Psalm 2
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Why do crowds rush around restless?And why do nations contemplate empty goals?
Kings of the earth stand brazenly,
while princes conspire in secret,
against God and against the anointed.
They say:
“Let us break the ropes of their oppression!
Let us throw off the thick weave of heavenly rule!”
The one enthroned in the sky will make light of them,
shrugging at their fearless pride.
Then with words of righ teous anger,
God’s heavenly disapproval will fill them with dread:
I have anointed my king on Zion,
mountain where my holiness dwells.
I am the one who creates eternal law.
God said to me, You are my child.
I give birth to you each day.
Come to me with your perplexities
and I will make people your inheritance;
your possessions will extend to the ends of the earth.
If you break them with a staff of iron,
they will shatter like a vessel of clay.
And now, kings of all countries, awake!
Judges of the earth, discipline yourselves.
Serve the Eternal with wonder
and rejoice that in the divine presence you quake.
Make purity your only weapon,
lest in the heat of holy anger
the way back to your Redeemer be lost.
Because God’s outrage at wrong blazes quickly,
happy are those who take refuge in their Creator’s
will.
2 comments:
I am really liking this translation. I'll have to get my hands and eyes on more of it.
Some of the parts that stood out to me:
The alliteration at the beginning--I love alliteration! (always aglow at awesome alliteration?)
"Let us throw off the thick weave of heavenly rule!" What a great image!
"shrugging at their fearless pride". This reminds me of my mom, for some reason. Not the righteous anger or dreadful disapproval that follows, but the almost non-chalance of it: kids, eh, what're you gonna do?
Or, to say it all more succinctly: cool!
I'm really liking your read of Goldberg's translation! What you've shared is "cool!" (And, Katherine, while we wait to get our hands and eyes on her book, you've encouraged me to post on some of what's available already through the internet).
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