מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד ה' קְרָאתִיךָ חוּשָׁה לִּי הַאֲזִינָה קוֹלִי בְּקָרְאִי לָךְ

A psalm by David. Lord, I have called out to You; make haste to help me. I am in need of immediate rescue. Listen to my voice as I call out to You.

תִּכּוֹן תְּפִלָּתִי קְטֹרֶת לְפָנֶיךָ מַשְׂאַת כַּפַּי מִנְחַת עָרֶב

Let my prayer stand as an offering of incense before You. Although my prayer consists only of words, let it be considered as pleasing before You as an incense offering. The lifting of my hands, an evening offering. Let my hands lifted in prayer be deemed a sacrificial offering.

שִׁיתָה ה' שָׁמְרָה לְפִי נִצְּרָה עַל דַּל שְׂפָתָי

And this is the prayer I offer up to You: Place a sentinel, Lord, at my mouth, so that I will not engage in evil speech as do my enemies. Guard the door to my lips and enable me to remain silent.

אַל תַּט לִבִּי לְדָבָר רָע לְהִתְעוֹלֵל עֲלִלוֹת בְּרֶשַׁע אֶת אִישִׁים פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן וּבַל אֶלְחַם בְּמַנְעַמֵּיהֶם

Do not incline my heart to anything evil, to carry out deeds of wickedness with men who are evildoers. Although I am in a difficult situation that may stem in part from my refusal to collaborate with evildoers, I pray for the strength to remain steadfast. And let me not eat of their delicacies. I do not wish to break bread with them or to enjoy any of the delicacies they may offer.

יֶהֶלְמֵנִי צַדִּיק חֶסֶד וְיוֹכִיחֵנִי שֶׁמֶן רֹאשׁ אַל יָנִי רֹאשִׁי כִּי עוֹד וּתְפִלָּתִי בְּרָעוֹתֵיהֶם

May the Righteous One strike me, for it is a kindness. Even if You hit me, You are righteous, and You do me a kindness, as it causes me to improve myself. May He rebuke me; it is like fragrant oil. Your rebuke is like fragrant oil anointing my head, and I pray: Let it, this oil, not be removed from my head; my prayer is still against their evildoings. As I continue on my way, I pray to be rescued from my enemies.

נִשְׁמְטוּ בִידֵי סֶלַע שֹׁפְטֵיהֶם וְשָׁמְעוּ אֲמָרַי כִּי נָעֵמוּ

Their judges will slip down from the rocks. “Their judges” refers to their leaders. Ultimately, they will collapse, as if tumbling off a boulder, and they will hear my words, for they are pleasing. At that point, my enemies may be ready to understand that I am not at the root of the animosity between us. On the contrary, I am trying to conduct myself in the best possible way, for their sake as well as my own.

כְּמוֹ פֹלֵחַ וּבֹקֵעַ בָּאָרֶץ נִפְזְרוּ עֲצָמֵינוּ לְפִי שְׁאוֹל

In the meantime, however, as if a woodcutter is chopping and breaking the earth, where in the course of chopping and splitting wood he makes holes in the ground underneath, I am receiving blows from all sides. Moreover, I feel as though our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave, as if we are being torn apart, leading to our death.

כִּי אֵלֶיךָ אלוהים אֲדֹנָי עֵינָי; בְּכָה חָסִיתִי אַל תְּעַר נַפְשִׁי

Yet my eyes are toward You, Lord my God. In You I take refuge; do not discard me.

שָׁמְרֵנִי מִידֵי פַח יָקְשׁוּ לִי וּמֹקְשׁוֹת פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן

Guard me from the trap they laid for me, from the snares of evildoers.

יִפְּלוּ בְמַכְמֹרָיו רְשָׁעִים יַחַד אָנֹכִי עַד אֶעֱבוֹר

Let the wicked fall together into their own nets. May they all be snared by their own devices until I escape, so that I may emerge safely.