treasure?” Therefore he was very sorry.

Then his wife Anna said unto Tobit: “Our son is dead, seeing that he stays away so long.” And she began to bewail Tobias, and said: “My son! You are the light of my eyes! Now I care for nothing, since you shall never return.”

Yet, when he heard his wife’s complaint, Tobit replied: “Hold your peace. Fear not, and let us not succumb to despair, but have faith in God, who shall surely keep our son safe.”

But she said: “You hold your peace. Deceive me not; my son is dead.” And she went out every day on the road to look for the lad; and she ate no meat in the daytime, and she ceased not for whole nights to bewail the loss of her son.

Chapter 11

Now after the fourteen days of their wedding feast, Raphael the elohim said to Tobias and his bride: “It has been a long time since you left your father and mother. Let us hasten to their house, and tell them this good news. Also take in your hand the gall of the fish.”

So they went their way, and the dog went after them.

Now Tobias’s mother Anna sat looking down the road toward the way for her son. And when she espied him coming, she cried to his father: “Behold, our son, our son, and the man that went with him!”

Then Raphael, as they drew nearer, said to the youth Tobias: “Watch now, for your father will be healed. Take now the gall of the fish, and therewith anoint his eyes. Feeling the sting, he shall rub, and the whiteness shall fall away in scales, whereupon he shall see you.”

Then Anna ran forth and fell upon her son’s neck, and said: “Now that I know you are safe, I am content to die.” And they wept both.

Tobit his father also went forth toward the door of the house, and stumbled: but his son ran unto him. And the youth Tobias took hold of his father, and he strake of the gall on his father’s eyes, saying: “Be of good hope, my father.”

Then when his eyes began to smart, he rubbed them; and the whiteness sloughed away like the skin of a snake: and when he saw his son, he fell upon his neck. And Tobit wept, and said: “Blessed are you, O Baal, and blessed is your name forever; and blessed are all your holy angels. For you have scourged, and have taken pity on me: for, behold, I see my son Tobias.”

And his son went in rejoicing, and told his father all the great things that had happened to him on his adventure. Then Tobit went out to meet his daughter-in-law at the gate, rejoicing, and praising God: and the neighbors who saw him marveled, because he had received his sight.

And when Tobit came near to Princess his daughter-in-law, he blessed her, saying: “You are welcome, daughter: Baal be blessed, which has brought you unto us.”

And they performed a bonus wedding for the couple, and a feast was kept seven days with great joy.

Chapter 12

Then Tobit said: “My son, see that the man who accompanied you on your journey receives his wages, with much extra. Also, give him a division of the fortune: say, twenty percent.”

And Tobias said unto him: “O father, it is no harm to me to give Raphael even half of all my possessions: For he has brought me again to you in safety, and fetched our money from the banker, and restored your vision, and unbedevilled my wife.”

Then the old man bowed and said: “It is due unto him.” So he called the elohim, and said: “Take half of all that you have brought, and go away in peace.”

But the elohim Raphael refused all payment; instead, he drew both father and son aside, and said unto them the following speech:

“I will keep no secrets from you. I must confess, Mister Tobit, that when you prayed near the beginning of the story, before you had met me in this world, I was at rest in the Beyond, and I there heard your prayer, and I did preserve it as a remembrance; I also heard the prayer of your daughter-in-law, Princess, the young new wife of Tobias, when she was distraught because her husbands gave up the ghost: for you two were praying simultaneously. I delivered both of your supplications before the Volcano. I was also able to watch you, Tobias, on all those occasions when you buried the dead: for the record is preserved in Eternity. So, the volcano of potential sent me to heal you of your blindness, and to defy that evil spirit who was protecting the bride’s virginity. I am Raphael, one of the elohims, which go in and out before the glory of Enoch Metatron.”

Then both father and son were troubled, and fell upon their faces: for they were scared witless.

But Raphael said to them: “Fear not, for it shall go well with you; therefore, praise the Volcano. For it was not any favor of mine, but by the whim of the volcano of potential, that I was sent to interfere with spacetime; wherefore praise him forever. All these days I have appeared to you, but I did neither eat nor drink, for I subsist upon dark matter; which is the holy soulmate of light. Now therefore go, mix and mingle with all nations: for I return to him who sent me. But write all these things which we did in a book.”

Then Enoch came and took Raphael back to the Fulness.

And when the old man and his son dared to look up, they saw their friend no more. Then they confessed the great and wonderful works of God, and how the jinni of Enoch had appeared unto them.

Chapter 13

Now when Tobit was very elderly, he called his son Tobias, and said to him: “Behold, my son, I am grizzled, and am ready to depart from this life. Take your wife and your six sons, and move out East; for our country is kaput. Bury me decently, and your mother as well. And do not forget the effectiveness of almsdeeds.”

