The Official Site of Andy Boucher

1 Strengthen me, equip me for the fight—or better,pull me out of the fight (Your will be done), O Yahweh with these ill favoredhumans of violence.

Guard me and protect me—conceal me—fromthe unjust and violent oppressors.

2 They weavetogether fabricated plots of mischief, harm, and annoyance from the centre oftheir being.

Day after day they gather to engagein war

3 They sharpen theirtongues like snakes

They use their sharp words toinculcate others and deceive them like a snake

Their angry poison like a snake’sis found in their lips.

Stopand think about this.

4 Guard me around with a hedge of protection OYahweh, from the powerful hands of these actively bad people.

Protect and conceal me frombeing besieged by the violent people, who are out for unjust gain,

Those who have purposed andcontrived to overthrow and drive me away and trip me up.

5 The arrogant ones have secretly laid a snare;they have prepared to spring a trap to ruin me, a noose to tighten around me.

They have spread a net along mypath—a hook for my nose.

I pause to consider this.

6 I said to Yahweh, You are my Almighty God,

Broaden Your ear to the sound ofmy voice and my earnest prayers of entreaty, O Yahweh.

7 O Yahweh Adonai, the strength, force, andsecurity of my prosperous salvation and victory;

You have covered my head in theday of battle.

8 Do not grant, O Yahweh, the desires of thosewho are morally wrongs and wicked.

Do not let their plot succeed

Or they will l make themselvesproud and act presumptuously.

Pause for contemplation.

9 Regarding the captain of those who surround me,

Let the grievousness and toil oftheir own lips overwhelm them.

10 Let fiery hotcoals fall on them.

Let them be cast into the fire;

Into the abyss so they cantescape.

11 Don’t let one whotalks evil and slander be established and prosperous in our land.

Adversity, calamity, grief, and wretchedness will lie inwait and catch the violent and unjust oppressor and overthrown him—bringing himto ruin.

12 I have observed carefully and have seenthat Yahweh will follow the trial of those afflicted;

Of those who are depressed inmind and circumstances by need and affliction.

And the sentences that arehanded down on those who are in want and destitute.

13 Surely the man that is just, lawful, andrighteous will worship and confess thanks to Your name and renown.

Those who are just, equitable,and righteous will remain and take up habitation in Your Presence.

1 I will stroll around for eternity as aminstrel singing songs about the beautiful kindness and good deeds that Yahwehdoes!

I will verbally observe andrecognize the firm security of Your fidelity to all generations.

2 I have attested to the fact that the beautyof Your kind deeds will continue to be built up forever;

You have erected and prosperouslyestablished the firmness and security of Your fidelity in the heavensthemselves.

3 You have said, “I have made a covenant andan alliance with the one whom I have selected.

 I have sworn (repeating it 7 times toestablish it) unto David, My bondservant:

“I will fix and prosperouslyestablish your posterity for all time and I have surely given you children tobuild up your throne for all generation.”

Stop the music and think about what I’vesaid.

5 Let the heavens above revere and worshipYour marvelous and miraculous deeds with extended hands, O Yahweh;

And the firm security of Yourfidelity as well in the assembled company of Your holy ones!

6 Who is there among the celestial bodies whocould set themselves up to compare with Yahweh?

And who from among the gods caneven be likened to Yahweh?

7 Our god is to be abundantly dreaded and tocause others to shake terribly

In the council of the heavenlyhosts

In the council of the gods

And is reverenced anddreadfully feared by those who surround Him.

8 O Yahweh, the God of all the armies of Heaven,

Who is as strong and mighty likeYou, O Yahweh?!

Your firm, secure, fidelityencircles You on every side.

 15 How blessed and highly favored is the tribethat knows His battle cry from experience, who cry out with joy for Him,

They shall walk about, O Yahweh,

And be conversant in theluminance and clarity of Your Presence.

16 Who spin around in the violent emotion ofjoy because of Your name, honor, and the reputation of Your character all day,

Who are lifted up and exalted inYour prosperous rightness, rectitude, justice, and virtue.

17 You are our glorious strength and ourhonorable force, and the majesty of our praise;

And it is Your delightful favorand good pleasure that exalts our strength and power.

18 For Yahweh is our shield and protector(Yahweh gives me a thick skin),

And the superior Eminent One ofIsrael.

