Psalm 42

1.       For praise, with good discernment, by the sons of Korah.

2.       As the deer that longs for streams of water, thus my soul longs for you, O Lord.[1]

3.       My soul is thirsty for you, for the mighty, living, and enduring God. When will I enter and see the splendor of the presence of the Lord?

4.       My tears have become my sustenance day and night, because the enemy says to me all day, ÒWhere is your God?Ó

5.       These miracles I remember; and I will pour out the thoughts of my soul whenever I pass beneath the shelter alone; I will be strong in the camps of the righteous, [who are going] to the sanctuary of the Lord with a voice of petition and praise, a tumult of peoples coming to keep festival in Jerusalem.

6.       Why will you be lowly, O my soul, and [why] will you rage against me? Wait for God, for again I will praise him[2] for the redemption that is from his presence.

7.       O God, my soul will be for me lowly, therefore[3] I will remember you [among] those who dwell yonder in the land of Jordan, and those who dwell on the mountains of Hermoni, and the people who accepted the Torah on mount Sinai, which is lowly and small.

8.       The upper deep calls to the lower deep, at the sound of the pouring of spouts Ð thus all your breakers and waves passed over me at the time we came forth from Egypt.

9.       By day the Lord will command his goodness, and by night his praise is with me, a prayer to the God who preserves my life.

10.    I will say to God my trust,[4] ÒWhy have you neglected[5] me, why do I go about in darkness in the oppression of the enemy?Ó

11.    Because they kill[6] my bones whenever my oppressors mock[7] me, when they say to me every day, ÒWhere is your God?Ó

12.    Why will you be lowly, O my soul, and [why] will you rage against me? Wait for God, for again I will praise him[8] for the redemption that comes from his presence, for he is my God.

 

Psalm 43

1.       Judge me, O Lord[9] with true judgment; it is for you to argue my case with a people that is not righteous;[10] from the deceitful and oppressive man you will save me.

2.       For you are God, my strength; why have you abandoned[11] me? why do I go about in gloom[12] at the oppression of the enemy?

3.       Send your light and your faithfulness; they will guide me, they will bring me to the mount of the sanctuary and the academies, the place of your presence.

4.       And I will come to make his sacrifice at the altar of my God the Lord; to my God from whom is the joy of my gladness; and I will give thanks in your presence with the lyre, O Lord my God.

5.       Why will you be lowly, O my soul, and [why] will you rage against me? Wait for God, for again I will praise him[13] for the redemption that comes from his presence, for he is my God.

 

Psalm 44

1.       For praise; for David, composed by the sons of Korah, good discernment.

2.       O Lord,[14] with our ears we have heard, our fathers have told us of the deed you did in their days, in the days of old.

3.       You drove out the Canaanite Gentiles with your mighty hand; and you planted them, the house of Israel, in their land; you broke the peoples and sent them away.[15]

4.       For they did not inherit the land by the strength of their swords, and the might of their arms did not redeem them, for [it was] your right hand, and your strong arm and the light of your glorious splendor; for whenever they occupied themselves with the Torah, you were pleased with them.

5.       You are my king, O God; at this time command the redemption of the house of Jacob.

6.       At your command we will gore our oppressors; in your name we will subdue all who rise against us.

7.       For I do not trust in my bow, and my sword will not redeem me.

8.       For you have redeemed us from our oppressors and from those who hate us, you have brought shame upon them.

9.       By the word of the Lord we sing praise all day; and your name[16] we will confess forever and ever.

10.    Only you have neglected[17] [us] and put us to shame; and your presence will not abide with our forces.

11.    You have made us turn our back in the presence of our enemies, and those who hate us have subdued us.

12.    You have handed us over like sheep for food, and you have scattered us among the Gentiles.

13.    You sold your people for nothing, for no money; and you did not increase property by their exchange.

14.    You have made us a disgrace[18] to our neighbors, a mockery and scandal to our surroundings.

15.    You have made us a proverb among the Gentiles, a shaking of the head among the nations.

16.    All the day my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face.

17.    From the sound of the reviler and vilifier,[19] from the presence of the enemy and revenge-taker;

18.    All this has come upon us, yet we have not neglected[20] you, and we have not been false to your covenant.

19.    We will not turn back hesitating,[21] our hearts being proud, but you have diverted our steps from the straightness of the path.

20.    For you have humbled us in a place of jackals, and you have covered us with the shadow of death.

21.    If we have neglected[22] the name of our God and spread our hands in prayer to an idol of foreign nations Ð

22.    Truly God will search this out, for he knows[23] the hidden things of the heart.

23.    For on your account we are killed all the day; we are accounted as sheep handed over for slaughter.

24.    Act mightily; why will you be like a sleeping man, O Lord? Arouse yourself, do not forever be forgetful.

25.    Why will you remove your glorious presence, why neglect our shame and oppression?

26.    For our soul is bent to the dust; our bowels[24] cleave to the bottom of the pit.

27.    Arise, help us, and redeem us, for the sake of your goodness.

 

Psalm 45

1.       For praise; concerning those who sit in the Sanhedrin of Moses, which was spoken in prophecy by the sons of Korah; a good lesson, and a psalm, and a thanksgiving.

2.       My heart desires fine speech; I will speak my work to the king; the utterance of my tongue is quick, like the pen of a fluent scribe.

3.       Your beauty, O King Messiah, is greater than the sons of men; the spirit of prophecy has been placed on your lips; because of this the Lord[25] has blessed you forever.

4.       Gird your sword on your thigh, O champion;[26] your glory[27] and your brilliance is to kill kings as well as rulers.

5.       And your brilliance is great; therefore you will succeed in mounting the horse[28] of the kingdom, by reason of faithfulness and truth and humility and righteousness; and the Lord will teach you to do fearful things with your right hand.

6.       Your arrows are drawn to kill Gentile hordes; beneath you they will fall; and the sons[29] of your bow will be released into the heart of the enemies of the king.

7.       The throne of your glory, O Lord,[30] lasts forever and ever; the scepter of your kingdom is an upright scepter.

8.       Because you[31] have loved righteousness and hated wickedness Ð because of this the Lord your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your fellows.

9.       Pure myrrh and aloe-wood and cassia Ð your garments are perfected, from the palaces paved with ivory below;[32] from me they will make you glad.

10.    The provinces of the kingdom come to welcome you and to honor you, while the book of Torah is stationed at your right side, and written in gold[33] from Ophir.

11.    Hear, O congregation of Israel, the Torah of his mouth, and see the wonders of his deeds, and incline your ear to the words of Torah, and you will forget the evil deeds of the wicked of your people, and the place of idols that you worshipped in the house of your father.

12.    And then the king will desire your beauty; for he is your master and you will bow down to him.

13.    And those who dwell in the fortress of Tyre will come with an offering,[34] and the rich Gentiles will seek your face at your sanctuary.

14.    All the best and choicest sacrifices from the provinces, the treasuries of the kings that are hidden within, will they bring[35] for the priests whose clothing is chased with pure gold.

15.    In their decorated garments they will offer their sacrifices before the king of the world, and the rest of their fellows who are scattered among the Gentiles will be brought in joy to you to Jerusalem.

16.    They will be brought in joy and praise[36] and they will enter the temple of the king of ages.

17.    In the place of your fathers will be the righteous, your sons; you will appoint them as leaders[37] in all the land.

18.    At that time you will say, ÒWe will invoke your name in every generationÓ; because of this the Gentiles who are converted will praise your name forever and ever and ever.

 

Psalm 46

1.       For praise, by the sons of Korah, through the spirit of prophecy when their father was hidden from them, but they were saved, and they recited this song.

2.       God is for us security and strength; a help[38] in distress we shall find indeed.

3.       Because of this we will not be afraid in the time our fathers passed from the land, when the mountains totter[39] in the depth of the great sea.

