38:9 O Lord, you understand my heart’s desire; 1
my groaning is not hidden from you.
38:10 My heart beats quickly;
my strength leaves me;
I can hardly see. 2
38:11 Because of my condition, 3 even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance; 4
my neighbors stand far away. 5
38:12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me; 6
those who want to harm me speak destructive words;
all day long they say deceitful things.
1 tn Heb “O Lord, before you [is] all my desire.”
2 tn Heb “and the light of my eyes, even they, there is not with me.” The “light of the eyes” may refer to physical energy (see 1 Sam 14:27, 29), life itself (Ps 13:3), or the ability to see (Prov 29:23).
3 tn Or “wound,” or “illness.”
4 tn Heb “stand [aloof].”
5 tn Heb “and the ones near me off at a distance stand.”
6 tn Heb “lay snares.”