Text
Therefore the unloving shall not stand in the judgment, nor selfishness in the gathering of right. For thou knowest the way of right-living, but the way of unloving shall perish.
Text Notes
- It's a great word, but the English word "righteous" has gained theological baggage over the centuries. It is healthier to meditate on "right" or "right-living" which better reflect the sense of the Psalmist.
- The phrase "the judgment" in the original is not necessarily a future, eschatological event. Rather it is a recurrent experience of our human lives in which unloving acts become self evident.
Reflection
Some translations have "self destructive" for "shall perish" in the last verse. We perish or self-destruct without love: I perish when I act without love. And, I have had some "perishing" times! My experience is that I can respect myself when I live rightly. And, for me, this is the essence of integrity: self respect and respect for others.
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