Psalms 4:3-5

4:3 Realize that ¹  the Lord shows the godly special favor; ² 

the Lord responds ³  when I cry out to him.

4:4 Tremble with fear and do not sin! ⁴ 

Meditate as you lie in bed, and repent of your ways! ⁵  (Selah)

4:5 Offer the prescribed sacrifices ⁶ 

and trust in the Lord! ⁷ 

Acts 9:8-9

9:8 So Saul got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open, ⁸  he could see nothing. ⁹  Leading him by the hand, his companions ¹⁰  brought him into Damascus. 9:9 For ¹¹  three days he could not see, and he neither ate nor drank anything. ¹² 

¹ tn Heb “and know that.”

² tn Heb “that the Lord sets apart a faithful one for himself.” The psalmist states a general principle, though the singular form and the parallel line indicate he has himself in mind as the representative godly person. A חָסִיד (khasid; here translated as “the godly”) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

³ tn Heb “hears.”

⁴ sn The psalmist warns his enemies that they need to tremble with fear before God and repudiate their sinful ways.

⁵ tn Heb “say in your heart(s) on your bed(s) and wail/lament.” The verb דֹמּוּ (dommu) is understood as a form of דָמָם (“wail, lament”) in sorrow and repentance. Another option is to take the verb from II דָמָם (damam, “be quiet”); cf. NIV, NRSV “be silent.”

⁶ tn Or “proper, right.” The phrase also occurs in Deut 33:19 and Ps 51:19.

⁷ sn Trust in the Lord. The psalmist urges his enemies to make peace with God and become his followers.

⁸ tn Grk “his eyes being open,” a genitive absolute construction that has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

⁹ sn He could see nothing. This sign of blindness, which was temporary until v. 18, is like the sign of deafness experienced by Zechariah in Luke 1. It allowed some time for Saul (Paul) to reflect on what had happened without distractions.

¹⁰ tn Grk “they”; the referents (Saul’s companions) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ tn Grk “And for.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

¹² tn The word “anything” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader. The fasting might indicate an initial realization of Luke 5:33-39. Fasting was usually accompanied by reflective thought.