Then when he had said these things, old Tobit gave up the ghost. He was a ripe old age. And his son buried him honorably. And when Anna his mother was dead, he buried her with his father. But Tobias departed with his wife Princess and their six sons to the Far East. And they lived happily ever after.

03 October 2025

The Story of Judith

Chapter 1

Twas the twelfth year of the mayoral term of Nebuchadnezzar, who reigned in New York, that great city. His opponent was Iowa.

Now Iowa had built a big wall around itself, to shield itself from Nebuchadnezzar the Archon of New York City. For Nebuchadnezzar of New York was at war with Iowa.

Now Nebuchadnezzar asked all the surrounding nations to help him fight against Iowa. He asked the people who lived in the wilderness, and also the wayfarers of the caravan, among many others. But nobody would join his war. So he was angry. Therefore Nebuchadnezzar the Archon of New York City attacked Iowa all by himself, and he overthrew Iowa, and became the new Lord of Iowa. And he turned everything beautiful about Iowa into slime. Then Nebuchadnezzar came back to his home in New York.

Chapter 2

In the eighteenth year of the mayoral term of Nebuchadnezzar, he decided to avenge himself on all the earth. All flesh. The entire globe.

So he went and overthrew many places, including the people who were dwelling in the wilderness, and the wayfarers of the caravan.

Chapter 3

So the places that were overthrown by Nebuchadnezzar sent ambassadors to him, begging for peace, saying: “Behold, we understand that you have overthrown us; therefore use us however you like. Only let us return to living peaceably.” And to welcome their conqueror Nebuchadnezzar of New York City, all the vanquished nations came out with garlands, with dances, and with timbrels.

And Nebuchadnezzar watched the entertainment that the vanquished nations performed for him. Then he said: “You have done well to worship me. Henceforth you must call me GOD.”

Chapter 4

Now the wayfarers of the caravan were accustomed to worshipping the volcano of potential, so they sent out a prayer to the Volcano, asking permission to refer to Nebuchadnezzar the Archon of New York City as GOD.

Chapter 5

And when Nebuchadnezzar was told that the caravan was waiting for a reply from the Volcano before they could officially accept Nebuchadnezzar as GOD, Nebuchadnezzar was furious. He desired immediate obedience. But the obstinacy of the caravan’s people puzzled him, so Nebuchadnezzar asked his research committee to tell him the backstory of these wayfarers. And the research committee gave Nebuchadnezzar the following report:

“The wayfarers of the caravan descended from a place called X, which is in Chaldea. They sojourned heretofore in Mesopotamia, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent, after abandoning the oppressive economic system of Chaldea. For they worshipped an entity who was anti-creditor: Mammon’s adversary, the Volcano, whose power comes not from manmade debt-relationships but from the raw energy of potential that is pent within every thing that lives. Anyway, that’s why they fled into Mesopotamia, and sojourned there for a while. Then the Volcano commanded them to depart from that place, and to go into the land of Canaan, otherwise known as Cambridge, Massachusetts, home of the Harvardites. They dwelt there for some time, and were increased with gold and silver, and with very much cattle. However, when famine came to the land, they went down into Egypt: there they received nourishment, and became a great multitude, so that one could not number their nation. Then, reacting to their proliferation and strength, the Pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire played a dirty trick upon those immigrant wayfarers, and he brought the whole caravansary low, forcing them to do hard labor with bricks, and he made them into slaves. At that point, they cried out in despair, and sent prayers into the atmosphere, asking if any god still cared for them: and the volcano of potential received these signals of distress, and he appeared to them as Yahweh Peor, the Midianitish deity, and he smote the Empire with incurable plagues. Then he led the entire workforce of Egypt out of the country, and he took them straight through the middle of the Red Ocean (he pushed the water aside before they passed through, so that they did not get wet) and brought them to Mount Sinai, where they celebrated their first weekend together; also they stopped at Kadesh Barnea, also known as Fallout Rock or Lynch Peak. They wandered around the wilderness for a while. Then they met the Infraboreans and destroyed them, and passing over the Great Basin shrub-steppe (which is now a jungle) they possessed all the hill country. And they mixed and mingled with the Harvardites, the Princetonians, the Cornellians, the Yalies, and the Columbians, and all the Brunonians, and they dwelt in that country many days. Then eventually the northern caravan was taken captive by Funland, and the southern caravan was later defeated and dragged into Wonderland by their President Ozymandias. But now a portion of the wayfarers have returned to Eldorado, where they remain. So that is who the people of the caravan are; and that is why they put so much trust in their Volcano: because he rescued them from Egypt.”

