Psalm Translation

PSALM TRANSLATION
PSALM TRANSLATION

all translations below represent those of the author

translation with notes

psalms 1-41 (book 1)

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psalms 42--72 (book 2)

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psalms 73-89 (book 3)

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psalms 90-106 (book 4)

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psalms 107-150 (book 5)

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psalm 1 (edition: october 16, 2023)

the fulfilling life
1      How truly fulfilled is one who
does not walk by the direction of the malevolently immoral,
does not stand in the path of wrongdoers,
and does not sit in gatherings with the contemptuously antisocial!
2     Rather, they choose YHWH’s direction
          and consult his Tôrâ at all times.

the fulfilling life in metaphor
3 They are like a tree
that is planted near multiple water sources--
a tree that produces its fruit at the proper time
and whose leaves never wither.
         So, they are fruitful in all that they do.

the un-fulfilling life in metaphor
4 The malevolently immoral are not so,
but are like husk that is blown away in the wind.

the un-unfulfilling life
5 Therefore, the malevolently immoral should not participate in a place of decision making,
or wrongdoers have place in a just assembly.
6 For, YHWH sustains the actions of those who do right,
but the actions of the malevolently immoral bring ruin.

psalm 2 (edition: october 28, 2023)

first voice
1 Why do nations uproariously agitate,
and countries plot what will come up empty?
2 The world’s kings offer resistance;
world leaders form a united front
against YHWH and against His Māšîaḥ.

second voice
3 “We will break free of His restraints;
throw off His control”.

third voice
4 Enthroned in heaven, He is comically entertained.
My Lord pokes fun at them.
5      Then, in a flash, He addresses them furiously.
The intensity of His outburst should alarm them.

fourth voice
6 “I have installed My chosen king
on Ṣîyôn, the mount I set apart for Myself”.

fifth voice
7 Let me, then, rehearse YHWH’s decree:
He said to me,

sixth voice
“You are My son.
I have, this very day, begotten you.
8 Ask of Me, and I will give you possession of nations.
Your territory will extend to the furthest reaches of the earth.
9     You will break them to pieces with an iron scepter.
You will pulverize them as if they were merely clay vessels.”

seventh voice
10 Now then, O kings, be prudent.
Learn your lesson, O rulers of the earth.

11 Serve YHWH with deference.
Find contentment in groveling.
12 Kiss the Son’s feet
lest He become enraged, and you destroyed.
for His fury can flare up in a flash.

benediction/ assurance
Secure are all who seek refuge in Him.

psalm 3 (edition: may 19, 2023)

1 A hymn of Dāwid when he fled from his son, ’abšālôm

direct complaint to god and confession of trust
2/1 YHWH! How my adversaries have multiplied!
How numerous are those that rise against me!
3/2 How many are those who say of me:
“He’ll get no help from ’ĕlohîm”!                                                         (selâ)

4/3 But You, YHWH, are my battle shield,
defender of my reputation and the one who restores my standing.

indirect confession of trust in god
5/4 I’ll publicly and loudly appeal to YHWH,
and He will answer me from His temple preeminent.                          (selâ)

6/5 I retire, sleep peacefully,
and awake, knowing that YHWH supports me.
7/6 I’ll not fear though a force of ten thousand
surround and array themselves against me.

direct appeal for god’s help and confession of trust
8/7 Arise, then, YHWH;
deliver me, my God
by hitting all my enemies in the mouth--
shattering the teeth of the ungodly.

9/8 This victory is YHWH’s doing.
Your blessing be upon Your people.   (selâ)

psalm 4 (edition: october 17, 2023)

1        For the Music Director: a hymn belonging to Dāwid.

direct appeal for god’s help
2/1 When I appeal to you, answer me,
            Oh, my God, the one who vindicates me.
         Make me equal to the challenge before me.
            Have compassion, and give heed to my plea.

disputation with accusers
3/2 How long will you men of repute smear my reputation?
            How long will you love falsehood,
               and seek after deception?                                                                               (selâ)
4/3 Know this: YHWH is attentive to those devoted to him;
            it is YHWH that responds when I cry out to Him.
5 /4 Be agitated, but don’t behave badly.
            Examine yourselves in private.
               Just be calm!                                                                                                   (selâ)
6/5 Offer approved sacrifices,
            and put your trust in YHWH.

7/6    Many might respond, “Who will show us any good?”
            Oh, cast the light of Your presence upon us, YHWH!

direct confession of trust in god
8/7 You bring me a deep-rooted joy,
            a joy greater than that induced by an abundant grain harvest or supply of new wine.
9/8 Completely at peace, I will lie down and fall fast asleep;
            for only You, YHWH, allow me to rest securely.

psalm 5 (edition: august 23, 2023)

1   For the Director over neḥîlôt A hymn belonging to Dāwid.

direct appeal for god’s help
2/1 O give ear, YHWH, to my words.
               Give heed to my groanings.
3/2 Give close attention to my call for help, my King and God,
               for it is to You that I present my plea!

direct confession of trust in god’s judgment
4/3 YHWH, You’ll hear my voice in the morning.
               At first light, I’ll present myself to You and anticipate Your response,
5/4 knowing that You are not a God who takes pleasure in willful wrongdoing;
               that cruelty cannot find safety in You;
6/5 that those who intend harm cannot stand in Your presence;
               that You reject all who act abusively.
7/6       that You bring an end to those who utter falsehood;
that YHWH abhors the violent and deceptive individual.

8/7 But, as for me, because of the immensity of Your unwavering devotion to me,
               I can enter Your house.
            I can bow down in Your sacred temple precincts;
               bow in reverence to You.

direct appeal for god’s help
9/8 YHWH, bring me acquittal
               in response to my accusers.
                  Grant me access to You.
10/9 Because nothing coming out of their mouth has been proven;
               because ruinous intent resides deep inside them;
because their throat is an open grave;
because their tongue is a slippery slope
11/10 O ’ĕlōhîm, pronounce them guilty.
Let them fall prey to their own malicious intentions.
Banish them because of the enormity of their legal overstep,
since their defiance is really directed against You.

direct confession of trust
12/11 But, all those who seek shelter in You will loudly rejoice;
always shout joyously, those over whom You throw Your protection.
As for those who love You for who You are, they will exalt in You.
13/12 For You bless the devout, O YHWH.
As a full body shield, You surround them with Your acceptance.

psalm 6 (edition: august 24, 2023)

1 For the Music Director. On šemînî. A hymn belonging to Dāwid.

direct complaint and appeal for god’s help
2/1 YHWH! Please don’t correct me in anger!
            Don’t discipline me while inflamed.
3/2 Have pity on me, YHWH, for I am incapacitated.
            Restore me, YHWH, for I am shaken to the core.
4/3 I am filled with great terror.

         And I ask you, YHWH,
            “How long will this go on?”
5/4 Come back, YHWH! Deliver me!
            Rescue me commensurate with your unwavering devotion,
6/5 for in death there is no awareness of you.
            Who praises you in še’ôl?

7/6    I am worn out from mourning.
            All night long I inundate my bed with tears.
               I flood my bedchamber.
8/7 My sight blurs because of my anguish.
            It dims because of my all-embracing distress.

indirect confession of trust in god
9/8 Leave me alone, all you, who would do me harm,
            for YHWH has heard my weeping.
10/9 YHWH has heard my cry for help.
            YHWH has accepted my prayer.
11/10 All my enemies will be disappointed and greatly dismayed.
            They retreat. They are thwarted, in the blink of an eye.

psalm 7 (edition: october 2, 2023)

1     Šiggāyon belonging to David, which he sang to YHWH in response to accusations made by Kûš, the Ben-yemînî.

direct appeal for god’s help
2/1 YHWH, my God! It is to You that I look for protection.
            Help me against all those who pursue me.
         Rescue me 3/2 lest he, as a lion, tear me to pieces;
            mutilate me with no chance of recovery.

direct confession of innocence
4/3     YHWH, if I have done this,
            if I bear responsibility for this wrong--
5/4     that is, if I have done intentional harm to one who befriended me,
            or if I have deemed one an enemy without cause--
6/5     let the enemy pursue me,
            catch me, and stomp my life into the underworld;
               establish my abode in death.

direct appeal to god’s judgement
7/6     Arise, YHWH, vigorously.
            Rise up in response to my enemy’s fury.
               Rouse Yourself and demand that I be given a fair hearing.
8/7     With the assembly gathered round You,
            sit, presiding over it.
9/8     It is YHWH who judges people.
            Judge me, YHWH, as befits my total innocence.
10/9 Please undermine the malice of the guilty,
            while supporting the innocent,
               by examining character and conscience, O just ʾElōhîm.

indirect confession of trust in god’s judgment
11/10   My defense rests with ʾElōhîm,
            Deliverer of the sincerely upright.
12/11   It is ʾElōhîm who arbitrates for the innocent,
            whom He never condemns.

indirect complaint against the enemy
13/12 But he, will not relent.
He keeps his sword sharpened.
               He bends his bow and arms it.
14/13 He keeps his deadly weapons ready for use;
            his relentless arrows ready.
15/14 Look how he plans cruelty,
            brings about misery,
               and gives life to falsehood!
16/15 He prepares a pit and digs it out,
            but he falls into the very pit that he prepared.
17/16 The misery he intended for another will come back on him;
            his own violence will come down upon him.

indirect confession of trust in god
18/17   I will praise YHWH commensurate with His rectitude,
            and most certainly will sing of YHWH ‘Elyôn’s character.

psalm 8 (edition: june 7, 2023)

1 For the Music Director. On šemînî. A hymn belonging to Dāwid.

invocation
2/1 YHWH, Our Lord! How preeminent is your fame the world over--
               even more, you, exhibit a grandeur above that of the heavens!
3/2        You make it possible for praise to come from the mouth of suckling babes
               that counters your detractors—hostile and resentful as they are.

the wonder of yahweh’s interest
4/3        When I see the heavens, your handiwork,
               the moon and the stars, which you placed there,
5/4        I wonder, “What is a mortal being that you should keep him in mind,
               or the human race that you remain attentive to them?”
6/5        You make them come short of what could be called divine,
               but bestow upon them prominence and pride of place.
7/6        You grant them rule over what you have personally made.
               You subject all to them:
8/7        all flocks and cattle,
               even all domesticated animals,
9/8        birds inhabiting the sky, and fish inhabiting the seas;
               traversing the currants of the sea.

benediction
10/9       YHWH, Our Lord, how preeminent is your fame the world over!

psalm 9 (edition: october 4, 2023)

