PSALM 30 (31)

In you, O Lord, I have taken shelter,
may I never be disappointed,
In your righteousness,
rescue me.
Incline your ear to me
and quickly free me.
Be to me as a stone of strength
and as a house of refuge,
that you may save me,
for you are my rock
and my protection,
and for your name's sake
you will lead me out
and give me support.
You will lead me out of
the net that they hid for me,
because you are my strength.
Into your hand I shall
commend my spirit.
You have redeemed me O Lord
God of truth.
You have hated the custodians
of useless vanities.
But I have trusted in the Lord,
I shall exult and rejoice
in your mercy,
for you have seen my affliction,
you have known the tribulations
of my soul
and have not thrown me into
the hands of the enemy.
You have placed my feet
on a wide way.
Have mercy on me O Lord,
for I am troubled.
My sight is wasted with sorrow,
my soul and my body too,
for they are consumed in the grief
of my life,
as are my years in sighing.
My strength has become weak
from iniquity,
and my bones are troubled.
To my enemies I've become
an object of insult,
much also to my neighbors,
and of fear to acquaintances.
Those who saw me on the streets
fled from me.
I am given over to oblivion
as one who is dead
passes from memory.
I have become like a broken vessel,
for I have heard the insults
of many in the congregation
that surrounds me
when they gathered together,
thinking to take away
my life.
But I have trusted in you, O Lord,
I said, "you are my God,"
and my seasons
are in your hand.
Free me from the hand
of my enemies
and those who persecute me.
Show your face to your servant,
in your mercy, save me
Let me not be disappointed,
for I have called upon you.
Let the impious be confounded,
may they keep silent
in hell,
May the lying lips be muted
that in pride and arrogance
speak slyly against the just.
How great is your goodness
that you have hidden
for those who fear you,
and accomplished
for those who take shelter in you,
in the sight of the sons of men!
You hide them in the protection
of your face
from the harshness of men,
and in your tabernacle
from the contention
of tongues.
Blessed be the Lord
who made wonderful
his mercy toward me
in a besieged city.
But I said, in my alarm,
"I have been driven out
of his sight,"
so you listened to the voice
of my supplication,
when I cried out to you.
Love the Lord, all his saints,
for the Lord guards the faithful
but abundantly repays
those who act haughtily.
Be strong and let your heart
take courage,
all you who hope in
the Lord.

MOSAIC - Psalm 30 (31)

In you, O Lord, I have taken shelter,
may I never be disappointed,

In te Domine speravi,
non confundar in  aeternum.

I have hoped in you, O Lord,
let me not be confused forever.

I shall not be confused forever.

En ti, oh Jehová, he esperado;
no sea yo confundido para siempre.

May I not be confused forever.

O Eternel, je cherche mon refuge en toi;
Que mon espoir ne soit jamais décu!

O Eternal One, I seek my refuge in you,
may my hope never be disappointed.

I seek refuge in You, O Lord;
may I never be disappointed.

Ad te, Domine, confugio,
ne confundar in aeternum.

In you, O Lord, I take refuge,
let me not be mistaken forever,

never let me down.

Woman

Woman,
all unknowing
you bless us
with your beauty.
What the world
could have been,
you are.

Perfect,
you rise above
war and greed,
pain and sickness,
and show us
divinity.

PSALM 29 (30)

I will exalt you, O Lord,
for you have saved me,
and you have not preferred
my enemies to me.
O Lord, my God, I have
cried out to you,
and you have healed me.
O Lord, you have led my soul
out of the inferno,
you have vivified me
so that I might not descend
into the pit.
Sing to the Lord,
all his saints,
and proclaim the memory
of his holiness,
for his anger lasts
but a moment,
and his benevolence
is lifelong.
Weeping dwells
in the evening,
and in the morning
there is joy.
But I said in my abundance,
"I shall not be moved forever."
O Lord, by your will
you made my strength
like a mountain,
but you hid your face
and I was troubled.
I will cry out to the Lord,
and I will beg the Lord.
What is the use of my blood
if I should fall into corruption?
Will the dust confess you
or announce your truth?
Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me,
O Lord, be my help.
You have changed my tears into joy,
you have torn away
my cloak of mourning
and girded me with gladness,
that my glory might praise you
and not be silent.
O Lord, my God,
I shall praise you
forever.

