Saturday, 3 January 2015

Psalm 2, punctuated.

Reading the psalms again, and punctuating my prior translation, but reading in Greek and hopefully learning a bit over the next year about Greek. Here's Psalm 2 in my usual literal translation from the Hebrew. I am no longer leaving untransliterated words in the English. So the Divine Name is rendered as Yahweh. I am also paying too little attention to the Greek - but I will be looking for semiticisms in the Greek, such as are pointed out in this rather good lecture by Steven Notley.
The music first:



Psalms 2 Fn Min Max Syll
לָ֭מָּה רָגְשׁ֣וּ גוֹיִ֑ם
וּ֝לְאֻמִּ֗ים יֶהְגּוּ־רִֽיק
1 g Why such a throng of nations?
and tribes in empty muttering?
3e 4B 6
6
יִ֥תְיַצְּב֨וּ ׀ מַלְכֵי־אֶ֗רֶץ וְרוֹזְנִ֥ים נֽוֹסְדוּ־יָ֑חַד
עַל־יְ֝הוָה וְעַל־מְשִׁיחֽוֹ
2 f They station themselves, these sovereigns of earth, these rule-makers reasoning as one,
over Yahweh and over his anointed:
3e 4A 12
8
נְֽ֭נַתְּקָה אֶת־מֽוֹסְרוֹתֵ֑ימוֹ
וְנַשְׁלִ֖יכָה מִמֶּ֣נּוּ עֲבֹתֵֽימוֹ
3 Let us snap their bonds,
and kiss good-bye to their cords.

3e 4B 8
11
יוֹשֵׁ֣ב בַּשָּׁמַ֣יִם יִשְׂחָ֑ק
אֲ֝דֹנָ֗י יִלְעַג־לָֽמוֹ
4 The one sitting in the heavens, he laughs.
My Lord derides them.
3e 4B 7
7
אָ֤ז יְדַבֵּ֣ר אֵלֵ֣ימוֹ בְאַפּ֑וֹ
וּֽבַחֲרוֹנ֥וֹ יְבַהֲלֵֽמוֹ
5 C Then he will speak to them in his anger,
and in his burning vex them.
3e 4C 10
10
וַ֭אֲנִי נָסַ֣כְתִּי מַלְכִּ֑י
עַל־צִ֝יּ֗וֹן הַר־קָדְשִֽׁי
6 g I myself have offered as libation my own king,
on Zion, my holy hill.

3e 4B 8
6
אֲסַפְּרָ֗ה אֶֽ֫ל חֹ֥ק
יְֽהוָ֗ה אָמַ֘ר אֵלַ֥י בְּנִ֥י אַ֑תָּה
אֲ֝נִ֗י הַיּ֥וֹם יְלִדְתִּֽיךָ
7 I will recount the decree.
Yahweh promised to me: You are my son.
I myself this day gave birth to you.
3e 4A 5
10
8
שְׁאַ֤ל מִמֶּ֗נִּי וְאֶתְּנָ֣ה ג֭וֹיִם נַחֲלָתֶ֑ךָ
וַ֝אֲחֻזָּתְךָ֗ אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ
8 Ask me and I give the nations as your legacy,
and as yours to hold fast, the ends of the earth.
3e 4C 15
8
תְּ֭רֹעֵם בְּשֵׁ֣בֶט בַּרְזֶ֑ל
כִּכְלִ֖י יוֹצֵ֣ר תְּנַפְּצֵֽם
9 g You will injure them with an iron sceptre.
Like fashioned vessels, you will smash them.

3e 4B 8
7
וְ֭עַתָּה מְלָכִ֣ים הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ
הִ֝וָּסְר֗וּ שֹׁ֣פְטֵי אָֽרֶץ
10 g So now, you sovereigns, let there be insight.
Be warned you who judge on earth.
3e 4B 9
7
עִבְד֣וּ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה בְּיִרְאָ֑ה
וְ֝גִ֗ילוּ בִּרְעָדָֽה
11 Serve Yahweh in fear,
and rejoice in trembling.
3e 4B 8
6
נַשְּׁקוּ־בַ֡ר פֶּן־יֶאֱנַ֤ף ׀ וְתֹ֬אבְדוּ דֶ֗רֶךְ כִּֽי־יִבְעַ֣ר כִּמְעַ֣ט אַפּ֑וֹ
אַ֝שְׁרֵ֗י כָּל־ח֥וֹסֵי בֽוֹ
12 Kiss, each of you - pure lest he be angry and you perish in the way,
for he kindles as a hint of his anger. Happy are all who take refuge in him.
3e 4C 19
6
People are used to seeing kiss here, but equip yourself with purity would also be a reasonable rendering. It is unfortunate that people use texts as if they were weapons as proof-texts. No one,  especially not the 'inspired' needs to prove their point with a weapon.
Selected recurring words
Word / Gloss1234567VSSStem
* גוים nations
1גוי
* מלכי these sovereigns of
2מלך
* ארץ earth
2ארץ
* מוסרותימו their bonds
3יסר
* ממנו bye to
3מן
* באפו in his anger
5אף
* ואני myself
6אני
* מלכי my own king
6מלך
* אני myself
7אני
* ממני me
8מן
* גוים the nations as
8גוי
* ארץ the earth
8ארץ
* מלכים you sovereigns
10מלך
* הוסרו be warned
10יסר
* ארץ earth
10ארץ
* אפו his anger
12אף


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