A prayer of David.
17:1 Lord, consider my just cause! 2
Pay attention to my cry for help!
Listen to the prayer
I sincerely offer! 3
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments, according to the sheminith style; 5 a psalm of David.
6:1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger!
Do not discipline me in your raging fury! 6
6:2 Have mercy on me, 7 Lord, for I am frail!
Heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking! 8
6:3 I am absolutely terrified, 9
and you, Lord – how long will this continue? 10
6:4 Relent, Lord, rescue me! 11
Deliver me because of your faithfulness! 12
6:5 For no one remembers you in the realm of death, 13
In Sheol who gives you thanks? 14
6:6 I am exhausted as I groan;
all night long I drench my bed in tears; 15
my tears saturate the cushion beneath me. 16
6:7 My eyes 17 grow dim 18 from suffering;
they grow weak 19 because of all my enemies. 20
6:8 Turn back from me, all you who behave wickedly, 21
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping! 22
6:9 The Lord has heard my appeal for mercy;
the Lord has accepted 23 my prayer.
6:10 May all my enemies be humiliated 24 and absolutely terrified! 25
May they turn back and be suddenly humiliated!
A musical composition 27 by David, which he sang to the Lord concerning 28 a Benjaminite named Cush. 29
7:1 O Lord my God, in you I have taken shelter. 30
Deliver me from all who chase me! Rescue me!
7:2 Otherwise they will rip 31 me 32 to shreds like a lion;
they will tear me to bits and no one will be able to rescue me. 33
7:3 O Lord my God, if I have done what they say, 34
or am guilty of unjust actions, 35
7:4 or have wronged my ally, 36
or helped his lawless enemy, 37
7:5 may an enemy relentlessly chase 38 me 39 and catch me; 40
may he trample me to death 41
and leave me lying dishonored in the dust. 42 (Selah)
7:6 Stand up angrily, 43 Lord!
Rise up with raging fury against my enemies! 44
Wake up for my sake and execute the judgment you have decreed for them! 45
7:7 The countries are assembled all around you; 46
take once more your rightful place over them! 47
7:8 The Lord judges the nations. 48
Vindicate me, Lord, because I am innocent, 49
because I am blameless, 50 O Exalted One! 51
7:9 May the evil deeds of the wicked 52 come to an end! 53
But make the innocent 54 secure, 55
O righteous God,
you who examine 56 inner thoughts and motives! 57
7:10 The Exalted God is my shield, 58
the one who delivers the morally upright. 59
7:11 God is a just judge;
he is angry throughout the day. 60
7:12 If a person 61 does not repent, God sharpens his sword 62
and prepares to shoot his bow. 63
7:13 He prepares to use deadly weapons against him; 64
he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows. 65
7:14 See the one who is pregnant with wickedness,
who conceives destructive plans,
and gives birth to harmful lies – 66
7:15 he digs a pit 67
and then falls into the hole he has made. 68
7:16 He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans 69
and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head. 70
7:17 I will thank the Lord for 71 his justice;
I will sing praises to the sovereign Lord! 72
1 sn Psalm 17. The psalmist asks God to intervene on his behalf because his life is threatened by dangerous enemies. He appeals to divine justice, for he is certain of his own innocence. Because he is innocent, he expects to encounter God and receive an assuring word.
2 tn Heb “hear,
3 tn Heb “Listen to my prayer, [made] without lips of deceit.”
4 sn Psalm 6. The psalmist begs the Lord to withdraw his anger and spare his life. Having received a positive response to his prayer, the psalmist then confronts his enemies and describes how they retreat.
5 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit, “sheminith”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.
6 sn The implication is that the psalmist has sinned, causing God to discipline him by bringing a life-threatening illness upon him (see vv. 2-7).
7 tn Or “show me favor.”
8 tn Normally the verb בָּהַל (bahal) refers to an emotional response and means “tremble with fear, be terrified” (see vv. 3, 10). Perhaps here the “bones” are viewed as the seat of the psalmist’s emotions. However, the verb may describe one of the effects of his physical ailment, perhaps a fever. In Ezek 7:27 the verb describes how the hands of the people will shake with fear when they experience the horrors of divine judgment.
10 tn Heb “my being is very terrified.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
11 tn Heb “and you,
13 tn Heb “my being,” or “my life.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
14 sn Deliver me because of your faithfulness. Though the psalmist is experiencing divine discipline, he realizes that God has made a commitment to him in the past, so he appeals to God’s faithfulness in his request for help.
16 tn Heb “for there is not in death your remembrance.” The Hebrew noun זֵכֶר (zekher, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. Cf. Pss 30:4; 97:12. “Death” here refers to the realm of death where the dead reside. See the reference to Sheol in the next line.
17 tn The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”
19 tn Heb “I cause to swim through all the night my bed.”
20 tn Heb “with my tears my bed I flood/melt.”
22 tn The Hebrew text has the singular “eye” here.
