Psalms 27:11

27:11 Teach me how you want me to live; ¹ 

lead me along a level path ²  because of those who wait to ambush me! ³ 

Psalms 54:5

54:5 May those who wait to ambush me ⁴  be repaid for their evil! ⁵ 

As a demonstration of your faithfulness, ⁶  destroy them!

Psalms 59:10

59:10 The God who loves me will help me; ⁷ 

God will enable me to triumph over ⁸  my enemies. ⁹ 

Psalms 59:2

59:2 Deliver me from evildoers! ¹⁰ 

Rescue me from violent men! ¹¹ 

Psalms 12:1

Psalm 12 ¹² 

For the music director; according to the sheminith style; ¹³  a psalm of David.

12:1 Deliver, Lord!

For the godly ¹⁴  have disappeared; ¹⁵ 

people of integrity ¹⁶  have vanished. ¹⁷ 

[27:11]  ¹ tn Heb “teach me your way.” The Lord’s “way” refers here to the moral principles which he expects the psalmist to follow. See Ps 25:4.

[27:11]  ² sn The level path refers to God’s moral principles (see the parallel line), which, if followed, will keep the psalmist blameless before his accusers (see v. 12).

[27:11]  ³ tn Heb “because of those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 54:5; 56:2.

[54:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “to those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2.

[54:5]  ⁵ 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.

[54:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “in [or “by”] your faithfulness.”

[59:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “the God of my [Qere (marginal reading); the Kethib (consonantal text) has “his”] loyal love will meet me.”

[59:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “will cause me to look upon.”

[59:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 54:5; 56:2.

[59:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “from the workers of wickedness.”

[59:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “from men of bloodshed.”

[12:1]  ¹² sn Psalm 12. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene, for society is overrun by deceitful, arrogant oppressors and godly individuals are a dying breed. When the Lord announces his intention to defend the oppressed, the psalmist affirms his confidence in the divine promise.

[12:1]  ¹³ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.

[12:1]  ¹⁴ tn The singular form is collective or representative. Note the plural form “faithful [ones]” in the following line. A “godly [one]” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[12:1]  ¹⁵ tn Or “have come to an end.”

[12:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the faithful [ones] from the sons of man.”

[12:1]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew verb פָּסַס (pasas) occurs only here. An Akkadian cognate means “efface, blot out.”