1        For the Music Director. ‘almût labben. A hymn belonging to Dāwid.

the psalmist’s anticipation of help
2/1 I will praise You, YHWH, with my entire being. a
            I will certainly recount Your unparalleled wonders,
3/2     joyously shout about and boast in You,
            and sing of Your power, ‘elyôn,
4/3     when my enemies fall back in retreat,                                                                 b
         stagger and flee from You
5/4     because You took up my case and my defense;
            because You sat on Your throne, a just judge.

historical precedent provides basis for the psalmist’s present hope
6/5     You rebuked entire nations; You brought an end to those guilty of hostility; g
            You wiped them from existence, always and forever.
7/6     The enemy still lies in complete and perpetual ruin.
            You uprooted their cities,                                                                                  h
               their influence obliterated.

lesson learned from the historical precedent: yahweh’s rule is just
8/7     But YHWH sits enthroned forever, w
            having established his throne for justice.
9/8     He governs rightly the world over.
            He judges nations equitably.
10/9    YHWH is an unassailable stronghold for the oppressed;
            an unassailable stronghold in times of oppression.
11/10   Those who know Your character, put their trust in You,
            for You never abandon those who seek You, YHWH.
12/11    Sing praises to YHWH, who sits enthroned in Ṣîyôn! z
            Proclaim his deeds among the nations:
13/12   that, finding acts of violence, he responds to them;
            he never ignores the wail of the downtrodden.

the psalmist hopeful plea for help based on lesson learned
14/13   Look favorably upon me, YHWH, ḥ
            and respond to the mistreatment perpetrated by those who oppose me,
               raising me from death’s door
15/14   so that I may innumerate all the reasons to praise You in Ṣîyōn’s gates;
            so that I may publicly rejoice because of the deliverance You provide.

lesson learned from the historical precedent: yahweh’s rule is just
16/15   Nations have sunk in the very pit that they themselves dug;                               ṭ
            their feet ensnared in the trap that they themselves hid.
17/16   YHWH is known for the way he governs--
            in the one guilty of malevolence being ensnared by their own devices. (higgāyôn selâ)
18/17   Those so guilty go to Še’ôl,                                                                                  y
            even every nation that disregards ’ĕlōhîm.
19/18 But truly the destitute are never forgotten,                                                          k
            or the hope of the disadvantaged ever lost.

the psalmist hopeful plea for help based on lesson learned
20/19   Arise YHWH. Mere mortals should not prevail.
               Nations should be governed by You.
21/20   Give them, YHWH, insecurity
that nations come to understand that they are mortal.

psalm 10 (edition: october 7, 2023)

the psalmist’s confusion at god’s apparent lack of help
1 Why, Yahweh, are You now so standoffish?                                                       l
            Why do You remain absent during these distressing times?

the psalmist characterizes the malevolently immoral
2        In self-importance, the malevolently immoral vigorously pursues the disadvantaged.
            The disadvantaged are ensnared by the plans they conceive.
3        For the malevolently immoral finds fulfillment only in satisfying their own lust,
            and laud one accumulating unjust profits—he who shows distain for YHWH!
4        The malevolently immoral, consistent with their stubborn arrogance, are unreflective.
’ĕlōhîm is not considered in any of their plans.
5        They twist ’ĕlōhîm’s principles.
            ’ĕlōhîm’s elevated judgement opposes them.
               Anything that would restraint them they blow off.
6        They say to themselves, “I cannot be toppled.
            My future holds no misfortune.”
7        Their mouth is full of cursing and injurious lies:
            while misery and cruelty flow from their tongue.
8        They sit in ambush outside villages.
            From concealed places they slay the innocent;
               their eyes peer out at the vulnerable.
9        Like a lion, they lie in wait from a concealed place in the brush.
            They lie in ambush to seize the downtrodden.
               They seize the downtrodden, dragging him into their lair.
10      They crouch low, hunch down,
            and fall upon the bones of the vulnerable.
11      They say to themselves, “God pays no attention.
            He’s absent. He sees nothing, ever.”

the psalmist renews his plea
12      Rise up, YHWH, my God!                                                                                   q
            Strike out with Your power.
               Do not abandon the downtrodden,
13      on which basis the malevolently immoral could hold ’ĕlōhîm in contempt,
            saying to thimselves, “God doesn’t care.”
14      But You do see, indeed you do.                                                                            r
            You do look upon misfortune and vexation.
         It is in Your power.
            The helpless leaves it to You.
               You are the orphan’s protector.

15      Break the power of those guilty of malevolence and cruelty.                              š
            Give full attention to their willful wrongdoing until it can’t be found.

benediction/ assurance
16      YHWH is king forever and always,
            while nations disappear from existence.
17      The desires of the downtrodden You do indeed hear, YHWH.                            t
            You strengthen their inner resolve.
               You lend a listening ear.
18      In Your defending orphan and oppressed
            never again will a mere mortal earthling seem intimidating.

psalm 11 (edition: november 15, 2023)

1   For the director. Belonging to Dāwid.

the psalmist is challenged to question his trust in god
         It is to YHWH that I look for safety.
            How, then, can you say to me:
               “Flee to the hills, a helpless bird.
2       Just look how the malevolently immoral draw back the bow string;
            they place their arrow on the string
               to shoot from concealment at the truly upright.
3        When the foundations are being torn down,
            what can the innocent do?”

the psalmist responds to the challenge
4        YHWH is in His temple preeminent.
            YHWH is in heaven on His throne.
         His eyes observe.
            His glances evaluate mortal beings.
5        YHWH approves of the just,
            but for the malevolently immoral, those devoted to violence,
               He feels true aversion.
6        He casts down upon the malevolently immoral
coals of burning sulfer.
               And a scorching wind is their destiny.

the psalmist’s reaffirmation of trust
7        Because YHWH is just;
            because He loves doing what’s right,
               the upright look ecstatically upon Him.

psalm 12

1          For the director ‘al-haššemînît. A hymn belonging to Dāwid.

invocation/ complaint
2/1     Help, YHWH! For anyone with fidelity has ceased to exist;
            vanished from among mankind those who can be trusted.
3/2     Everyone speaks dishonestly with everyone;
            they are smooth tongued, telling each other what they want to hear.

the psalmist’s request
4/3     Make an end, YHWH, of all such false chatter;
            of lips spewing such hubris
5/4     as those that assert, “We will maintain power by means of spin.
            We can do as we want Who can control us?”

yahweh’s positive reply
6/5     “Because of the ruin brought upon the downtrodden
            and the pain induced cry of the impoverished,
         I will immediately arise,” promises YHWH.
            “I will provide them with protection against those who hold them in contempt.”

benediction/ assurance
7/6     YHWH’s promises are sure promises.
            They are like silver refined in an earthen furnace,
               refined to perfection.
8/7     It is you, YHWH, who protects them.
            You will continually defend them from their [deviant] peers;
9/8     the encircling degenerate—they roam absolutely everywhere--
            who endorse what is disgusting among the human race.

psalm 13

1          For the director. A hymn belonging to Dāwid.

invocation/ complaint
2/1     How long, YHWH? Will you ignore me forever?
            How long will you be absent in my life?
3/2     How long must I suffer deep doubt,
            deeply grieving day in and day out?
               How long will my enemy continue to have the advantage over me?

plea
4/3     Pay attention! Respond to me, YHWH, my God.
               Give me reason to hope, lest I fall into death’s sleep;
5/4     lest my enemy boasts, “I’ve defeated him!”
            Lest my adversary exalt because I succumb.

benediction/ assurance
6/5     But I have placed my trust in your fidelity.
            May I rejoice in your deliverance.
         May I will sing of YHWH
            because he has spared me.

psalm 14 (edition: may 25, 2024)

1          For the director. Belonging to Dāwid.

the psalmist’s assessment of the state of affairs
         The antisocial tells themself,
            “’ĕlohîm is not present.”
         They pervert. They do abhorrent things,
            not a one of them acting beneficially.

yahweh’s assessment of the state of affairs
2        YHWH looked down from the heavens upon humankind
            to determine, if there were any possessing knowledge;
               any consulting ’ĕlohîm.
3        The whole lot of them had rebelled;
            as one, they had become morally tainted,
         not a one of them acting beneficially.
            None! Not even one!

yahweh’s response to the state of affairs
4        Do they not understand, those who act so cruelly;
            those who devour My people as if they at meat,
               refusing to acknowledge YHWH?
5        Then, they experience great alarm
            because YHWH is among the innocent.
6        You may work to frustrate the hopes of the downtrodden,
            but YHWH is their shelter.

final plea and assurance
7        Oh that out of Zion He might grant Yiśrāʾēl deliverance!
            In YHWH’s restoring His people to better times,
         Yaʿaqōb will be exuberant;
            Yiśrāʾēl will shout for joy.

psalm 15 (edition: november 10, 2024)

1          A hymn belonging to Dāwid.

question
         YHWH, who can feel secure in your temple?
            Who can stay comfortably in your sacred mount?

answer
2        One whose life is one of integrity;
            who does what is right,
               and is committed to speaking what is true.
3        No slander escapes his tongue.
            He brings no injury upon a fellow citizen.
               He does not countenance the dishonoring of those around him.
4        He avoids the contemptuous,
            but he honors those who reverence YHWH
         He might make a commitment that is not in his best interest,
            but will not renege on his promise.
5        He does not lend money at interest.
            He does not accept a bribe that might turn a case against the innocent
         He that acts in these ways
                        can never be shaken.

psalm 16

1          A miktām belonging to Dāwid.

invocation: plea and confession
         Watch over me, ʾĒl,
            for I seek shelter in You.
2        I have confessed to YHWH:
            “You are my Lord, my Benefactor.
               There is none greater than You.”

the psalmist’s rejection of false gods
3        As for “The Peerless Ones” who are in the land,
“the Mighty” in whom is all delight--
4        their miseries will be many
            who rush to other gods.
I will not participate in their bloody libations,
nor will I take their names upon my lips.

the psalmist’s embrace of yahweh
5        It is YHWH that I count as my inheritance and is my chalice,
            You are the one who holds my destiny in hand.
6        A beautiful inheritance lies before me.
            Indeed, a radiantly beautiful heritage is mine.