23 tn Or perhaps, “are swollen.”
24 tn Or perhaps, “grow old.”
25 sn In his weakened condition the psalmist is vulnerable to the taunts and threats of his enemies.
25 tn Heb “all [you] workers of wickedness.” See Ps 5:5.
26 sn The
28 tn The prefixed verbal form is probably a preterite here; it is parallel to a perfect and refers to the fact that the
31 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist concludes his prayer with an imprecation, calling judgment down on his enemies.
32 tn Heb “and may they be very terrified.” The psalmist uses the same expression in v. 3 to describe the terror he was experiencing. Now he asks the
34 sn Psalm 7. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from his enemies. He protests his innocence and declares his confidence in God’s justice.
35 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term שִׁגָּיוֹן (shiggayon; translated here “musical composition”) is uncertain. Some derive the noun from the verbal root שָׁגָה (shagah, “swerve, reel”) and understand it as referring to a “wild, passionate song, with rapid changes of rhythm” (see BDB 993 s.v. שִׁגָּיוֹן). But this proposal is purely speculative. The only other appearance of the noun is in Hab 3:1, where it occurs in the plural.
36 tn Or “on account of.”
37 sn Apparently this individual named Cush was one of David’s enemies.
38 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.
37 tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew text, even though “all who chase me” in v. 1 refers to a whole group of enemies. The singular is also used in vv. 4-5, but the psalmist returns to the plural in v. 6. The singular is probably collective, emphasizing the united front that the psalmist’s enemies present. This same alternation between a collective singular and a plural referring to enemies appears in Pss 9:3, 6; 13:4; 31:4, 8; 41:6, 10-11; 42:9-10; 55:3; 64:1-2; 74:3-4; 89:22-23; 106:10-11; 143:3, 6, 9.
38 tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.
39 tn Heb “tearing and there is no one rescuing.” The verbal form translated “tearing” is a singular active participle.
40 tn Heb “if I have done this.”
41 tn Heb “if there is injustice in my hands.” The “hands” figuratively suggest deeds or actions.
43 tn Heb “if I have repaid the one at peace with me evil.” The form שׁוֹלְמִי (sholÿmi, “the one at peace with me”) probably refers to a close friend or ally, i.e., one with whom the psalmist has made a formal agreement. See BDB 1023 s.v. שָׁלוֹם 4.a.
44 tn Heb “or rescued my enemy in vain.” The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive (the verb form is pseudo-cohortative; see IBHS 576-77 §34.5.3) carries on the hypothetical nuance of the perfect in the preceding line. Some regard the statement as a parenthetical assertion that the psalmist is kind to his enemies. Others define חָלַץ (khalats) as “despoil” (cf. NASB, NRSV “plundered”; NIV “robbed”), an otherwise unattested nuance for this verb. Still others emend the verb to לָחַץ (lakhats, “oppress”). Most construe the adverb רֵיקָם (reqam, “emptily, vainly”) with “my enemy,” i.e., the one who is my enemy in vain.” The present translation (1) assumes an emendation of צוֹרְרִי (tsorÿriy, “my enemy”) to צוֹרְרוֹ (tsorÿro, “his [i.e., the psalmist’s ally’s] enemy”) following J. Tigay, “Psalm 7:5 and Ancient Near Eastern Treaties,” JBL 89 (1970): 178-86, (2) understands the final mem (ם) on רֵיקָם as enclitic, and (3) takes רִיק (riq) as an adjective modifying “his enemy.” (For other examples of a suffixed noun followed by an attributive adjective without the article, see Pss 18:17 (“my strong enemy”), 99:3 (“your great and awesome name”) and 143:10 (“your good spirit”). The adjective רִיק occurs with the sense “lawless” in Judg 9:4; 11:3; 2 Chr 13:7. In this case the psalmist affirms that he has not wronged his ally, nor has he given aid to his ally’s enemies. Ancient Near Eastern treaties typically included such clauses, with one or both parties agreeing not to lend aid to the treaty partner’s enemies.
46 tn The vocalization of the verb form seems to be a mixture of Qal and Piel (see GKC 168 §63.n). The translation assumes the Piel, which would emphasize the repetitive nature of the action. The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a jussive. The psalmist is so certain that he is innocent of the sins mentioned in vv. 3-4, he pronounces an imprecation on himself for rhetorical effect.
47 tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.
48 tn Heb “and may he overtake.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. The object “me,” though unexpressed, is understood from the preceding statement.
49 tn Heb “and may he trample down to the earth my life.”
50 tn Heb “and my honor in the dust may he cause to dwell.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. Some emend כְבוֹדִי (khÿvodiy, “my honor”) to כְבֵדִי (khÿvediy, “my liver” as the seat of life), but the term כְבוֹדִי (khÿvodiy) is to be retained since it probably refers to the psalmist’s dignity or honor.
49 tn Heb “in your anger.”