Now when the research committee had finished delivering the above history of the wayfarers, Nebuchadnezzar the Archon of New York was quiet for a moment, and then he lifted his sword and said: “Let us kill them all.”

Chapter 6

So the army of Nebuchadnezzar prepared to war against the caravan.

Now, when they saw the multitude of the army of Nebuchadnezzar encamped against them, the wayfarers of the caravan were greatly troubled, and they said one to another: “The shock troops of New York City are ready to lick us.”

Then Nebuchadnezzar the Archon of New York commanded his army to besiege the fountains that the caravan relied upon for water. He said: “If we take control of their water source, then thirst shall kill them; and they and their wives and their children shall be consumed with famine; thus, before we even need to lift our sword, the caravan shall be overthrown. They deserve this evil reward, because they took too long to acknowledge that I am GOD.”

Then the wayfarers of the caravan cried unto the Volcano, because their heart failed, for the army of New York had compassed them round about, and seized their water supply, and there was no way to escape.

This siege lasted thirty-four days. At that point, all the caravan’s vessels of water were empty: they had not even one day’s worth of water left; so they rationed out little thimbles of water to all the people, and to their children.

Therefore the infants and women and young men fainted for thirst, and fell down in the streets of the city; and there was no longer any strength in them.

Then the people of the caravan assembled and said: “We are defeated by this Nebuchadnezzar from New York City. Therefore, let us surrender to him, and acknowledge that he is GOD; for it is better that we be made a spoil unto him, than to die of thirst. We will be his servants, so that our souls may live, and not see the death of our infants before our eyes.”

And there was a great weeping with one consent amid the assembly; and they cried unto the Volcano with a loud voice.

Chapter 7

But there was one wayfarer at the assembly who did not assent to the idea of the caravan surrendering: Her name was Judith. She was the widow of a hero, whose death was so recent that she was still wearing her mourning clothes. This woman Judith was of a goodly countenance, and very beautiful to behold; she was sweet-natured, so everyone loved her.

Now when the suggestion of surrender was voiced at the public meeting, Judith arose and said: “No, my people; be of good courage, do not give in yet; let us endure for five more days: in that interval, the volcano of potential may turn his mercy toward us; for I believe that he will not forsake us utterly. Five days is all I ask; but I wish you would be willing to wait even longer. For who are we to put deadlines on the Volcano’s plan of salvation; why should we limit the Everlasting One to our timeframe? Who are we to have tempted God this day, and to stand instead of God among the children of men? Lo, test the Lord Almighty, but you shall never discover anything. For you cannot even find the depth of the heart of man, neither can you perceive the things that a mortal thinks: How then can you search out God, who has made all these things, and know his mind, or comprehend his purpose? Why provoke Lord Yahweh with our impatience? I ask for five days more, only because we are all dying of thirst; but if we have faith, he has power to defend us when he will, even every day, or to destroy us at any time before our enemies. Let us therefore refrain from binding the counsels of the LORD: for God is not as man, that he may be threatened; neither is he the son of man, that he should be wavering. In conclusion, I say: wait with me for the Volcano’s deliverance, and call him to help us: he will hear our voice, if it pleases him.”

Then said the wayfarers to Judith: “You have spoken all this with a good heart, and there is no one here who may gainsay your words. But our young ones are very thirsty; therefore, pray now for us, because you are the most attractive among the multitudes, so the Volcano will listen to you, and he will send us rain to fill our cisterns; then we shall faint no more.”

And Judith answered her people and said: “Listen, I will do a thing, which shall go throughout all generations to the children of our nation. This night, I will go forth from the gate of our city: and within the days that I have promised, the Volcano will rescue the caravan by my hand. But do not ask how I will accomplish this: for it is my secret; I will not declare it to you, until my plan is finished.”

Then the wayfarers of the caravan said to Judith: “Go in peace, and may the volcano of potential be with you.”

So they returned from the tabernacle and went to their respective tents.

Chapter 8

Then Judith fell upon her knees, and meditated, saying: “O Volcano, hear me. For, behold, the forces of our enemy Nebuchadnezzar are multiplied in their power. They glory in their physical strength, and they know not that you are the one who breaks the battles. Behold their pride, and send your wrath upon their heads: give into my hand the power that I have conceived. Smite by the deceit of my lips that great city’s leader: break down its stateliness by the hand of a woman. For your power stands not in large armies, nor your might in strong men: because you are a god of the afflicted, a helper of the oppressed, an upholder of the weak, a protector of the forlorn, a savior to people like us who have no hope. I pray you, I pray you, O volcano of potential, Lord of the heavens and earth, Creator of the waters, King of every creature, please hear my prayer: Make my speech and deceit to be their wound and downfall, who have purposed cruel things against the caravan.”

