Monday, March 19, 2012

day 25 - princess

i finally went to church again yesterday, it was so good that i went.  it was the last time 2 of my favorite students would play together, they have been best friends for 4 years, they graduate soon, i would have missed it greatly had i not been there.

i told liam that writing about that isaiah passage really helped me - just admitting my anger and frustration at god for it allowed some of the poison to get out.  while my friends led worship i began to think about that passage and out of the sky dropped an idea.  i am firmly convinced that much of scripture is poorly translated, especially when it comes to women, so i'm not sure why i didn't think this through originally, but the idea that it wasn't "virgin", but "princess" - it makes so much more sense when you insert the uppity little princess, spoiled and never grateful for her standing and benefits of her station in life, taking everything for granted - that makes sense to me - and i think that it really works, so much so that i just might write eugene to tell him the problems i have been having with his word choices ;)

anyway - it made me feel better somehow.  like god really cared that it bothered me.  and that getting down in the dirt with it and my emotions was okay, that he could take it and he actually enjoyed the wrestle.

so here's my paraphrase of isaiah 47:1-12:

"get off your high horse and sit in the dirt,
uppity princess, daughter of babylon.

no more throne for you -- sit on the ground,
daughter of the chaldeans.
nobody will be calling you 'charming'
and 'alluring' anymore.  get used to it.
get a job, any old job;
clean gutters, scrub toilets.
hock your gowns and scarves,
put on overalls -- the party's over

your loss and humiliation will be on public display,
exposed to vulgar taunts.
it's vengeance time, and i'm taking vengeance.
no one gets off the hook."

flows a bit better doesn't it?  

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