59:11 Do not strike them dead suddenly,
because then my people might forget the lesson. 1
Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down,
O Lord who shields us! 2
For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; 4 a prayer 5 of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him. 6
59:1 Deliver me from my enemies, my God!
Protect me 7 from those who attack me! 8
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of David.
4:1 When I call out, answer me,
O God who vindicates me! 10
Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place. 11
Have mercy on me 12 and respond to 13 my prayer!
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of David.
4:1 When I call out, answer me,
O God who vindicates me! 15
Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place. 16
Have mercy on me 17 and respond to 18 my prayer!
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of David.
4:1 When I call out, answer me,
O God who vindicates me! 20
Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place. 21
Have mercy on me 22 and respond to 23 my prayer!
13:6 I will sing praises 24 to the Lord
when he vindicates me. 25
For the music director; a psalm of David.
13:1 How long, Lord, will you continue to ignore me? 27
How long will you pay no attention to me? 28
For the music director; a psalm of David.
13:1 How long, Lord, will you continue to ignore me? 30
How long will you pay no attention to me? 31
For the music director; a psalm of David.
13:1 How long, Lord, will you continue to ignore me? 33
How long will you pay no attention to me? 34
For the music director; a psalm of David.
31:1 In you, O Lord, I have taken shelter!
Never let me be humiliated!
Vindicate me by rescuing me! 36
31:2 Listen to me! 37
Quickly deliver me!
Be my protector and refuge, 38
a stronghold where I can be safe! 39
31:3 For you are my high ridge 40 and my stronghold;
for the sake of your own reputation 41 you lead me and guide me. 42
31:4 You will free me 43 from the net they hid for me,
for you are my place of refuge.
31:5 Into your hand I entrust my life; 44
you will rescue 45 me, O Lord, the faithful God.
31:6 I hate those who serve worthless idols, 46
but I trust in the Lord.
31:7 I will be happy and rejoice in your faithfulness,
because you notice my pain
and you are aware of how distressed I am. 47
1 tn Heb “do not kill them, lest my people forget.”
2 tn Heb “make them roam around by your strength and bring them down, O our shield, the Lord.”
3 sn Psalm 59. The psalmist calls down judgment on his foreign enemies, whom he compares to ravenous wild dogs.
4 tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the superscription to Pss 57-58, 75.
5 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56-58, 60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
6 tn Heb “when Saul sent and they watched his house in order to kill him.”
7 tn Or “make me secure”; Heb “set me on high.”
8 tn Heb “from those who raise themselves up [against] me.”
9 sn Psalm 4. The psalmist asks God to hear his prayer, expresses his confidence that the Lord will intervene, and urges his enemies to change their ways and place their trust in God. He concludes with another prayer for divine intervention and again affirms his absolute confidence in God’s protection.
10 tn Heb “God of my righteousness.”
11 tn Heb “in distress (or “a narrow place”) you make (a place) large for me.” The function of the Hebrew perfect verbal form here is uncertain. The translation above assumes that the psalmist is expressing his certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s deliverance as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm (vv. 3, 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“lead me”). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
12 tn Or “show me favor.”
13 tn Heb “hear.”
14 sn Psalm 4. The psalmist asks God to hear his prayer, expresses his confidence that the Lord will intervene, and urges his enemies to change their ways and place their trust in God. He concludes with another prayer for divine intervention and again affirms his absolute confidence in God’s protection.
15 tn Heb “God of my righteousness.”
16 tn Heb “in distress (or “a narrow place”) you make (a place) large for me.” The function of the Hebrew perfect verbal form here is uncertain. The translation above assumes that the psalmist is expressing his certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s deliverance as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm (vv. 3, 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“lead me”). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
17 tn Or “show me favor.”
18 tn Heb “hear.”
19 sn Psalm 4. The psalmist asks God to hear his prayer, expresses his confidence that the Lord will intervene, and urges his enemies to change their ways and place their trust in God. He concludes with another prayer for divine intervention and again affirms his absolute confidence in God’s protection.
20 tn Heb “God of my righteousness.”
21 tn Heb “in distress (or “a narrow place”) you make (a place) large for me.” The function of the Hebrew perfect verbal form here is uncertain. The translation above assumes that the psalmist is expressing his certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s deliverance as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm (vv. 3, 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“lead me”). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
22 tn Or “show me favor.”
23 tn Heb “hear.”
24 tn The verb form is cohortative, indicating the psalmist’s resolve (or vow) to praise the
25 tn Or “for he will have vindicated me.” The verb form indicates a future perfect here. The idiom גָמַל עַל (gamal ’al) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense.
26 sn Psalm 13. The psalmist, who is close to death, desperately pleads for God’s deliverance and affirms his trust in God’s faithfulness.
27 tn Heb “will you forget me continually.”
28 tn Heb “will you hide your face from me.”
29 sn Psalm 13. The psalmist, who is close to death, desperately pleads for God’s deliverance and affirms his trust in God’s faithfulness.
30 tn Heb “will you forget me continually.”
31 tn Heb “will you hide your face from me.”
32 sn Psalm 13. The psalmist, who is close to death, desperately pleads for God’s deliverance and affirms his trust in God’s faithfulness.
33 tn Heb “will you forget me continually.”
34 tn Heb “will you hide your face from me.”
35 sn Psalm 31. The psalmist confidently asks the Lord to protect him. Enemies threaten him and even his friends have abandoned him, but he looks to the Lord for vindication. In vv. 19-24, which were apparently written after the Lord answered the prayer of vv. 1-18, the psalmist thanks the Lord for delivering him.
36 tn Heb “in your vindication rescue me.”
37 tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
38 tn Heb “become for me a rocky summit of refuge.”
39 tn Heb “a house of strongholds to deliver me.”
40 sn The metaphor of the high ridge pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.
41 tn Heb “name.” The Hebrew term שֵׁם (shem, “name”) refers here to the
42 tn The present translation assumes that the imperfect verbal forms are generalizing, “you lead me and guide me.” Other options are to take them as an expression of confidence about the future, “you will lead me and guide me” (cf. NASB), or as expressing a prayer, “lead me and guide me” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).
43 tn Heb “bring me out.” The translation assumes that the imperfect verbal form expresses the psalmist’s confidence about the future. Another option is to take the form as expressing a prayer, “free me.”
44 tn Heb “my spirit.” The noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) here refers to the animating spirit that gives the psalmist life.
45 tn Or “redeem.” The perfect verbal form is understood here as anticipatory, indicating rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer that he can describe his deliverance as if it had already happened. Another option is to take the perfect as precative, expressing a wish or request (“rescue me”; cf. NIV). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
46 tn Heb “the ones who observe vain things of falsehood.” See Jonah 2:9.
47 tn Heb “you know the distresses of my life.”