Bless the Lord, my soul (Psalm 147) - Marty Haugen

Translated into ASL by David Bar-Tzur

Created 24 May 2005, links updated monthly with the help of LinkAlarm.

EXPLANATION OF THE GLOSSING SYSTEM
(to understand how I describe the signs in this translation).

Refrain: MY SOUL BOW-DOWN LORD SHOULD. PEOPLE DEPRESSED HE-ctr COMFORT.

1. COME-ON JERUSALEM, PRAISE LORD. PRAISE YOUR GOD AGAIN-AND-AGAIN. GOD PROTECT US STRONG IDEA~LIKE FORTRESS WELL-ESTABLISHED. YOUR CHILDREN, GOD BLESS WILL. Refrain

2. GOD YOURSELF-ctr SEND GRACE, WE PRAISE YOU-ctr ALONE. WHY? YOU-ctr GIFT-TO"each", HERE EARTH OVERFLOW. JERUSALEM COLLAPSE, YOU-ctr RAISE-FROM-COLLAPSE. YOUR-ctr PEOPLE alt.GO-AWAY, NOW YOU-ctr COLLECT"each". Refrain

3. PEOPLE TOUCHED, THEIR-rt HEART HEART-BREAK, YOU-ctr HEAL THEM-rt. HEART-TOGETHER BIND-HEART. STAR DOT-HEAVEN, YOU-ctr KNOW HOW-MANY HAVE. CALL"each" SAY alt-ITS NAME. Refrain

4. (2h)YOU TRUST GOD GIFT-TO"each" PEACE"full sign". HE-ctr FEED"each" (2h)YOU "WHAT"? BEST GRAIN. GOD (2h)SPEAKwg, SPREAD. EARTH OVERFLOW. HIS-ctr VOICE LOUD IDEA~LIKE TORNADO. Refrain


Notes: BOW-DOWN - (2h)[B], POs away, FOs up, are held like the final position of GIVE-UP, then bend these arms twice while bowing at waist once. Note: This may seem a strange translation of "bless", but theologically I don't see how we can bless God. The Hebrew this concept comes from is "baruch" and is related to "birkayim (knees)", in other words "bend the knee [to God]".

HE - Underlined words are honorific indices ("indexes"), using the FT of the upturned palm to indicate who is being honored.

COMFORT - Like COMFORTABLE but signed more slowly.

COME-ON - (2h)[B^] move in circles pivoting at the wrists to beckon someone to do something.

JERUSALEM - [B with thumbs flush with other fingers but not folded into palm], touches mouth and then pronates.

AGAIN-AND-AGAIN - Repeat AGAIN with a circular motion.

IDEA~LIKE - a blending where IDEA has a [Y] instead of an [I] in anticipation of LIKE which - signed smoothly right afterwards.

FORTRESS - (2h)[S] are held in the same position as TABLE. DS arm strikes NDS arm from above, then NDS arm rises and strikes DS arm from above.

WELL-ESTABLISHED - Elbow of DH [S] is placed firmly against the backhand of NDH [B], PO down.

BLESS - (2h)[O^], POs ><, held at mouth. Hands are brought downwards while opening to (2h)[5]. For a QuickTime file of this sign, see ASL Pro: Bless.

GRACE - [O^] or [S], held high and PO > Heaven, supinates and opens to [5] while being brought towards head. For an animated gif of this sign, see Animated dictionary of religious signs - Deaf Missions: Grace.

COLLAPSE - (2h)[5:], POs ><, interlace fingers and then bring knuckles downwards.

RAISE-FROM-COLLAPSE - (2h)[5:], POs down, interlace fingers and then bring knuckles upwards.

GO-AWAY - [5^], PO > signer, FO up, moves away while closing to [O^].

TOUCHED - [open 8] strikes heart with middle finger.

HEART-BREAK (poetic sign) - (2h)[modified C] where the knuckles of each hand contact each other as well as the thumbs creating a valentine heart and then the hands break away, changing the POs to upwards for a more violent break.

HEART-TOGETHER BIND-HEART - (2h)[modified C] where the knuckles of each hand contact each other as well as the thumbs creating a valentine heart + with the NDH kept in place, the DH [O^] wraps around the NDH as if both hands where there, representing the heart and they are being bound together again.

DOT-HEAVEN - (2h)[5:], POs and FOs diagonally up, hands jab upwards as if dotting the sky with stars.

PEACE"full sign" - (2h)[Bb], cross in front of mouth and descend diagonally (like QUIET), then hands clasp as in MARRY and then clasp again with hands reversed in dominance.

GRAIN - [X], PO up, rubs along ND forearm as if harvesting.

(2h)SPEAKwg (2h)[4], cross at mout, wg and move forward.

LOUD - Touch ear with index finger then (2h)[S], PO down, FO away, move antisymmetrically from side to side while exaggeratedly mouthing "pow".

TORNADO - (2h)[L], touch thumbs, NDH PO > signer, FO > DS,DH just the opposite. Index fingers curl twice at same time. For a QuickTime file of this sign, see ASL Pro: Tornado.

Lyrics:

Refrain: O bless the Lord, my soul who heals the broken-hearted.

1. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; chant praises to your God. The strength of God is your fortress sure, and blessed are your children.

2. All praise to you, O gracious God; your goodness fills the earth. you raise anew Jerusalem, and gather all your lost ones.

3. You heal the hurt and broken heart; you bind up every wound. You number all the stars of night and call each one by name.

4. The peace of God shall be your hope; God's finest wheat, your food. The word of God fills all the earth, as rapid as the whirlwind.

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