50 tn Heb “Lift yourself up in the angry outbursts of my enemies.” Many understand the preposition prefixed to עַבְרוֹת (’avrot, “angry outbursts”) as adversative, “against,” and the following genitive “enemies” as subjective. In this case one could translate, “rise up against my furious enemies” (cf. NIV, NRSV). The present translation, however, takes the preposition as indicating manner (cf. “in your anger” in the previous line) and understands the plural form of the noun as indicating an abstract quality (“fury”) or excessive degree (“raging fury”). Cf. Job 21:30.
51 tc Heb “Wake up to me [with the] judgment [which] you have commanded.” The LXX understands אֵלִי (’eliy, “my God”) instead of אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”; the LXX reading is followed by NEB, NIV, NRSV.) If the reading of the MT is retained, the preposition probably has the sense of “on account of, for the sake of.” The noun מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, “judgment”) is probably an adverbial accusative, modifying the initial imperative, “wake up.” In this case צִוִּיתָ (tsivvita, “[which] you have commanded”) is an asyndetic relative clause. Some take the perfect as precative. In this case one could translate the final line, “Wake up for my sake! Decree judgment!” (cf. NIV). However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
52 tn Heb “and the assembly of the peoples surrounds you.” Some understand the prefixed verbal form as a jussive, “may the assembly of the peoples surround you.”
53 tn Heb “over it (the feminine suffix refers back to the feminine noun “assembly” in the preceding line) on high return.” Some emend שׁוּבָה (shuvah, “return”) to שֵׁבָה (shevah, “sit [in judgment]”) because they find the implication of “return” problematic. But the psalmist does not mean to imply that God has abandoned his royal throne and needs to regain it. Rather he simply urges God, as sovereign king of the world, to once more occupy his royal seat of judgment and execute judgment, as the OT pictures God doing periodically.
55 sn The
56 tn Heb “judge me, O
57 tn Heb “according to my blamelessness.” The imperative verb translated “vindicate” governs the second line as well.
58 tn The Hebrew form עָלָי (’alay) has been traditionally understood as the preposition עַל (’al, “over”) with a first person suffix. But this is syntactically awkward and meaningless. The form is probably a divine title derived from the verbal root עָלָה (’alah, “ascend”). This relatively rare title appears elsewhere in the OT (see HALOT 824-25 s.v. I עַל, though this text is not listed) and in Ugaritic as an epithet for Baal (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 98). See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:44-45, and P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 98.
58 tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and his people.
59 tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive, expressing an imprecation here.
60 tn Or “the godly” (see Ps 5:12). The singular form is collective (see the plural “upright in heart” in v. 10), though it may reflect the personal focus of the psalmist in this context.
61 tn The prefixed verbal form expresses the psalmist’s prayer or wish.
62 tn For other uses of the verb in this sense, see Job 7:18; Pss 11:4; 26:2; 139:23.
63 tn Heb “and [the one who] tests hearts and kidneys, just God.” The translation inverts the word order to improve the English style. The heart and kidneys were viewed as the seat of one’s volition, conscience, and moral character.
61 tn Traditionally, “my shield is upon God” (cf. NASB). As in v. 8, עַל (’al) should be understood as a divine title, here compounded with “God” (cf. NIV, “God Most High”). See M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:45-46. The shield metaphor pictures God as a protector against deadly attacks.
62 tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
64 tn Heb “God (the divine name אֵל [’el] is used) is angry during all the day.” The verb זֹעֵם (zo’em) means “be indignant, be angry, curse.” Here God’s angry response to wrongdoing and injustice leads him to prepare to execute judgment as described in the following verses.
67 tn Heb “If he”; the referent (a person who is a sinner) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The subject of the first verb is understood as the sinner who fails to repent of his ways and becomes the target of God’s judgment (vv. 9, 14-16).
68 tn Heb “if he does not return, his sword he sharpens.” The referent (God) of the pronominal subject of the second verb (“sharpens”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
69 tn Heb “his bow he treads and prepares it.” “Treading the bow” involved stepping on one end of it in order to string it and thus prepare it for battle.
70 tn Heb “and for him he prepares the weapons of death.”
71 tn Heb “his arrows into flaming [things] he makes.”
73 tn Heb “and he conceives harm and gives birth to a lie.”
76 tn Heb “a pit he digs and he excavates it.” Apparently the imagery of hunting is employed; the wicked sinner digs this pit to entrap and destroy his intended victim. The redundancy in the Hebrew text has been simplified in the translation.
77 tn The verb forms in vv. 15-16 describe the typical behavior and destiny of those who attempt to destroy others. The image of the evildoer falling into the very trap he set for his intended victim emphasizes the appropriate nature of God’s judgment.
79 tn Heb “his harm [i.e., the harm he conceived for others, see v. 14] returns on his head.”
80 tn Heb “and on his forehead his violence [i.e., the violence he intended to do to others] comes down.”
82 tn Heb “according to.”
83 tn Heb “[to] the name of the