Psalms — Chapter 31
For the leader. A psalm of David.
I seek refuge in You, O ETERNAL One;may I never be disappointed;as You are righteous, rescue me.
Incline Your ear to me;be quick to save me;be a rock, a stronghold for me,a citadel, for my deliverance.
For You are my rock and my fortress;You lead me and guide me as befits Your name.
You free me from the net laid for me,for You are my stronghold.
Into Your hand I entrust my spirit;You redeem me, O ETERNAL One, faithful God.
I detest those who rely on empty folly,but I trust in GOD.
Let me exult and rejoice in Your faithfulnesswhen You notice my affliction,are mindful of my deep distress,
and do not hand me over to my enemy,but grant me relief.agrant me relief Lit. “make my feet stand in a broad place.”
Have mercy on me, O ETERNAL One,for I am in distress;my eyes are wasted by vexation,my substance and body too.bmy substance and body too Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
My life is spent in sorrow,my years in groaning;my strength fails because of my iniquity,my limbs waste away.
Because of all my foesI am the particular butt of my neighbors,a horror to my friends;those who see me on the street avoid me.
I am put out of mind like the dead;I am like an object given up for lost.
I hear the whisperings of many,intriguecintrigue In contrast to others “terror.” on every side,as they scheme together against me,plotting to take my life.
But I trust in You, O ETERNAL One;I say, “You are my God!”
My fate is in Your hand;save me from the hand of my enemies and pursuers.
Show favor to Your servant;as You are faithful, deliver me.
O ETERNAL One, let me not be disappointed when I call You;let the wicked be disappointed;let them be silenced in Sheol;
let lying lips be stilledthat speak haughtily against the righteouswith arrogance and contempt.
How abundant is the goodthat You have in store for those who fear You,that You do in full viewfor those who take refuge in You.
You grant them the protection of Your presenceagainst the opposition’s schemes;dagainst the opposition’s schemes Or “against human schemes.” You shelter them in Your pavilionfrom contentious tongues.
Blessed is GOD,who has been wondrously faithful to me,a veritable bastion.
Alarmed, I had thought,“I am thrust out of Your sight”;yet You listened to my plea for mercywhen I cried out to You.
So love GOD, all you faithful; GOD guards the loyal,and more than requitesthe one who acts arrogantly.
Be strong and of good courage,all you who wait for GOD.
✦ Connected Across Traditions
The Golden Rule
Matthew 7:12
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
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 10:1
“All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.”
Divine Compassion & Mercy
Quran 1:1
“In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”
Luke 6:36
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
Snp 1.8
“As a mother would risk her life to protect her child, her only child, even so should one cultivate a limitless heart with regard to all beings.”
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 1
“One Universal Creator God. The Name Is Truth. Creative Being Personified. No Fear. No Hatred.”
Humility & Surrender
Bhagavad Gita 18:66
“Abandon all varieties of dharma and simply surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions; do not fear.”
Matthew 5:5
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Tao Te Ching 22
“If you want to become whole, let yourself be partial. If you want to become full, let yourself be empty.”
Quran 2:45
“Seek help through patience and prayer. It is indeed exacting, but not for those who are humble.”
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
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Dhammapada 1:1-2
“Mind is the forerunner of all actions. If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness follows like a shadow.”
Bhagavad Gita 16:21
“There are three gates to self-destructive hell: lust, anger, and greed. Therefore, one must learn to give these up.”