4.       His waters shake,[40] they become muddy from their dust; the mountains tremble in your pride forever.

5.       Peoples like rivers and their fountains[41] come and make glad the city of the Lord,[42] and they pray in the LordÕs sanctuary, his exalted dwelling.

6.       The presence of the Lord is within it,[43] it will not be shaken; the Lord will help her for the merit of Abraham who prayed on it at the morning hours.

7.       When the Torah was given to his people, the Gentiles trembled; kingdoms shook when he raised his voice; and when he gave the Torah to his people, the inhabitants of the earth melted.

8.       The word of the Lord Sabaoth is our help; the God of Jacob is a stronghold for us forever.

9.       Come, see the deeds of the Lord who has put devastation on the wicked of the land.

10.    He annuls war to the ends of the earth; he will break the bow and shatter the lance; the round shields he will burn with fire.

11.    Cease from war, and know that I am the Lord, exalted among the peoples, exalted over the inhabitants of the earth.

12.    The word of the Lord Sabaoth is our help; the God of Jacob is a stronghold for us forever.

 

Psalm 47

1.     For praise, by the sons of Korah, a psalm.

2.     All you peoples, clap hands in joy, shout in the presence of the Lord with the sound of praise.

3.     For the Lord Most High is to be feared, a great king over all[44] the earth.

4.     He will slay the peoples by plague instead of us, and he will subdue the nations under our feet.

5.     He will favor us to inherit our heritage, the sanctuary[45] of Jacob whom he loves forever.

6.     Let the Lord be exalted with a shout, the Lord with the sound of the trumpet.

7.     Sing praise in the presence of the Lord, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing praise!

8.     For the Lord is king over all inhabitants of the earth; sing praise before him with good understanding.

9.     The Lord is king over the peoples; the Lord sits on his holy[46] throne.

10.  The leaders of the Gentiles have gathered, the Gentiles who believe in the God of Abraham, for in the presence of the Lord they are the shields of the earth; he has been greatly exalted.

 

Psalm 48

1.     A song and psalm by the sons of Korah.

2.     Great is the Lord and very praiseworthy, in Jerusalem, the city of our God, and on the mount of his sanctuary.

3.     Beautiful as a bridegroom, the joy of all the inhabitants of the earth, Mount Zion, on the north side,[47] the city of the great king.

4.     The Lord is in its palaces; it is known[48] for strength.

5.     For behold, the kings have joined forces, they have passed by together.

6.     They have seen, so they were amazed at the miracles and wonders; they were astonished, yea, they fled.

7.     Trembling seized them there, agitation like a woman giving birth.

8.     With an east wind strong as fire from the presence of the Lord, you will shatter the ships of Tarsis.

9.     The children of Israel[49] will say, ÒJust as we have heard, so we have seen; in the city of the Lord Sabaoth, in the city of our God Ð the Lord will establish it forever and ever.Ó

10.  Make us worthy, O Lord,[50] of your goodness in the midst of your temple.

11.  As your name, O Lord, so is your praise to the ends of the earth; your right hand is full of generosity.

12.  Let Mount Zion rejoice, let the assemblies of the house of Judah rejoice with psalms, because of your judgments.

13.  Surround Zion, let them rejoice,[51] and encircle her, number her towers.

14.  Set your mind on her throngs above, [even on] her citadels, that you may tell it to another generation.

15.  For this, the Lord, he is our God; his presence is in her midst and his dwelling is in heaven forever and ever; he will guide us in the days of our youth.

 

Psalm 49

1.       For praise; by the sons of Korah; a hymn.

2.       Hear this declaration, all peoples; give ear, all dwellers on earth.

3.       Even[52] the sons of the first Adam, even the sons of Jacob together, righteous and sinner.

4.       My mouth will speak wisdom, and the murmur of my heart is understanding.

5.       I will incline my ear to a parable, I will begin to open my riddle with the lyre.

6.       Why should I fear on the day of the visitation of evil, except that the guilt of my sin at my end will encompass me?

7.       Woe to the sinners, who trust in their possessions, and who boast in the size of their riches.

8.       A man[53] will by no means redeem his brother, who was taken captive, by his riches; and he will not give to God his price of redemption.

9.       And he gives his glorious redemption,[54] and his evil will cease, and vengeance forever.

10.    And he will live again for eternal life; he will not see the judgment of Gehenna.

11.    For the wise will see the wicked,[55] in Gehenna they will be judged; together fools and the stupid will perish, and they will leave their money to the righteous.

12.    In their tomb they will abide forever, and they will not rise from their tents for all generations, because they have exalted themselves;[56] and they have acquired an evil name upon the earth.

13.    And a wicked man[57] will not lodge in glory with the righteous; he is likened to a beast, he is worth nothing.

14.    This their way has caused folly for them; and in their end with their mouth they will recount their offenses in the world to come.

15.    Like sheep, they have assigned the righteous to death, and killed them; they have destroyed the righteous[58] and those who serve the Torah, and the upright they have punished; because of this, their bodies will decay in Gehenna, because they extended their hand and wrecked the dwelling place of his Presence.

16.    David said in the spirit of prophecy, ÒTruly God will redeem my soul from the judgment of Gehenna, for he will teach me his Torah forever.Ó[59]

17.    About Korah and his party he prophesied and said, ÒDo not fear, Moses, because Korah, the man of dispute, has become rich, because the glory of his house will increase.Ó

18.    For in his death he will keep nothing, his glory will not descend after him.

19.    For the soul of Moses during his life will bless you;[60] and the righteous will thank you, for you are good to those who worship in your presence.

20.    The memory of the righteous will come to the generation of their fathers; but the wicked will not see light forever and ever.

21.    The sinful man,[61] when he is in honor, will have no insight; and when his honor is taken from him, he becomes like a beast and worth nothing.

 

Psalm 50

1.       A hymn composed by Asaph. Mighty is God; the Lord spoke at the Creation a song; and he carved out[62] the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.

2.       The perfection and the beginning of the eternal creation is from Zion; and from there its beauty is complete, God will be revealed.

3.       The righteous will say on the great day of judgment, ÒOur God will come, and he will not neglect to vindicate his peopleÓ; fire will blaze before him, and around him a storm will rage mightily.

4.       He will call to the angels of the height above, and to the righteous of the earth below, to extend judgment to his people.

5.       Gather to me, my pious ones, who have made my covenant, and fulfilled my Torah, and have engaged in prayer, which is likened to a sacrifice.

6.       And the angels of the height will recount his righteousness, for God is the judge forever.

7.       Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel; and I will testify to you; I am God, your God.

8.       I am not rebuking you on account of your sacrifices that you did not offer before me in exile, for your holocausts that your fathers offered are in front of me always.

9.       From the day that my sanctuary was laid waste, I have not accepted a bull from your hands, or rams from your flock.

10.    For mine are all the animals of the forest, and I have prepared for the righteous in the Garden of Eden clean beasts and a wild bull who grazes[63] every day on a thousand mountains.

11.    Manifest before me are all the kinds[64] of birds who fly in the air of heaven;[65] and the rooster whose legs rest on the earth, while his head reaches to heaven, rejoicing before me.

12.    If the time of the continual morning sacrifice should arrive, I would not tell you; for mine is the earth and its fullness.

13.    From the day my sanctuary was laid waste, I have not accepted the flesh of the sacrifice of fatlings, and the priests have not sprinkled the blood of rams before me.

