Psalms 4:8

4:8 I will lie down and sleep peacefully, 1 

for you, Lord, make me safe and secure. 2 

Psalms 14:3

14:3 Everyone rejects God; 3 

they are all morally corrupt. 4 

None of them does what is right, 5 

not even one!

Psalms 19:9

19:9 The commands to fear the Lord are right 6 

and endure forever. 7 

The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy

and absolutely just. 8 

Psalms 35:26

35:26 May those who want to harm me be totally embarrassed and ashamed! 9 

May those who arrogantly taunt me be covered with shame and humiliation! 10 

Psalms 53:3

53:3 Everyone rejects God; 11 

they are all morally corrupt. 12 

None of them does what is right, 13 

not even one!

Psalms 55:14

55:14 We would share personal thoughts with each other; 14 

in God’s temple we would walk together among the crowd.

1 tn Heb “in peace at the same time I will lie down and sleep.”

2 tn Heb “for you, Lord, solitarily, securely make me dwell.” The translation understands לְבָדָד (lÿvadad) as modifying the verb; the Lord keeps enemies away from the psalmist so that he is safe and secure. Another option is to take לְבָדָד with what precedes and translate, “you alone, Lord, make me secure.”

3 tn Heb “everyone turns aside.”

4 tn Heb “together they are corrupt.”

5 tn Heb “there is none that does good.”

5 tn Heb “the fear of the Lord is clean.” The phrase “fear of the Lord” probably refers here to the law, which teaches one how to demonstrate proper reverence for the Lord. See Ps 111:10 for another possible use of the phrase in this sense.

6 tn Heb “[it] stands permanently.”

7 sn Trustworthy and absolutely just. The Lord’s commands accurately reflect God’s moral will for his people and are an expression of his just character.

7 tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones who rejoice over my harm.”

8 tn Heb “may they be clothed with shame and humiliation, the ones who magnify [themselves] against me.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 26 are understood as jussives (see vv. 24b-25, where the negative particle אַל (’al) appears before the prefixed verbal forms, indicating they are jussives). The psalmist is calling down judgment on his enemies.

9 tn Heb “all of it turns away.” Ps 14:1 has הָכֹּל (hakkol) instead of כֻּלּוֹ, and סָר (sar, “turn aside”) instead of סָג (sag, “turn away”).

10 tn Heb “together they are corrupt.”

11 tn Heb “there is none that does good.”

11 tn Heb “who together we would make counsel sweet.” The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line draw attention to the ongoing nature of the actions (the so-called customary use of the imperfect). Their relationship was characterized by such intimacy and friendship. See IBHS 502-3 §31.2b.