PSALM 28 (29)

Bring to the Lord young rams,
bring to the Lord glory and rule,
bring to the Lord glory to his name,
adore the Lord in his holy place of majesty.
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters,
the God of glory has sounded forth,
the Lord is upon many waters,
the voice of the Lord in strength,
the voice of the Lord in majesty,
the voice of the Lord crushing the cedars,
and the Lord will crush the cedars of Lebanon,
and he will scatter them like the calf of Lebanon,
and Sarion like the young of a rhinoceros.
The voice of the Lord dividing flames of fire,
the voice of the Lord
causing the desert of Kadesh
to give birth,
the voice of the Lord
delivering the deer
and revealing the woodlands,
and in his temple
all shall speak
of glory.
The Lord inhabits the flood
and shall sit as king
forever.
The Lord will give strength
to his people,
the Lord will bless his people
with peace.

PSALM 27 (28)

To you, O Lord, I will cry out,
O my strength, do not be deaf to me,
for if you are silent to me,
I shall be like those
who go down into a pit.
Hear, O Lord, my plea
when I cry out to you,
when I raise my hands
to your holy sanctuary.
Do not carry me away
with the impious
and with evil-doers
who speak peace
with their friends
while there is malice
in their hearts.
Give to them
according to their works,
and according to the evil
of their creations,
according to the works
of their hands,
give to them,
return their just due
to them.
Because they take no notice
of the works of the Lord
and the creation of his hands,
you will destroy them
and will not rebuild them.
Blessed is the Lord
who has heard the voice
of my plea.
The Lord is my strength
and my shield,
in him my heart has trusted
and I have received help.
My heart has rejoiced
in him,
and in my song
I shall confess him.
The Lord is the strength
of his people
and the saving refuge
of his anointed one.
Save your people
and bless your heritage,
and be their shepherd
and lift them up
forever.

PSALM 26 (27)

The Lord is my light
and my salvation,
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength
of my life,
whom shall I dread?
When evil ones approach me
to eat my flesh,
my attackers and enemies
will themselves be
thrown down and fall.
If they should stand against me
on the battlefield,
my heart will not fear,
if war should rise against me,
in this I shall trust.
I have asked one thing
of the Lord,
and it is this that I need:
that I shall live
in the house
of the Lord
all the days
of my life.,
that I may see the beauty
of the Lord,
and attend his temple.,
for he shall hide me in his shade
on the terrible day,
he shall hide me in the secret place
of his tabernacle,
he shall raise me up upon a rock,
now also shall he raise my head
above those of my enemies
who are circled about me,
and in his tabernacle
I shall offer up sacrifices
with shouts of joy.
I shall sing and make music
to the Lord.
May the Lord hear
my voice of invocation,
may he have mercy on me
and answer me.
My heart said to you,
my face has sought your face,
O Lord, and I shall seek it.
Do not hide your face
from me,
nor bend down in your anger
to your servant,
you who have been my help,
do not abandon me,
and do not send me away,
O God, my savior.
For my father and mother
have abandoned me,
but the Lord
has gathered me in.
Show me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on straight paths
because of my adversaries.
Do not give me over to
the will of those who trouble me,
for they have given false testimony
against me, and lied openly.
But I believe that I shall see
the good things of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord,
be strong and let your heart
take courage,
wait for the Lord.

PSALM 25 (26)

Vindicate me, O God,
for I have walked in
my innocence,
and trusting in the Lord
I shall not weaken.
Test me O Lord
and tempt me,
pass my kidneys and my heart
through the fire,
for your mercy is before
my eyes, and I
have walked in your truth.
I have not sat with
men of vanity,
and with the arrogant
I shall not enter in.
I have hated the gatherings
of the wicked,
and with evil-doers
I shall not sit.
I shall wash my hands
in innocence
and I shall walk around
your altar, O Lord,
that with clear voice
I may announce your praise
and tell all
your wonders.
O Lord, I have loved
your house,
and the dwelling place
of your glory.
Do not carry away my soul
with sinners,
nor my life
with men of blood,
in whose hands are crimes,
whose right hands
are full of bribes.
But I shall walk
in my innocence,
save me and have
mercy on me.
My foot has stood
in uprightness,
in the congregations
I shall bless
the Lord.

