Psalms 17:8-9

17:8 Protect me as you would protect the pupil of your eye! ¹ 

Hide me in the shadow of your wings! ² 

17:9 Protect me from ³  the wicked men who attack ⁴  me,

my enemies who crowd around me for the kill. ⁵ 

Psalms 17:13

17:13 Rise up, Lord!

Confront him! ⁶  Knock him down! ⁷ 

Use your sword to rescue me from the wicked man! ⁸ 

Psalms 71:10-12

71:10 For my enemies talk about me;

those waiting for a chance to kill me plot my demise. ⁹ 

71:11 They say, ¹⁰  “God has abandoned him.

Run and seize him, for there is no one who will rescue him!”

71:12 O God, do not remain far away from me!

My God, hurry and help me! ¹¹ 

Psalms 142:6

142:6 Listen to my cry for help,

for I am in serious trouble! ¹² 

Rescue me from those who chase me,

for they are stronger than I am.

Psalms 143:3

143:3 Certainly ¹³  my enemies ¹⁴  chase me.

They smash me into the ground. ¹⁵ 

They force me to live ¹⁶  in dark regions, ¹⁷ 

like those who have been dead for ages.

Psalms 143:12

143:12 As a demonstration of your loyal love, ¹⁸  destroy my enemies!

Annihilate ¹⁹  all who threaten my life, ²⁰ 

for I am your servant.

Jeremiah 15:20-21

15:20 I will make you as strong as a wall to these people,

a fortified wall of bronze.

They will attack you,

but they will not be able to overcome you.

For I will be with you to rescue you and deliver you,” ²¹ 

says the Lord.

15:21 “I will deliver you from the power of the wicked.

I will free you from the clutches of violent people.”

[17:8]  ¹ tc Heb “Protect me like the pupil, a daughter of an eye.” The noun בַּת (bat, “daughter”) should probably be emended to בָּבַת (bavat, “pupil”). See Zech 2:12 HT (2:8 ET) and HALOT 107 s.v. *בָּבָה.

[17:8]  ² sn Your wings. The metaphor compares God to a protective mother bird.

[17:9]  ³ tn Heb “from before”; or “because.” In the Hebrew text v. 9 is subordinated to v. 8. The words “protect me” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “destroy.” The psalmist uses the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of danger. He describes the wicked as being already in the process of destroying him.

[17:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “my enemies, at the risk of life they surround me.” The Hebrew phrase בְּנֶפֶשׁ (bÿnefesh) sometimes has the nuance “at the risk of [one’s] life” (see 1 Kgs 2:23; Prov 7:23; Lam 5:9).

[17:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “Be in front of his face.”

[17:13]  ⁷ tn Or “bring him to his knees.”

[17:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “rescue my life from the wicked [one] [by] your sword.”

[71:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “those who watch for my life consult together.”

[71:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “saying.”

[71:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “hurry to my help.”

[142:6]  ¹² tn Heb “for I am very low.”

[143:3]  ¹³ tn Or “for.”

[143:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “an enemy.” The singular is used in a representative sense to describe a typical member of the larger group of enemies (note the plural “enemies” in vv. 9, 12).

[143:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “he crushes on the ground my life.”

[143:3]  ¹⁶ tn Or “sit.”

[143:3]  ¹⁷ sn Dark regions refers to Sheol, which the psalmist views as a dark place located deep in the ground (see Ps 88:6).

[143:12]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “in [or “by”] your faithfulness.”

[143:12]  ¹⁹ tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive carries on the mood of the preceding imperfect.

[143:12]  ²⁰ tn Heb “all the enemies of my life.”

[15:20]  ²¹ sn See 1:18. The Lord renews his promise of protection and reiterates his call to Jeremiah.