לְדָוִד ה' אוֹרִי וְיִשְׁעִי מִמִּי אִירָא ה' מָעוֹז חַיַּי מִמִּי אֶפְחָד

By David. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Consequently, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

בִּקְרֹב עָלַי מְרֵעִים לֶאֱכֹל אֶת בְּשָׂרִי צָרַי וְאֹיְבַי לִי הֵמָּה כָשְׁלוּ וְנָפָלוּ

When evildoers come upon me to devour my flesh, my foes and my adversaries, it is they who stumble and fall.

אִם תַּחֲנֶה עָלַי מַחֲנֶה לֹא יִירָא לִבִּי אִם תָּקוּם עָלַי מִלְחָמָה בְּזֹאת אֲנִי בוֹטֵחַ

If an army besieges me, my heart will not fear. If war comes upon me, I will put my trust in this realization that God is my light and salvation.

אַחַת שָׁאַלְתִּי מֵאֵת ה'אוֹתָהּ אֲבַקֵּשׁ שִׁבְתִּי בְּבֵית ה' כָּל יְמֵי חַיַּי לַחֲזוֹת בְּנֹעַם ה' וּלְבַקֵּר בְּהֵיכָלוֹ

The psalmist is aware that God is his Protector and he is grateful for that. But his foremost desire and wish is in a different direction altogether. One request have I made of the Lord; this is what I ask for: That I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the goodness of the Lord and to visit His Temple. This entreaty, especially when expressed by someone who, as neither priest nor Levite, has no tasks to perform in the daily Temple service, is not to be taken as a literal request to stay in the Temple to participate in its religious rituals. Rather, it is an ecstatic exclamation of devotion to God made by a person who enters His Temple and experiences the sheer joy of being close to God there.

כִּי יִצְפְּנֵנִי בְּסֻכֹּה בְּיוֹם רָעָה יַסְתִּרֵנִי בְּסֵתֶר אָהֳלוֹ בְּצוּר יְרוֹמְמֵנִי

For in time of trouble He shelters me in His pavilion. He conceals me in the secret of His tent to protect me from adversity. He sets me high upon a mighty rock, where no harm can come to me,

וְעַתָּה יָרוּם רֹאשִׁי עַל אֹיְבַי סְבִיבוֹתַי וְאֶזְבְּחָה בְאָהֳלוֹ זִבְחֵי תְרוּעָה אָשִׁירָה וַאֲזַמְּרָה לַה'

so that now my head rises above my enemies around me. I will offer victory sacrifices [zivh·] in His tent. The unusual phrase zivḥei terua literally means “sacrifices with shofar blasts.” It refers to thanksgiving sacrifices that are offered in the wake of a victory or triumph. I will sing songs of praise to the Lord.

שְׁמַע ה'קוֹלִי אֶקְרָא וְחָנֵּנִי וַעֲנֵנִי

Now, again, are words of prayer: Hear, Lord, when I cry out to You. Be gracious to me and answer me.

לְךָ אָמַר לִבִּי בַּקְּשׁוּ פָנָי אֶת פָּנֶיךָ ה' אֲבַקֵּשׁ

For You, on Your behalf, my heart said: Seek Me. When my heart says, “seek Me,” it is quoting God, who is asking of me, and all others, to seek Him. To this divine call I can honestly respond: Your presence, Lord, I do seek.

אַל תַּסְתֵּר פָּנֶיךָ מִמֶּנִּי אַל תַּט בְּאַף עַבְדֶּךָ עֶזְרָתִי הָיִיתָ אַל תִּטְּשֵׁנִי וְאַל תַּעַזְבֵנִי אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׁעִי

Do not hide Your face from me by withholding Your assistance and abandoning me to the vicissitudes of life. Do not turn Your servant away in anger, even if Your wrath is justified. You have been my succor until this point; do not abandon me or forsake me now or in the future, God of my salvation.

כִּי אָבִי וְאִמִּי עֲזָבוּנִי וַה' יַאַסְפֵנִי

For my father and my mother may abandon me. The bond between parent and child is one that endures almost unconditionally. For this reason, there is no greater sense of isolation than that felt by an abandoned child. But the Lord will gather me up. God’s protection, however, covers everyone, even those who have been completely and utterly deserted. This verse is, therefore, a most powerful expression of trust in God and God alone.

הוֹרֵנִי ה' דַּרְכּךָ וּנְחֵנִי בְּאֹרַח מִישׁוֹר לְמַעַן שׁוֹרְרָי

Teach me Your way, the way of righteousness, Lord, and lead me on a level path, a correct and tranquil path in both the physical and the moral sense, because of my foes, in order for me to escape my foes.

אַל תִּתְּנֵנִי בְּנֶפֶשׁ צָרָי כִּי קָמוּ בִי עֵדֵי שֶׁקֶר ויפֵחַ חָמָס

Do not deliver me to my foes, as is their desire, for they have risen against me as false witnesses, making untrue accusations against me, testifying unjustly. An alternative interpretation is that yafe’aḥ, translated here as “testifying,” may be related to yifraḥ, meaning to make something blossom or grow. The translation would then be “and they foment injustice.”

לוּלֵא הֶאֱמַנְתִּי לִרְאוֹת בְּטוּב ה' בְּאֶרֶץ חַיִּים

If I survive unharmed, it is only because of my faith and prayers; I would have been vanquished had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. It was this faith that enabled me to continue fighting against my adversaries.

קַוֵּה אֶל ה' חֲזַק וְיַאֲמֵץ לִבֶּךָ וְקַוֵּה אֶל ה'

In conclusion, the psalmist offers words of encouragement to himself and to others: Put your hope in the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage, and continue to put your hope in the Lord even if you do not see immediate results.