PSALM 24 (25)

To you, O Lord,
I will lift my spirit.
My God, I have trusted in you,
let me not be confounded,
let not my enemies rejoice,
and let not all those
who hope in you,
be confounded.
But let those be confounded
who work iniquity in vain.
Show me, O Lord, your ways,
teach me your paths,
lead me in your truth,
teach me, O God, for you
are my savior, and I
have waited for you
all the day.
Remember your compassion,
O Lord, and your mercy,
which is forever.
Of the sins of my youth
and my wicked deeds
do not be mindful,
but remember me in
accordance with your mercy,
because of your kindness,
O Lord.
Therefore will the good
and just Lord teach sinners
in the way and lead
the gentle in judgment,
and teach his way
to the temperate.
All the paths of the Lord
are mercy and truth
to those who keep
his pact and
his witness.
For the sake of your name
forgive my guilt,
for it is great.
Who is this man
who fears the Lord?
He will set a law for him
in the road that he has chosen.
His soul shall dwell
in goodness,
and his seed shall inherit
the earth.
The secret of the Lord
is for those who fear him,
and he shall show
his covenant to them.
My eyes are always on the Lord,
for he will free my feet
from the snare
Look upon me and
have mercy on me,
for I am a pauper
and alone.
The tribulations of my heart
are multiplied,
lead me out
of my anguish.
See my affliction
and my struggle,
and take away
all my sins.
See my enemies,
for they have multiplied,
and they hate me
with an unholy hatred.
Guard my soul
and free me,
let me not be confounded,
for I have hoped in you.
Simplicity and equity
shall serve me,
for I have waited
for you.
Free Israel, O God,
from all its anguish.

Chemtrails in the Dawn

A hundred kilometers north of Puerto Madryn,
chemtrails pattern the Patagonian dawn.
What can be going on here,
where the population is dwarfed
by that of our cruise ship,
gliding miles offshore?
On our balcony,
naked and wondering,
I point my camera
at an unknown sky.

February or March, 2016

PSALM 23 (24)

The land and its fullness
are the Lord's,
as is the world
and its inhabitants,
for he has founded it
upon the seas,
and established it
upon the rivers.
Who ascends the
mountain of the Lord,
and shall stand in
his holy place,
with innocent hands
and clean of heart,
who has not raised up
his soul in vain,
and who has not
sworn falsely,
that one shall receive
the blessing of the Lord
and justice from God,
his savior.
This is the generation
of those who seek him,
of those who seek the face
of the God of Jacob.

Raise up your heads,
O gates,
be raised, O eternal
portals,
and the king of glory
will enter.
Who is this king
of glory?
The Lord, strong and powerful,
The Lord, strong in battle.
Raise up your heads,
O gates,
Rise up, O eternal
portals,
and the king of glory
will enter.
Who is this king
of glory?
The Lord of armies,
he is the king
of glory.

PSALM 22 (23)

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall lack nothing.
He has set me
in pastures of herbs
and led me to waters
where I may rest.
He has refreshed
my soul.
He has led me
on paths of justice
for his name's sake,
and if I should walk
in the valley of death
I shall not fear evil,
because you are with me.
Your rod and your staff
will comfort me.
You set a table before me
in sight of my enemies,
you anointed my head
with oil.
My cup is overflowing.
Goodness and mercy
shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and in length of days
I shall dwell
in the house
of the Lord.

PSALM 21 (22)

O God, my God, why have you
abandoned me,
far from my saving,
and from the words of my cries?
My God, I shall cry out
by day,
and you will not listen,
and by night,
I have no peace.
But you in your holy place
live in the praise of Israel.
Our forefathers have
trusted in you,
they trusted,
and you saved them.
They cried out to you,
and they were saved.
They trusted in you,
and were not mistaken.
But I am a worm
and not a man,
scorned by others
and despised by the people.
All who see me
deride me, muttering
and shaking their heads.
"Let the Lord save him who
took refuge in him,
let him free him
if he loves him."
But it is you who brought me
from the womb,
safe at the breasts of my mother.
From my mother's womb
you have been my God.
Do not be far away,
because trouble is near,
and there is no one
to help.
Young bulls have surrounded me,
fat bulls encircled me,
they opened their mouths over me,
like a ravenous, roaring lion.
Like water I was poured out,
and all my bones were out of joint,
my heart was like melted wax
in my stomach.
My strength has dried up
like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to
the roof of my mouth,
and you have pulled me down
into the dust of death.
Hunters have surrounded me,
a council of evil has
walled me in,
they have bound my hands
and my feet,
I can count all my bones,
which they, looking on,
have seen in me.
They divided my clothing
among them,
and threw dice
for my garment..
But you, O Lord, do not
be far.
O my strength,
hurry to my aid,
save my soul
from the sword,
my life from
the hands of the dog,
save me from the
mouth of the lion,
and from the horns
of unicorns--
hear me!

