Judaism
Psalms 147
Text
Hallelujah; For it is good to sing praises unto our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is comely.
The LORD doth build up Jerusalem, He gathereth together the dispersed of Israel;
Who healeth the broken in heart, And bindeth up their wounds.
He counteth the number of the stars; He giveth them all their names.
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.
The LORD upholdeth the humble; He bringeth the wicked down to the ground.
Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving, Sing praises upon the harp unto our God;
Who covereth the heaven with clouds, Who prepareth rain for the earth, Who maketh the mountains to spring with grass.
He giveth to the beast his food, And to the young ravens which cry.
He delighteth not in the strength of the horse; He taketh no pleasure in the legs of a man.
The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, In those that wait for His mercy.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem; Praise thy God, O Zion.
For He hath made strong the bars of thy gates; He hath blessed thy children within thee.
He maketh thy borders peace; He giveth thee in plenty the fat of wheat.
He sendeth out His commandment upon earth; His word runneth very swiftly.
He giveth snow like wool; He scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes.
He casteth forth His ice like crumbs; Who can stand before His cold?
He sendeth forth His word, and melteth them; He causeth His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
He declareth His word unto Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances unto Israel.
He hath not dealt so with any nation; And as for His ordinances, they have not known them. Hallelujah.
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.”
The Path to Wisdom
Dhammapada 20:282 (trans. Bhikkhu Sujato)
“From meditation springs wisdom, without meditation, wisdom ends.”
Analects 2:11 (trans. James Legge)
“If a man keeps cherishing his old knowledge, so as continually to be acquiring new, he may be a teacher of others.”
Tao Te Ching 33 (trans. James Legge)
“He who knows other men is discerning; he who knows himself is intelligent.”
Quran 39:9
“Are those who know equal with those who know not?”
Humility & Surrender
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18 (trans. Edwin Arnold)
“And let go those, Rites and writ duties! Fly to Me alone! Make Me thy single refuge! I will free Thy soul from all its sins! Be of good cheer!”
Matthew 5:5
“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”
Tao Te Ching 22 (trans. James Legge)
“The partial becomes complete; the crooked, straight; the empty, full; the worn out, new. He whose (desires) are few gets them; he whose (desires) are many goes astray.”
Quran 2:45
“Seek help in patience and prayer; and truly it is hard save for the humble-minded.”
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!”