56
(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?
57
(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.
58
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.
59
(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.
60
(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.
61
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.
62
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.
63
(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.
64
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.
65
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.
66
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.
67
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.
68
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!
69
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.
70
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!
71
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.
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