14.    Subdue the evil impulse and it will be reckoned before the Lord as a sacrifice of thanksgiving; and pay to the Most High your vows.[66]

15.    And pray in my presence in the day of trouble; I will save you, for you will glorify me.

16.    But to the wicked who has not repented, and prays in impiety, the Lord says, ÒWhy do you recite my covenant, and swear by my name, and invoke my covenant with your mouth?Ó

17.    But you hate the rebuke of the wise, and you have cast my words behind you.

18.    If you saw a thief, you ran after him; and you have placed your portion with adulterers.

19.    You have loosened your mouth to utter evil speech[67]; and your tongue adheres to speaking deceit.

20.    You will sit with your brother, you will speak lies against your motherÕs son, you will cast aspersions.

21.    These bad deeds you did and I waited for you to repent; you thought you would be at peace forever; you said in your heart, ÒI will be strong like youÓ; I will rebuke you in this world,[68] and I will prepare the judgment of Gehenna before you in the world to come.

22.    Now understand this, you wicked who have forgotten God,[69] lest I break your might, with no one to save.

23.    He who sacrifices the evil impulse,[70] it will be reckoned to him like a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and he honors me; and whoever will remove the evil way, I will show him the redemption of the Lord.[71]

 

Psalm 51

1.       For praise; a hymn of David.

2.       When Nathan the prophet came to him when he had lain with Bathsheba.

3.       Have mercy on me, O Lord, according to your kindness; according to the abundance of your mercies, forgive my rebellion.

4.       Cleanse me thoroughly from my iniquity, and make me clean from my sin.

5.       For my rebellions are manifest before me, and my sin is in front of me always.

6.       Before you, you alone, I have sinned, and that which is evil in your presence I have done; so that you may make me righteous when you speak, you will clear me when you give judgment.

7.       Behold, in iniquity was I born, and in sin my mother was pregnant with me. Another Targum: Behold, in iniquities my father thought to create me; and in the sin of the evil impulse my mother conceived me.

8.       Behold, you desire truth in the inner being[72]; and in the hidden place of the heart you will make wisdom known.

9.       You will sprinkle me like a priest who sprinkles with hyssop waters of purification made from the ashes of the heifer on the unclean, and I will be clean; you will wash me,[73] and I will be whiter than snow.

10.    You will proclaim to me[74] joy and jubilation; the limbs[75] that you have purified will rejoice with a hymn.

11.    Remove your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

12.    A pure heart create for me, O God; and renew within me[76] a spirit inclined to revere you.

13.    Do not cast me from your presence; and do not remove from me your holy spirit of prophecy.

14.    Return your Torah to me, to exult in your redemption; and may the spirit of prophecy[77] support me.

15.    I will teach the rebellious your ways, and sinners will return to your presence.

16.    Deliver me from the sentence of death, O Lord, God of my salvation; my tongue will rejoice in your generosity.

17.    O Lord, open my lips with Torah, and my mouth will recount your praise.

18.    For you will not desire the holy sacrifice; when I give a burnt offering, you are not pleased.

19.    The holy sacrifice of God is a broken spirit; a heart broken and purged, O God, you will not spurn.

20.    Show favor in your good will to Zion; you will complete the walls of Jerusalem.

21.    Then you will desire the sacrifices of righteousness,[78] burnt offering and holocaust; then the priests will sacrifice bulls on your altar.

 

Psalm 52

1.       For praise; for good teaching; composed by David.

2.       When Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said to him, ÒDavid has come to the house of Ahimelech.Ó

3.       How the mighty man will praise himself with a wicked tongue, to shed innocent blood; [but] the grace of God is all the day.

4.       Your tongue will devise tumult in your heart, forming words of slander like a sharp knife.

5.       You love evil more than good, lying more than speaking righteousness[79] always.

6.       You love all the words of destruction, the tongue of guile.

7.       Also God will demolish you forever; he will shatter you and make you wander so that you cannot dwell in a tent; and he will uproot you from the land of the living forever.

8.       And the righteous will see the punishment of the wicked, and they will be afraid in the presence of the Lord, and on his account they will laugh.

9.       And they will say, ÒBehold, the man who did not make the word of the Lord his strength; he trusted in his riches; he was strong[80] in his money.Ó

10.    But I, like a luxuriant olive tree in the sanctuary of God, have trusted in the grace of God forever and ever.

11.    I will give thanks in your presence forever, for you have accomplished the vindication of my case; and I will await your name, for it is good, before your pious ones.

 

Psalm 53

1.       For praise; on the punishment of the wicked who profane the name of the Lord; good teaching composed by David.

2.       The fool said in his heart, ÒThere is no God taking retributionÓ; because of this the wicked have corrupted their ways; they have become estranged from goodness, for iniquity is found in them; there is none that does good.

3.       Yet God looked down from heaven on the sons of men to see whether there is one who will grow wise in the Torah, seeking instruction from the presence of the Lord.

4.       All of them alike have turned aside[81]; they have fouled themselves, there is none that does good, not even one.

5.       Do not all the doers of lies know that food is given from his presence? And why then have the eaters of my people dined on bread, [but] not blessed the name of the Lord?

6.       There they were greatly afraid of their idols, in whom is nothing to fear, for God scatters the might of the army of sinners; you put them to shame, because the word of the Lord abhors them.

7.       Who is it who gives the redemption of Israel from Zion but the Lord? When the word of the Lord brings back the exiles of his people, those of the house of Jacob will be glad, those of the house of Israel will rejoice.

 

Psalm 54

1.       For praise, with a hymn. Good teaching composed by David.

2.       When the men of Ziph came and said to Saul, ÒIs not David hiding with us?Ó

3.       O God, by your name redeem me, and by the strength of[82] your might judge me.

4.       O Lord, accept my prayer; listen to the utterance of my mouth.

5.       For arrogant men[83] have risen against me, and powerful men have sought my life; they have not put God before them forever.

6.       Behold, the Lord is my helper, the Lord is among the supports of my soul.

7.       May evil return to those who oppress me; in your faithfulness bring them low.

8.       With an offering I will sacrifice in your presence; I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.

9.       For he has delivered me from every trouble; and my eye has seen vengeance against my enemies.

 

Psalm 55

1.       For praise, with the words of a hymn; good teaching composed by David.

2.       Hear, O God, my prayer, and do not hide yourself from my prayer.

3.       Hear my utterance, and accept it from me; I will roar out in my words and be agitated.

4.       From the voice of the enemy, from the trouble of the wicked, for they extend lies against me, and in anger they will hold a grudge towards me.

5.       My heart will tremble within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

6.       Fear and trembling come to me, and disaster has covered me.

7.       And I said, ÒWho will give to me wings like a dove, [that] I may fly and come to rest?Ó

8.       Behold, I would go to a far place to wander, I would lodge in the wilderness forever.

9.       I would make hasten to me rescue from the tempest, shelter[84] from the storm.

10.    Destroy, O Lord, their counsel, divide their tongue, for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

11.    Day and night they encircle it, around her walls, and misery and lies are in her midst.

12.    Tumult is in her midst, and lies and deceit do not depart from her squares.

13.    For an enemy will not belittle me, else I would bear it; my foe has not vaunted himself against me, else I would hide from his presence.

14.    But you, O Achitophel, a man[85] who is like me; a leader who taught me, and who tells me wisdom.

15.    For together we will explain mysteries in the sanctuary of God, we will walk in haste.

16.    He will condemn them to the judgement of death, and he will decree for them evil things, for Doeg and Achitophel; they will descend to Sheol while alive, for evil things are in their dwellings, in their bodies.

17.    I will pray in the presence of God, and the word of the Lord will redeem me.

18.    In the evening, and in the morning, and at noon I will pray, and I will tremble; and he heard my voice.

19.    He redeemed my soul in peace, so that no evil came near to me, for his word was my help in many troubles.

20.    God will hear and receive from them [their prayer], and the one who dwells in heaven from of old forever; but the wicked who are not from of old, who do not change their ways, are evil, and are not afraid in the presence of God.

21.    He stretched out his hands against the men of his peace; he desecrated his covenant.

22.    Smoother than oil of curds are the words of his mouth; and like weapons of war his heart. Softer are his words than tallow,[86] but they are deadly lances.