7        I will praise YHWH, who has guided me,
            even during nights, when my conscience rebukes me.
8        I always keep YHWH foremost in mind.
            Truly, with Him by my side I cannot be shaken.
9        This is why I rejoice truly;
why I so intensely exalt;
               why even in weakness I rest secure.

benediction: assurance of help
10      Truly, You will not abandon me to Šeʾôl.
            You will not permit Your devotee to experience the pit.
11      You will direct me in the path of life.
            An abundance of pleasures are found in Your presence.
               Enjoyments ever flow at your right hand.

psalm 17

1          A Davidic prayer.

Invocation/ plea
         Hear, YHWH, what is right.
            Give heed to my outburst.
               Give ear to my prayer, offered without pretense.
2        May my case come before you.
            May you discern the proper course.

the psalmist’s declaration of innocence
3        While you examine my heart;
            spending the entire night scrutinizing me, putting me to the test;
         you will not find me murmuring,
            no such sentiment will escape my mouth.
4        As for human conduct, by your spoken word
            I have avoided criminal behavior.
5        By keeping steadfastly to your path
            my steps have never slipped.

the psalmist’s plea for deliverance from the enemy
6        I call out to you knowing that you always answer me, O God.
            So, turn, now, an ear to me
               and hear what I have to say.
7        Exercise your unmatched fidelity,
            O Savior of those who seek asylum,
               exert your power, against those who rise up against them.
8        Safeguard me as one precious to you;
            hide me in the cool shade of your wings
9        from those guilty of assaulting me,
            the adversaries of life who encircle me.

the enemy’s threat
10      They shut up all feeling;
            their mouths spew hubris.
11      They quickly encircle me.
            They set their sights on, opening me up upon the ground.
12      They are just like a lion that craves to rend asunder,
            like a lion’s welp that crouches in ambush.

the psalmist’s renewed plea for deliverance
13      Rise up, YHWH! Confront them head on. Bring them to their knees.
            Using your sword, save my life from the evil-doer.
14      Set your hand against such people, YHWH.
            Take from such people the benefit of long life
         while filling the stomach of those you cherish,
            satisfying their children,
               and providing an abundance of security to their little ones.

benediction/ assurance
15      Oh, may I, found innocent, gaze upon your face.
            May I feel the contentment of awaking to the sight of you.

psalm 18

1 For the director. Belonging to YHWH’s servant, Dāwid, who addressed the words of the following song to YHWH at a time that YHWH delivered him from the grasp of all his enemies, including the power of Še’ôl.

invocation and confession of trust in YHWH
2/1     I am devoted to you, YHWH, my strength.
3/2     YHWH is my hiding place, my stronghold, and my deliverer.
            He is my God, my mountain retreat, the one in whom I find asylum.
               He is my shield, the power that saves me, my impregnable fortress.
4/3     Because he is praiseworthy, I call out to YHWH,
            and I am saved from my enemies.

the psalmist’s predicament and plea
5/4     I was engulfed in Monster Death’s domain;
            its obliterating torrents terrorized me.
6/5     Še’ôl’s bonds enwrapped me.
            Death’s snares entrapped me.
7/6     In my peril, I called out to YHWH;
            to my God, I cried out for help.
         From his temple, he heard my voice,
            and my terrified screams reached his ears.

theophany: yahweh’s awesome condescension
8/7     Hell was rocked and rolled.
            Its deepest places convulsed and shuddered
               when God became incensed.
9/8     Smoke rose up from his nostrils,
            and from his mouth, a consuming fire;
               burning, red-hot embers emanated from him.
10/9    He darkened the sky and descended,
                  storm clouds under his feet.
11/10    He rode upon a kerûb and flew.
            He sailed upon the wings of the wind.
12/11   He covered himself in darkness;
            surrounding and concealing him,
               were dark, heavy storm clouds.
13/12   With bright flashes his clouds passed by,
            accompanied by hail and lightning.
14/13   YHWH rumbled in the sky.
            ʿelyôn made his voice heard--
               more hail and lightning.
15/14   He sent his shafts, flinging them everywhere.
               With his many shafts of lightning, he wreaked havoc.

yahweh’s theophanic rescue of the psalmist
16/15   Then the depths of the seas were revealed;
            the very foundations of the world, exposed
         because of your outburst, YHWH,
            because of the blast of wind from your nose.
17/16   He reached down from above and took hold of me;
            He pulled me from the mighty waters.
18/17   He snatched me away from my powerful enemies,
            and from my adversaries, because they were too strong for me.
19/18   They opposed me on my most calamitous day,
            but YHWH became my defender.

psalmist’s confession of innocence
20/19   He freed me;
            he rescued me because he loves me.
21/20   YHWH acted the part of my benefactor because I was innocent;
            because I was guiltless, he revived me.
22/21   For I had observed YHWH’s counsels,
            and was not guilty before my God.
23/22   For I kept all his governing principles in mind;
            From his decrees, I have never turned away.
24/23   Yes, I have been blameless before him,
                  and kept myself from guilt.
25/24 YHWH has recompensed me as my goodness warranted,
            because I was clean in his sight.

psalmist’s rescue is commensurate with yahweh’s modus operandi
26/25   To the faithful, you exhibit faithfulness.
            Toward the sound, you act soundly.
27/26   To the devout, you show yourself devoted.
            But the twisted you tie up in knots.

the certainty of god
28/27   It is certain that it is you who delivers oppressed peoples
            while bringing collapse upon the oppressors.
29/28   It is certain that it is you who guides me.
            YHWH, my God, lightens the darkness for me.
30/29   It is certain that it is with your aid that I outrun a marauding force,
            and that it is through my God, that I leap over a wall.
31/30   This is God: his conduct always and perfectly appropriate;
            YHWH’s pronouncements tried and true.
               A shield is he to those who take refuge in him.

life’s central issue
32/31   Who is God, other than YHWH?
            Who is dependable? Only our God.

the prowess god bestows…
33/32   This is God: he arms me with strength.
            He makes my advance irresistible.
34/33   He makes my movements like those of a deer,
            and situates me on high ground.
35/34   Training me for combat,
            he places a bronze bow in my arms.
36/35   You bestow upon me your own defensive shield,
            and strengthen me with your ultimate power;
               yea, your condescension magnifies me.
37/36   You lengthen my stride right where I am.
            There is no unsteadiness in my tread.

brings subjugation of enemies
38/37   I pursue my enemies and overtake them,
            and I don’t return until they are finished off.
39/38   I defeat them
such that they are unable to rise.
They fall under my feet.
40/39   You arm me with strength for the battle,
            causing those who rise against me to cower at my feet.
41/40   You have given my enemy’s neck to me.
            Those who hate me, I exterminate.
42/41   They beg for mercy, but there is no one to save them.
            They appeal to YHWH, but he does not hear.
43/42   I pulverize them, fine as dust on the wind.
            Like the packed mud of a street, I flatten them.
44/43   You deliver me from conflicts with peoples massed against me.
            You appoint me ruler of nations.
               Peoples unrelated to me serve me.
45/44   When hearing me, they must obey me.
            Foreigners must cringe before me.
46/45   Foreigners are constrained to slink
            and come quaking at their capture.

benediction and doxology
47/46   Long live YHWH, and blessed be my mountain fortress.
            Exalted be God, who brings me victory.
48/47   The God who grants me revenge,
            and subdues entire nations under me;
49/48   Who rescues me from my enemies,
            even to the extent of raising me above my opposition.
               You rescue me from the violent.
50/49   Therefore I will praise you the world over, YHWH,
            and sing of your renown.
51/50   Giving towering victories to his king,
            he acts with fidelity toward his Māšîaḥ;
               toward Dāwid and his descendants to perpetuity.

psalm 19

1             For the director. A hymn belonging to Dāwid.

the cosmos’ witness of god
2/1      The heavens declare the grandeur of God,
                    and the great expanse displays his creativity.
3/2      Day after day it gushes with the revelation;
            night after night it declares the truth.
4/3      There is no spoken word or uttered speech.
            no voice is heard,
5/4      still, their music goes out into all the world,
            and their messages to the very ends of the earth.
         He has placed a tent in the heavens for the sun.
6/5        It goes out like a groom leaving his marriage chamber;
               It is as jubilant as a champion running a race.
7/6      Its exit starts at one end of heaven
            and its arched journey ends at the other.
               Nothing is hidden from its warmth.

yahweh’s direct witness
8/7         YHWH’s instruction is all-encompassing,
                    capable of restoring anyone.
               YHWH’s testimony is reliable,
            informing the uninformed.
9/8      YHWH’s dictums are moral,
            producing inner happiness.
         YHWH’s direction is clear,
            illuminating the understanding.
10/9    YHWH’s awesomeness is radiant,
            enduring forever.
         YHWH’s judgements are trustworthy.
            They are, each and every one, right.
11/10   They are more desirable than gold,
            even great sums of the finest gold.
         And again, they are sweeter than honey,
            even honey straight from the honeycomb.

the impact of witness upon the psalmist
12/11     Your servant is also warned by them.
            In closely observing them there is great protection.
13/12      Who can discern the many ways to go astray?
               Don’t hold me accountable for things hidden from me.
14/13   Also, stem your servant’s narcissism.
            Don’t let it rule me.
         Then I can be innocent;
            free of serious offense.

benediction
15/14   O may my words
            and my private meditations be pleasing to you,
               O YHWH, my mountain retreat and my redeemer.

psalm 20

psalm 20(edition: 2 december 2021)

1             For the director. A hymn belonging to Dāwid.

petition
2/1     May YHWH answer you in the moment of affliction.
            May the authority of Yaʿaqōb’s God protect you.
3/2     May he send you help from the holy place.
            May he strengthen you out of Ṣîyôn.
4/3     May he accept your every offering
            May your burnt offerings satisfy.
5/4     May he give to you your heart’s desire.
            May he bring your every plan to fruition.

joy and confidence in the response to petition
6/5     We will loudly rejoice in your triumph
            and wave our banners in honor of YHWH--
               YHWH who fulfills all your petitions.
7/6     Now I know that YHWH gives victory to his māšîaḥ.
            He answers him from his heavenly abode
               with his most forceful triumphal trength.
8/7     Some credit chariotry, others, calvaries.
            But we give credit to the power of YHWH, our God.
9/8     They lean over, then collapse.
            But we stand erect and invigorated.

benediction
10/9    YHWH! Bring the king victory.
            Answer him in the very moment he calls out for help.

psalm 21 (edition: december 31, 2024)

1        For the director. A hymn belonging to Dāwid.

the king rejoices in yahweh
2/1     YHWH! The king expresses joy because of Your power.
            How greatly he rejoices because of Your triumph!
3/2     You have given him his most intense desire,
            and have not withheld his openly expressed appeal.                                         selâ

the private reasons for the king’s rejoicing
4/3     Truly, You have presented him with excellent blessings.
            You have placed a golden crown on his head.
5/4     He asked You for a full life.
            You have given him long life, enduring and continuing.
6/5     His reputation is tremendous because of Your triumph.
            You have laid honor and respect upon him.
7/6     It is certain that You have put enduring blessings upon him.
            You have caused him to rejoice with the joy of Your presence,
8/7     so that the king trusts YHWH;
            cannot be shaken as to ‘elyôn’s unwavering devotion.

