Confidence in God

Psalm 11, painting by Christa Rosier

Psalms for the 2nd Day
9 10 11 12 13 14

י יא יב יג יד טו טז יז
Hebrew Tehillim

יא

א לַמְנַצֵּחַ, לְדָוִד:בַּיהוָה, חָסִיתִי--אֵיךְ, תֹּאמְרוּ לְנַפְשִׁי; נודו (נוּדִי), הַרְכֶם צִפּוֹר

ב כִּי הִנֵּה הָרְשָׁעִים, יִדְרְכוּן קֶשֶׁת, כּוֹנְנוּ חִצָּם עַל-יֶתֶר--לִירוֹת בְּמוֹ-אֹפֶל, לְיִשְׁרֵי-לֵב

.ג כִּי הַשָּׁתוֹת, יֵהָרֵסוּן-- צַדִּיק, מַה-פָּעָל

.ד יְהוָה, בְּהֵיכַל קָדְשׁוֹ-- יְהוָה, בַּשָּׁמַיִם כִּסְאוֹ:עֵינָיו יֶחֱזוּ-- עַפְעַפָּיו יִבְחֲנוּ, בְּנֵי אָדָם

.ה יְהוָה, צַדִּיק יִבְחָן: וְרָשָׁע, וְאֹהֵב חָמָס--שָׂנְאָה נַפְשׁוֹ

.ו יַמְטֵר עַל-רְשָׁעִים, פַּחִים: אֵשׁ וְגָפְרִית, וְרוּחַ זִלְעָפוֹת--מְנָת כּוֹסָם

.ז כִּי-צַדִּיק יְהוָה, צְדָקוֹת אָהֵב; יָשָׁר, יֶחֱזוּ פָנֵימוֹ

Lam’natzéach l’David:
B’Adonay chasíti, eykh tom’ru l’nafshi,
núdi harkhem tzippór.

For the choirmaster, of David:
In YHWH I take shelter, how can you say to me,
‘Bird, fly back to your mountain?’

Ki hinnéh haresha‘im yidrekún késhet,
kon’nu chitzám al yéter,
lirot b’mo ófel l’yishrey lév.

See how the wicked are bending their bows
and fitting their arrows to the string,
ready to shoot the upright from the shadows.

Ki hashatot yéharesún,
tzadik mah pa‘ál?

When foundations fall to ruin,
what can the virtuous do?

Adonay b’heykál kodshó,
Adonay bashamáyim kis’ó;
eynáv yechezú,
afapáv yivchanú b’ney Adám.

YHWH is in His holy Temple,
YHWH whose throne is in heaven;
His eyes look down at the world,
His searching gaze scans all mankind.

Adonay tzadik yivchán,
v’rashá‘ v’ohév chamás san’áh nafshó.

The virtuous [and the wicked] are under YHWH's scrutiny,
and His soul hates anyone who loves brutality.

Yamtér al reshayim pachím;
ésh v’gafrít v’rúach zil‘afot m’nat kosám.

He rains coals of fire and brimstone on the wicked,
He serves them a scorching wind to swallow down.

Ki tzadik Adonay,
tz’dakot ahév,
yashar yechezú fanéymo.

YHWH is righteous,
He loves virtue,
upright men will contemplate His face.

Hebrew text: Sefer Tehillim
English text: Jerusalem Bible (1966)



Just as Jerome and the monastic women under his care chanted the psalms in the original Hebrew in their monastery in Bethlehem, I also like to read and pray the Psalms in Hebrew as well as in the English of my favorite bible version,
The Jerusalem Bible.


Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.
—Jerome's Prologue to the Commentary on Isaiah