Hymn of Unity

Unknown

Shir ha-yiḥud

12th Century

[For the second day]

And I am Your manservant, son of Your maidservant.

I’ll speak and recount Your acts of might.

Your praised ways—I’ll tell a bit of them.

I’ll say how awesome are Your deeds.

There’s none to compare to You—[it says thus] in the book.

I would recount Your praises, but they are too numerous to tell.

God’s depth cannot be fathomed.

God’s end cannot be reached.

His mind, too, is unfathomable.

The number of His years cannot be fathomed.

Your troops, too, are uncountable.

Amid Your hosts is the sign of Your glory.

What is the eye that could testify about You,

since no living thing has seen Your glorious face?

People of wisdom and understanding do not know,

so how could I make comparisons to what I do not know?

If a person would say, “I can evaluate Him completely,

and with proper measure,

I can come and find His complete praise”—

such a person’s spirit would be faithless to God,

And this person would be swallowed up, for not knowing His value.

The limit that one could say would be only the very beginning of His ways.

But I’m not like this, no, not I.

I will not let my mouth and palate sin.

I’ll tell my brethren just some of God’s ways.

I’ll tell Israel what God has wrought.

As it is written: Ascribe unto God:

How awesome are Your deeds, O God (Psalms 66:3).

And You have said: I fashioned this people for Myself;

they will recount My name and My praise (Isaiah 43:21).

And: In Egypt I placed My deeds,

so that you will recount my miracles.

So I, Your servant, will, therefore, recount,

as I find it in the book.

My soul will recount the power of Your deeds,

and all my innards speak of Your holy name.

And I will bless You for everything I experience,

and with my whole heart I will give thanks to the Lord.

In my throat, too, are Your acclamations,

and I’ll fill my mouth with Your praises.

For my mouth shall recite Your praises,

all day long singing Your glory.

And I’ll mention Your goodness and righteous deeds,

Your acts of kindness and might.

I know that You are great,

over all gods You are much greater.

For all the gods of the nations are nothings,

mute with no spirit in them.

They give no reward to the people who worship them—

so why do those people do good things for them?

In their times of trouble, they pray.

But they do not answer, since they have no ability.

With their full heart, they seek gods with no spirit in them—

but the Lord is close to His close people.

Fashioner of all, He is our God.

He made us, and we are His alone,

The nation He shepherds, the flock He tends by hand,

we’ll bless His name, for His kindness is eternal.

When we have troubles, You are very present,

for You have not abandoned those that seek You.

Your praise is always in our mouths.

We sing praises to Your glorious name.

You are a witness, in Yourself and Your glorious presence,

and Your attendants and Your servants.

For Your glorious presence fills the whole land,

and Your glorious presence is above the whole land.

Our ancestors chose You alone to serve,

with no foreign entity along with You.

And we, too, serve You alone,

like a child serves a father, and we honor You.

We give witness to Your oneness,

every day and night.

It is in all our mouths and hearts

that You alone are our God.

O our God, we are witnesses to Your oneness,

and we are Your servants.

Your beginning has no start,

and Your end has no limit.

You are first and last, with no beginning or end,

and nothing that the heart can grasp.

Translated by Gabriel Wasserman.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 3: Encountering Christianity and Islam.

Hymn of Unity

You may also like

Language:

Places:

Subjects:

You may also like

Hymn of Unity

You may also like

Language:

Places:

Subjects:

Related Guide

You may also like