the nationalistic reasons for the king’s rejoicing
9/8     Your power will take hold of all your enemies.
            Your dominant power will take hold of all who hate you.
10/9    You will appoint them to the fiery furnace
            when you appear.
         In His anger, YHWH will overwhelm them,
            and fire will consume them.
11/10   You will annihilate their offspring from the earth,
            and their descendants from among humankind.
12/11   When they direct aggression against you,
         they will not be able to accomplish the plans they concocted.
13/12   Rather, you will put them on their back
            with your bow aimed at their heads.

the nation rejoices in yahweh
14/13   You are to be exalted, YHWH, because of Your might.
            We most certainly will sing and perform hymns about Your hegemony.

psalm 22 (edition: september 1, 2022)

1 From the Director. ʿal-’ayelet-haššaḥar. A hymn belonging to Dāwid.

the psalmist’s complaint about God’s present indifference
2/1 My God, my God, why have You abandoned me?
               Why are You so far from helping me?
                  Why are You so far from my vigorous complaint?
3/2 My God, I call out during the day, but You don’t respond.
               And during the night, even then I have no respite.
4/3 But You, Incomparable One,
just sit there, object of Yiśrāʾēl’s praises.

contrast between past narratives about god and the present evidence
5/4 Our fathers trusted You.
               They trusted and You delivered them.
6/5 They cried out to You, and they were delivered
               They trusted You, and were not disappointed.
7/6 But I am a nonentity, and less than human;
               a human disgrace, whom many find repulsive.
8/7 Everyone who sees me hisses at me.
               They bare their teeth. They wag the head.
9/8 “He has anticipated that YHWH would deliver him.
               He should deliver him, then, seeing that He takes such pleasure in him.”

what adds to the psalmist’s confusion over god’s indifference
10/9 But You drew me from the womb.
               You laid me on my mother’s breast.
11/10 I was given into Your care before birth.
               From my mother’s womb, You were my God.

the psalmist tells god of the extreme dangers and suffering that assail him
12/11 Don’t distance Yourself from me,
               for the enemy is near, but there is no one to help.
13/12 Intimidating bulls surround me.
               Powerful bulls from Bāšān encircle me.
14/13 They open their mouths against me,
               lions, rending and roaring.
15/14 Like water, my blood flows,
               and all my bones are broken.
            My heart becomes wax,
               melted inside me.
16/15 My strength is sapped dry, like fired pottery.
               My tongue sticks to the top of my mouth.
                  and You have brought me to the brink of death.
17/16 Wild dog’s surround me.
               A vicious pack encircles me.
                  They pierce my hands and feet.
18/17 I can count all my bones.
               They look, they stare back at me.
19/18 They divvy up my clothes amongst themselves,
               and throw lots for my clothing.

plea for god to quit his indifference and come to the psalmist’s aid
20/19 But You, YHWH, don’t be distant.
               My Helper, rush to my assistance.
21/20 Rescue me from the sword.
               Rescue me from the dog’s power, solitary as I am.
22/21 Deliver me from the lion’s mouth.
               Deliver me from the wild ox’s horns, attacked as I am.

the psalmist’s promise of praise and evangelism
23/22 I will expound upon Your renown to my peers.
               I will praise You in the assembly.
24/23 You who reverence YHWH, praise Him.
               Every descendant of Yaʿaqōb, glorify Him.
                  Every descendant of Yiśrāʾēl, show deference to Him.
25/24 Because he did not disparage and was not repulsed by
the humiliation of the tyrannized.
He did not ignore him,
but heard him when he called for help.
26/25 With you nearby, I will offer praise in the august assembly.
               I will fulfill my promises before those who reverence him.

anticipated results of the psalmist’s evangelism
27/26 The poor will eat and be full.
               Those who search after YHWH will praise Him.
                  They are always enlivened.
28/27 The world over will acknowledge and come to YHWH.
               People from every nation will bow down before you.
29/28 For kingship belongs to YHWH,
               even rule over nations.
30/29 All the earth’s robust will eat and worship him.
               All who are descending into the grave should bow before him,
                  and he whose life is not preserved.
31/30 Descendants will serve Him.
               My Lord will be spoken of for generations.
32/31 They will come and declare His triumph
               to a people yet to be born;
                  that it is he who acts.

psalm 23 (edition: july 22, 2023)

1           A song of Dāwid

yahweh, providential shepherd
            YHWH is my shepherd.
               I will lack nothing.
2           He will secure me in grassy pastures.
               He will guide me to refreshing waters.
3                 He will restore my vigor.

yahweh, guiding shepherd
            He will conduct me along the proper tracks,
               consistent with his character.
4           Even though I might walk through the most dangerous of valleys,
               I will not fear any peril
            because you are beside me,
               because your supportive staff reassures me.

yahweh, dinner host
5           You spread a table before me in plain sight of my enemies.
               You anoint my head with oil.
                  My cup is overflowing.

psalmist, grateful beneficiary
6           Truly goodness and fidelity will accompany me throughout my life,
               and I will return to YHWH’s temple to the end of time.

psalm 24 (edition: august 10, 2023)

1           Belonging to Dāwid. A song.

invocation
            The world belongs to YHWH, along with its abundance
               its landmasses, and those inhabit them.
2           For it is He who has set its foundation upon the oceans
               and established it upon floods.

preparing to join Yahweh in the temple
3           Who can go up into YHWH’s temple,
               and who can stand in His incomparable place?
4           Whoever is blameless and has a clear conscious,
               does not give himself to deceitfulness,
                  and does not swear in confirmation of a deception.
5           He will receive a blessing from YHWH
               and triumph from God who saves him.
6           This is the community that inquires of Him.
               They who seek your presence, O God of Yaʿaqōb.                                    (selâ)

yahweh enters his temple
7           Lift up, O gates, your head.
               Rise up, O ancient doors
                  so the King, The Incomparable may enter.
8           Who is this King, The Incomparable?
               YHWH, powerful and heroic,
                  YHWH, heroic in battle.
9           Lift up, O gates, your head.
               Rise up, O ancient doors
                  so the King, The Incomparable may enter.
10         Who is he, this King, The Incomparable?
               YHWH Ṣebā’ôt,
                  He is King, The Incomparable.                                                      (selâ)

psalm 25 (edition: september 12, 2022)

1        Belonging to Dāwid.

invocation
         I hand over the whole of me to You, YHWH.
2           My God, it is in You that I put my trust.                                                                 a
         May I never be disappointed.
            May my enemies never triumph over me.
3        In addition, let none who look to You be disappointed.                                            g
            Let them be disappointed who are treacherous, let it be to no avail.

yahweh’s principles
4        Reveal Your principles to me, YHWH.                                                                      d
            Teach me Your tenets.
5        Help me to live faithful to You, and instruct me;                                                      h
            for You are my God, my Deliverer.
               I always look to You.

yahweh’s fidelity
6        Exercise Your compassion, YHWH, and Your fidelity,                                            z
            for they are eternal.
7        Don’t consider the sin and rebelliousness of my immaturity.                                   ḥ
            You, consistent with Your fidelity, keep me in mind
               because of Your goodness, YHWH.

yahweh’s principles
8        YHWH is unwaveringly helpful.                                                                               ṭ
            Therefore, He instructs wrongdoers in principles.
9        He directs the lowly wisely                                                                                        y
            and teaches the lowly His principles.

yahweh’s fidelity
10      All of YHWH’s actions are truly faithful                                                                  k
            toward those who observe His covenant and guidance.
11      In keeping with Your reputation, YHWH,                                                                 l
            forgive my offense, for it is great.

yahweh’s principles
12      Whoever reverences YHWH,                                                                                     m
            that’s the He guides into the way he should take.
13      He will live securely                                                                                                  n
            and his descendants will inherit the land.

yahweh’s fidelity
14      Intimacy exists between Yahweh and those who revere Him,                                   s
and He reveals His attachment to them.
15      I always keep my eyes upon Yahweh                                                                         ‘
            so He can deliver my feet from entrapment.

yahweh’s principles and fidelity applied
16      Be with me and show me compassion,                                                                      p
            for I am alone and distressed.
17      My anxieties run deep and are immense.                                                                   ṣ
            Deliver me from my troubles.
18      Witness my wearying distress,                                                                                   r
            and take away all my sins.
19      Consider my enemies, for they are numerous,                                                           r
            and hate me with a violent hatred.
20      Watch over me and deliver me.                                                                                  š
            Don’t allow me to be confounded, for I take refuge in You.
21      May integrity and exactness preserve me,                                                                 t
            For I wait steadfastly for You.

benediction
22      Deliver, ʾĕlōhîm, Yiśrāʾēl
            from all its adversaries.

psalm 26 (edition: october 4, 2022)

1             Belonging to Dāwid

the psalmist’s intent and plea for innocence
         Judge, YHWH, that I have conducted myself blamelessly.
            and have trusted YHWH, never wavering.
2             Examine me, YHWH, and scrutinize me.
            Put me to the most intense ordeal.
3        For Your fidelity dominates my view,
            and I live by Your faithfulness.

the psalmist’s avoidance of improper associations
4        I do not associate with deceitful individuals
            or join with those who act clandestinely.
5        I despise an alliance of those who do evil,
            and do not associate with the ungodly.

the psalmist’s association with god
6        I will wash my hands in purification,
            and circumnavigate Your altar, YHWH
7        to proclaim with praising voice
            and to recount Your matchless wonders.
8        YHWH, I have loved the refuge of your temple,
            the place where Your renown resides.

the psalmist’s avoidance of improper associations
9        Do not lump me together with wrongdoers
            or my existence with violent individuals
10      who use their agency to scheme,
            their right hand crammed with bribes.

the psalmist’s intent and plea for innocence
11      But I conduct myself blamelessly.
            Redeem and accept me.
12      I take my stand in uprightness.
            In assemblies, I worship you, YHWH.

psalm 27

1           Belonging to Dāwid.

the psalmist’s confession of trust in yahweh
            YHWH is my light
               and the reason for my triumph.
                  Of whom should I be afraid?
            YHWH is my defender.
               [So, I ask again] By whom should I be intimidated?
2           When the malevolent confront me,
               intending to eat me alive,
            my attacking enemies
               all stagger and then collapse entirely.
3           If a military force lays siege against me,
               no part of me will fear.
            If all-out war is waged against me,
               even in this moment I will feel confident.

the psalmist’s sole desire
4           One thing only have I asked of YHWH;
               it is all I seek:
            to remain in YHWH’s temple every day of my life
               so as to gaze upon YHWH’s beauty
                  and thereon meditate within the holy precincts.
5           Then will he hide me in the place of sanctuary during calamitous times.
               He will secret me in the shelter of his temple,
                  as if bearing me up into a mountain retreat.
6           In the very moment that he grants victory over the enemies who surround me,
               I will immediately offer enthusiastic sacrifice in his temple.
                  I will sing to and praise YHWH.