23.    Cast your confidence on the Lord,[87] and he will feed you; he will never allow privation to the righteous.

24.    But you, O God, by your word will bring them down to deep Gehenna; murderous and deceitful men will not see half of their days; but I will trust in your word.

 

Psalm 56

1.       For praise, concerning the congregation of Israel which is likened to a quiet dove when they are far from their cities, yet they repeatedly praise the Lord of the World, like David, humble and innocent, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

2.       Have mercy on me, O Lord God, for a sinful man[88] has crushed me beneath him; all the day the foeman will overpower me.

3.       My oppressors crush my bones all the day, for many are the oppressors fighting against me, O God Most High, whose throne is on high.

4.       In the day that I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.

5.       I will praise the attribute of the justice of God; in the word of God I will put my trust, I will not be afraid. What will flesh do to me?

6.       All day on my account they toil; against me all their thoughts are for evil.

7.       They will gather together and they will conceal a trap, they will watch[89] my tracks; as they have waited, they have done to my soul.

8.       For the lies in their possession, drain them;[90] for the rage of the peoples, make them poor, O God.

9.       The days of my wandering you have numbered; place my tears in your bottle, O Lord; is not the sum total of my humiliation in your record?

10.    Then my enemies will turn, turning around,[91] on the day that I pray. This I know, for God is my help.

11.    In the attribute of justice of God I will give praise in his word; in the attribute of mercy of the Lord I will give praise in his word.

12.    In the word of God I have placed my trust, I will not fear what a son of man will do to me.

13.    I have taken your vows upon myself, O God; I will repay sacrifices of thanksgiving in your presence.

14.    For you have delivered my soul from being killed, indeed, my feet from bruising, to walk before the Lord in the light of life. Another Targum: For you have delivered my soul from the death that the sinful die, indeed, my feet from stumbling through sin, so that I will walk before the Lord in the Garden of Eden to behold the light of the righteous.

 

 

Psalm 57

1.       For praise, concerning the distress at the time when David said, ÒDo not harm.Ó It was spoken by David, humble and innocent, when he fled from SaulÕs presence in the cave.

2.       Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in your word my soul has trusted, and in the shade of your Presence I will be confident until the turmoil passes.

3.       I will pray before God Most High, the mighty one, who commanded[92] the spider who completed a web for me.

4.       He will send[93] his angel from heaven above, and he will redeem me; he has put to shame the one who bruises me, forever; God will send his goodness and his truth.

5.       My soul glows[94] while in the midst of flames; I will sleep among coals that burn, the sons of men whose teeth are like lances and arrows, and whose tongue is like a sharp sword.

6.       Be exalted over the angels of heaven, O God; your glory is over all those who dwell on earth.

7.       They have set a net for my footsteps; my soul is bowed down; they dug before me a pit, they have fallen into the middle of it forever.

8.       My heart is turned to your Torah, O Lord; my heart is turned to fear you; I will praise and sing!

9.       Wake up, my glory! Wake up to praise by means of the harp and lyre; wake up for the prayer of morning.

10.    I will give thanks before you among the peoples, O Lord; I will praise you among the nations.

11.    For your goodness is high to reach the heavens, and your truth, to the clouds.

12.    Be exalted, O Lord, above the angels of heaven; O God, above all the inhabitants of the earth is your glory.

 

Psalm 58

1.       For praise; concerning the distress in the time when David said, ÒDo no harmÓ; composed by David, humble and innocent.

2.       In very truth are you silent, O righteous ones, in the time of strife? It is fitting that you speak righteousness, that you judge uprightly the sons of men.

3.       But, O wicked, wherefore do you commit iniquity in the heart, wherefore do your hands establish crime on the earth?

4.       The wicked have become strangers from birth; those who utter falsehood have gone astray from the womb.

5.       Poison is theirs like the poison of the serpent; like the deaf adder that stops up his ears.

6.       Lest it should accept the words of the wizards, the charmers of snakes; he is wiser than those who cast spells.

7.       O God, smash their teeth in their mouth; and shatter the fangs of the lionsÕ offspring, O Lord.

8.       Let them dissolve in their sins; like water, let them flow away; and he draws arrows at them, and they will be cut in pieces.

9.       Like the crawling snail whose path is disgusting, like the abortion and the mole who are blind and have not seen the sun;

10.    Before the soft wicked become as hard as thorns, while they are moist, while they are like unripe fruit, may he destroy them by the storm wind.

11.    The righteous will rejoice, for he has seen retribution on them; he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked man.

12.    And the sons of men will say, ÒTruly there is a good reward for the righteous, truly there is a God whose judgments extend to the earth.Ó

 

 

Psalm 59

1.       For praise; concerning the distress when David said, ÒDo no harmÓ; composed by David, humble and innocent; when Saul sent and they guarded the house in order to kill him.

2.       Deliver me from my enemies, O God; from those who rise against me, save me.

3.       Deliver me from those who practice deceit, and from murderous men redeem me.

4.       For behold, they have lain in wait for my soul, the strong gathering against me; not on account of my iniquity, and not on account of my sin, O Lord.

5.       Before [there are] iniquities, they run and prepare battle; be strong towards me, and see!

6.       But you, O Lord God Sabaoth, God of Israel, awake to punish all the Gentiles; do not pity any of the deceitful rulers forever.

7.       They will return at evening, they will raise a tumult like a dog, and they will encircle the city.

8.       Behold, they will spew forth with their mouth words sharp as swords; with their lips they say, ÒLet us boast, for who is the one who will hear and punish

9.       But you, O Lord, will laugh at them; you will mock all the Gentiles.

10.    O my strength,[95] for you I will keep watch, for God is my deliverance.

11.    God will precede me with my favor, God will show me vengeance on my oppressors.

12.    Do not kill them immediately, lest my people forget; exile them from their houses by your might, and impoverish them from their wealth, our shield, O Lord.

13.    Because of the sin of their mouth, and the speech of their lips, let them be caught in their arrogance, for they will speak with oaths and lies.

14.    Destroy them in anger, destroy them until they are no more, that they may know that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth forever.

15.    And they will return at evening, they will raise a tumult like a dog, and they will encircle the city.

16.    They will wander about to take spoil to eat, and they will not rest until they are full and take lodging.

17.    But I will praise your strength, and I rejoice in your goodness in the morning, for you have been a deliverer to me, and my trust in the day I am distressed.

18.    O my strength, I will give you praise, for God is my deliverance, God is my goodness.

 

Psalm 60

1.       For praise. Concerning the ancient testimony between Jacob and Laban. A copy made by David, for instruction.

2.       When David had gathered troops and passed by the Heap of Witness and fought with Aram-on-the-Euphrates and Aram Zobah, and afterwards Joab returned and smote the Edomites in the Plain of Salt, and twelve thousand from the army of David and Joab fell.

3.       David said, ÒO God, you have abandoned us, you have attacked us in fierce anger;[96] return to us in your glory

4.       You shook the land of Israel, you made it quake and you flayed it; heal its wounds, for it has become unsteady.

5.       You made your people see hardship, you made us drink the wine[97] of execration.

6.       You have given those who fear you a sign to be lifted up by, because of the honesty of Abraham forever.

7.       Because of the merit of Isaac, those who love you will be delivered; redeem with your right hand because of the piety of Jacob, and accept my prayer.

8.       God speaks in his sanctuary: I will be glad, for those of the house of Israel will prevail; I will divide the spoil with the sons of Joseph who dwell in Shechem, and in the plain of Succoth I will measure the measure and divide the booty.

9.       My people were of the house of Gilead, and my people were of the house of Manasseh; and the warriors of the house of Ephraim are the strength of my head, and those of the house of Judah are the scribes of my school.

10.    I trampled on the Moabites, my feet were dipped in the blood[98] of their warriors as in my washing-basin; on the nape of the neck of the warriors of Edom I set my shoe; shout[99] over the Philistines, O congregation of Israel.

