לַמְנַצֵּחַ מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד

For the chief musician, a psalm by David.

שְׁמַע אֱלֹהִים קוֹלִי בְשִׂיחִי מִפַּחַד אוֹיֵב תִּצֹּר חַיָּי

Hear my voice, God, in my prayer; preserve my life from the terror of the enemy.

תַּסְתִּירֵנִי מִסּוֹד מְרֵעִים מֵרִגְשַׁת פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן

Hide me from the counsel of the wicked, from their plans against me, from the tumult of evildoers,

אֲשֶׁר שָׁנְנוּ כַחֶרֶב לְשׁוֹנָם דָּרְכוּ חִצָּם דָּבָר מָר

who whet their tongues like a sword, aiming their arrows, a metaphor for their tongues, with venomous words

לִירֹת בַּמִּסְתָּרִים תָּם פִּתְאֹם יֹרֻהוּ וְלֹא יִירָאוּ

to shoot furtively at the innocent. They shoot him suddenly, with no warning, and without fear, since they perform their nefarious acts in secret.

יְחַזְּקוּ לָמוֹ דָּבָר רָע ; יְסַפְּרוּ לִטְמוֹן מוֹקְשִׁים אָמְרוּ מִי יִרְאֶה לָּמוֹ

They bolster themselves with engaging in evil matters. They speak among themselves of laying hidden snares, saying: Who will see them? Because they act furtively, they assume they will never be discovered.

יַחְפְּשׂוּ עוֹלֹת תַּמְנוּ חֵפֶשׂ מְחֻפָּשׂ וְקֶרֶב אִישׁ וְלֵב עָמֹק

They thoroughly seek out iniquities to commit, to the very depths of a man’s heart, another reference to the clandestine nature of their plans and actions.

וַיֹּרֵם אֱלֹהִים חֵץ פִּתְאוֹם הָיוּ מַכּוֹתָם

In this kind of situation, a person can only pray to God for help: May God shoot them with an unexpected arrow, smiting them.

וַיַּכְשִׁילוּהוּ עָלֵימוֹ לְשׁוֹנָם יִתְנֹדְדוּ כָּל רֹאֵה בָם

Their own vicious tongues will backfire and cause them, instead of me, to stumble. May the tongues they used against me become the instrument of their own downfall. All those who behold them in defeat will shudder in revulsion and shock.

וַיִּירְאוּ כָּל אָדָם וַיַּגִּידוּ פֹּעַל אֱלֹהִים וּמַעֲשֵׂהוּ הִשְׂכִּילוּ

And all men who witness the downfall of the evildoers will be in awe; they will declare it the work of God, understanding it as His doing. When people see that the wicked are trapped and devastated by their own evil schemes, they will understand that the world is orchestrated by God’s will.

יִשְׂמַח צַדִּיק בַּה' וְחָסָה בוֹ וְיִתְהַלְלוּ כָּל יִשְׁרֵי לֵב

The righteous will then rejoice in the Lord and trust in Him, and all the upright in heart will be glorified.