לַמְנַצֵּחַ מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד

For the chief musician, a psalm by David.

בְּךָ ה' חָסִיתִי אַל אֵבוֹשָׁה לְעוֹלָם בְּצִדְקָתְךָ פַלְּטֵנִי

In You, Lord, I place my trust, and therefore I pray: May I never be put to shame; rescue me in Your righteousness.

הַטֵּה אֵלַי אָזְנְךָ מְהֵרָה הַצִּילֵנִי הֱיֵה לִי לְצוּר מָעוֹז לְבֵית מְצוּדוֹת לְהוֹשִׁיעֵנִי

Incline Your ear to me, to hear my prayer; make haste to save me from imminent danger. Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to deliver me.

כִּי סַלְעִי וּמְצוּדָתִי אָתָּה וּלְמַעַן שִׁמְךָ תַּנְחֵנִי וּתְנַהֲלֵנִי

For You are my rock and my fortress, and for the sake of Your name, You guide me and lead me.

תּוֹצִיאֵנִי מֵרֶשֶׁת זוּ טָמְנוּ לִי כִּי אַתָּה מָעוּזִּי

Draw me out of the net they laid for me, for You are my stronghold.

בְּיָדְךָ אַפְקִיד רוּחִי פָּדִיתָ אוֹתִי ה' אֵל אֱמֶת

Into Your hand I commit my spirit. I entrust my life to You, depending on You to guard it. And indeed, You have redeemed me, Lord, Almighty God of truth.

שָׂנֵאתִי הַשֹּׁמְרִים הַבְלֵי שָׁוְא וַאֲנִי אֶל ה' בָּטָחְתִּי

I hate those who rely on the vanities of falsehood, namely, false gods. As for me, I trust only in the Lord.

אָגִילָה וְאֶשְׂמְחָה בְּחַסְדֶּךָ אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתָ אֶת עָנְיִי יָדַעְתָּ בְּצָרוֹת נַפְשִׁי

I rejoice and am happy in Your kindness, for You have seen my affliction. You have known my soul’s distress,

וְלֹא הִסְגַּרְתַּנִי בְּיַד אוֹיֵב הֶעֱמַדְתָּ בַמֶּרְחָב רַגְלָי

and because of this, You did not deliver me into the hand of the enemy; You planted my feet in open space, whereas I had previously been in a situation of confinement, as it were, unable to escape my desperate situation.

חָנֵּנִי ה' כִּי צַר לִי עָשְׁשָׁה בְכַעַס עֵינִי נַפְשִׁי וּבִטְנִי

Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes are weakened from vexation, as are my soul and my belly. It seems as if all the parts of my body are unable to function properly because of my distress.

כִּי כָלוּ בְיָגוֹן חַיַּי וּשְׁנוֹתַי בַּאֲנָחָה כָּשַׁל בּעֲוֹנִי כֹחִי וַעֲצָמַי עָשֵׁשׁוּ

For my life has withered away in anguish and my years in sighing. In my iniquity, my strength has failed; my bones have decayed.

מכָּל צֹרְרַי הָיִיתִי חֶרְפָּה וְלִשְׁכֵנַי מְאֹד וּפַחַד לִמְיֻדָּעָי רֹאַי בַּחוּץ נָדְדוּ מִמֶּנִּי

For all my foes I have become a disgrace, an object of scorn, and greatly so for my acquaintances. I am scorned greatly by my acquaintances as well. I am an object of dread to my well-wishers, who fear for my well-being when they witness my deteriorating state. Those who see me in the street flee from me. My acquaintances see things in me that cause them to keep their distance. They avoid coming in contact with me because of my ill and miserable appearance.

נִשְׁכַּחְתִּי כְּמֵת מִלֵּב הָיִיתִי כִּכְלִי אֹבֵד

I am forgotten from men’s hearts as a dead man, whose memory fades away with time. I am forgotten like a discarded tool.