11.    Who is he that led me to the ruined city of Tyre? Who is he that guided me to Edom?

12.    Is it not you, O Lord? You have abandoned us; and you will not go out, O God, with our forces.

13.    Give us help against the oppressor, for in vain is the redemption of a son of man.

14.    By the word of the Lord we will exercise might, and he will subdue our oppressors.

 

Psalm 61

1.     For praise, with the psalms of David.

2.     Accept, O Lord, my petition, hear my prayer.

3.     From the ends of the earth I will pray in your presence when my heart is weary; lead me to a strong fortress built on a rock[100] that is higher than I.

4.     For you have been security for me, in truth, a stronghold before the enemy.

5.     I will dwell in your tent forever, I will be secure in the shade of your presence forever.

6.     For you, O Lord, have heard my vows; you have given the inheritance to those who fear your name.

7.     You will add days to the age to come, the days of the King Messiah; his years are like the generations of this age and the generations of the age to come.

8.     He will dwell forever in the presence of the Lord; goodness and truth from the Lord of the World will guard him.

9.     Therefore will I praise your name forever, when I pay my vows in the day of the redemption of Israel, and in the day the King Messiah is anointed[101] to be king.

 

 

Psalm 62

1.     For praise, by Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

2.     Truly for God my soul is quiet; from him is my redemption.

3.     Truly he is my strength and my redemption, my savior, I shall not be shaken on the day of great distress.

4.     How long do you rage against a pious man? All of you will be slain, like a crooked wall, like a broken fence.

5.     Truly when they swear to do good, they take counsel to attack; they will tell lies; with their mouth they will bless and with their heart they will curse forever.

6.     Truly be silent for God, O my soul, for my hope comes from him.

7.     Truly he is my strength and my redemption, my savior, I shall not be shaken.

8.     My redemption and my honor is on God; the strength of my might, my hope, is in God.

9.     Hope in his word at all times, O people of the house of Israel; pour out the pride of your hearts in his presence;[102] say, ÒGod is our hope forever.Ó

10.  For the sons of men are nothing, the sons of a man are deceit; when they take wives, their fates are weighed in the balances; they themselves came to be altogether out of nothing.

11.  Do not trust in oppression, and do not receive money gained by coercion; for [though] it will increase in value, do not set your mind [on it].

12.  God speaks one Torah, and now two times I have heard it, from the mouth of Moses, the great scribe, for there is might in the presence of God.[103]

13.  And it is yours, O God, to show favor to the righteous, for you repay each man according to his works.

 

Psalm 63

1.     A psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness in the territory of the tribe of Judah.

2.     O God, you are my strength; I will arise in the morning in your presence; my soul thirsts for you, my flesh yearns for you, in a barren and weary land, without water.

3.     Thus I have seen you in the holy place; purify me to see your strength and your glory.

4.     For better is the favor that you show to the righteous in the age to come than the life you have given to the wicked in this age; therefore my lips will praise you.

5.     Thus will I bless you in my life in this age; in the name of your word I will spread my hands in prayer in the age to come.

6.     My soul will be satisfied as with fat and oil, and my mouth shall sing [with] lips of praise.

7.     If I have remembered you on my bed, in the night-watch I will meditate on your word.

8.     For you were a helper to me, and in the shade of your presence I will be glad.

9.     My soul has followed close behind your Torah; your right hand has supported me.

10.  But they will seek my soul for the grave; they will enter the lowest part of the earth.

11.  They will fear him on account of the blow of the sword; they will be the portion of jackals.

12.  And the king will rejoice in the word of God; all who swear by his word will sing praise, for the mouth of those who speak deceit will be stifled.

 

Psalm 64

1.     For praise, a psalm of David.

2.     Hear my voice, O God, in the time of my prayer; guard my life from the fear of the enemy.

3.     You will hide me from the secret [council] of those who do evil, from the turmoil of those who practice deceit.

4.     Who have sharpened their tongue as a sword, bent their bows, smeared their arrows with deadly and bitter poison.

5.     To shoot in secret, without blame;[104] suddenly they will shoot him and they will not fear.

6.     They will strengthen themselves with an evil word; they will talk of hiding traps, saying, ÒWho sees them?Ó

7.     They will search to find pretexts to destroy the pure, a search carried out in the body of a son of man, and the thoughts of a secret heart.

8.     But God will shoot arrows at them suddenly; and they will tell of their wounds.

9.     And their tongue will make them stumble; all who see them shall move aside.[105]

10.  And all the sons of men will be afraid, and tell of the work of the Lord God; and his works will be understood.

11.  The righteous man will rejoice in the Lord, and trust in his word, and all the upright of heart will boast.

 

Psalm 65

1.     For praise, a psalm of David, a song.

2.     Before you praise[106] is considered as silence, O God, whose presence is in Zion, and vows will be paid to you.

3.     O receiver of prayer, unto you all the sons of flesh will come.

4.     Words of iniquity have overcome me; you will atone for our sins.

5.     How happy the one you will choose and bring near;[107] he will abide in your courts. The righteous will say, ÒWe will be satisfied in the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple.Ó

6.     Accept our prayer [with] fearful deeds in righteousness, O God our redemption, the hope of all the ends of the earth, and the islands of the sea far from dry land.

7.     Who established food for the ibexes of the mountains in the strength of his might, who is girded with a belt in might.

8.     Who quiets the commotion of the seas and the commotion of their waves, and the hubbub of the nations.

9.     And those who dwell at the borders[108] were afraid at your signs; [at the] extremities of morning and evening you will set praise in their mouth.

10.  You have remembered the land[109] and watered it; you will enrich it with much produce from the vault of God which is in heaven, full of rain;[110] you will form their grain, for thus you will consummate it.

11.  He has drenched those raised on its plants; he has given rest to its troops; you will bless its blossoms.[111]

12.  You have crowned the year with the goodness of your blessings; and the paths of your way will give an odor of richness.

13.  They will make sweet the psalms of the wilderness, and the hills will gird themselves with joy.

14.  The rams will copulate with the flock, and the plains will be covered with grain; they will shout, indeed, they will rejoice.

 

Psalm 66

1.     For praise. A praise song. Shout for joy in the presence of the Lord, all inhabitants of the earth.

2.     Praise the glory of his name; set forth the glory of his praise.

3.     Say in the presence of God, ÒHow fearful are your works! For all the abundance of your works, your enemies will deny you.Ó

4.     All the inhabitants of the earth will bow down before you, and they will praise you, they will praise your name forever.

5.     Come and see the works of God; fearful is the lord of destiny[112] to the sons of men.

6.     He turned the Red Sea to dry land; the sons of Israel crossed the river Jordan on their feet; he conveyed them to his holy mountain;[113] there will we rejoice in his word.

7.     He who rules over the world in the power of his strength, his eyes behold the Gentiles; let the disobedient not exalt themselves forever.

8.     Bless God,[114] O Gentiles, and make the sound of his praise heard.

9.     Who has designated our souls for the life of the age to come, and has not allowed our feet to be shaken.

10.  For you have tried us, O God, you have refined us like a smith who refines silver. Another Targum: For you have tried [us], for you have tested our fathers, O God; you exiled them among the kingdoms; you found them refined as one who purifies silver.

11.  You brought us into the net, you placed chains on our loins. Another Targum: You brought us into Egypt as into a net; you placed the rule of the Babylonians upon us, and we became like one on whose loins chains of trouble are placed.

12.  You humbled us, you made our creditors ride over our heads; you judged us as if by fire[115] and water, and you brought us out to a broad place. Another Targum: The Medes and Greeks rode over us, they passed over our heads; you brought us among the Romans, who judge us like the cruel Chaldeans, who cast our father Abraham into the fiery furnace, and the Egyptians, who cast our infants into the water; yet you brought us up to freedom.