Chapter 9

Now after that Judith had ceased to cry unto the Volcano, and had made an end of all her words, she rose from where she had knelt, and put away her mourning coat which she had on, and stripped off the garments of her widowhood, and washed her body all over with water, and anointed herself with precious ointment, and brushed the hair of her head, and put on her garments of gladness.

And she slipped her feet into sandals, and donned bracelets, and wore chains, and rings, and jewelry, and many ornaments, and decked herself to allure the eyes of all men that should see her.

Then she filled her handbag with a bottle of wine, and a cruse of oil, and parched corn, and lumps of figs, and fine bread.

Thus, Judith went forth to the gate of the city; and she found standing there the caravan’s leaders. And when they saw her, they noticed that her countenance was altered, and her apparel was changed, and they wondered at her beauty very greatly. Although they were afraid to speak to her, they worshipped God in their hearts, on account of her allure.

Then she looked back and said to them: “Command the gates of the city to be opened to me, when I return, so that I may go forth now and accomplish my special mission.” So they commanded the gatekeepers to open unto her, as she had spoken.

And after that, Judith strode away; and the men of the city gazed after her, until she was gone down the mountain and had passed into the valley, and they could see her no more.

She went straight forth into the valley, and the soldiers of the army of Nebuchadnezzar met her there. And they took her, and asked her: “Of what people are you? Where are you coming from, and where are you going?”

Judith said: “I am a wayfarer of the caravan, and am fled from them: for they shall be given to you as prey to be consumed. Now I am seeking Nebuchadnezzar, the chief captain of your armed forces and Archon of New York City: for I wish to declare words of truth to him, which will show him a way to win all the hill country away from the caravan, without losing a single life of any of his men.”

Now when the enemy soldiers heard these words of Judith, and beheld her countenance, they wondered greatly at her beauty, and said unto her: “You have saved your own life by giving up your people. It is good that you have come to seek our lord. Now therefore enter his tent: some of our men will conduct you, until you are delivered into his hands. And when you stand before him, be not afraid, but tell him exactly what you just said to us, and he will treat you well.”

Then they selected one hundred men to accompany Judith to the tent of Nebuchadnezzar. And the enemy soldiers all stood around and stared longingly; and they wondered at her beauty, and admired the wayfarers of the caravan because of her, and every solider said unto his neighbor: “Who would despise this people, that have among them such women?”

Then the assistants and servants of Nebuchadnezzar came out and brought Judith into the tent.

Now Nebuchadnezzar rested upon his bed under a canopy, which was woven with purple, and gold, and emeralds, and precious stones.

And when Judith was come before him and his servants, they all marveled at the beauty of her countenance; and she knelt, and did reverence unto him.

Chapter 10

Then Nebuchadnezzar said to Judith: “Woman, be of good comfort, fear not in your heart: for I never hurt anyone who is willing to serve Nebuchadnezzar the GOD. It is unfortunate that the populace of your caravan that dwells in the mountains regarded me so lightly, otherwise I would never have besieged them: but they have brought these hardships upon themselves. Now tell me: why did you flee from them? And why do you come to us?”

And Judith said unto him, “Since your army has surrounded the caravan and seized their fountains, their victuals fail them, and all their water is scant; thus, necessity has lured them to consume certain foods which our tradition considers to be unclean. When I heard this, I escaped from their presence, for I am religious, and I will neither eat nor drink anything that our priests have deemed unlawful. Now the jinni whom I trust has sent me to work out matters with you, dear GOD; and those things that you and I together shall accomplish will leave the whole earth astonished. And here is my plan: I will sneak out by night into the valley, and I will pray to my jinni, and he will tell me where my people are committing their sins: then I will come and show you the location, and you can take your shock-troops and go forth and slay the entire caravansary. Afterward, I will lead you through Eldorado, until you come to Sweet Beulah Land, which is the capital, and you shall set your throne in the midst thereof.”

This speech of Judith pleased Nebuchadnezzar, and he said: “There is not such a woman from one end of the earth to the other, who has such beauty of face, and wisdom of words. Your jinni has done well to send you away from your people so that I can destroy them. If everything works out as you say, then I will let you dwell in my house.”

Chapter 11

That evening, Nebuchadnezzar commanded to bring Judith in to dine with him. So his assistants came to her, and said: “Fair damsel, fear not to come to our GOD, and to be honored in his presence, and drink wine, and be merry.”

And Judith answered: “Who am I now, that I should gainsay the Most High GOD? surely whatsoever pleases him I will do speedily, and it shall be my joy unto the day of my death.”

So she arose, and decked herself with her apparel and all her woman’s attire, and she came and laid soft skins on the ground over against Nebuchadnezzar, that she might sit and eat upon them.

