(A David psalm.)
Oh lovely Yahweh:
My firm foundation.
My master at arms,
Schooling me in warfare,
Training me to fight.
My faithful friend.
My fort.
My castle.
My champion.
My impenetrable wall.
My safe house.
My bodyguard.
Yahweh, you surprise me.
You surprise me that you even notice
Puny humanity.
How do we even register with you?
We’re a sneeze,
A shadow.
So short-lived.
So forgettable.
Bring heaven to earth.
Step down.
Set off volcanic fireworks.
Light up the sky with electrical storms.
Hail down arrows
And rout them.
Reach down.
Lift me up,
Pulling me out of ocean chaos,
Plucking me from foreigner grasp.
Those liars!
So skilled,
So practiced
In their lying.
But I’ll be singing, not lying, God.
Playing a happy ukulele
And singing your praise in harmony.
You rescue kings,
Including your servant-partner David
From certain death.
So, rescue me from danger,
From strangers and their grasp,
From tricky tongues
Speaking lies on top of lies.
Grow our sons tall
And straight as pines.
Carve our daughter as palace pillars,
Strong and lovely.
Fill our barns and grain towers to the top.
Fill our fields with cattle and sheep
Beyond counting.
Let no one conquer us in war.
Let crime disappear from our cities.
It’s a happy nation who gets in on this.
Yes, it’s a happy nation
Who has Yahweh as their God.