13.  I will enter your house[116] with burnt-offerings, I will pay you my vows. Another Targum: Just as you have mercy on us and redeem us, then we will enter your sanctuary with burnt-offerings and we will pay you our vows.

14.  Which opened my lips, and my mouth spoke, when I was in distress.

15.  Fat burnt-offerings I will offer in your presence, with the sweet smell of the sacrifice of rams; I will make [sacrifice of] bulls with he-goats forever[PC1] .

16.  Come hear, and I will tell all who fear God what he has done for my soul.

17.  I cried out to him with my mouth, and his praise was on my tongue.

18.  If I saw falsehood in my heart, would the Lord not hear?

19.  Truly God has heard, he listened to the sound of my prayer.

20.  Blessed be God, who has not removed my prayer and his favor from me.

 

Psalm 67

1.     For praise, with melodies; a psalm and a song.

2.     God will pity us and bless us; he will make the splendor of his face shine on us forever.

3.     To make known your way in the land, your redemption among all the Gentiles.

4.     The Gentiles will give thanks in your presence, O God, all the Gentiles[117] will give thanks.

5.     The nations will rejoice and exult, for you will judge the peoples with honesty,[118] and you will guide the nations in the land forever.

6.     The peoples will give thanks in your presence, O God, all the peoples[119] will give thanks.

7.     The land[120] has given its fruit; God, our God, will bless us.

8.     God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.

 

Psalm 68

1.     For praise, of David. A hymn and song.

2.     God will arise, his enemies will be scattered, and his foes will flee from his presence.

3.     Just as the smoke is driven out, they will be driven; just as wax will melt in the presence of fire, the wicked will perish in the presence of God.

4.     And the righteous will rejoice and exult in the presence of the Lord, and they will rejoice joyfully.

5.     Give praise in the presence of God, praise his glorious name; magnify the one who sits on his glorious throne in Araboth;[121] Yah is his name; and be glad in his presence.

6.     Father of the orphans, and judge of widows Ð such is God in the dwelling place of his holy presence.

7.     God, who makes matches, joining the solitary to mates;[122] who brought out the house of Israel, who were bound in Egypt; for the correct deeds of their fathers <he redeemed them>[123] in public procession; but Pharaoh and his armies, who refused to let them go, dwelt in thirst.

8.     O God, when you went forth in a pillar of cloud and in a pillar of fire before your people, when you traveled in the wilderness of Jeshimon forever, when you gave the Torah to your people Ð

9.     The earth shook, also the heavens[124] dropped dew[125] in the presence of the Lord; as for this Sinai, its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace before the Lord, God of Israel, was manifested upon it.

10.  When the house of Israel heard the voice of your power, their souls flew away; at once he made to descend upon them the dew of resurrection; O God, you brought the favorable rain to your inheritance, and you supported the assembly which was exhausted.

11.  You caused your vigor[126] to go back to it; you appointed a troop of[127] angels to do good to the poor of God.

12.  The Lord[128] gave the words of Torah to his people; truly, Moses and Aaron [were] proclaiming the word of God to the great army.[129]

13.  Kingdoms[130] with their armies went into exile from their palaces, and the wise were exiled from their knowledge; but the assembly of Israel divides the spoil from heaven.

14.  <The God of Israel said:>[131] If you wicked kings lay down[132] among the rubbish heaps, the assembly of Israel, likened to a dove flying[133] in the clouds of glory, divides the spoil of the Egyptians Ð silver that is refined, and her treasures full of pure gold. Another Targum: If you wicked kings sleep in the theatres, which are likened to rubbish heaps, behold, the sons of the assembly of Israel, which are likened to the wings of a dove, are covered with the words of Torah, which are likened to silver, and her scholars, which are likened to the pinions of a young dove in pure gold.

15.  When she spread her hands over the sea in prayer, Shaddai abased kingdoms, and on her account clouded over Gehinnom like snow; he delivered them from the shadow of death. Another Targum: Because of this, when the priests spread their hands and bless the people of Israel, Shaddai agrees with them and kings are subdued beneath them; and because of their merits, their sins are made white as snow, and Gehinnom is cooled for the wicked who have received punishment in their children and have repented of their bad deeds.

16.  Mount Moriah, the place where the patriarchs worshipped in the presence of the Lord, was chosen for the building of the sanctuary; and Mount Sinai for the giving of Torah; Mount Mathnan, Mount Tabor, and Carmel were disqualified, and a hump was made for them like Mount Mathnan.[134] Another Targum: Mount Moriah was chosen first for the worship of the patriarchs in the presence of the Lord, and was chosen second for the building there of the sanctuary; and Mount Sinai was pulled up from there and chosen third for the Torah; Mount Buthnin was removed and set far away; Mount Tabor Ð a miracle was performed there for Barak and Deborah; Mount Carmel Ð miracles were performed there for Elijah the prophet. And they were racing, one against the other, and arguing one with the other. One said, ÒOn me the presence shall abide,Ó and the other would say, ÒOn me the presence will abide.Ó And the Lord of the World, who sharpens the proud and rebellious with the humble, struck them down and they were disqualified. A hump was made for them like Mount Buthnin.

17.  God said, Why do you leap, O mountains?[135] It is not my will to give the Torah on proud, contemptuous mountains. Behold, Mount Sinai which is humble; the word of the Lord desires to place his presence upon it; [but] in the highest heaven the Lord will abide forever.

18.  The chariots of God are two myriads of burning fire, two thousand angels guiding them; the presence of the Lord rests on them, on the mountain of Sinai, in holiness.

19.  You ascended to the firmament, O prophet Moses; you captured captives, you taught the words of Torah, you gave gifts to the sons of men, and even the stubborn who are converted turn in repentance,[136] [and] the glorious presence of the Lord God abides upon them.

20.  Blessed be the Lord, every day he weighs us down, adding commandments to commandments; the mighty one, who is our redemption and our helper forever.

21.  God is for us might and redemption; and from God the Lord death and loss of breath are inflicted on the wicked through suffocation.

22.  Truly God will break the heads of his enemies, he will make fall out the hair of the man who keeps walking in his sins.

23.  The Lord says, ÒI will bring back the righteous who have died and been eaten by wild beasts from Buthnin; I will bring back the righteous who have drowned[137] in the depths of the sea.Ó

24.  So that they will see the punishment of the wicked, they will dip their feet in the blood of the slain; the tongue of the wild beast will grow fat from their plumpness, some of them will be sated on the enemies.

25.  The house of Israel has seen the paths of your presence on the sea, O God; they say, ÒThe paths of God, king of all the world in holiness!Ó

26.  They rose up early and uttered a song after Moses and Aaron who were playing melodies before them, in the midst of the righteous women who were with Miriam playing timbrels.

27.  In the midst of the assemblies, bless God, exalt the Lord, O fetuses in the bellies of their mothers, O seed of Israel!

28.  There Benjamin, least of the tribes, who first of all went into the sea -- because of this, he received kingship; and after them went down the princes of Judah; the tribes stoned them with stones, and they received dominion after them;[138] the princes of Zebulun were their merchants, and the princes of Naphtali were their warriors.[139]

29.  God has commanded your strength; be strong, O God, abide in this sanctuary you have made for us!

30.  From your temple you will accept sacrifices; your presence abides on Jerusalem; from their palaces the kings will bring to you sacrifices.

31.  Rebuke the armies of sinners, shatter them like reeds, the assembly of warriors who trust in calves, the idols of the Gentiles. His favor is toward the people who are occupied willingly in the Torah, which is purer than silver. Scatter the peoples who desire to wage war!

32.  The children of Ham, the Osmani(?), will come from Egypt to be converted; the children of Cush will run to spread their hands in prayer before God.

33.  O kingdoms of the earth,[140] sing praise in the presence of the Lord, sing praise to the Lord forever.

34.  To the one who sits on his throne in the heaven of heavens; in the beginning he, by his command, gave through his voice the voice of the spirit of prophecy to the prophets.