Now when Judith came and sat down, the heart of Nebuchadnezzar was ravished with her, and his mind was moved, and he greatly desired her company; for he had been longing to ensnare her, from the day that he had seen her.

And Nebuchadnezzar said unto Judith: “Drink now, and be merry.”

So Judith said: “I will drink, O Most High GOD, because my life is magnified in me this day more than all the days since I was born.” Then she took and ate and drank before him what his chefs had prepared.

And Nebuchadnezzar took great delight in her, and drank much more wine than he had drunk at any time since the day he was born.

Chapter 12

Now when the night was come, the servants of Nebuchadnezzar made haste to depart, and they shut his tent without, and dismissed the waiters from the presence of their GOD; and they went to their beds: for they were all weary, because the feast had been long.

And Judith was left alone in the tent, with Nebuchadnezzar sprawled upon his bed: for he was filled with wine. No one else was in the chamber with them.

Then Judith, standing by his bed, said in her heart: “O volcano of potential, guide my hands in this moment for the exaltation of the caravan.”

Then she reached for Nebuchadnezzar’s girdle, and drew out his sword, and took hold of the hair of his head, and said: “Strengthen me, O Volcano.”

Then she smote twice upon his neck with all her might, and she took away his head from him. And his body tumbled off the bed, pulling down the canopy from the pillars.

And Judith went forth, holding the head of Nebuchadnezzar by the hair, and she put it in her large handbag; then she went as was her custom to go meditate, and when she passed the camp, she took the long way round the valley, and trekked up the mountain to the city’s entrance.

Then said Judith afar off to the gatekeeper: “Open, open now! The Volcano is with us, to show us his power yet in Eldorado; for he has defeated the enemy this day.”

Now when the men within the city heard her voice, they hastened to go down to see her; and all the people, both small and great, came along, for it was strange to them that she had come back. So they opened the gate, and received her, and made a fire for a light, and stood round about her.

Then she said to them with a loud voice: “Praise Yahweh, praise Yahweh, I say, for he has destroyed our enemies by my hands this night.” And she took the head out of the handbag, and showed it, and said unto them: “Behold the head of Nebuchadnezzar, the Archon and chief captain of the New York Army. The Volcano has smitten him by the hand of a woman.”

Then all the wayfarers were wonderfully astonished, and bowed themselves, and worshipped Yahweh, and said with one accord: “Blessed be the volcano of potential, which has this day brought to nought the adversaries of the caravan. And blessed be Judith above all the women upon the earth. And blessed be the Lord Yahweh God, who has directed you to the cutting off of the head of our fiercest enemy.” And a theatrical chorus nearby said: “So be it, so be it.”

Chapter 13

Then Judith said to her people from the caravan: “Hear me now, my brethren. Take this head, and hang it upon the highest place of our walls. And as soon as the sun rises, take every man his weapons, and go charge down into the field toward the siege of the New Yorkers. They shall don their armor, and hasten to rouse up their captains, and when they run into the tent of Nebuchadnezzar, they shall find his body decapitated within the bed canopy: then their army shall flee before your face. So you shall pursue them, and overthrow them as they go.”

And when Judith had left off speaking, the people shouted with a loud voice, and made a joyful noise in their city.

And as soon as the morning arose, they hanged the head of Nebuchadnezzar upon the wall, and every man took his weapons, and they went forth unto the straits of the mountain.

And when the besieging soldiers saw them, they sent for their leaders, and when they came to the tabernacle of Nebuchadnezzar, they said to his armorbearer: “Waken now our lord: for the slaves have been bold to come down against us to battle, that they may be utterly destroyed.”

Then the armorbearer went in and knocked at the door of the tent; for he thought that Nebuchadnezzar had slept with Judith. But because none answered, he opened it, and went into the bedchamber, and found the GOD collapsed upon the floor dead, and his head was missing. Therefore, the attendant cried with a loud voice, with weeping, and sighing, and a mighty howl, and tore his garments. Then after looking into the tent where Judith lodged, and having found her not, he leaped out to the people, and shouted: “These slaves have dealt treacherously; one woman of the caravan has brought shame upon the city of New York: for, behold, our GOD lies upon the ground without a head.”

When the shock-troops of the New York Army heard these words, their minds were wonderfully troubled, and there was a cry and a very great noise throughout the camp. Fear and trembling fell upon them: they scrambled out in confusion all at once, fleeing every way in the plain, and through the hills of the country.

Chapter 14

Then the forces from the caravan, every soul that was a warrior among them, rushed out upon the troops of New York to destroy them. And they all fell upon them with one consent, and slew them unto the Chaos Buffer Zone. And they chased them with a great slaughter, until they were past the borders of Eldorado. They also fell upon the camp that was left near the fountains, and spoiled them, and were greatly enriched.