hoped for results from trust and desire
7           Hear my plea, Yahweh, when I call out.
               Be gracious and answer me.
8           You invited me, “Seek after me.”
               You, YHWH, I always seek.
9           Don’t hide yourself from me.
               Don’t extend your anger toward your servant.
                  You are my helper, after all.
            Never leave me
               or forsake me, Oh God who saves me.
10         Even if my own father and mother should disown me,
               YHWH will take me in.
11         Teach me, YHWH, your way of life.
               Lead me along in a just path
                  in response to my detractors.
12         Do not hand me over to the whims of my enemies;
               the lying witnesses that rise up against me
                  even punitive witnesses.
13         Otherwise, how can I hope to see
               YHWH’s goodness in this life

benediction
14         Hope in YHWH.
               Be firm and he will strengthen you.
                  Again, hope in YHWH.

psalm 28

1           Belonging to Dāwid.

the psalmist’s speicific plea
         It is to You, YHWH, that I cry out.
            My Refuge, don’t be negligent of me.
         Don’t be inattentive of me
            lest I be as one who descends into the pit.
2        Hear my imploring voice
            when I call out to You for help,
               when I reach out my hands toward Your sacred oracle.

the psalmist’s specific plea
3        Don’t drag me off with the ungodly;
            with those who engage in abuse,
         who speak peaceably with their fellow citizens
            but maliciousness is their intent.
4        Repay them commensurate with their conduct
            and their injurious treatment.
         Repay them commensurate with what they do with their power.
            Cause their deserts to rebound upon them.
5        Because they will not discern YHWH’s actions
            or His use of power,
               pull them down rather than build them up.

the psalmist’s joy at being heard
6        YHWH be praise
            because He has heard my imploring voice.
7        YHWH is my strength and my enveloping shield.
            I trusted Him with my all and found protection.
         My entire being will exult
            and I will praise Him in song.

the psalmist applies the private to the public
8        YHWH is His people’s strength
            and is His anointed’s safe fortress.
9        Deliver Your people,
            bless Your inheritance,
               shepherd and bear them always.

psalm 30

1          A song. A Song dedicated to the house of Dāwid

the psalmist personally praises god for his deliverance
2/1     I will acclaim you, YHWH;
            for you have lifted me up
               and not allowed my enemies to be gleeful at my expense.
3/2     YHWH, my God, I cried out to you for help,
            and you restored me.
4/3     YHWH, it was you that lifted me up out of še’ôl.
            It was you that revived me after my descent into the pit.

the psalmist encourages others to praise
5/4     Sing praises to YHWH, you who are devoted to him.
            Bear witness to the renown of his superiority.
6/5     For his anger lasts but a moment;
            his goodwill a lifetime.
         Weeping may begin at evening and extend throughout the night
            but there is the resonant sound of joy in the morning.

the psalmists shares his experience
7/6     In a time of ease, I thought to myself,
            “I will never experience uneasiness.
8/7     YHWH, through your generosity,
            you have caused me to stand as a mountain firm.”

         Then, you hid your face from me
            and I became alarmed.
9/8     It is upon you, YHWH, that I call.
            It is to you, my Lord, that I pled for mercy, [saying],
10/9    “What is gained by my death;
            in my decent into oblivion?

         Can I, turned to dust, praise you?
            Can I declare your fidelity?
11/10 Hear me, YHWH.
            Be merciful to me.
               Be my helper.”
12/11 You transformed my funeral dirge into joyous dance.
            You removed my mourning and enveloped me with festive joy.

the psalmist recommits to praising god
13/12 For this reason, I will praise you with my whole being
            and not be silent
               YHWH, ’ĕlohay, I will praise you forever.

psalm 31

1             For the Music Director. A hymn belonging to Dāwid.

invocation
2/1     It is to you, YHWH, that I look for protection.
            May I never know disappointment.
               In your fidelity, deliver me.
3/2     Give an ear to my request.
            Be quick to rescue me.
         Be my mountain stronghold,
            a fortress to protect me.

confession of trust
4/3     Because you are my mountain fortress,
            and consistent with who you are, you will guide me, lead me to a resting place.
5/4     You will lead me away from the snare that they have concealed to catch me,
            for you are my defense.
6/5     I put my life in your hands;
            you deliver me, Yahweh, being the reliable God that you are.
7/6     I reject the counsel of those who look to wisps of nothingness,
            but have complete confidence in Yahweh.
8/7     I will loudly rejoice and be glad because of your fidelity--
            a fidelity evidenced when you acknowledge my oppression,
               become involved in my distress,
9/8     and do not deliver me over to the enemy
            but set me in a safe place.

complaint—nature of the trial
10/9    Benevolently help me, Yahweh, for I am in distress.
            My sight, my breath, my innards flutter because of my anguish.
11/10    My life is consumed by deep grief.
            Painful groaning lasts years.
         My strength is sapped because of my sin.
            My bones give way.

12/11   Among all of my detractors, I am subject to insult;
            even more so among those immediately around me.
         To those who know me, I am a person to be avoided.
            Those who see me in public, bolt away.
13/12   Dismissed, as if dead, from all thought,
            I have become like a useless possession.
14/13   For I hear the slander of so many--
            I, a horror everywhere--
         when they convene together;
            scheme to take my life.

plea
15/14    But I rely upon you, YHWH.
            I have confessed, “You are my God.”
16/15   This moment is yours.
            Deliver me from the power of my enemies and my prosecutors.
17/16   Look upon your servant with delight.
            Deliver me on account of your fidelity.
18/17   YHWH, don’t let me be disappointed
  when I call out to you.
         Let the unjust be disappointed;
            let them be mute in Šeʾôl.
19/18   Let their lying flapping lips be silenced;
            silenced those that speak against the innocent
               tenaciously with contemptuous pride.

confession of trust
20/19   How manifold is the goodness
            that you have in store for those who revere you;
         the goodness you have prepared for those who seek shelter in you
            rather than in human beings.
21/20   You will keep them hidden in a secure location right in front of you;
            hidden from others’ intrigues.
         You will keep them hidden in a shelter
            from slanderous prosecution.

confession of former doubt
22/21   Praised be YHWH,
            for he has been incomprehensibly faithful to me--
               I, a city under seige.
23/22   It was I, only I, who thought, in my alarm, ‘I have been abandoned by you.’
            However, you did hear my voice;
               my plea for help when I cried out to you.

benediction/ assurance
24/23   Love YHWH, all you, his devotees.
            YHWH keeps watch over those who believe,
               but requits to the maximum those who act as if they are self-sufficient.
25/24   Remain firm, and he will strengthen your resolve,
            all you who are still waiting on YHWH.

psalm 32 (edition: october 26, 2022)

1           Belonging to Dāwid. A maśkîl.

oracular promise
         Truly happy is the one whose rebellion is borne away
            and whose sin is buried.
2        Truly happy is the one whose guilt YHWH does not consider
            and there is no intention to obfuscate.

response to and consequence of the oracular promise
3        Because I remained silent, my frame wasted away
            while I raged all day long.
4        Because Your power rested heavily upon me day and night
            my moisture turned into summer draught.                                                              selâ
5        I’ll confess my sin to You
            and no longer hide my guilt from You.
         I decided, “I’ll confess my rebellion to YHWH,”
            And You, You bore away my sinful guilt.

6        For this will every devout individual pray to You
            until such time as it is obtained.
               As for the flood of rising waters, they will not reach them.
7        You are my hiding place.
            You keep me from distress.
               You encompass me with deliverance songs.                                                        selâ

oracular admonition
8        I will give you insight and teach you the principles by which you should live.
            I will direct you, my eye on you.
9        Don’t be like a horse or mule, without discernment,
            outfitted and controlled with bridle and bit.
               Don’t let them near you.

10      The ungodly experience many pangs,
            but those who trust YHWH, goodness surrounds them.
11      Rejoice in YHWH and be joyful, you who are just.
            Shout for joy, all you who are truly upright.

psalm 33 (edition: april 10, 2023)

call for praise
1             Exalt in YHWH, you devout.
            Cherished is the praise of the faithful.
2        Offer praise to YHWH with lyre accompaniment.
            Sing of Him with the ten-stringed instrument.
3        Sing to Him a song of renewal.
            Play skillfully and loudly.

justification for the call
4        Here is why: YHWH’s word is trustworthy;
            all His labor is done with dedication;
5        He loves what is right and just;
            the world is suffused with YHWH’s fidelity;
6        heaven was made through His word,
            and all its hosts through His quiet influence;
7        gathering the ocean’s waters into waves,
            establishing them to massive depths.

rnewed call and justification for praise
8        The entire world should be awestruck by Yahweh.
            All the planets’ inhabitants should reverence Him.
9        Here is why: He spoke, and it happened,
            He commanded, and it endured,
10      YHWH thwarts the plans of nations,
            He foils the intentions of peoples,
11      YHWH’s plans endure to perpetuity,
            His own intentions endure lifetime after lifetime.

yahweh’s worldwide oversight
12      Fortunate is the nation that has YHWH as its God.
            The people He chooses as his own.
13      From heaven, YHWH watches.
            He observes all of earth’s peoples.
14      From the security of His habitation
            He examines all earth’s inhabitants.
15      He forms an attachment to them.
            He understands all that they do.

divine sovereignty verses human sovereignty
16      There is no king saved through a massive army.
            The “hero” does not deliver himself through great strength.
17      The horse is worthless in bringing victory.
            His huge military cannot deliver.
18      Understand that YHWH’s eye is on those who reverence him;
            on those who trust in his fidelity,
19      to deliver them from death,
            and keep them alive during famine.

concluding confession of trust in yahweh
20      We ardently await YHWH.
            He is our shield.
21      So, we genuinely rejoice in Him.
            We trust in his incomparable character.
22      Your fidelity, YHWH, be toward us,
            even as we have come to expect of you.

psalm 35 (edition: may 25, 2023)

1        Belonging to Dāwid.

opening plea
         Contend, YHWH, with those who contend against me.
            Go to battle against those who go to battle against me.
2        Grasp hold of strong battle shield and full body shield
            and stand up in my defense.
3        Wield sword and block my pursuers attacks.
            Say to me, “I am the source of your triumph.”

imprecation
4        Let those who seek my life be thwarted and humiliated.
            Let them fall into retreat and be confounded that intend to harm me.
5        Let them be as worthless husks in the wind,
            with YHWH’s messenger doing the driving.
6        Let their path be dark and slippery,
            with YHWH’s messenger stalking them;
7        so that they hide their pit full of traps for me unsuccessfully;
            vainly dig a pit to take my life.
8        Let sensational ruin come upon them without warning.
            Let the trap that they hid ensnare them,
               and into their own pit let them fall.

