The Psalms of Thanksgiving To YAHWEH
24
Spiritual Strength Of YAHWEH
(Eleven lines too fragmentary to translate seem to describe the doom which awaits the wicked.)
For divine forgiveness
In Thine abundant mercy
Thou hast said by the hand of Moses
that Thou wouldst forgive all iniquity and sin
and shrive all guilt and treason.
And verily, though the roots of the mountains have blazed
and though the fire has devoured
to nethermost hell,
yet, whensoever Thou has wrought Thy judgments them hast Thou ever
redeemed
that were faithful to Thee
that they might serve Thee in constancy
and that their seed might be ever in Thy presence;
and Thou hast ever confirmed unto them Thine oath to pass over all
transgression
and to cast away all their iniquities,
and to give them for their inheritance
every mortal glory
and abundance of days.
So, for mine own part,
by virtue of the spirits
which Thou hast set within me,
I will give free rein to my tongue
to tell forth Thy bounteous acts
and Thy forbearance towards me
and the deeds of Thy strong right hand,
and to confess my former transgressions
and to make prayer and supplication before Thee concerning mine evil
deeds
and the waywardness of my heart.
For I have stained myself with filth,
and turned from communion with Thee,
and I have not attached myself
unto Thy congregation.
Thou-with Thee lies bounty,
and of Thy nature it is
ever to dower blessing.
Proffer, then, Thy bounty
and redeem my soul,
and let the wicked be brought to an end!
For spiritual strength
Moreover, I have come to understand
that Thou hast ever directed the course
of such as Thou hast chosen,
bestowing insight upon him
that he sin not against Thee,
repaying unto him
all his affliction of heart
in Thy chastisements and Thy trials.
Thou hast delivered Thy servants
from sinning against Thee
and from stumbling in doing Thy will.
Strengthen, then, the stand of this Thy servant
against all spirits of perverseness,
that he walk in all the ways which Thou lovest,
reject all that Thou hatest,
and do what is good in Thy sight.
Yea, within me,
for of flesh is the spirit of Thy servant.
For inner enlightenment
I am come also to know
Thou hast ever wafted Thy holy spirit
on him who is Thy servant,
illumininig for him
the dark places of his heart
with light like the sun.
But I-behold, I look
to all covenants made by man,
and all are nothing worth;
while they that seek after Thy truth
do surely find it,
for on them Thy light shineth;
and they that love it are illumined
and walk in the glow of Thy light for ever, and Thou raisest their
hearts out of the darkness.
(Missing text)
Let, then, Thy light shine ever on Thy servant
(Missing text)
for with Thee is light everlasting.
For divine protection
I am come also to know
that once Thou didst
and open the ear of one
who was but dust
that HE might hear Thy teaching
and deliver Thy chosen people
from folly and delusion
and from the uncleanness which
And Thou didst Thy ,
and the hands of Thy servant were steadied by Thy Truth,
and have remained so for ever,
that he might announce Thy wondrous tidings
and reveal them to all who would hear.
Thou didst strengthen him by Thy strong right hand to lead
and Thou didst him by Thy mighty strength,
that he might achieve renown for Thy name and triumph in glory.
Withdraw not now Thy hand from Thy people,
that now too there might be among" them
men' that hold firm to Thy covenant,
that stand blameless before Thee!
For power of speech
Moreover, in the mouth of Thy servant
Thou didst open, as it were, a fount
and duly set on his tongue the words of Thy Law,
that he might proclaim to human mold what its fabric is,
and serve as the interpreter of these things to dust like myself.
That fount didst Thou open also
that he might reprove what is molded of clay concerning its way
and that which is born of woman concerning its guiltiness,
every man according to his deeds.
Thanksgiving for divine grace
But lo, that fount serves also
as a wellspring of Thy truth
for every man whose spirit
Thou hast stayed by Thine own strength, that he may walk in Thy truth,
a herald of Thy good tidings,
bringing cheer to the humble through Thine abundant compassion, sating
from that fount
them that are wounded in spirit, bringing to them that mourn everlasting
joy.
(Missing text)
Were it not for Thy grace,
I could not have seen this thing.
For how can I look on Thy glory
except Thou open mine eyes?
How hear the words of Thy truth
except Thou open mine ears?
Behold, my heart was amazed that thus the Word was revealed to
one with ears unattuned,
and that a wayward heart
was suffered to grasp these things.
But now have I come to know
that for Thyself, 0 YAHWEH,
hast Thou done these things.
For what is mortal flesh
that Thou shouldst so exalt it and work such wonders with it?
Howbeit, Thou wast minded"
to consummate all things
and ordain them into Thy glory,
and hast therefore called into being a host endowed with knowledge
to tell forth Thy mighty acts
unto mortal flesh,
and Thy sure ordinances
to that which is born of woman.
And Thou hast brought Thine elect into
covenant with Thee
and opened their heart of dust
that, in the face of Thy compassion,
they may be guarded from
and escape the traps of judgment.
So, for mine own part,
molded of clay that I am,
with an heart of stone,
of what worth am I,
that I should attain unto this?
Yet, behold, Thou hast set Thy word
in this ear of dust,
and graven upon this heart
eternal verities;
and Thou hast brought to an end
all of my frowardness,
to bring me into covenant with Thee,
that I may stand before Thee
evermore unshaken
in the glow of the Perfect Light,
till the end of time,
where no darkness is for ever,
and where all is peace unbounded
until the end of time.
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