I shall tell of your name
to my brothers,
in the middle of the congregation
I will praise you.
You who fear the Lord,
praise him!
Glorify him,
all you seed of Jacob!
Fear him, all you
seed of Israel,
for he has not looked down on
nor had contempt for
the lowliness of the poor,
and has not hid his face
from them,
and when they cried out,
he heard them.
My praise is with you
in the great congregation,
I shall pay my vows
in the sight of those
who fear you.
The poor shall eat
and be filled,
they who seek the Lord
shall praise him.
May their hearts
live forever.
All the ends of the earth
shall remember
and turn to the Lord,
and all nations
shall worship before him,
for the kingdom
is the Lord's
and he shall rule over
the peoples.
All the proud of the earth
shall have eaten and worshiped,
and all those who fall to dust
shall bend the knee
before his face.
My soul lives for him,
and my seed shall serve him.
A generation to come
will be told of the Lord,
and to them will be announced
the just works
that he has done.

MIXTOS - II

As retrogressivas unidades
se están uniendo,
en grave perigo poniendo
as nossas libertades.

Esto se va conectando
con passiones y amores
y os políticos están mostrando
suas verdadeiras cores.

The forces of retrogression
are uniting,
putting in grave danger
all our freedoms.

This is connected
with passions and loves,
and the politicians are showing
their true colors.

LVI.
O número do Bobo é zero,
y dá os termos de su reinado.
"Arcanum" est nomen eius.
Que nos ashude Deus!

Zero is the number of the Fool,
and it gives the terms of his rule.
"Arcanum" is his name.
May God help us!

29 de agosto 2016

PSALM 20 (21)

O Lord, the king shall rejoice
in your strength
and he will exult most strongly
in your salvation.
You have given him
the desire of his heart
and have not deprived him
of a wish from his lips.

For you have granted him
sweet blessings,
you have placed on his head
a crown of precious stones.
He asked of you life
and you gave it to him,
and length of days forever.
Great is his glory
through your salvation.
Glory and majesty
you place upon him,
for you place upon him
eternal blessing.
Your face will fill him
with joy,
for the king trusts
in the Lord
and through the mercy
of the Most High
he shall not be moved.

May your hand find
all your enemies,
may your right hand
find those who hate you.
You will make them as
a fiery furnace
when you appear.
The Lord, in his wrath,
will cast them down
and consume them with fire,
their fruit shall be lost
from the earth,
and their seed from among
the sons of men,
for if they plan
evil against you,
they will not succeed,
for you put them to flight,
you draw your bow
in their face.

Rise up, O Lord,
in your power.
Let us sing and celebrate
your strength.

WE ARE NOT THE FIRST

We are not the first
to be here, and
we will not be
the last.
Others were here
long before us.
We don't own
this space.
We are renters,
and bad tenants
at that.

Tea Set

The tea set is cracked,
butler's eye is blacked,
mail-order wife sings,
"Goin' home,
goin' home,
I'm a-goin' home."

Pray

You may not think
that I know how
to pray,
but I thank God
for my nakedness
every single
day.

Field

I saw a field of body parts
and all the arts
had flown.


Art by Osorio, from the author's collection.

PSALM 19 (20)

May the Lord hear you
on the day of tribulation.
May the name of the God
of Jacob protect you.
May he send help to you
from his sanctuary,
and support you from Zion.
May he be mindful of
all your sacrifices,
and find your burnt
offerings acceptable.

May he give to you
according to your heart's desire,
and fulfill your every wish.
We shall rejoice
in your salvation
and raise banners
to the name
of our God.
May the Lord fulfill
all your requests
I already know that
the Lord will save
his anointed,
that he will hear him
from his holy heaven,
granting victories
by the strength
of his right hand.
Some in chariots
and some in horses,
but we are made strong
in the name of the Lord,
our God.
They collapsed and fell,
but we stand
and we remain.

Lord, save the king,
and hear us on the day
when we invoke you.