promise to praise
9        Then, every part of me will exalt in YHWH;
            Rejoice in the victory He brings.
10      Every inch of me will confess:
            “YHWH, who is anything like You,
         delivering the downtrodden from those more powerful than them;
            the poor and underprivileged from those who violently extort them.”

the nature of the threat
11      Hostile witnesses arise,
            who question me about things I know nothing about.
12      They repay me evil in place of good,
            leaving me grieving for my very life.
13      But for my part, when they were ill, my clothing was burlap.
            I afflicted myself through fasting
               and my heart-felt prayer went out.
14      I went about as if they were my friend or brother;
            as if mourning a mother, gloomy, I prostrated myself.
15      But when I stumbled, they were happy and gathered together.
            Tormentors gathered against me without my knowing.
               They impugn me and do not hold back.
16      In godless mockery
            they gnash their teeth at me.

renewed plea
17      My Lord, how do You just look on?
            Deliver me from their destructiveness.
               Deliver me, who am alone, from these wild beasts
18      that I may acknowledge You in the great assembly,
            and praise You among a host of people.
19      Don’t let my lying enemies be gleeful on my account
            or let those who wantonly despise me wink their eyes at each other.
20      For they do not advocate peace,
            but against those living quietly on the land they device treacherous speech.
21      They grin broadly and say, “Yes! Yes!
            We have achieved our aims!”
22      You observe this, YHWH. Don’t remain mute!
            Lord! Don’t distance Yourself from me!
23      Wake up! Be alert to the case against me;
            to the suit against me, my God and my Lord!
24      Pass judgement on me consistent with Your sense of justice, O YHWH, my God
            So others are not gleeful on my account.
25      Don’t let them say, with inner satisfaction, “Yes! We have what we wanted.”
            Don’t let them say, “We have swallowed him up!”

renewed imprecation
26      Let them be disappointed and confounded, every one of them,
            who take glee in my misfortune.
         Let them be enwrapped in humiliation and insult,
            who rise powerfully against me.
27      Let those who desire my acquittal shout out for joy and gladness,
            and may they always say, “Yahweh is magnanimous,
               whose priority is the wellbeing of his servant.”

renewed promise of praise
28      I will proclaim your integrity;
            every day will I proclaim of your renown.

psalm 36

1 For the director. Belonging to YHWH’s servant, even Dāwid.

scene one: the character of the ungodly
2/1     Rebellion foments in the ungodly
            from his innermost self.
         He possesses no reverence for ʾĕlōhîm
            that can be seen.
3/2     He manages to deceive himself
            when he finds his iniquity, so hateful to him.
4/3     The words that come from his mouth are deceptively abusive.
            He has given up all thought of doing good.
5/4     Exploitation, it is, upon which he thinks in his private moments.
            He firmly commits himself to a course that is not good.
               He rarely rejects evil.

scene two: the character of yahweh
6/5     YHWH, your faithfulness extends as high as heaven;
            your fidelity as high as the clouds.
7/6      Your justness is as high as the highest of mountains;
            your justice is as vast as the ocean’s depth.
             You safeguard both man and beast, YHWH.

scene three: the impact of yahweh’s character
8/7     How rare is your fidelity, ʾĕlōhîm;
            thus explaining why humankind seeks protection in your protective care.
9/8     They are intoxicated with the abundance of your house.
            You give them drink from your effusive river.
10/9    For in you is found the source of life.
            Through the light with which you shine, we see light.

scene four: the plea inspired by yahweh’s character
11/10   Extend your fidelity to those who know you;
            your steadfastness to the genuinely upright.
12/11   Do not let the full weight of the high and mighty come down upon me.
            Do not allow the power of the wicked to totter me.

scene five: the final disposition
13/12   Finally, those who engage in oppression have fallen down!
            They strain but are unable to arise.

psalm 37

1                  Belonging to Dāwid

on self-control and perspective
            Don’t become enraged because of miscreants,                                                          )
               or be furious toward the unjust.
2           For they will, like new fledgling grass, quickly wither away;
               languish like wild grass.

yahweh to be life’s focus
3           Trust YHWH and do good.
               Live simply off the land,
                  and settle down confidently,
4           Find enjoyment in YHWH,
               and he will give you your most heartfelt desires.

5           Devote your life to YHWH.
               Place your confidence in Him and he will act.
6           He will bring to light the rightness of your course;
               bring the justness of your choices into the full light of day.

reprise: self-control and perspective
7           Rest quietly in YHWH, steel yourself in him.
               Don’t become enraged over one who is successful;
                  over one who manages to pull off his schemes.
8           Let go of anger and stop becoming riled up.
               Don’t become enraged as it leads only to additional evil.

taking the long view
9           Know this: those who do evil will be removed,
               while those who expectantly await YHWH, they it is who will possess the land.
10         It won’t be long, before the ungodly is no more.
               Though you conduct a diligent search of his place, he won’t be there.

11         It will be the downtrodden who will be in possession of the land;
               it is they who will experience the joy of abundant security.

the immoral: a characterization
12         The unethical plot against the ethical;
               their jaw set.
13         My Lord is easily dismissive of them
               because he knows that their time is coming.

14         The ungodly brandish their sword,
               and draw back the bow string
            to bring down the disenfranchised and impoverished;
               to slaughter those who live an upright life.
15         Their sword, though, will pierce their own heart,
               and their bow be ruined.

yahweh’s oversight
16         The meager benefits that the godly possesses
               are greater than the attention-grabbing wealth of the impious.
17         For the power of the ungodly will be ended
               because YHWH is benefactor to the godly.

18         Yahweh remains attuned to the life of the innocent—
               and their inheritance will be long-lasting.
19         They will not be allowed to failure in bad times,
               but have plenty in times of famine,
20         while the defiant perish;
               those hostile to YHWH
                  become as rare as depleted pasturage—gone, up in smoke.

a contrast
21         The immoral borrow, but do not repay.
               But the moral are compassionate and share
22         so that those who are so blessed by him come to possess land,
               while any who might be cursed by him are dispossessed.

reprise: yahweh’s oversight
23         It is through YHWH that a man’s steps are directed,
               and his path meets with approval.
24         Though he may trip up, he will not go slamming down hard,
               for YHWH holds his hand.

25         I’ve been a young man even as I am now an old man,
               but I have never witnessed the godly deserted
                  or his children begging food.
26         He is always generous;
               one who is charitable, bringing a blessing on his children.

reprise: contrasts
27         Turn away from evil and do good,
               that your dwelling may be permanent.
28         For YHWH loves justice
               and never leaves those who are true to him.
            They are always watched over,
               while the descendants of the defiant are disregarded.
29         The pious will possess earth,
               and dwell on it in perpetuity.

30         The godly individual offers insight,
               and says what is just.
31         His God’s Tôrâ is in his heart.
               His progress is not halting.

32         The ungodly are always eyeing the godly,
               always conspiring to kill him.
33         YHWH will never abandon him to his power,
               or let him be pronounced guilty when brought to trial.

34         Wait expectantly for YHWH, follow his way of life,
               and he will help you in taking possession of land
                  as you witness the ungodly being dispossessed.

35         I have seen the ungodly, acting with intimidation,
               presenting himself as a lush, spreading tree.
36         But he crossed the line. And, voilà, he’s no longer around.
               I might look for him, but he will not be found.

37         Watch the authentic individual, and observe the upright—
               that the final disposition of such a person is peace.
38         But antisocial individuals are annihilated, every one.
               The final disposition of the defiant is to be destroyed.

39         The deliverance of the godly comes from YHWH;
               He is their defense in times of distress.
            YHWH helps them and rescues them;
               rescues them from the ungodly and delivers them
                  whenever they take shelter in him

psalm 38-39 (edition: january 6, 2023)

psalm 38

1        A hymn belonging to Dāwid. In memorial

first plea/ complaint
2/1 YHWH! Don’t reprimand me while furious,
               or punish me while inflamed.
3/2 Since Your arrows have penetrated me,
               and Your hand has come down hard upon me,
4/3 I’ve had no bodily health as a result of Your anger;
               I’ve had no well-being in my frame as a result of my wrong-doing.
5/4 Truly, my guilt has gone over my head
               as a burden too heavy for me.
6/5 My wounds have grown foul and festering
               because of my folly.
7/6 I’ve been bent down and doubled over.
               I’ve passed each day miserable.
8/7 Truly, my bowels have been completely inflamed.
               I’ve had no bodily health.
9/8 I’ve been so very feeble and broken.
               Inside, I’ve reverberated with anguish

second plea/ complaint
10/9 My Lord, all my yearning is apparent to You,
               and my sighing is not hidden from You.
11/10 My heart palpitates, my strength leaves me,
               and even the life has gone out of my eyes.
12/11 My loving friends stay far away from my disease
and those close to me keep their distance.
13/12 While those who seek my life lay traps;
               and those who investigate my offense talk of my demise
                  and whisper false accusations all day long.
14/13 But as one deaf I refuse to accept it,
               and as one mute, I refuse to offer a defense.
15/14 So I am like a man who refuses to yield,
               and presents no defense.

third plea/ complaint
16/15 For it is for you, YHWH, that I wait.
               You should be the one to respond, my Lord, God--
17/16 thus I said, lest they rejoice over me;
               lest, when my footstep falters, they be more assured in opposing me.
18/17 For I am assured of stumbling,
               and pain always confronts me.
19/18 So, I will reveal my guilt.
               I’ll show remorse for my sin,
20/19 though my enemies are active and numerous,
               and many hate me in bad faith.
21/20 Repaying me evil rather than good,
               they accuse me rather than pursue my exoneration.

fourth plea
22/21 Do not forsake me, YHWH, my God.
               Do not distance Yourself from me.
23/22 Hurry to my aid,
               my Lord, my Deliverance.

psalm 39[i]

1           For the Director, Yeḏûṯûn. A hymn belonging to Dāwid.

fourth plea/ complaint (continued from psalm 38)
2/1        I resolved, that I would guard my actions;
               I would keep my tongue from offending.
            I would guard my mouth with muzzle
               for as long as the ungodly oppose me.
3/2        I remained dumb, a mute,
               refrained from offering a defense
                  even as my anxiety roiled me.
4/3        My feelings burned hot inside me.
               In my thoughts, a fire burned.

fifth plea/ complaint
            I said out loud:
5/4           “Help me understand, YHWH, my end
            and what the sum of my days is
               that I might understand how fleeting I am.
6/5        Look how insignificant You have made my days!
               And my lifespan is nothing to You.
                  Truly, every human being who exists is a blip.                                        selâ

7/6        Truly, individuals exist in a fantasy.
               They are agitated about things meaningless.
                  They accumulate things but don’t know who will possess them.

sixth plea/ complaint
8/7        But now, what do I hope for, my Lord?
               My hope is centered in You!
9/8        Remove all rebelliousness from me.
               Don’t assign to me the contempt due the debauched.
10/9       I kept silent and did not open my mouth
               For it was You who acted.
11/10      Remove Your stroke from me.
               I am completely undone by the blow of Your hand.
12/11      In the reprimanding of guilt, You can instruct the individual,
               or, as a moth ruins, You can ruin the individual’s appeal.
                  Truly, every human being is a blip.                                                                      selâ

seventh plea/ complaint
13/12      Hear my plea, YHWH.
               Give ear to my outcry.
            Don’t ignore my tears
               though I am as a foreigner with you,
                  an alien as were all my ancestors.
14/13      Consider me and let me find joy
               before I disappear and am no more.

