Judaism
Psalms 143
Text
A Psalm of David. O LORD, hear my prayer, give ear to my supplications; In Thy faithfulness answer me, and in Thy righteousness.
And enter not into judgment with Thy servant; For in Thy sight shall no man living be justified.
For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; He hath crushed my life down to the ground; He hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.
And my spirit fainteth within me; My heart within me is appalled.
I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Thy doing; I muse on the work of Thy hands.
I spread forth my hands unto Thee; My soul [thirsteth] after Thee, as a weary land. Selah
Answer me speedily, O LORD, My spirit faileth; Hide not Thy face from me; Lest I become like them that go down into the pit.
Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning, For in Thee do I trust; Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, For unto Thee have I lifted up my soul.
Deliver me from mine enemies, O LORD; With Thee have I hidden myself.
Teach me to do Thy will, For Thou art my God; Let Thy good spirit Lead me in an even land.
For Thy name's sake, O LORD, quicken me; In Thy righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.
And in Thy mercy cut off mine enemies, And destroy all them that harass my soul; For I am Thy servant.
Text: The Holy Scriptures, Jewish Publication Society (1917), public domain, via Sefaria.
✦ Connected Across Traditions
Divine Compassion & Mercy
Quran 1:1
“In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.”
Luke 6:36
“Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”
Snp 1.8 (trans. Bhikkhu Sujato)
“Even as a mother would protect with her life her child, her only child, so too for all creatures unfold a boundless heart.”
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 1
“ik oankaar sat naam: one Creator, whose Name is Truth, beyond fear and enmity.”
Good vs Evil / Light vs Darkness
Yasna 30:3
“Now the two primal Spirits, who reveal themselves as Twins, are the Better and the Bad, in thought and word and action.”
John 1:5
“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
Dhammapada 2 (trans. Bhikkhu Sujato)
“Intention is the leader of things; intention is first, they’re made by intention. If with pure intent you speak or act, happiness follows you like a shadow that never leaves.”
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16 (trans. Edwin Arnold)
“The Doors of Hell Are threefold, whereby men to ruin pass, The door of Lust, the door of Wrath, the door Of Avarice. Let a man shun those three!”