PSALM 18 (19)

The heavens tell the glory of God,
and the firmament announces
the work of his hands.
Day to day
pours forth utterance,
and night to night
points out knowledge.
There is no speech
and there are no words
by which their voice
is not heard.
Their sound has gone out
into the whole earth,
and their words
to the ends of the earth.
In them He has placed
a tent for the sun,
which coming out
has rejoiced like
a bridegroom leaving
his bridal chamber,
and his exit is like a
strong man running his way
from the heights of heaven,
and his course is even to
its summit, nor is there
anyone who can hide
from his heat.
The law of the Lord
is spotless, turning
the soul.
The testimony of
the Lord faithfully
imparts wisdom
to infants,
the righteous precepts
of the Lord
give joy to the heart,
the commandment
of the Lord
gives light that
illuminates the eyes,
the fear of the Lord
is pure, enduring
forever,
the judgments
of the Lord
are true, justified
in themselves,
they are more desirable
than gold and many
precious stones,
sweeter than honey
and the honeycomb.

Indeed, by them
your servant is taught,
in keeping them
there is much reward.
But who shall detect
his errors?
Cleanse me of hidden
faults, and also free
your servant from
sins of pride.
If I stay free of
their domination,
then I shall be
immaculate,
and I shall be
cleansed
of great sin.

May the words of my mouth
be pleasing to You,
and also, in your sight,
the meditation of
my heart,
O Lord, my rock
and my redeemer.

PSALM 17 (18)

I shall love You, O Lord,
who are my strength.
The Lord is my rock
and my oak,
and my savior.

My God is my strength,
and I will hope in Him,
my shield and the horn
of my well being,
my refuge.

Praising Him I will
invoke the Lord,
and I shall be
saved from my enemies.

The pains of death
surrounded me,
and torrents of iniquity
terrified me.

The pains of hell surrounded
me, and I was held
by the bonds of death.

In my tribulation
I invoked the Lord
and I cried out to God,
that from his temple
he might hear my voice,
and that my cry
in his presence
might reach his ears.

And the earth was shaken
and troubled,
and the base of the
mountains was stricken,
and they were shaken
because of his anger.

Smoke rose from his furor, and fire issued
from his mouth,
lighting glowing coals.

He bent the heavens and
descended, and there was
darkness beneath his feet.

He mounted upon a Cherubim and flew,
He flew on the wings of the wind,
and placed shadows as
his retreat,
around him as his
tabernacle,
shadowy waters
in clouds of air.
Before  the light of his presence,
clouds disappeared, amid
hail and fiery coals
and the Lord thundered
from the heavens,
the Most High
gave forth his voice
with hail and fiery coals:
and He sent forth his arrows
and dispersed them
and He multiplied
the lightning bolts
and threw them into chaos,
and fountains of water
appeared and the foundations
of the earth
were revealed
at the sound of your voice.
O Lord,
at the wind of your
angry breath.

He sent from on high
and received me,
He lifted me from
the flooding waters,
He freed me from my
most powerful enemies
and those who hated me,
though they were
stronger than me.

They assaulted me on the day
of my affliction,
and the Lord became
my protector.

And He put me at large,
He saved me because
it pleased Him,
and the Lord repaid me
according to my justice,
according to the purity
of my hands.
He repaid me,
for I have kept the ways
of the Lord,
and I have not acted
impiously toward
my God.

For all of his judgments
have been in my sight
and I have not rejected
his precepts, and have been
immaculate with Him
and I have kept myself from
my iniquity,
and the Lord
will repay me according
to my justice,
and according to the purity
of my hands
in the sight of
his eyes.

With the holy
You shall be holy,
with the innocent
You act
innocently.
With the elect
You shall be elect
and with the perverse
You shall be
severe.,
for You shall save
the poor
and cause the eyes of the mighty
to be lowered,
for You shall give light
to my lamp, O Lord,
You will illuminate
my shadows, my God,
for in You I shall be rescued
from a pirates' den
and with my God I shall
leap over the wall.
The way of my God is
spotless,
the words of the Lord
are proven by fire,
He is the shield of
all those who hope
in Him,
for who is God besides the Lord,
who is strong besides our God?

It is God who girds me with strength,
who has made my way smooth,
making my feet fleet as those of deer
and placing me on the heights,
training my hands for battle,
making my arms a bronze bow.

You gave me the shield
of your protection
and your right hand
supported me,
and your gentleness
made me strong.

You will make wide the places
where I walk
and my steps will not falter.

I shall pursue my enemies
and capture them,
and I shall not turn back
until I have finished them,
until they shall fall
and not rise,
until they shall fall
beneath my feet.

