Judaism
Psalms 45
Text
For the Leader; upon Shoshannim; [a Psalm] of the sons of Korah. Maschil. A Song of loves.
My heart overfloweth with a goodly matter; I say: 'My work is concerning a king'; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
Thou art fairer than the children of men; Grace is poured upon thy lips; Therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O mighty one, Thy glory and thy majesty.
And in thy majesty prosper, ride on, In behalf of truth and meekness and righteousness; And let thy right hand teach thee tremendous things.
Thine arrows are sharp— The peoples fall under thee— [They sink] into the heart of the king's enemies.
Thy throne given of God is for ever and ever; A sceptre of equity is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness; Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee With the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Myrrh, and aloes, and cassia are all thy garments; Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made thee glad.
Kings' daughters are among thy favourites; At thy right hand doth stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
'Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; Forget also thine own people, and thy father's house;
So shall the king desire thy beauty; For he is thy lord; and do homage unto him. .
And, O daughter of Tyre, the richest of the people Shall entreat thy favour with a gift.'
All glorious is the king's daughter within the palace; Her raiment is of chequer work inwrought with gold.
She shall be led unto the king on richly woven stuff; The virgins her companions in her train being brought unto thee.
They shall be led with gladness and rejoicing; They shall enter into the king's palace.
Instead of thy fathers shall be thy sons, Whom thou shalt make princes in all the land.
I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations; Therefore shall the peoples praise thee for ever and ever.
Text: The Holy Scriptures, Jewish Publication Society (1917), public domain, via Sefaria.
✦ Connected Across Traditions
The Golden Rule
Matthew 7:12
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.”
Hadith (An-Nawawi 13)
“None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”
Mahabharata 5.1517
“One should never do to another what one regards as injurious to oneself.”
Dhammapada 129 (trans. Bhikkhu Sujato)
“All tremble at the rod, all fear death. Treating others like oneself, neither kill nor incite to kill.”
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!”