Psalm 37

This is a paraphrase of part of Psalm 37, following the translation from the Hebrew pretty closely. It's an installment of the work I'm doing with another solitary in the Lindisfarne Community. I've used contemporary language, and been a bit creative in substituting a variety of Names of God in place of YWH, Adonai, and so-on.

I apologize for the incompleteness, but it really takes a long time to work through a psalm in this way. On several occasions, I've spent all day on one psalm, and still not finished it.

I found myself unprepared for what happens whenever I read back over the whole of what I've written in a given psalm: the psalm suddenly has a voice, speaking right next to me in the room.

I hope that happens to you too, my readers, and not just to me.

1 You mustn’t get hot-headed in thinking of evil done,

or be resentful in putting up with unfairness.

2 Just like grass suddenly mowed down

or plants sprayed with weed-killer—

all that will rot away.

3 Trust in Light; do good; be at home

in the land; faithfully you will be fed.

4 Savor the Beloved, and be given

what your heart asks for.

5 Roll your way along the Way—

Trust in the Beginning and the End

and all will be as it is.

6 The Way will be lit by your goodness;

your discernment will burn like high noon.

7 You be still in the Presence and wait!

You mustn’t get hot-headed about it

when other folks come out on top

because of some schemer’s cunning con.

8 Hold your temper!

Forgo fury; abandon anger!

You must not be so hot-headed

that you yourself do something wrong!

9 Those bad guys will be cut off at the pass,

but the ones that sit tight waiting for the Holy One

will belong to all the world,

and the world will belong to them.