Psalms 54

Another betrayal. Who are the Ziphites here in support of the failed leader Saul. Do we yet regret that we made someone our leader, or are we part of those who will lead mobsters to capture the opponent's flag?

Annihilate them, writes the poet, but not with any weapon except 'your truth'. Not 'my truth' but 'your truth'. In the case of a democracy, this is the truth that is embodied in the people. Where is it? To get to truth requires giving up untruth. I am not delivered by violence but by truth. How will we seek it?

It comes down ultimately to this question: who do you trust to clarify the conflicts we experience in our opinions every day? And are you really reading the images and information that you post with truth or do you just want random images and sound bites to shore up your fears so you don't have to face truth?

Can I look into my enemies? Do I even know who they are? Today as in the past, a person's enemies may be those of their own information bubble. If I see clearly, will my enemies also begin to have their eyes unclouded? 

Or am I just supposing that I can win. What! Have I not discovered how to turn away from such a motivation? Winning is not annihilation by truth, it is suppression by violence. Whoever learned that sort of lesson from the character of God? Only those who have learned nothing. You do not know 'what manner of spirit you are'.

	thlim		Psalms
	nd		54
a	lmnxk bnginot mwcil ldvid.	1	For the leader. On strings. An insight of David.
b	bboa hzipim viamru lwaul, hloa dvid msttr yimnu?	2	Enter the Ziphites and they say to Saul, Does not David hide himself with us?
g	alohim bwmç howiyni, ubgburtç tdinni.	3	O God in your name save me, and in your prevailing make my case.
d	alohim wmy tpilti, hazinh lamri-pi.	4	O God hear my prayer, give ear to the sayings of my mouth.
h	ci zrim qmu ylii vyrixim biqwu npwi. la wmu alohim lngdm slh.	5	For strangers have arisen over me and the ruthless seek my being. They have not set God up before them. Selah.
v	hnh alohim yozr li. adonii bsomci npwi.	6	Behold God is my help. My Lord is with the supporters of my being.
z	iwib hry lworrii. bamitç hxmitm.	7	He will return the evil to my watchers. In your truth annihilate them.
k	bndbh azbkh-lç. aodh wmç ihvh ci-'tob.	8	A freewill offering I will offer to you. I will give thanks to your name, Yahweh, for it is good.
't	ci mcl-xrh hxilni, ubaoibii rath yini.	9	For from all trouble he has delivered me, and into my enemies my eye has seen.

Tate points out possible wordplay between the Ziphites and 1 Sam 23. It's a one-letter stretch (p=f) connecting npw (throat / being / soul, if you like) to zif. But npw is a recurring word in the Psalm and can be seen as its focus. So the sounds-like aspect of the connection fits.