35.  Ascribe the glory of strength to God, whose excellence is over Israel, and whose strength is in heaven.

36.  Fearful is God, from your sanctuary; the mighty one of Israel has given strength and might to his people. Blessed be God!

 

Psalm 69

1.     For praise; concerning the exiles of the Sanhedrin; composed by David.

2.     Redeem me, O God, for an army of sinners has come to trouble me, like water that has reached to the soul.

3.     I am sunk in exile like water[141] of the deep, and there is no place to stand; I have come to the mighty depths; a band of wicked men and a wicked king have sent me into exile.[142]

4.     I am weary of calling out, my throat has become rough, my eyes have ceased to wait for my God.

5.     Those who hate me without a cause are more numerous that the hairs of my head; those who dismay me Ð my enemies, false witnesses Ð have grown strong; what I never stole I will [have to] repay, because of their false witness.

6.     O God, you know my folly; my sins have not been hidden from your presence.

7.     Those who trust in you will not be disappointed in me; those who seek instruction from you will not be ashamed of me, O God of Israel.

8.     For on your account I have borne disgrace; shame has covered my face.

9.     I have been accounted a stranger to my brothers, and [I am] like a Gentile[143] to the sons of my mother.

10.  For zeal for the sanctuary has consumed me; and the condemnation of the wicked who condemn you when they prefer their idols to your glory has fallen on me.

11.  And I wept in the fasting of my soul; and my kindness became my shame.

12.  And I put sackcloth in place of my clothing; and I became a proverb to them.

13.  Those who sit in the gate will speak about me in the marketplace,[144] and [in] the songs of those who come to drink liquor in the circuses.

14.  But as for me, my prayer is in your presence, O Lord, in the time of favor; O God, in the abundance of your goodness answer me in the truth of your redemption.

15.  Deliver me from exile, which is likened to mud, and I will not sink; let me be delivered from my enemies, who are like the depths of waters.

16.  A mighty king[145] will not send me into exile, and the powerful deep will not swallow me to cover me up, and the mouth of Gehenna will not be opened up for me.[146]

17.  Answer me, O Lord, for your kindness is good; look towards me with the abundance of your compassion.

18.  And do not remove your presence from your servant, for I am in distress; hasten, answer me.

19.  Draw near to my soul, redeem it, so that my enemies may not claim superiority over me, redeem me.

20.  You know my disgrace and my shame and my dishonor; before you stand all my oppressors.

21.  Disgrace has broken my heart, and behold, it is ill; and I waited for those skilled in mourning, but they were not; and for those skilled in comfort, and I found them not.

22.  And as my meal they gave me bitter gall and poison; and for my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink.

23.  Let their table that they set before me with my food become a snare before them; and their sacrifices an offense.

24.  Let their eyes darken so they cannot see, and let their loins continually tremble.

25.  Pour out your anger upon them, and may your harsh anger overtake them.

26.  Let their tent became deserted, may no one settle in their tent.

27.  For they have pursued the one you have smitten, and they shall tell of the one wounded for your slain.

28.  Give iniquity for their iniquity, and let them not be purified to enter the assembly of your righteous ones.

29.  Let them be erased from the memorial book of life, and let them not be written with the righteous.

30.  But I am poor and wounded; your redemption, O God, will save me.[147]

31.  I will praise the name of my God with song, and I will magnify him with thanksgiving.

32.  And my prayer will be more pleasing in the presence of the Lord than a choice fatted ox that the first Adam sacrificed, whose horns preceded its hooves.[148]

33.  The humble have seen; so let those who seek instruction from the presence of God be glad and let their heart live.

34.  For the Lord accepts the prayer of the lowly, and has not despised his prisoners.

35.  Let the angels of heaven and those who dwell on earth praise him; the seas, and all that swarms in them.

36.  For God will redeem Zion and repair the cities of Judah, and they will return[149] thither and inherit it.

37.  And the sons of his servants will succeed to it, and those who love his name will abide in its midst.

 

Psalm 70

1.     For praise; composed by David, for remembrance; concerning the handful of incense.

2.     O God, [hasten] to deliver us, O Lord, hasten to our aid.

3.     Let those who seek my soul be ashamed and disgraced; let those who desire my ruin draw back and be dishonored.

4.     Let them turn back, because they lay in wait for me; let those who say about me ÒWe have rejoiced, rejoicedbe punished as befits their shame.

5.     Let those who seek instruction from you be glad and exult in your word, and let those who love your redemption always say, ÒMay the glory of the Lord be magnified.Ó

6.     But I am poor and lowly, O God; hasten to me, you are my help and salvation; O Lord, do not delay.

 

Psalm 71

1.     In your word, O Lord, I have put my trust; I will never be disappointed.

2.     In your generosity deliver me and save me; incline your ear to me and redeem me.

3.     Be a strong mighty rock for me always to come to; you have given commandment to redeem me, for you are my strength and my stout fortress.

4.     O God, save me from the hand of the wicked man, from the hand of the wrongdoer and the predator.

5.     For you are my hope, O Lord; my God, my confidence from my youth.

6.     I have relied on you from the womb; you bring me out of the bowels of my mother; my psalm is always of your word.

7.     I have became like a portent for many; and you are my confidence and my strength.

8.     My mouth will be filled with your praise, with your splendor every day.

9.     Do not cast me away at the time of old age; when my vigor ceases, do not forsake me.

10.  For my enemies have spoken evil about me, and those who watch my soul have conspired together.

11.  Saying, ÒGod has forsaken him; pursue and catch him, for there is no one to deliver [him].Ó

12.  O God, do not be far from me; O my God, hasten to my aid.

13.  Let those who oppose my soul be disappointed [and] destroyed; let those who seek my ruin be covered with disgrace and dishonor.

14.  And I will always wait,[150] and I will add to all your praise.

15.  My mouth will tell of your generosity, of your redemption every day, for I do not know their number.

16.  I will enter in the strength of the Lord God; I will remember your righteousness alone.

17.  O my God, you have taught me by miracles from my youth; and to this very time I will tell of your marvels.

18.  And moreover, O God, do not forsake me at the time of old age and gray hair, until I may tell of the strength of your arm to every generation, of your mighty strength to all who will come.

19.  Your righteousness, O God, [reaches] to the highest heaven, for you have done great things; O God, who is like you?

20.  You who have shown me great and evil troubles, make us live again; and bring us up again from the deepest depths.

21.  You will increase my greatness, and you will turn and comfort me.

22.  Also I will give thanks in your presence with instruments of song, and the lyre; I will tell of your truth, O my God, I will sing praise in your presence with the harp, Holy One of Israel.

23.  My lips will rejoice, for I will give praise in your presence, and [also] my soul that you have redeemed.

24.  Also my tongue every day will repeat your generosity, for those who seek my ruin have been disappointed, they have been put to shame.

 

Psalm 72

1.     Composed by Solomon, uttered in prophecy. O God, give your just rulings to the King Messiah, and your righteousness to the son of King David.

2.     Let him judge your people in righteousness, and your poor with just rulings.

3.     The inhabitants of the mountains will lift up peace for the house of Israel, and the hills in purity.

4.     He will judge the poor of the people, he will redeem the sons of the lowly, and he will purge away[151] the oppressor.

5.     They will fear you at the rising of the sun, and they will pray in your presence before the light of the moon for all generations.

6.     He will descend like the favorable rain on the grass that is cut because of locusts, like the drops of late rain that drip on the grass of the earth.

7.     The righteous will increase in his days, and peace abound, until those who worship the moon are destroyed.

8.     And he will rule from the bank of the Great Sea to the bank of the Great Sea,[152] and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.

9.     The governors will bow down before him, and his enemies will lick the dust.

10.  The kings of Tarsus and the islands of the ocean sea will bring back tribute; the kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts.

