54:4 Look, God is my deliverer! 1
The Lord is among those who support me. 2
54:5 May those who wait to ambush me 3 be repaid for their evil! 4
As a demonstration of your faithfulness, 5 destroy them!
1 tn Or “my helper.”
2 tn Or “sustain my life.”
3 tn Heb “to those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2.
4 tn The Kethib (consonantal text) reads a Qal imperfect, “the evil will return,” while the Qere (marginal reading) has a Hiphil imperfect, “he will repay.” The parallel line has an imperative (indicating a prayer/request), so it is best to read a jussive form יָשֹׁב (yashov, “let it [the evil] return”) here.
5 tn Heb “in [or “by”] your faithfulness.”