19 In the past You arranged things to speakYour oracles in dreams and visions to Your saints, those who are godly,declaring and certifying:

“I have adjusted things in orderto bring aid to those who are valiant.

I have raised up and promotedthe young men from among the people.

20 I caused David to be brought forth; Ibrought forth David My bondservant;

With the richness of My consecratedoil I have anointed him,

21 In order that My powerful hand or means anddirection will be fixed on him rendering him sure and prosperous;

And My outstretched arm as wellwill confirm him and establish him with obstinate strength and courage

22 His adversaries and those who hate on himwill not torment him or treat him cruelly with taxes or by exacting dues fromhim;

Neither will those who are theproducts and builders of iniquity and perverseness unjustly look down on him,browbeat him, or try to chasten him or deal hardly with him to hurt his prideor to weaken him.

23 I will bruise and violently strike thosewho trouble him, who are opposed to him, and who try to create a place toonarrow for him to live and walk, causing them to loose their composure and tobe crushed into pieces before his eyes;

And I will trip those whopersonally hate him and who consider him to be odious and will make themstumble.

24 My firm security and the stability of Myfaithfulness and the beauty of My favor and kindness will accompany him,

And based on the authority of Myname and My reputation he shall rise and be promoted in strength and power.

33 Aim my life, O Yahweh, that it will flowalong the course of the customs and laws you’ve enacted,

And I will guard them, maintainthem, and protect them to the end as a great reward

34 Give me the ability to distinguish andunderstand with diligence, cunning, and eloquence and I will keep Your Law byguarding it, protecting it, and maintaining it, obeying and preserving it!

It is true! I will becircumspect, and take heed to its instructions and their consequences, and obeythem with my whole heart.

 35 Pointme like an arrow in a bent bow down the beaten path of Your Divine Law.

I am pleased and delighted withthem because I am inclined to them and have a bent to favor them.

36 Stretch my heart and bend it (from the verycenter of my being) toward the record and evidence of Your Laws,

And not to seeking plunder, unjustor dishonest gain.

37 Redirect my eyes (which are the fountain ofmy thoughts) so that they may be alienated from gazing on and visually experiencinguseless and ruinous things of evil and idolatry and the skilled deceit that goeswith these vain things.

Revive and restore me to life inhow to tread Your road, and living life according to Your course, and acting asYou desire.

38 Make the things You command clearer andabiding to Your bondservant, ordain and perform these things to me so that I may exceedingly fear and revere You because of the confirmation of them!

39 Fend off and help me escape the reproach,shame, disgrace, and contumely (rude expressions intended to hurt or offend)that I dread.

40 See how I have longed for and desired Yourmandates.

Revive me and restore my life throughthe prosperity of Your rightness, rectitude, justice, and virtue.

1 Adonai, You exist as our abode of refuge, our asylum, and our retreat throughout all our generations-in ages past and for our posterity.

(1 January 2010)

12 So cause us to observe, discern, be instructed in and have an understanding on how to weigh out, enumerate, count, number, prepare and appoint the days of our life times so that we may surely be granted, enter into and attain skillful wisdom at the center of our being.

(12 May 2007)

13 Turn back and return to us, O Yahweh, the Eternal and Self-Existent One!

How long will it be?

Feel compassion and pity upon Your bondservants!

14 Fill us to satisfaction at daybreak with the beauty of piety and kind favor upon us

So that we shout and sign triumphantly in joy and be elated and high-spirited in spite of our circumstances throughout all the days of our lives.

15 Give to us joy and elation in proportion to the number of days You have (or You have allowed us to be… browbeaten, depressed, chastened, and dealt harshly with us;

And the years we have seen and experienced adversity, calamity, distress, mischief, and ill-favor.

16 Let us behold, gaze on, and experience Your miraculous practices and work habits;

And let our children and our students behold, gaze on, and experience Your magnificence and the honor of Your glorious excellency!

17 Let the pleasant splendor, delight, and beautiful favor of Yahweh-Elohiym, the Eternal and Self-existent One who is our own God, rest upon us.

May it be that as it rests up on us, You would appoint, set up, and prosperously, and properly establish the transactions, products, poems and artistic works of our hands.

May our ministry and the things we’ve thrown our direction, power, and means into be prepared, ordained, and properly established as a result of Your beautiful favor upon us!

(9 January 2010)