[i] It is not often when one feels the beginning of a psalm is carrying on from the end of the previous psalm. But this is one such example. For reasons that follow, I am taking the unprecedented step of handling Psalm 38 and 39 as one. This belief that the two Psalms should be read together influences the translation itself.
These two psalms possess common themes, imagery, and even vocabulary. In relation to themes, we can mention these:
1.   Both psalms seem to have a life-threatening illness as the context (38.4-12 and 39.5-6).
2.   In both psalms, the Psalmist speaks of sin and guilt (38.5, 19 and 39.9, 12).
3.   Both speak of the Lord’s “hand” coming down upon him with negative results. (38.3 and 39.11).
4.   Both psalms speak of those who oppose the Psalmists (38.13, 20-21 and 39.2).
5.   In both, the Psalmist commits himself to silence in the face of enemies’ attack (38.14-15 and 39.2-3, 10).
6.   Central to both psalms is the Psalmist’s commitment to wait patiently and hopefully for the Lord (38.16 and 39.8).
In regard to vocabulary, we can point to the following commonalities between Psalm 38 and 39:
1.   With the use of the verb yāḵaḥ at the beginning of Psalm 38 (vs. 2), its derived noun, tôkaḥat, in 38.15, and the derived noun again toward the end of Psalm 39 (vs. 12), we can see that in both psalms the Psalmist has the “reproof, reprimand, bringing of charges, prosecution, defense” of sin and guilt as a central concern.
2.   In 38.3 and 39.11 it is Yahweh’s yād, “hand, power, influence” that is in large measure the cause of the Psalmist’s suffering.
3.   In 38.14, the Psalmist describes himself as ʾillēm (’lm), “silent, mute,” in the face of others’ claims and charges against him, while in 39.3 he tells of being “silent” or “mute,” ’ālam (’lm), consistent with a former determination. He returns to his muteness, ’ālam, in 39.10, suggesting that, in addition to representing resistance to others’ charges, his muteness represents his trust in God as he awaits His defense of the Psalmist—this is true in 38.16 as well.
4.   Central to Psalm 38 (vs. 16) is the Psalmist’s determination to trust Yahweh and wait, yāḥal, on Him to defend him. The same determination to trust and wait on Yahweh with the same vocabulary (the Psalmist uses the noun, tôḥelet, derived from yāḥa) is also central to Psalm 39 (vs. 8).
Finally, we should address the matter of form. There is wide agreement that the form of this Psalm is unusual and undisciplined.
Psalm 39 begins in an abrupt manner with the Psalmist himself as subject and, unusual, without any type of appeal to God. Indeed, God is not addressed until verse 5. Those who understand this psalm as a “wisdom” or “instructional” psalm might suggest that its unusual beginning is true to form. However, the Psalmist’s commitment to silence evidenced in this psalm is inconsistent with the commitment or mood that so often begins a “wisdom” psalm. For example, in Psalm 49, commonly identified as being instructional/ didactic the Psalmist immediately calls upon “all nations” and “all who dwell the world over” to listen and give ear to his insights. He reveals his intention to “publicly utter what is instructive” and promises to “unlock a conundrum (see vs. 1, 4, 5). In another commonly identified “wisdom” psalm, others are again called upon to listen as the Psalmist opens his mouth in revelation in hopes that those who hear it, present and future, will come to praise the Lord (See Ps. 78, vs. 1-4). These and others contain a strong element of admonition to listen, and act based on the direction found in the psalm. The idea of remaining silent/mute is really antithetical to wisdom/ instructional psalms, which have a particular interest in getting a message out, having it heard and acted upon.
Unlike Psalm 39, psalms such as 25, 33, 34, 73, 78, 112, all often accounted as wisdom/instructional/ didactic psalms, nevertheless begin with a direct appeal to God and/or a call to praise God.
The fact is this: This Psalm is unique in its initial private nature without an accompanying appeal or mention of God and in the determination to be cautious in speaking and even remaining mute.

psalm 40

1        A Psalm belonging to the Royal Music Leader

the psalmist testifies of yahweh’s past deliverance
2/1         I waited, fully expectant, for YHWH.
            He, attentive to me, heeded my cry for help.
3/2         He lifted me up out of the menacing pit,
            from the mire’s downward pull,
         and raised me up to a high and safe place.
            He secured my place there.

the impact—personal and societal—of yahweh’s past deliverance
4/3         Thus, he placed a new song in my mouth,
            even a song of praise for our God.
         Many, seeing what he has done for me, will revere him
            and come to trust YHWH.
5/4         Happy is the one who places his trust in YHWH
            rather than turning to those who make [unfounded] boastful claims [of help]--
               who are lying seducers.

lessons learned from yahweh’s past deliverance
6/5         You have done innumerable things,
            even You, Yahweh, my God,
               things beyond all expectation.
         and your plans for us,
            there is no describing them!
         I try to make them comprehensible and put them into words,
            but they are too expansive for words.

the psalmist acts consistent with divine revelation
7/6         It is not animal and cereal offerings that you most desire,
            you have brought me to understand.
               It is not whole offerings or sin offerings for which you ask.
8/7         So, I say, “Look, I respond,
            with a message written upon me.
9/8         To do what pleases you, My God, is what I desire.
            Your Torah is in the very depths of my being.

the psalmist as evangelist
10/9       I gladden the large assembly of worshippers with the message of your righteousness.
            You see how my lips are unrestrained, YHWH.
               You witness it!
11/10    I do not keep your righteousness hidden away in my heart.
            Your commitment to me and your rescue of me, I have made public.
         I do not hide your fidelity,
            or your faithfulness, during important solemn assemblies.

the psalmist pleads for deliverance in latest trial
12/11    O YHWW, never deny me your compassion.
            May your fidelity and commitment constantly safeguard me.
13/12    When evils without number encircle me;
            when my iniquities catch up to me,
               so that I am unable to see anything else;
         when there are more of them than hairs on my head
            so that my heart condemns me;
14/13    find it in you, YHWH, to deliver me.
            O Yahweh, come to my aid quickly.

yahweh will deliver the psalmist from accusers
15/14    They are, all of them, humiliated through failure,
            who seek to disrupt my life.
         They are turned back
            and disgraced who wish evil upon me.
16/15    They are devastated by their failure,
            who thought to rejoice at my expense.

the psalmist reminds himself of yahweh’s faithfulness
17/16    They rejoice and find happiness in you,
            who seek you.
         They always declare:
            “YHWH shows himself to be great,”
               who come to appreciate your power of deliverance.
18/17    Though I am afflicted and destitute,
            my Lord is mindful of me.
         You are my helper and my safe place of escape.
            O my God, do not delay.

psalm 41

1             from the director, a Psalm for Dāwid

invocation
2/1         Secure are they who advance the disadvantaged.
            In difficult times, Yahweh will preserve them.
3/2     YHWH will watch over them,
            and they will live securely in the land.
               And you, YWHW, will not hand them over to the cravings of their enemies.
4/3     YHWH will bring them recovery when they lie sick.
            You, YHWH, will make up every bed in which they laid sick.

complaint and plea
5/4     I said, “YHWH, be generous toward me;
            heal me, though I have sinned against you.
6/5     My enemies wish evil upon me:
            ‘When will he die and his existence be snuffed out?’
7/6     Whenever one of them comes to visit, he vainly tells himself:
            ‘He possesses a mass of guilt.’
               When he leaves, he spreads the lie.
8/7     All who hate me get together to spread rumors against me;
            they ascribe wickedness to me:
         ‘Obliteration is being poured out upon him;
            he has lain down never to rise again.’
9/8     Even one of my friends,
            one on whom I had relied
         with whom I dined
            kicked me when I was down.

10/9    But, do you, YHWH, have mercy upon me.
            Raise me up that I might pay them back.
11/10   By this I will know that you favor me--
            when my enemy is no longer able to lord it over me,
12/11   but you embrace me for my piety
            and set me in your presence forever.

doxology
13/12   Praised be YHWH,
            Yiśrāʾēl’s God
         from everlasting to everlasting,
            ʾāmēn and ʾāmēn.

psalm 42 (edition: may 27, 2023)

(psalm 42 and 43 should be read as one psalm)

1        For the Director. A maśkîl. Belonging to the family of Qōraḥ

the pain and contradictions of god’s absence
2/1     As a deer craves water brooks,
            so do I yearn for You, ʾElōhîm.
3/2     Every part of me thirsts for ʾElōhîm, for the Living God.
            Oh, when will I be able to enter and appear in ʾElōhîm’s presence?

4/3     My tears have been my only food day and night
            as others constantly confront me: “Where is your God?”

5/4     These things I intend to bring up.
            Also, I intend to pour out my deepest feelings
         when I move forward with the throng;
            when I lead them into ʾElōhîm’s temple
         with the ringing cry of joy and praise,
            the uproar of one in pilgrimage.

refrain
6/5     Why should I yield myself to despair,
            or get worked up?
         Wait expectantly for ʾElōhîm,
            because I will yet praise Him
               for the triumph that comes with His presence.

the pain and contradictions of god’s absence
7/6     My God, I have myself completely intimidated.
            For this reason, I will focus on You.

         As from the region of Yardēn
            and Ḥermôn’s peaks,
8/7     deep tumultuous waters sound against deep tumultuous waters,
            so the roar of rushing waters
               and all Your breaking waves surge over me.

9/8     During the day, YHWH asserts His unwavering devotion.
            At night a song possesses me,
               a prayer to my life-giving God.