You have girded me
with strength for battle,
You have bent my adversaries
beneath me,
You have made my enemies
turn their backs to me
and You have dispersed those who hate me.
They shall call out and
there will be no one
to save them,
to the Lord,
and He will not
heed them.

I will scatter them
like powder
before the wind,
I will sweep them away
like the mire of the streets.

You will save me from
the strife of the people,
You put me at the head of nations,
people whom I did not know
shall serve me,
on hearing of me,
they shall obey me.

The sons of strangers render me
false homage,
the sons of strangers
are defeated,
and come trembling from their
hiding places.

The Lord lives, and
blessed be my Rock,
and may the God of my salvation
be exalted,
God who gives vengeance
to me,
and gathers peoples
under me,
who has liberated me
from my enemies
and placed me above
those who resist me,
who has rescued me
from the violent.

Therefore I shall celebrate You
among the nations,
O Lord,
and sing a psalm
to your name.

You who have given great victories
to your king
and have shown mercy
to your anointed,
David, and to his seed,
forever.

WRINKLED TRICEPS

Wrinkled triceps tell me
that this body is
beginning to shrivel
like over-ripe fruit.
It is ready for
the harvest,
but it's not
dead yet.

May 2 2017
Selfie: May 2 2017

FURTHER TRANSLATION NOTES

It goes without saying that many things have to be considered in the process of translating. In this blog entry I'll try to illustrate some of them.

One of those things to be considered is the set of inherent characteristics or idiosyncrasies of the language being translated. For example, Biblical Hebrew often uses exactly the same form for both past and future tenses, leaving the intended tense in doubt. Sometimes this works out marvelously, the best example being in Genesis 1.3, usually translated as "And God said, 'let there be light,' and there was light." Any modern language can make clear the difference between the two statements. In Spanish (the old version of Cipriano de Valera) it is: "Y dijo Dios: sea la luz: y fué la luz." In French (Version Synodale) we have "Dieu dit : 'Que la lumière soit !' Et la lumiêre fut." In English, Spanish, French, and most other languages, the situation is quite clear. But in Biblical Hebrew, God said "y'hi or" (let there be, or literally, there will be light) and "y'hi or" (there was light). The two statements look exactly the same, which marvelously emphasizes how God's word, God's command, is law and gets carried out exactly.

Due to the above feature of Biblical Hebrew, The two translations of the Book of Psalms that Saint Jerome presented to the Pope often differ in tense, for example the version based on the Greek of the Septuagint may use a past tense in Latin, where the version based on the Hebrew text extant in Jerome's day will use the future tense. It is important to remember that the Hebrew would be the same in either case, so one must choose according to context. There will still be doubt, but it is an educated guess on the part of the contemporary translator (or the ancient translator, for that matter).

Translation isn't always a matter of simple, one-for-one equivalents, which is why machines can't really do it properly. A good example is in Psalm 17 (18), verse 36 (35), where Jerome's Hebrew-based translation says "et mansuetudo tua multiplicavit me" (and your gentleness made me strong), while his Greek-based translation has "et disciplina tua correxit me in finem" (and your discipline corrected me to the end).  How are such different translations, both ultimately deriving from the same Hebrew text, possible? The simple explanation is that, in both cases (ca. 150 BCE and ca. 400 CE) the Hebrew text was doubtful, and it continues to be doubtful today. The second-century-BCE translator scratched his head and came up with the Greek word "paideia." Now "paideia" has a constellation of meanings, centering on the idea of education/training of children, and it can also be construed as "discipline." But if one looks at the Hebrew, one is not sure what word was intended (remember, the texts were often in poor condition, and they were writing without vowels). The best possibility that I have been able to come up with is a word that means both "humility" and "patience." It's probably the same word that the translator of Jerome's Hebrew-based version of the Psalms came up with. So maybe it was correct. But one does not think of God as being "humble." So perhaps the intended meaning was "patience," in the sense of "forbearance, restraint." The translator of Jerome's Hebrew-based version must have thought this was the most likely possibility (I do, too), and translated it into Latin as "mansuetudo" (mildness, gentleness). The translator of Jerome's Greek-based version opted to translate "paideia" (which I can't get from the Hebrew) as "discipline." And that is, very probably, how we got two translations with more or less opposing meanings.

In 1945 the scholars of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, no doubt aware of the problem, used the word "sollicitudo" (solicitude) instead, which I can't get out of the Hebrew at all.