< Reading 8—Послушание приносит благословения
< Reading 8—Послушание приносит благословения
This reading assignment is to learn the Russian version of the song Listen, Obey, and Be Blessed, song number 89 from Sing out Joyfully to Jehovah. With the help of the vocabulary printed below translate the song so that you will understand what you are singing. Then practice reading and singing it. Every time you see the word Припев, be sure to sing the chorus.
The title in Russian is “Послушание приносит благословения”. Word-for-word this means “Obedience brings blessings”.
The first verse begins with a rhetorical question: “Охотно ли мы Иисусу внимаем?” Word-for-word this means “Willingly [?] we to Jesus are paying close attention?” The little word “ли” marks the word being questioned. Is it willingly that we pay attention to Jesus. The dative -у ending has been added to Иисус to make it mean “to Jesus”.
If we do listen willingly then Jesus’ worlds “озаряют наш путь”. The verb озарять is a poetic word meaning to shine light. Thus the phrase means “shine light onto our path”.
The phrase “наш образ жизни” means “our form of life”. In English we would say “our way of life”. Our way of life “станет защитой”, it becomes a protection. The world защита (protection) is in the instrumental case to indicate that this is a role which our way of life can play.
The rest of the verse alludes to Jesus’ parable of the house build on the rock mass. Some key words and phrases:
на камне—on a rock
возведён—a dramatic word for “built”. It conveys the idea of taking something and moving it upward.
внемлем советам—[we] pay heed to the counsels
от бури—from the windstorm
защищён—protected
приносит дерево плод—the tree is bringing fruit. In English we would say the tree is bearing fruit.
у потоков воды—by streams of water. Compare to “у меня” (by me) in “у меня есть”.
послушны—obedient. This is and everyday word. It is plural since there is an implied “мы” (we).
ждёт бесконечная жизнь—awaits (us) endless life. It Russian it is common to say that something which someone will come and get is waiting for him.
слушай, внимай, исполняй—listen, pay close attention, fulfill
если Бог волю открыл—literally “If God [his] will opened”. In Russian words for “his” or “my” can often be omitted. Here God “opens” his will in the sense that he reveals it.
благословенья вкушай—blessings taste. The verb is in the command form, so we are supposed to taste the blessings.