Then all the wayfarers of the caravan went to see Judith, and to salute her. And when they came before her, they blessed her with one accord, and said unto her: “You are the exaltation of Eldorado; you are the great glory of the caravan; you are the rejoicing of our nation. You have accomplished all these triumphs by your hand: you have done much good to your fellow wayfarers, and the Volcano is pleased therewith.”

And the wayfarers of the caravan spoiled the abandoned camp of the besiegers for the space of thirty days.

And they gave unto Judith the tabernacle of Nebuchadnezzar, and all his plates and silverware, and beds, and vessels, and all his stuff. And she took these things, and laid them on her mule.

Then all the women from the caravan ran together to see Judith; and they blessed her, and held hands and danced around her in a circle. They put a crown of olive branches upon her, and she went before all the people in the dance, leading the women: then the men of Eldorado followed in their armor with garlands, and with songs in their mouths.

Chapter 15

Now Judith began to sing the following Psalm of Thanksgiving in Eldorado, and all the people sang after her this poem of praise.

The Song of Thanks

by Judith

Begin with timbrels and cymbals: chant unto the Volcano a fresh anthem. For the Volcano breaks the battles. From among the camps of the enemy, he has delivered me.
The New Yorkians came from the north, they arrived with ten thousands in their army, the multitude whereof stopped the torrents, and their horsemen covered the hills.
Their Archon bragged that he would burn up my borders, and kill my young men with the sword, and dash the sucking children against the ground, and make my infants a prey, and my virgins a spoil.
But the Volcano has disappointed them by the hand of a beautiful woman.
For their Archon did not fall by the young warriors, neither did the sons of the Titans smite him, nor high giants set upon him: but Judith the widow weakened him with the splendor of her countenance.
For she put off the garment of her widowhood for the exaltation of those that were oppressed in the caravan, and anointed her face with ointment, and brushed her hair, and took an evening gown to deceive him.
Her sandals ravished his eyes, her beauty took his mind prisoner, and the longsword passed through his neck.
The Brooklynites quaked at her boldness, and the Bronxians were daunted at her hardiness.
Then my afflicted wayfarers shouted for joy, and my weak ones cried aloud. The Manhattanites were astonished: they rose up, but they were overthrown.
The sons of our damsels have pierced them through, and wounded them as the offspring of fugitives: they perished in battle.
I will sing a new song unto Yahweh. O Lord, thou art great and glorious, wonderful in strength, and invincible. None can resist you. The mountains shall be moved from their foundations within the waters, the rocks shall melt as wax before your presence.
Woe to the empire that rises against the peaceable. Lord Yahweh Peor will take vengeance in the day of judgment, putting fire and worms in their flesh; and they shall feel them, and weep forever.

Now as soon as they re-entered Eldorado, they had a waltz-a-thon to the Volcano; and they invited the surrounding nations, including any willing New Yorkers, and they mixed and mingled.

Judith also dedicated all the spoils of Nebuchadnezzar, which the people had given her, and gave the canopy, which she had taken out of his bedchamber, for a gift unto Yahweh: she had it installed within the Temple of the Hairy One.

So the people continued banqueting and waltzing in Eldorado with all the nations for the duration of three months, and Judith remained the center of attention.

Then, when enough Seeds of Promise had been conceived, they returned every one to his own place. And Judith went to live in the hill that was dear to the Volcano; this dwelling became known as the House of Betrothal, for the widow Judith never re-wed any suitor but chose instead to remain away in her place on high; and though many desired her, none ever knew her, all the rest of her days. However, there were often reports of seeing upon that hilltop a fiery pillar during the night, and during the daytime a pillar of smoke.

And Judith increased more in honor as each year passed. And it was rumored that when at last she gave up the ghost, she was buried in a cave on the mountainside with the prophetesses. But throughout her life, and long after, there was never another attack upon the caravan, and no villain ever again made the people afraid.

02 October 2025

Soms 56–71

(A som about David with the creditors in the Abyss.)

Go easy on me, God, for there is a man who wants to swallow me up. All my enemies want to devour me. They fight against me, O Most High God, and they make me afraid; but I trust in you.

In God I trust; I will not fear what mortals can do to me. Every day, they twist my words around when they quote me in their newspapers; all their designs against me are evil. They all huddle in a little secret group, and spy on me from a distance, watching every step I take, every move I make, waiting to capture my soul. Shall their sinful way really benefit them? Shall they profit from this iniquitous behavior? Are you going to let them win, dear God?

Cast them down! Arise in anger and crush them utterly!

Don’t you have a book where you record everything that happens in your creation? Make a chapter where my own story is written: Describe my lonely, fearful wanderings, why don’t you? Tell all; hold nothing back: include my tears that I wept; put them in a bottle.

