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April 5, 2006
One Thing I Ask
Some psalms are so transcendentally beautiful that there is nothing more to be said:
from Psalm 27
There is one thing I ask of the Lord,
for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my life,
to savor the sweetness of the Lord,
to behold his temple.
(in the tumid translation of the present Liturgy of the Hours)
One thing have I desired of the LORD,
that will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the LORD,
and to enquire in his temple.
(KJV)
4 One thing have I desired of the LORD,
which I will require;
* even that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to behold the fair beauty of the LORD,
and to visit his temple.
(BCP)
One thing I have asked of the Lord,
this will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life.
That I may see the delight of the Lord,
and may visit his temple.
(DRC)
One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the LORD,
and to inquire in his temple.
(RSV)
One thing I ask of the Lord.
this one only favor is the desire of my heart
that all the days of my life
I will live in the house of the Lord, my God,
that I will ever behold His beauty
and linger in the spaces of His temple.
One thing. One thing.
The only One thing--
the one thing that matters.
God and God alone,
my heart, my life,
my hope, in the time
before me and in the time
that is out of time.
Ever to be His,
to attend upon Him in His every desire,
to be the servant of His servants
and to praise Him with glad cries.
Oh my savior God
that you might take me for yourself
and honor me by your Lordship
and accept the nothing I can bring.
One thing I ask,
to be yours forever.
Let me set you as a seal
upon my heart, as a seal
upon my arm,
let my heart know no
other but you.
My Lord and my God.
Posted by Steven Riddle at April 5, 2006 9:03 PM
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Comments
Beautiful. The portion of Psalm 27 you cited interestingly is analogous to the last verse of Psalm 23. I would disagree with anyone who says that Judaism doesn't have a doctrine of resurrection.
Posted by: Psalm 41 at April 5, 2006 10:02 PM
Tumid or timid?
Posted by: Jack Perry at April 6, 2006 12:42 AM
Dear Jack,
Yes!
Diseased and weak.
shalom,
Steven
Posted by: Steven Riddle at April 6, 2006 9:08 AM