לַמְנַצֵּחַ עַל אַיֶּלֶת הַשַּׁחַר מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד

To the chief musician on ayelet hashaḥar, a psalm by David.

אֵלִי אֵלִי לָמָה עֲזַבְתָּנִי רָחוֹק מִישׁוּעָתִי דִּבְרֵי שַׁאֲגָתִי

My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? This verse describes how the psalmist feels: Alone, pursued by adversaries, and abandoned by God. So far from my deliverance are the words of my anguished cry. In this context, “my deliverance” may refer to God. The psalmist feels that his cries are so distant from God that it seems as if they cannot reach Him.

אֱלֹהַי אֶקְרָא יוֹמָם וְלֹא תַעֲנֶה וְלַיְלָה וְלֹא דֻמִיָּה לִי

My God, I call You by day, but You do not answer; by night I have no solace. I pray day and night, but my soul is not at peace.

וְאַתָּה קָדוֹשׁ יוֹשֵׁב תְּהִלּוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל

Yet You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. God is portrayed by the psalmist as sitting on a throne made of songs of praise sung to Him by generations of the people of Israel.

בְּךָ בָּטְחוּ אֲבֹתֵינוּ בָּטְחוּ וַתְּפַלְּטֵמוֹ

In You our fathers placed their trust; they trusted, and You rescued them. You delivered them from their sufferings.

אֵלֶיךָ זָעֲקוּ וְנִמְלָטוּ בְּךָ בָטְחוּ וְלֹא בוֹשׁוּ

They cried out to You and escaped from their precarious situations, trusted in You and were not disappointed.

ואָנֹכִי תוֹלַעַת וְלֹא אִישׁ חֶרְפַּת אָדָם וּבְזוּי עָם

But I am a worm and not a man in the eyes of my detractors, an object of disgrace, scorned by the masses.

כָּל רֹאַי יַלְעִגוּ לִי יַפְטִירוּ בְשָׂפָה יָנִיעוּ רֹאשׁ

All who see me revile me, rejecting me with curled lip and wagging head. Their insults are not even fully articulated; they consist of half-phrases accompanied by contemptuous snarls and head-shaking gesticulations, whether of contempt or pity.

גֹּל אֶל ה' יְפַלְּטֵהוּ יַצִּילֵהוּ כִּי חָפֵץ בּוֹ

Let him turn toward the Lord; let Him rescue him; let Him save him, for He delights in him. These are the words of the psalmist, voicing his inner feelings toward others.

כִּי אַתָּה גֹחִי מִבּטֶן מַבְטִיחִי עַל שְׁדֵי אִמִּי

For You brought me forth from the womb; You made me secure at my mother’s breast.

עָלֶיךָ הָשְׁלַכְתִּי מֵרָחֶם מִבֶּטֶן אִמִי אֵלִי אָתָּה

I have been cast upon You to be dependent upon You from the womb; from my mother’s belly, You have been my God. From earliest childhood, I have relied on You.

אַל תִּרְחַק מִמֶּנִּי כִּי צָרָה קְרוֹבָה כִּי אֵין עוֹזֵר

Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one else to help.

סְבָבוּנִי פָּרִים רַבִּים אַבִּירֵי בָשָׁן כִּתְּרוּנִי

I am surrounded by enemies that are like many bulls, large and dangerous animals, encircled by the mighty bulls of Bashan, an unusually large kind of cattle.

פָּצוּ עָלַי פִּיהֶם אַרְיֵה טֹרֵף וְשֹׁאֵג

They open their mouths at me like a rapacious, roaring lion.

כַּמַּיִם נִשְׁפַּכְתִּי וְהִתְפָּרְדוּ כָּל עַצְמוֹתָי הָיָה לִבִּי כַּדּוֹנָג נָמֵס בְּתוֹךְ מֵעָי

I am spilled out like water. I feel depleted and vulnerable. All my bones are disjointed. My heart is like wax, melting within me. I have no inner strength to draw on.

יָבֵשׁ כַּחֶרֶשׂ כֹּחִי וּלְשׁוֹנִי מֻדְבָּק מַלְקוֹחָי וְלַעֲפַר מָוֶת תִּשְׁפְּתֵנִי

My vitality is parched like clay; my tongue cleaves to my palate. You have consigned me to the dust of death. I feel barely alive; You have brought me to the brink of death.

