The LORD is my shepherd

Jehovah is my shepherd dear;
He careth for my soul.
He is a helper ever near
Who keeps my spirit whole.
In pastures green and springing with delight,
He maketh me to rest;
With living water streaming bright
He bringeth me abreast.

My soul to Him He doth restore
When I have gone astray;
He leads me by His jealous pow'r
Upon the perfect way,
And though the vale of death I've often trod,
I fear not any ill—
Thine ever-present staff and rod
My heart shall comfort still.

Thou bringest me with Thee to sup
In sight of all my foes;
Thou pourest out until my cup
Of blessing overflows,
And I shall dwell with Thee forevermore
And know Thee face to face,
Thy goodness there to e'er adore,
Thy mercy e'er to praise.

—Zachary Pletan
completed 6/27/12


Tune: "The Boy with the Auburn Hair," traditional Irish air

Thoughts

I am convinced, with greater men than I, that the book of Psalms is one of the greatest hymnbooks the church has ever been given. The imagery is powerful, and the thought beautiful. There is also a tremendous amount of grace in a hymnal given under law. The metaphor of the shepherd is a common one in both OT and NT, and I wonder how far passages such as Ezek 34 and John 10 are based on the imagery of this psalm.

This versification is one of those that was inspired by a tune, in this case "The Southern Soldier Boy," and a particular arrangement of that song by Kathy Mattea, which can be found in the album Songs of the Civil War on iTunes or Amazon. The song's pastoral feel struck me as appropriate to the psalm. I have arranged the original tune, itself based on an Irish air called "The Boy with the Auburn Hair," for a hymnal-type setting; you can get it as a PDF or a MIDI. (I have no idea how well or not I have arranged the tune, and welcome any instruction or critique on that point.)

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