	wmual a		1 Samuel
	cg		23
a	vigidu ldvid lamor, hnh plwtim nlkmim bqyilh vhmh wosim at-hgvrnot.	1	And they told David, saying, Behold, Philistines are fighting in Qilah, and they are plundering threshing-floors.
b	viwal dvid bihvh lamor halç vhciti bplwtim halh? viamr ihvh al-dvid lç vhcit bplwtim vhowyt at-qyilh.	2	And David asked in Yahweh, saying, Do I go and strike against these Philistines? And Yahweh said to David, Go. And strike against the Philistines, and save Qilah.
g	viamru anwi dvid aliv hnh anknu ph bihudh iraim, vaf ci-nlç qyilh al-myrcot plwtim?	3	And the men of David said to him, Behold, we here in Judah fear, and how much more if we go to Qilah to the ranks of the Philistines? S
d	viosf yod dvid lwaol bihvh viynhu ihvh, viamr qum rd qyilh ci-ani notn at-plwtim bidç.	4	And David added further to ask in Yahweh, and Yahweh answered him, and he said, Arise. Go down to Qilah, for I will give Philistines into your hand.
h	vilç dvid vanwiv qyilh viilkm bplwtim vinhg at-mqnihm viç bhm mch gdolh, viowy dvid at iowbi qyilh.	5	So David and his men went to Qilah and fought against the Philistines, and he drove their livestock, and struck them a great strike, and David saved the inhabitants of Qilah. S
v	vihi bbrok abitr bn-akimlç al-dvid qyilh, aipod ird bido.	6	And it happened when Abiatar child of Ahimelech ran to David to Qilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand.
z	viugd lwaul ci-ba dvid qyilh. viamr waul nicr aoto alohim bidi ci nsgr lboa byir dltiim ubrik.	7	And it was told Saul that David went to Qilah. And Saul said, God has alienated him in my hand, for he is imprisoned, coming into a city of gateways and bars.
k	viwmy waul at-cl-hym lmlkmh, lrdt qyilh lxur al-dvid val-anwiv.	8	And Saul broadcast with all the people to battle, to descend to Qilah, to lay siege to David and to his men.
't	viidy dvid ci yliv waul mkriw hryh, viamr al-abitr hcohn hgiwh haipod.	9	And David knew that Saul was against him, keeping silent about the evil, and he said to Abiatar the priest, Come close with the ephod. S
i	viamr dvid ihvh alohi iwral wmoy wmy ybdç ci-mbqw waul lboa al-qyilh, lwkt lyir byburi.	10	And David said, Yahweh the God of Israel hear. Hear your servant. For Saul seeks for entry to Qilah, to destroy the city on my behalf.
ia	hisgiruni byli qyilh bido hiird waul cawr wmy ybdç ihvh alohi iwral hgd-na lybdç. viamr ihvh iird. {s}	11	Will the owners of Qilah imprison me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? Yahweh the God of Israel, tell, if you will, your servant. And Yahweh said, He will come down. S
ib	viamr dvid hisgiru byli qyilh aoti vat-anwii bid-waul? viamr ihvh isgiru.	12	And David said, Will the owners of Qilah imprison me and my men into the hand of Saul? And Yahweh said, They will imprison. S
ig	viqm dvid vanwiv cww-maot aiw viixau mqyilh vithlcu bawr ithlcu. ulwaul hugd ci-nml't dvid mqyilh vikdl lxat.	13	And David and his men arose, about six hundred such, and went forth from Qilah, and meandered wherever they could go. And Saul was told that David had escaped from Qilah, so he refrained from going forth.
id	viiwb dvid bmdbr bmxdot viiwb bhr bmdbr-zif. vibqwhu waul cl-himim vla-ntno alohim bido.	14	And David settled in the wilderness, in the fortresses, and settled on a hill in the wilderness of Zif. And Saul sought him every day, and God did not give him into his hand.
'tv	vira dvid ci-ixa waul lbqw at-npwo, vdvid bmdbr-zif bkorwh.	15	And David saw that Saul came out to seek his throat, and David was in the wilderness of Zif in the wooded heights. S
'tz	viqm ihontn bn-waul vilç al-dvid korwh, vikzq at-ido balohim.	16	And Jonathan child of Saul arose, and came to David in the wooded heights, and he encouraged his hand in God.
iz	viamr aliv al-tira ci la tmxaç id waul abi vath tmloç yl-iwral vanoci ahih-lç lmwnh. vgm-waul abi iody cn.	17	And he said to him, Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father will not find you, but you will be king over Israel, and myself, I will be to you as a second. And even Saul my father knows thus.
ik	vicrtu wnihm brit lpni ihvh. viiwb dvid bkorwh vihontn hlç lbito.	18	And the two of them cut a covenant in the presence of Yahweh. And David settled in the wooded heights, and Jonathan went to his own house. S
i't	viylu zipim al-waul hgbyth lamor, hloa dvid msttr yimnu bmxdot bkorwh bgbyt hkcilh awr mimin hiwimon.	19	And Ziffites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, Did not David hide himself with us in the fortresses, in the wooded heights on the hillock of Haxiliah, that is to the south of Yeshimon.
c	vyth lcl-avvt npwç hmlç lrdt rd, vlnu hsgiro bid hmlç.	20	So now, for all intense desire of your being, O king, to descend, go down, and it will be for us to imprison him in the hand of the king.
ca	viamr waul brucim atm lihvh, ci kmltm ylii.	21	And Saul said, Blessed are you Yahweh, for you have pity on me.
cb	lcu-na hcinu yod udyu urau at-mqomo awr thih rglo mi rahu wm, ci amr alii yrom iyrim hua.	22	Come now. Prepare further, and know, and see his place where his feet have been, who has seen him there, for he said to me, Crafty, crafty he is.
cg	urau udyu mcol hmkboaim awr itkba wm vwbtm alii al-ncon vhlcti aitcm. vhih am-iwno barx vkipwti aoto bcol alpi ihudh.	23	So see, and know, of all the camouflaged places that are his camouflage, then you will return to me to prepare, and I will go with you. And it will be, if he is in the land, then I will investigate him with all the captains of Judah.
cd	viqumu vilcu ziph lpni waul. vdvid vanwiv bmdbr myon byrbh al imin hiwimon.	24	And they arose and they went toward Zif in the presence of Saul. And David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the steppe to the south of Yeshimon.
ch	vilç waul vanwiv lbqw vigidu ldvid viird hsly viiwb bmdbr myon. viwmy waul virdof akri-dvid mdbr myon.	25	And Saul and his men went to seek. And they told David, and he came down the cliff and settled in the wilderness of Maon. And Saul heard and he pursued after David to the wilderness of Maon.
cv	vilç waul mxd hhr mzh vdvid vanwiv mxd hhr mzh. vihi dvid nkpz llct mpni waul vwaul vanwiv yo'trim al-dvid val-anwiv ltopwm.	26	And Saul went from this side of the hill, but David and his men from that side of the hill. And David hastened to go from the face of Saul, for Saul and his men had crowned David and his men to arrest them.
cz	umlaç ba al-waul lamor, mhrh vlch ci-pw'tu plwtim yl-harx.	27	And a messenger came to Saul, saying, Swiftly, and come now, for Philistines pillage over the land.
ck	viwb waul mrdof akri dvid vilç lqrat plwtim. yl-cn qrau lmqom hhua sly hmklqot.	28	And Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went at the call of the Philistines. Therefore they call that place the cliff of the divisions.