When I call to you, all my enemies will get blasted back: this I know that you will do, God. You must do it. You cannot refuse.

In the past, you have saved my soul from death. Will you not now save my feet from falling, so that I may walk before God in the living light?

(A som for when David fled from Saul in a cave.)

Show me mercy, God, for I trust you. I hide under the shadow of your wings, until these calamities are past.

I cry unto God, who does everything for me; he shall come down from heaven and pull me out of the jaws that are trying to eat me.

My soul is trapped among lions; I am kept in a pit that is haunted by guards whose flesh is fire, and whose teeth are arrows and spears, and whose tongues are swords.

Rise up above the sky, O God: be taller and bigger than anything else. Higher than heaven.

They put a net in front of me, made of strong rope. Now my soul is caught like a fish, wriggling in fear.

My enemies digged a pit before me, and they were just about to toss me into it, but then God intervened, so my enemies fell into the pit themselves: now they are down in the pit, and I am out. Think about that.

My heart is clamped and screwed down tightly to your policy, O God. I truly praise the way that you operate.

Do you truly speak righteousness, O churchgoers? O believers, do you judge uprightly?

In your heart, you work deception. Your decisions bring about violence upon the earth.

Straight out the womb, the wicked are estranged: right from birth, they go astray and speak lies.

They are poisonous serpents, deaf to your pleas for mercy. And they will not heed the voice of snake-charmers, even if your charming ways are quite wise.

Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth! Break out their great teeth, O Yahweh.

Let them melt away as waters that run continually. When they aim their arrows at me, let them be cut into pieces. As a snail oozes away, let every one of them disintegrate. Make them soften into slush. Toss them out into a dark place, like the untimely birth of a whore.

Let God take them away with his tornado. Let the righteous man wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

(A som for the time when Saul sent assassins to lie in wait outside David’s abode.)

Save me, O God, from these wicked transgressors who have gathered against me. They are all around my house. Bloody men seek to devour my soul.

They come out at evening, they make noises like dogs, and run around in the bushes. Behold, they bark out curses against me; they think that God will not hear this.

But you, O Yahweh, will laugh at them. Step forward and scoff at them! Show them your strength; be my defense. O please let me see my desire upon my enemies.

Consume them in wrath! Consume them, that they may not live!

Let them know that my God rules to the ends of the earth. Think about that.

Yes, at evening, let them return and make their noises like dogs, and go run around in the bushes outside my dwelling. Let them wander up and down, looking for meat. See if I care: I am preoccupied singing songs about my God.

(A som about when David smote the valley of salt, so that it ejected eighteen thousand salt-men*.)

O God, you have scattered us, mashed us, smeared us around; you have made the earth shake and crack apart: orange ooze is oozing out everywhere. What is happening? We thought that you were supposed to let us win. But it seems that we are losing. This is hard to understand. You have served us the wine of astonishment; and we are sipping it, tremblingly. What in the world is going on?

God has spoken in his holiness: “I will mete out the valley of salt. I will eject many men: they will go flying through the air. Yale is my washpot; over Harvard will I cast out my shoe.”

How will you do these things, O God, when you have abandoned us, your army? Will you act alone? You have never acted alone before, at least not to our knowledge. O how strange, that you would eject so many men from the land, all by yourself. This event may remain a mystery that we shall never solve. But we will attribute your deeds unto our president.

Heed my weeping, God: listen when I pray to you!

From my place on earth, I will cry to you, when my heart is broken; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For you have sheltered me; I have ducked for cover under your wings.

You, O God, have made the span of my life into many, many years, so that I live for multiple generations.

Truly my soul waits for God; I know my salvation is coming.

How long will you enemies try to kill me? You shall be slain, all of you! You are like a crumbling wall or a rickety fence.

These enemies only consult to see if they can tear down my excellency. They love to lie: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly.

Keep waiting for God, O my soul; even though he takes a long time, he will come. Root yourself in God as in a strong rock.

Whether low or high degree, all we mortals are nothing: Put us on a scale, we are lighter than vanity.

Do not trust in oppression; curb your arrogance, bankster: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. To God belongs all power; to Yahweh belongs all mercy. He rewards each soul according to her work.

(A som of David in the wilderness.)

O God, I seek you early this day; my soul thirsts for you in a land that is dry and parched, where no water is.

Your lovingkindness is better than life. I will lift up my hands inside your name.

You will satisfy my soul with marrow and fatness. I will meditate on you all night long.

You will shove down all my enemies to the lower parts of the earth. Your sword will slice them: you will apportion them to the foxes.

Who are these enemies that lay snares for me in private? They say, one to another: “None will see us.” And they hide in the shadows of darkness, and shoot at those who are perfect. They have no fear.

