The Psalms of Thanksgiving To YAHWEH
15
YAHWEH I Accept THY Judgments Upon Me
Though mine eye sleep not at night,
though YAHWEH assail me without mercy,
though in anger HE stir up HIS fury
and pursue me unto destruction;
though the breakers of death swirl around me,
though Sheol be upon my couch;
though my bed take up a lament,
and my couch a cry of anguish;
though mine eye smart as through the smoke of an oven,
though my tears flow like rivers;
though mine eyes fail, and I have no rest;
though my strength stand afar off,
and my life be put aside;
though I go from rout to ruin,7
from pain to plague,
from pangs to throes,
Yet will I muse on Thy wonders;
for Thou, in Thy lovingkindness,
hast at no time cast me off.
My soul will delight in the abundance of Thy mercies,
and I shall have wherewith to reply
to him that would confound me,
and to gainsay him that would abase me.
I shall refute his case,
and vindicate Thy judgment.
For I have come to know Thy Truth;
I accept Thy judgments upon me,
and am content with my afflictions.
I have learned to put hope in Thy mercy;
for Thou hast placed in the mouth of Thy servant
the power to win Thy
grace,
and hast not mortally rebuked him,
neither renounced his wellbeing,
neither frustrated his hope.
Rather hast Thou braced His spirit
to withstand affliction.
Thou it is founded my spirit,
and Thou knowest its every intent;
and so in my straitness
Thou hast given me reassurance.
I delight in the promise of pardon,
and repent my former transgression;
for in Thy mercy lies hope,
and confidence in Thine abundant power.
For none can prove himself righteous
when Thou bringest him unto judgment.
Though man may prove more righteous than man,
none can contend with Thee.
Though a human may prove wiser than a beast,
though flesh may be that which is molded out of clay
though one spirit may prove mightier than another,
yet naught can match Thy power in strength.
Thy glory hath no equal,
Thy wisdom no measure,
Thy truth no bound;
and all that have forfeited them
are doomed to perdition.
Behold, for my own part,
through Thee I have prospered my way,
through Thee maintained my stand;
for Thou hast not abandoned me
unto them that seek my hurt.
Whenever they plot against me,
Thou savest me from their grasp,
and if they are bent to disgrace me,
Thou in Thy mercy dost confound them.
If mine enemy vaunt himself against me,
it proves to his own undoing;" " Literally, 'stumbling'.
and they that battle against me
are overwhelmed with disgrace,
and shame overtakes them that revile me.
For at every time, 0 my YAHWEH,
Thou dost fight my fight.
Though now, in Thine inscrutable wisdom, Thou rebuke me,
yet art Thou but hiding the truth until its time
and Thy glory until its season.
Then will Thy rebuilding of me
be turned into gladness and joy;
my plague shall be turned to perpetual health,
the scorn of my foes to a diadem of glory,
my halting steps to enduring strength.
Lo, through Thy NAME and through Thy POWER,
light has shone forth upon me.
Thou hast brought me light out of darkness,
hast given me health in place of plague,
wondrous strength in place of stumbling,
and abiding enlargement for the straitness of my soul.
Thou art my refuge and my tower,
my rock of retreat and my stronghold;
in Thee do I take refuge from all that pursue me,
and Thou art mine escape evermore.
Or ever my father begat me,
Thou didst know me;
from the womb of my mother
Thou didst shower me with Thy mercy
Thou didst wean me
from the breasts of her that conceived me
Thy mercies have been shed upon me.
On the bosom of my nurse Thou didst sustain me,
and from my youth up
Thou hast enlightened me with understanding of Thy judgments,
held me firm by Thy truth,
and caused me to delight in Thy holy spirit:
and even unto this day
Thou dost stay my goings.
Though Thy just rebuke be with my body,
yet will my soul be saved
by Thy watch over my wellbeing.
With every step I take
Thine abundant forgiveness enfolds me,
and when Thou arraignest me,
Thy mercies overwhelm me.
Even unto old age
Thou wilt yet sustain me.
For my father hath renounced me,
and my mother hath abandoned me to Thee;
yet Thou art a FATHER to all that know Thy truth,
and Thou wilt rejoice over them
like a mother who pitieth her babe,
and Thou wilt feed all Thy works
as a nurse feeds her charge at the bosom.
Who can fathom the designs of Thy heart?
(Missing text)
Apart from Thee hath nothing existed
and without Thy will will nothing be;
yet can none understand Thy
nor gaze upon Thy.
What is man, mere earth,
kneaded out of clay,
destined to return unto the dust,
that Thou shouldst give him insight into Thy wonders
and make him privy to
things divine?
As for me,
I am but dust and ashes.
What can I devise except Thou hast desired it?
And what can I think apart from Thy will?
And how be strong except Thou hast stayed me,
or stumble except Thou hast constrained (?) me?
How speak except Thou hast opened my mouth?
How reply except Thou hast given me sense?
Lo, Thou art the PRINCE of the angels,
and the KING of all that are in heaven ,
and YAHWEH of every spirit,
and the RULER of every deed.
Without THEE nothing is wrought,
and without Thy will can nothing be known.
None there is beside Thee,
and none to share Thy power,
and none to match Thy glory,
and Thy power is beyond price.
Which among all Thy great wondrous works
has power to stand before Thee?
How much less, then, can he who returns to
his dust attain to such power.
Only for Thine own glory hast Thou done all these
things.
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