כִּי שָׁמַעְתִּי דִּבַּת רַבִּים מָגוֹר מִסָּבִיב בְּהִוָּסְדָם יַחַד עָלַי לָקַחַת נַפְשִׁי זָמָמוּ

For I have heard the slander of many. There is nothing but terror all around me; they have gathered together, scheming to take my life.

וַאֲנִי עָלֶיךָ בָטַחְתִּי ה'אָמַרְתִּי אֱלֹהַי אָתָּה

But as for me, I trust only in You, Lord. I say: You are my God.

בְּיָדְךָ עִתֹּתָי הַצִּילֵנִי מִיַּד אוֹיְבַי וּמֵרֹדְפָי

My fate is in Your hand. Itotai, literally “my times,” denotes my life or my fate. Save me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.

הָאִירָה פָנֶיךָ עַל עַבְדֶּךָ הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי בְחַסְדֶּךָ

Shine Your countenance upon Your servant; deliver me in Your kindness.

ה' אַל אֵבוֹשָׁה כִּי קְרָאתִיךָ יֵבֹשׁוּ רְשָׁעִים יִדְּמוּ לִשְׁאוֹל

Lord, let me not be shamed, for I have called upon You. Let it be the wicked who will be shamed; let them go silent to the grave.

תֵּאָלַמְנָה שִׂפְתֵי שָׁקֶר הַדֹּבְרוֹת עַל צַדִּיק עָתָק בְּגַאֲוָה וָבוּז

Mute the lying lips that speak falsehood against the righteous with arrogance and contempt.

מָה רַב טוּבְךָ אֲשֶׁר צָפַנְתָּ לִּירֵאֶיךָ פָּעַלְתָּ לחֹסִים בָּךְ נֶגֶד בְּנֵי אָדָם

The psalmist now turns from decrying the wicked to extolling the righteous and the salvation destined for them: How great is the goodness You have in store for those who fear You. They will be the beneficiaries of Your hidden gifts, which have not yet been bestowed upon man and which You have created for those taking refuge in You, to be bestowed openly.

תַּסְתִּירֵם בְּסֵתֶר פָּנֶיךָ מֵרֻכְסֵי אִישׁ תִּצְפְּנֵם בְּסֻכָּה מֵרִיב לְשֹׁנוֹת

Conceal them in the secret place of Your presence; shelter them from man’s intrigues in Your pavilion, away from the strife of the slanderous tongues that are aimed against them.

בָּרוּךְ ה' כִּי הִפְלִיא חַסְדּוֹ לִי בְּעִיר מָצוֹר

Blessed is the Lord, for He showed me wondrous kindness in a besieged city, referring to either a literal or figurative siege.

וַאֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי בְחָפְזִי נִגְרַזְתִּי מִנֶּגֶד עֵינֶיךָ אָכֵן שָׁמַעְתָּ קוֹל תַּחֲנוּנַי בְּשַׁוְּעִי אֵלֶיךָ

I had said in my anxious haste while I was in distress: I am cut off from Your view, and You are no longer concerned about me. But, in fact, You heard the voice of my pleas when I cried out to You.

אֶהֱבוּ אֶת ה' כָּל חֲסִידָיו אֱמוּנִים נֹצֵר ה'וּמְשַׁלֵּם עַל יֶתֶר עֹשֵׂה גַאֲוָה

Love the Lord, all His devoted ones, for the Lord is faithful to reward those who trust in Him, and He requites the arrogant with the bowstring, punishing them with His arrows, as it were.

חִזְקוּ וְיַאֲמֵץ לְבַבְכֶם כָּל הַמְיַחֲלִים לַה'

In conclusion, the psalmist proclaims: Be strong and let your hearts take courage, all of you who put your hope in the Lord. This verse can be seen not only as sound advice, but as a summation of the psalm. Evoking his own life experience as evidence, the psalmist concludes that God comes to the aid of those who rely on Him.