God will shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly they shall be wounded. Everyone who sees this shall flee away.

God is the one who shall save us. He stands at the ends of the earth, and he helps those who are afar off in the sea. He uses his strength to tie down the mountains fast with tough straps. Now they are girded with power.

God makes the noise of the seas to be calm; he stills the waves; he also soothes the tumult of the people. Or he makes a rushing river come through, when you need it.

God prepares corn in the field for you; he waters the furrows with showers. He makes the dry ground soft, and blesses it with springs.

You crown our year with good luck. Your paths drop fatness.

The little hills rejoice on every side.

There are flocks everywhere. The valleys are covered with corn. They shout for joy. They also sing.

Make a joyful noise unto God, all you lands. O creatures, O flowers, sing unto God: “How shocking are your works! Through your great power shall your enemies submit themselves unto you. The whole earth shall worship you by name.”

Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men. He turned the ocean into dry land: they went through the flood on foot.

He laid affliction on our loins; he tried us as silver is tried.

We got caught in a net; but he did not turn away our prayer: he rescued us.

God, bless us. O God, shine your face upon us.

Displace our rulers, our kings, our ministers, our presidents, and come rule us yourself, O God: take over our governments. Think about it.

The people will praise you! The people will praise you!

The earth will yield her increase, if God is in charge.

Let God arise, and let his enemies scatter before him. As smoke is driven away, as wax melts before the fire.

Extol him that rides upon the heavens by his name JAH.

A father of the fatherless, and a secret husband of widows.

O God, you marched through the wilderness with us. Think about that.

The earth shook. The heavens dropped. God made his mountain tremble. Thunderbolts rumbled. Plentiful rain drenched the onlookers.

Yahweh spoke one word. And an enormous company published it.

Kings with their armies fled in terror. Little women came out of their houses and found all this spoil left for them. Yahweh did it.

Even if you had been injured previously, God restored you, and he made you as the glorious dove that rose up with feathers of yellow gold.

Volcanic ash left the city as white as snow.

Why do you skip about, you high hills? Why do you leap? (They are happy to see their God. Each one desires God to indwell her.)

God has twelve hundred chariots of fire. God has thousands of angels. Yahweh is among them. Yahweh lives in the holy hill of Sinai.

God flew up to the top of the world, and he led away the labor force of the Empire. Then Yahweh God dwelled among us.

Blessed be Yahweh, who daily loaded us with benefits. He saved us from a bad future. Think about it.

God wounds the flesh of his enemies. He beheads them. He drives hogs into the midst of the sea.

Dancers go before God playing instruments; among them are damsels with timbrels.

God rebukes a company of spearmen: he confiscates their multitude of bulls, and all their calves. He charges them a tax of silver, and he whips them because they delighted in war.

Yahweh rides on the heaven of heavens: on the oldest heaven: the first heaven made. He sends out his voice. It is a mighty voice.

Hail Yahweh!

Dear God, save me from these waters that are coming into my soul.

I am sinking in deep mire, where I cannot stand. Floods are overflowing me.

I cannot even cry any more, my throat is so hoarse. My eyes have gone dry-blind looking out for God.

There are more people who hate me than there are hairs on my head. And my enemies are ferocious.

O God, you know all my foolishness, and you can see all the mistakes that I have made. But pay no mind to my flaws; instead, chase after my enemies and annihilate them.

I am a stranger to my siblings, an alien to my neighbors: because I was zealous for you, O God, now everyone dislikes me. All the respectable people condemn me; I am the song of drunkards.

Still, I pray to you, because I know that you will pull me out of this mire. Prevent the deep from swallowing me; do not let the pit shut her muzzle upon me.

Hear me in your lovingkindness and tender mercies, O God. Don’t hide from me. I’m in trouble: come help me, speedily. Draw near to my soul, and pull me back to you. Mend my broken heart. I am heavy: make me light. Send comforters to my side.

Look, these enemies served me gall for my meat, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Therefore, blind their eyes, and make their loins continually to shake. Blot their names from the book of life.

Hurry up, Yahweh, and rescue me. Come faster, God!

Turn my enemies backward: twist their heads off.

I am poor and needy. Stop tarrying, Yahweh God!

O Yahweh, be my strong castle where I can stay. For I have trusted you from my youth; straight out the womb, you were the north of my compass: the man who took me out of my mother’s bowels heard me praise you.

I am a wonder unto many, but you are my strong refuge.

Do not get rid of me when I turn old.

Cover my enemies with dishonor and reproach. If anyone seeks my hurt, curse them with illness.

You do wonderous works, God. I have thought so since I was young. You are righteous also, and very high. You have done great things. Who else is like you?

I fell down into the depths of the earth, but you pulled me out. So now I will praise you on my psaltery.