לַמְנַצֵּחַ עַל יְדוּתוּן לְאָסָף מִזְמוֹר

For the chief musician, for Yedutun, a psalm by Asaf. As explained earlier, the term Yedutun may be the name of a musical instrument, a type of psalm, the name of a poet, or a type of melody.

קוֹלִי אֶל אֱלֹהִים וְאֶצְעָקָה קוֹלִי אֶל אֱלֹהִים וְהַאֲזִין אֵלָי

I raise my voice to God and cry out; I raise my voice, and He listens to me.

בְּיוֹם צָרָתִי אֲדֹנָי דָּרָשְׁתִּי יָדִי לַיְלָה נִגְּרָה וְלֹא תָפוּג מֵאֲנָה הִנָּחֵם נַפְשִׁי

On my day of trouble, I beseeched the Lord with my hand, raising it up in prayer; at night it, my eye, flowed with tears without cease because of the magnitude of my overwhelming troubles, and my soul refused to be comforted.

אֶזְכְּרָה אֱלֹהִים וְאֶהֱמָיָה ; אָשִׂיחָה ותִתְעַטֵּף רוּחִי סֶלָה

When I remember God, I moan; I cry out because of my woes until my spirit becomes faint, Selah. The phrase vetitatef ruḥi, “my spirit becomes faint,” literally, “my soul is wrapped up within me,” is an expression of pain and distress. It also conveys the soul’s becoming constricted, shrinking, almost as if enveloping itself in sorrow.

אָחַזְתָּ שְׁמֻרוֹת עֵינָי נִפְעַמְתִּי וְלֹא אֲדַבֵּר

You grasp my eyelids, preventing me from sleeping; moreover, I cannot pray or cry out to You at all times, for often I am too agitated and cannot speak.

חִשַּׁבְתִּי יָמִים מִקֶּדֶם שְׁנוֹת עוֹלָמִים

In my present state of distress, I ponder the contrast of my current circumstances with the days of old, the years of long ago.

אֶזְכְּרָה נְגִינָתִי בַּלָּיְלָה עִם לְבָבִי אָשִׂיחָה וַיְחַפֵּשׂ רוּחִי

I remember my song in the night, when I used to thank God for His kindness; I meditate with my heart, and my spirit searches. Alongside these memories, my spirit has many questions that I continually turn over in my mind:

הַלְעוֹלָמִים יִזְנַח אֲדֹנָי וְלֹא יֹסִיף לִרְצוֹת עוֹד

Will the Lord abandon us forever? Will He never again find favor with us?

האָפֵס לָנֶצַח חַסְדּוֹ גָּמַר אֹמֶר לְדֹר וָדֹר

Has His kindness forever come to an end? Is His decision to punish us final for all generations?

הֲשָׁכַח חַנּוֹת אֵל אִם קָפַץ בְּאַף רַחֲמָיו סֶלָה

Has God forgotten to be gracious and forgive us? Has He in anger closed off His mercy and compassion? Selah.

וָאֹמַר חַלּוֹתִי הִיא שְׁנוֹת יְמִין עֶלְיוֹן

Then I said to myself: This is my prayer, to reflect upon the years of the Most High’s right hand, a very long span of time that includes periods of divine grace as well as times when God hid His presence. The psalmist prays to be able to perceive and understand this broader view of life.

אֶזְכּוֹר מַעַלְלֵי יָהּ כִּי אֶזְכְּרָה מִקֶּדֶם פִּלְאֶךָ

The psalmist recalls those periods of divine grace: I remember the deeds of the Lord, when I recall Your wonders of old.

וְהָגִיתִי בְכָל פָּעֳלֶךָ וּבַעֲלִילוֹתֶיךָ אָשִׂיחָה

I meditate on all of Your work, telling of Your glorious deeds of the past.

אֱלֹהִים בַּקֹּדֶשׁ דַּרְכֶּךָ מִי אֵל גָּדוֹל כֵּאלֹהִים

God, Your way is in holiness. When You reveal Yourself, You are perceived as holy and exalted. What god is as great as God?

אַתָּה הָאֵל עֹשֵׂה פֶלֶא הוֹדַעְתָּ בָעַמִּים עֻזֶּךָ

You are the Almighty who works wonders; You proclaimed Your strength among the peoples.

גָּאַלְתָּ בִּזְרוֹעַ עַמֶּךָ בְּנֵי יַעֲקֹב וְיוֹסֵף סֶלָה

With Your arm, Your strength, You redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph, Selah.

רָאוּךָ מַּיִם אֱלֹהִים; רָאוּךָ מַּיִם יָחִילוּ אַף יִרְגְּזוּ תְהֹמוֹת

The psalmist enumerates several instances of God’s revelation: The waters of the Red Sea saw you, God; the waters saw You and were frightened, as it were, into receding and parting, and the waters of the deep trembled.

זֹרְמוּ מַיִם עָבוֹת קוֹל נָתְנוּ שְׁחָקִים אַף חֲצָצֶיךָ יִתְהַלָּכוּ

At that time, the clouds poured out water; the skies gave voice as Your arrows, bolts of lightning, darted about.

קוֹל רַעַמְךָ בַּגַּלְגַּל הֵאִירוּ בְרָקִים תֵּבֵל רָגְזָה וַתִּרְעַשׁ הָאָרֶץ

Your thunder was all-encompassing; lightning lit up the world. The earth trembled and quaked.

בַּיָּם דַּרְכֶּךָ וּשְׁבִילְךָ בְּמַיִם רַבִּים וְעִקְּבוֹתֶיךָ לֹא נֹדָעוּ

Your way was through the Red Sea, Your path through the mighty waters, clearing a trail through it for us to pass. Your footprints left no trace. When the splitting of the sea was over, the waters returned to their place, and there was no sign that the event had occurred.

נָחִיתָ כַצֹּאן עַמֶּךָ בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן

Thereafter, like a flock You led Your people to the Land of Israel, in the hands of Moses and Aaron. When I consider this, I find that I still have hope, despite all my current troubles.