לַמְנַצֵּחַ אַל תַּשְׁחֵת לְדָוִד מִכְתָּם בִּשְׁלֹחַ שָׁאוּל וַיִּשְׁמְרוּ אֶת הַבַּיִת לַהֲמִיתוֹ

For the chief musician, al tashhet (see 57:1). ·An instruction by David, when Saul sent men to watch the house in order to kill him. This psalm relates to a specific event in David’s life, when Saul sent messengers to David’s house with orders to kill him. David succeeded in escaping at the last moment. In the verses that follow, he prays to be rescued from the continuing danger posed by those seeking his life.

הַצִּילֵנִי מֵאֹיְבַי אֱלֹהָי מִמִּתְקוֹמְמַי תְּשַׂגְּבֵנִי

Rescue me from my enemies, my God; secure me from those rising against me.

הַצִּילֵנִי מִפֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן וּמֵאַנְשֵׁי דָמִים הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי

Rescue me from evildoers; save me from men of bloodshed.

כִּי הִנֵּה אָרְבוּ לְנַפְשִׁי יָגוּרוּ עָלַי עַזִּים לֹא פִשְׁעִי וְלֹא חַטָּאתִי ה'

For they lie in wait against me; fierce men have gathered against me for no transgression or sin of mine, Lord.

בְּלִי עָוֹן יְרֻצוּן וְיִכּוֹנָנוּ עוּרָה לִקְרָאתִי וּרְאֵה

They run toward me and prepare themselves to do me harm, through no fault of my own. Bestir Yourself for me, and see!

וְאַתָּה ה' אֱלֹהִים צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָקִיצָה לִפְקֹד כָּל הַגּוֹיִם אַל תָּחֹן כָּל בֹּגְדֵי אָוֶן סֶלָה

As for You, Lord, God of hosts, God of Israel, arouse Yourself and reveal Yourself, to make reckoning with all the nations. The mention of “all the nations” might be a reference to the fact that Saul, for a variety of reasons, made use of foreign mercenaries in his effort to rid himself of David. Do not pardon all the treacherous evildoers, Selah.

יָשׁוּבוּ לָעֶרֶב יֶהֱמוּ כַכָּלֶב וִיסוֹבְבוּ עִיר

David offers a description of those trying to capture him: They are nowhere to be found during the day, but they return toward evening, barking like dogs and roaming the city. Like wild dogs, they wander through the city primarily at night.

הִנֵּה יַבִּיעוּן בְּפִיהֶם חֲרָבוֹת בְּשִׂפְתוֹתֵיהֶם כִּי מִי שֹׁמֵעַ

Here they are, making threatening declarations with their mouths, as if they had swords in their lips. They feel that they can speak and act as they please, for they say to themselves: Who hears? They do not believe that God hears them and will hold them to account.

וְאַתָּה ה' תִּשְׂחַק לָמוֹ תִּלְעַג לְכָל גּוֹיִם

But You, Lord, laugh at them; You mock all the nations, knowing that none of their schemes will be realized.

עֻזּוֹ אֵלֶיךָ אֶשְׁמֹרָה כִּי אֱלֹהִים מִשְׂגַּבִּי

His strength! This is a call to God’s power. I will hope and wait for You, for God is my fortress.

אֱלֹהֵי חַסְדִּי יְקַדְּמֵנִי אֱלֹהִים יַרְאֵנִי בְשֹׁרְרָי

My merciful God will come toward me; He will grant me consideration and come to protect me. God will let me look upon the downfall of my foes.

אַל תַּהַרְגֵם פֶּן יִשְׁכְּחוּ עַמִּי הֲנִיעֵמוֹ בְחֵילְךָ וְהוֹרִידֵמוֹ מָגִנֵּנוּ אֲדֹנָי

The psalmist prays to God to deal with his pursuers: Do not simply slay them, lest my people forget. If you kill them, their nefarious deeds will be forgotten along with them. I pray that in their punishment they will remain alive, so that the people will be reminded of their misdeeds. Scatter them by Your power and bring them down, our shield, my Lord.

חַטַּאת פִּימוֹ דְבַר שְׂפָתֵימוֹ וְיִלָּכְדוּ בִגְאוֹנָם וּמֵאָלָה וּמִכַּחַשׁ יְסַפֵּרוּ

There is sin in their mouths and in the words of their lips. Let them be trapped and then led to defeat by their own pride, by the curses and lies that they utter.

כַּלֵּה בְחֵמָה כַּלֵּה וְאֵינֵמוֹ וְיֵדְעוּ כִּי אֱלֹהִים מֹשֵׁל בְּיַעֲקֹב לְאַפְסֵי הָאָרֶץ סֶלָה

Destroy them in wrath, destroy so they are no more, and they, everyone in the world, will know that God rules over Jacob to the ends of the earth, Selah.

וְיָשֻׁבוּ לָעֶרֶב יֶהֱמוּ כַכָּלֶב וִיסוֹבְבוּ עִיר

The psalmist reiterates and expands upon his previous description of his foes: And they return toward evening, barking like dogs and roaming the city.

הֵמָּה יְנִיעוּן לֶאֱכֹל אִם לֹא יִשְׂבְּעוּ וַיָּלִינוּ

They, the dogs, wander about, searching for food to eat; if they are not sated, they stay to sleep. So too, Saul’s mercenaries prowl about in an unfamiliar city, searching for me everywhere.

וַאֲנִי אָשִׁיר עֻזֶּךָ וַאֲרַנֵּן לַבֹּקֶר חַסְדֶּךָ כִּי הָיִיתָ מִשְׂגָּב לִי וּמָנוֹס בְּיוֹם צַר לִי

The psalmist ends with words of praise to God: But as for me, I will sing of Your strength, and I will joyfully sing of Your kindness in the morning, for You were my fortress and a refuge on the day of my distress.

עֻזִּי אֵלֶיךָ אֲזַמֵּרָה כִּי אֱלֹהִים מִשְׂגַּבִּי אֱלֹהֵי חַסְדִּי

My Strength, God! To You I sing praises. For God is my fortress, my merciful God.