The Eternal One is my shepherd,
I lack nothing.
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside peaceful waters;
he restores my life.
He guides me along right paths for the sake of his name.
Even if I walk through the valley of deepest darkness,
I will fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff – they comfort me.
You set a table before me in front of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and loving kindness will pursue me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Eternal One for the length of my days.
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Some notes on my paraphrase:
Eternal One – an alternate rendering of YHWH, which is sometimes translated at Jehovah or Yahweh. From Strong’s:
יהוה yehôvâh – (the) self Existent or eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God: – Jehovah, the Lord.
valley of deepest darkness – the Hebrew does not necessarily refer to death, but instead to a dark and treacherous ravine.
loving kindness – instead of mercy or steadfast love, I have decided to go with this term. From Strong’s:
חסד chêsêd – kindness; by implication (towards God) piety; rarely (by opprobrium) reproof, or (subjectively) beauty: – favour, good deed (-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-) kindness, merciful (kindness), mercy, pity.
pursue – a more accurate translation of the word commonly translated as “follow.” It also connotes a more aggressive action on the part of God that is in keeping with my Wesleyan understanding of prevenient grace.
for the length of my days – a more accurate translation of the Hebrew, rather than the more commonly used “forever.” Another alternative would be “as long as I live.”
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So, what do you think?
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