11.  And all kings will do homage to him; all the Gentiles will submit to him.

12.  For he will deliver the lowly who seeks favor, and the poor who have no helper.

13.  He will pity the indigent and lowly, and he will redeem the souls of the lowly.

14.  From duress and from extortion he will redeem their souls, and their blood will be precious in his presence.

15.  And he will live and give to him some of the gold that they brought to him from Sheba, and he will pray for him always; every day he will bless him.

16.  Let there be the support of bread in the land on the top of the mountains; its fruit will quiver like Lebanon, and they will blossom from the city of Jerusalem like the grass of the earth.

17.  May his name be invoked for ever; and before the sun came to be[153] his name was determined; so all the peoples will be blessed by his merit, and they shall speak well of him.

18.  Blessed is the Lord God, God of Israel, who works great wonders by himself.

19.  And blessed is his glorious name forever, and let the whole earth be filled with his glorious splendor. Amen and amen.

20.  The prayers of David son of Jesse are complete.

 



[1] LORD: God.

[2] Praise him: give thanks in his presence.

[3] Therefore: because of this.

[4] Trust: strength.

[5]Neglected: forgotten.

[6] Kill: + me and break.

[7] Mock: despise.

[8] Praise him: give thanks in his presence.

[9] LORD: God.

[10] Righteous: pious.

[11] Abandoned: forgotten.

[12] In gloom: in darkness.

[13] Praise him: give thanks in his presence.

[14] Lord: God.

[15] Sent them away: destroyed them.

[16] Your name: + O Lord.

[17] Neglected: forgotten.

[18] Disgrace: shame.

[19] Vilifier: despiser.

[20] Neglected: forgotten.

[21] Hesitating: translation uncertain.

[22] Neglected: forgotten.

[23] He knows: before him is manifest.

[24] Bowels: belly.

[25] The LORD: God.

[26] O champion: like a champion.

[27] Glory: splendor.

[28] Horse: throne.

[29] Sons: arrows.

[30] O LORD: O God in heaven.

[31] Because you: + O King Messiah.

[32] Paved with ivory below: translation uncertain.

[33] In gold: + in a splendid copy.

[34] Come with an offering: be coming to welcome.

[35] Will they bring: + sacrifices before the king and gifts.

[36] Praise: gladness.

[37] Leaders: rulers.

[38] Help: helper.

[39] When the mountains totter: when they totter like mountains.

[40] Shake: are disturbed.

[41] Fountains: streams.

[42] The Lord: God.

[43] The presence É it: God and his presence are in its midst.

[44] All: + the inhabitants of.

[45] Sanctuary: + the glory of the strength.

[46] Holy: glorious.

[47] On the north side: situated on the north.

[48] Known: acknowledged.

[49] The children of Israel: all of them together.

[50] LORD: God.

[51] Let them rejoice: omitted in some witnesses. Probably a misplaced gloss from the previous verse.

[52] Even: also.

[53] A man: a wicked man.

[54] And É redemption: For if he sins, behold, precious before the Lord is redemption.

[55] The wicked: + who die the second death and are judged.

[56] Exalted themselves: became proud.

[57] Man: son of man.

[58] righteous: pious.

[59] Forever: + and he will guide me to his share in the world to come.

[60] For the soul É bless you: the soul of Moses in his life will be blessed.

[61] Man: son of man.

[62] Carved out: he called to make.

[63] Grazes: lays.

[64] Kinds: types.

[65] Heaven: +and their nests in the mountains.

[66] Vows: +which you vowed at Sinai, to fulfill his commandments.

[67] Evil speech: gossip (lit., Òthird tongueÓ).

[68] I will be É in this world: I will be the image of God; but I in strong anger will take vengeance on you, I will reprove you in this world.

[69] God: the fear of God.

[70] Impulse: +and subdues it.

[71] The Lord: God.

[72] Inner being: lit, Òkidneys.Ó

[73] Wash me: cleanse me.

[74] Proclaim to me: make me hear.

[75] Limbs: bones.

[76] Within me: in my body.

[77] Prophecy: generosity.

[78] The sacrifices of righteousness: the holy offerings of purity.

[79] Righteousness: purity.

[80] Was strong: he will fortify himself.

[81] Aside: +backwards.

[82] Strength: spirit.

[83] Arrogant men: + strangers.

[84] Shelter: reading ll+m.

[85] Man: son of man.

[86] Oil: +of fatlings.

[87] Lord: +O David.

[88] Man: +inhabitants of Gath (?).

[89] Watch: reading Nwr+ny for Nwrm+y.

[90] Them: +of their possessions.

[91] Add before me.

[92] Commanded: appointed.

[93] Send: appoint.

[94] Glows: rejoices.

[95] My: Hebrew his.

[96] In fierce anger: You were greatly angry with us, you were enraged.

[97] Wine: cup.

[98] Blood: Corrected text, MS Edom.

[99] Shout: + and prevail.

[100] Rock: mountain.

[101] Anointed: or magnified.

[102] Presence: + and pray in his presence with all your heart.

[103] Of God: + and it is not possible for flesh and blood to receive it from his mouth.

[104] Without blame: or, at the one without blame.

[105] Move aside: shake their heads.

[106] Silence: + of angels.

[107] Bring near: + to your worship.

[108] Borders: ends of the deeps.

[109] Land: + of Israel.

[110] Rain: +of blessing.

[111] You will bless its blossoms: with showers you will soften it, you will bless its plants.

[112] Lord of destiny: translation uncertain.

[113] Holy mountain: mount of his sanctuary.

[114] God: the Lord. (Hebrew: our God.

[115] By fire: in a furnace.

[116] House: sanctuary.

[117] Gentiles: nations.

[118] Honesty: truth.

[119]Peoples: nations.

[120] The land: + of Israel.

[121] Araboth: Òa poetical name for heaven É name of the seventh heaven.Ó (Jastrow 1113)

[122] Mates: + to build a house from them.

[123] He redeemed them: absent in base text.

[124] Heavens: clouds of heaven.

[125] Dew: + of favor.

[126] Vigor: resurrection.

[127] Troop of: + band of.

[128] The Lord: the word of the Lord.

[129] Great army: large crowds.

[130] Kingdoms: kings.

[131] The God É said: not in base text.

[132] Lay down: sleep.

[133] Flying: moving.

[134] A hump É Mathnan: translation uncertain.

[135] O mountains: + from your places.

[136] In repentance: + to the Torah.

[137] Drowned: and fish have swallowed them.

[138] They received dominion after them: and after Saul, David from the tribe of Judah became king, and the chiefs of Judah wore purple to serve him.

[139] Their warriors: supplying food to them from their inheritance.

[140] Earth: Gentiles.

[141] Like water: as if in mud.

[142] And a wicked É exile: and a mighty king has exiled me, like a tide that flows strongly.

[143] Gentile: lit., son of peoples.

[144] Marketplace: translation uncertain. Cf. Lamentations Rabbah 3.5 et par.

[145] King: + who is like a current in the water.

[146] The powerful deep É up for me: a mighty ruler will not swallow me up, Gehenna will not be opened up for me.

[147] Will save me: will strengthen me.

[148] For this midrash, see Tosephta Hullin 3:7, bAvod. Zar. 8a, bHull. 60a. Rashi explains the midrash as follows: Although the horns of oxen grow after birth, and therefore follow the growth of hooves, the first ox sacrificed by Adam was created whole, so to speak. As it emerged from the soil, it was seen that its full grown horns preceded its hooves.

[149] They will return: Targumic Nwbwty suggests the reading wbw#yw. Other manuscripts: Nwbty.

[150] Wait: +and pray.

[151] Purge away: or Ògrind down.Ó

[152] To the É Great Sea: Ocean.

[153] Came to be: was created.



 [PC1] For introduction: Selah = forever.