כִּי סְבָבוּנִי כְּלָבִים; עֲדַת מְרֵעִים הִקִּיפוּנִי; כּאֲרִי יָדַי וְרַגְלָי

For dogs have surrounded me. The psalmist compares his enemies to hungry dogs. A band of evildoers have encircled me, like a lion at my hands and feet. I am surrounded by hordes of terrifying, evil foes. I am devastated and broken.

אֲסַפֵּר כָּל עַצְמוֹתָי הֵמָּה יַבִּיטוּ יִרְאוּ בִי

I count all my bones, because I feel that they are shattered. They gaze and look at me. My enemies are on the alert, waiting for my final downfall.

יְחַלְּקוּ בְגָדַי לָהֶם וְעַל לְבוּשִׁי יַפִּילוּ גוֹרָל

Even while I am still alive, they divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing, to decide who will get each garment.

וְאַתָּה ה' אַל תִּרְחָק אֱיָלוּתִי לְעֶזְרָתִי חוּשָׁה

But You, Lord, be not far off. My Strength, hasten to help me.

הַצִּילָה מֵחֶרֶב נַפְשִׁי מִיַּד כֶּלֶב יְחִידָתִי

Rescue me from the sword, my soul from the grasp of the dog that stands ready to attack me. The word yeḥidati, which means something singular and unique, is used here as a synonym for “my soul.”

הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי מִפִּי אַרְיֵה וּמִקַּרְנֵי רֵמִים עֲנִיתָנִי

Save me from the lion’s mouth, from the horns of the oryx; answer me, rescue me from these vicious animals.

אֲסַפְּרָה שִׁמְךָ לְאֶחָי בְּתוֹךְ קָהָל אֲהַלְלֶךָּ

The concluding verses of the psalm may have been composed at a later date, after the psalmist had been rescued from danger: I will tell of Your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You. I will tell my kinsmen that You have rescued me from danger.

יִרְאֵי ה' הַלְלוּהוּ כָּל זֶרַע יַעֲקֹב כַּבְּדוּהוּ וְגוּרוּ מִמֶּנוּ כָּל זֶרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל

You who fear the Lord, praise Him; may the progeny of Jacob honor Him, and may the progeny of Israel fear Him.

כִּי לֹא בָזָה וְלֹא שִׁקַּץ עֱנוּת עָנִי וְלֹא הִסְתִּיר פָּנָיו מִמֶּנּוּ וּבְשַׁוְּעוֹ אֵלָיו שָׁמֵעַ

For I, by my very survival, am testimony to the fact that He did not despise or abhor the plea of the poor person, nor did He hide His face from him; when he cried to Him, He heard.

מֵאִתְּךָ תְּהִלָּתִי בְּקָהָל רָב נְדָרַי אֲשַׁלֵּם נֶגֶד יְרֵאָיו

My praise will be of You in the great assembly. I will praise You now in public, and I will fulfill, also in public, my vows that I made in my time of distress, in the presence of those who fear Him.

יֹאכְלוּ עֲנָוִים וְיִשְׂבָּעוּ יְהַלְלוּ ה' דֹּרְשָׁיו יְחִי לְבַבְכֶם לָעַד

The humble will eat and be satiated. Those who seek Him will praise the Lord; may your hearts be forever alive due to your hope for God and His salvation.

יִזְכְּרוּ וְיָשֻׁבוּ אֶל ה' כָּל אַפְסֵי אָרֶץ וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְפָנֶיךָ כָּל מִשְׁפְּחוֹת גּוֹיִם

The ends of the earth will all remember and return to the Lord; all families of nations will bow down before You.

כִּי לַה' הַמְּלוּכָה ומֹשֵׁל בַּגּוֹיִם

For kingship belongs to the Lord; He rules over nations.

אָכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ כָּל דִּשְׁנֵי אֶרֶץ לְפָנָיו יִכְרְעוּ כָּל יוֹרְדֵי עָפָר וְנַפְשׁוֹ לֹא חִיָּה

The well-fed of the earth have all eaten and bowed down before Him; all who return to the dust, that is, all men, kneel before Him. Is there a soul to whom He has not given life? Everyone alive is sustained by God. Every living, mortal soul, from privileged, prosperous people to those who are impoverished, should bow down before God in gratitude.

זֶרַע יַעַבְדֶנּוּ יְסֻפַּר לאדֹנָי לַדּוֹר

Posterity will serve Him; coming generations will be told of the Lord.

יָבֹאוּ וְיַגִּידוּ צִדְקָתוֹ לְעַם נוֹלָד כִּי עָשָׂה

They will come and declare His righteousness to a nation yet to be born, to future generations, for so He has done. He has granted salvation to men in their times of distress.