10/9    I ask God, my rocky refuge:
            “Why have You forgotten me?
               Why must I live in gloom because of the oppressiveness of my enemies?
11/10   In an effort to break me,
            my detractors tauntingly poke at me,
         saying to me every minute of the day,
            “Where is your God?”

refrain
12/11   Why should I yield myself to despair?
            Why should I get worked up?
         Wait expectantly for ʾElōhîm,
            because I will yet praise Him
               for the triumph that comes with His presence, even that of ʾElōhîm.

psalm 43 (edition: may 27, 2023)

the pain and contradictions of god’s absence
1        Rule in my favor, ʾElōhîm,
            and argue my case against people without loyalty.
               Deliver me from individuals of deception and injustice.
2        Since you, my God, are my fortress,
            Why have you turned me away?
               Why must I live in gloom because of my enemies’ oppressiveness??

3        Send Your light and truth that they might lead me,
            give me entrance into Your temple preeminent,
               even into Your very own abode.
4        Then I will approach ʾElōhîm’s altar;
            approach God, source of my joy and rejoicing,
               and praise ʾElōhîm, my God, with lyre.

refrain
5             Why should I yield myself to despair?
            Why should I get worked up?
         Wait expectantly for ʾElōhîm,
            because I will yet praise Him
               for the triumph that comes with His presence, even that of ʾElōhîm.

psalm 44 (edition: february 18, 2024)

1        For the director. Belonging to the family of Qōraḥ. A maśkîl.

the witness about the past
2/1     ʾElōhîm, we have heard with our own ears;
            our ancestors have described to us
         the deeds you performed in their days,
            in previous times.
3/2     You, by Your power, dispossessed nations
            and planted our ancestors.
         You devastated peoples,
            but proliferated our ancestors.
4/3     Certainly, they did not take possession of land by their own sword,
            nor did their own power bring them victory.
         Truly, it was Your dominance, and Your power,
            and Your presence with which You favored them.

the impact and application of the past’s witness
5/4      You are He who is my King, ʾElōhîm.
            Decree Yaʿaqōb’s triumph.
6/5     Through You, we have surged against our enemies.
            Through Your power, we have trampled those who rise against us.
7/6     I will most certainly not rely on my bow.
            My sword will not bring me victory.
8/7     Surely, You will bring us victory against our foes,
            and thwart those hostile toward us.
9/8     It is in ʾElōhîm that we boast at all times,
            and Your power that we always acknowledge.                                                 selâ

the present contradiction with the witness of the past
10/9    But You have forsaken and humiliated us,
            and have not gone out with our armed forces.
11/10   We turn in retreat from our enemies,
            so that those hostile to us plunder us.
12/11   You have made us food, like sheep.
            You have scattered us among the nations.
13/12 You sell Your people for no gain,
            and make no profit from their sell.
14/13   You turn us into an insult used by neighboring nations,
            and a humiliating laughingstock to those surrounding us.
15/14   You turn us into a bad example among the nations;
            a headshake among peoples.
16/15   My humiliation is always present,
            and shame spreads over my face
17/16   at the speech of those who taunt and revile;
            as a result of the enemy who has the last laugh.

complaint about the contradiction
18/17   All this has happened to us, though we have not forgotten You,
            and have not been untrue to Your covenant.
19/18   Our commitment has not strayed,
            nor have our steps turned from Your path.
20/19   Still You have crushed us in a monster’s den,
            and covered us with deep gloom.
21/20   If we have ignored our God’s renown
            and spread our hands out to a loathsome god
22/21   wouldn’t ʾElōhîm discover this?
            Surely, He knows deeply hidden things.
23/22   Certainly it is because of You that we are being constantly slain;
            that we are thought of as sheep for slaughter.

plea for help and the reversal of the contradiction
24/23   Wake up! Why are you sleeping, my Lord?
            Awaken! Don’t constantly reject.
25/24   Why do You remove Your presence?
            Why do You ignore our miserable oppression
26/25   seeing that we sink to the dirt;
            our stomachs cleave to the ground?
27/26   Arise to our aid.
            Deliver us in keeping with Your unwavering devotion.

psalm 46 (edition: january 22, 2024)

1        For the Director. Belonging to the family of Qōraḥ. ʿal ‘almût. A song.

trusting god in the face of instability
2/1     ʾElōhîm is our strong refuge,
            He has proven to be an incredible source of protection in distress.
3/2     Therefore, we will not fear because earth quakes,
            or the mountains tumble into the sea;
4/3     its waters roar and roil,
            mountain ranges quaking from its surge.                                                          selâ

god’s stabilizing effect on zion
5/4     There’s a river, its channels gladden ʾElōhîm’s city,
            ʿElyôn’s unrivaled dwelling place.
6/5   ʾElōhîm is in it.
            It cannot be shaken.
               ʾElōhîm provides it immediate aid.

god’s destabilizing effect on the world
7/6     Nations have plotted. Kingdoms have collapsed.
            He speaks. Earth reels.
8/7     YHWH Ṣebāʾôt is with us.
            Yaʿaqōb’s God is our impregnable fortress.                                                      selâ

9/8     Come! Contemplate YHWH’s deeds!
            How He disconcerts the world--
10/9    putting an end to worldwide war,
            He will break bow and chop up spear,
               and burn round shield with fire!

god’s stabilizing effect on zion
11/10   Be calm and acknowledge that I am ʾElōhîm.
            I rule over the nations.
               I rule over the world.
12/11 YHWH Ṣebāʾôt is with us.
            Yaʿaqōb’s God is our impregnable fortress.                                                      selâ

psalm 47 (edition: january 13, 2024)

1        For the Director. Belonging to the family of Qōraḥ. A hymn.

celebration of god’s kingship
2/1     Every nation should clap their hands.
            They should cheer ʾElōhîm with enthusiastic voices.
3/2     Because YHWH ʿElyôn is to be reverenced,
            Great King over the entire world that He is.
4/3     He will make nations subservient to us,
            and put peoples under our feet.
5/4     He will determine our inheritance,
            even the majestic One of Yaʿaqōb, whom He loved.                                               selâ

celebration of God’s enthronement
6/5 ʾElōhîm has ascended accompanied by loud acclaim;
            YHWH has ascended accompanied by horn blast.
7/6     Sing of ʾElōhîm. Sing!
            Sing of our King. Sing!
8/7     Because ʾElōhîm is King over the whole world.
            Sing contemplatively.
9/8 ʾElōhîm reigns over nations.
            ʾElōhîm is enthroned on His unparalleled throne.
10/9    The nation’s nobility is gathered.
            The people of ʾAbrāhām’s God are gathered.
         Because earth’s protection belongs to ʾElōhîm,
            He is greatly exalted.

psalm 48 (edition: january 27, 2024)

1        A song. A hymn belonging to the family of Qōraḥ.

god is zion’s impregnable defense
2/1 YHWH is great, and One to be much praised
            in our God’s city, His preeminent mount.
3/2 It is of unparalleled beauty, the entire land’s source of joy--
            Mount Ṣîyôn, Heights of Ṣāpôn, City of the Great King.
4/3 ʾElōhîm, present in its defenses,
            is recognized as an impregnable fortress.

historical example of god’s defense
5/4 When—just consider this!—kings banded together;
            when they unitedly advanced;
6/5 they saw the city thus, were astonished,
            dismayed, and hurried away.
7/6 Trembling seized them.
            Anguish seized them like that of a woman in labor.

8/7 With an east wind, You break apart
            Taršîš ships.
9/8 Just as we have heard, so have we observed.
            As for the city of YHWH Ṣebāʾôt,
         the city of our God, ʾElōhîm,
            He always secures it.                                                                                      selâ

response to god’s defense
10/9 We visualize, ʾElōhîm, Your unwavering devotion
            located inside Your temple.
11/10 Consistent with Your reputation, ʾElōhîm,
            praise for You extends to earth’s most distant parts.
               Your dominant power accomplishes triumph.
12/11 Mount Ṣîyôn continually rejoices;
Yehûdâ’s citizenry are always exuberant
because of Your governance.

call to evangelize
13/12 Circle Ṣîyôn, and go all around it.
            Count its towers.

14/13 Fix you mind on its defenses.
            Scrutinize its fortress
               so that you can describe them to future generations.
15/14 For here, ʾElōhîm is our God
            since time immemorial and forever.
               It is He who will lead us beyond death.

psalm 49

1                  For the Director of Qōraḥ’s sons, a hymn of worship

the psalmist calls for attention to his discernment
2           Hear this, all nations.
               Lend an ear, all who dwell the world over—
3           this includes every human being;
               every single individual,
                  rich and poor alike.
4           I will publicly utter what is instructive.
               The musings of my mind will focus on understanding.
5           I will extend a listening hear to instruction.
               Accompanied by lyre, I will then unlock a conundrum.

the psalmist unlocks the conundrum
6           Why should I be intimidated in evil times,
               when the deviant surround me--
7           those who rely on their own resources
               and promote themselves because of their great wealth;
8           individuals who can by no means deliver anyone,
               or provide ’ĕlohîm the ransom price;
9           for the cost of delivering a life is too expensive,
               and is always out of reach.
10         Do they think they will live forever;
               not experience the Pit?
11         Surely, one can observe that the astute die;
               that they perish right along with the ignorant and stupid,
                  and leave their wealth to those after them.
12         In their mind, their houses are enduring;
               their abodes, passing from one generation to another.
                  They even name lands after themselves!
13         But even the most prestigious don’t last long;
               exactly like senseless animals.
14         This is their way of life, madness owns them,
               and those who follow them accept what comes from their mouth! (selâ)
15         Like sheep, they are destined for Še’ôl.
               Death shepherds them,
                  and leads them down daily into flat plains.
                    Še’ôl consumes their body;
               consumes what dignity they possess.

the psalmist pauses to reassure himself
16         But ’ĕlohîm will deliver me from Še’ôl’s grasp,
               for he will take me to himself.                                                                    (selâ)

the psalmist recaps his message
17         So don’t be overawed when someone grows wealthy;
               as their house grows more impressive.
18         Because, when they die, they can’t take a thing;
               their grandeur won’t follow along.
19         Though they might celebrate their life while living,
               others praising them because they do well for themselves,
20         they will end up right where their fathers did.
               From then on, they’ll see no light.
21         Individuals who have prestige, but lack insight
               are exactly like senseless animals.

psalm 50

1             A hymn belonging to ʾāsāp.

god calls for a trial
         God, ʾĕlōhîm YHWH, has spoken,
            and has called out for the world’s attention
               from east to west.
2        Out of Ṣiyyôn, perfection of beauty,
            ʾĕlōhîm reveals Himself.
3        Our God comes, and not reservedly.
            Fire burns before Him,
               and rages mightily all around Him.
4        He calls out to the heavens above
            as well the earth, for the purpose of judging His people:
5        “Gather to Me those faithful to Me
            who have entered into covenant with Me through sacrifice.”
6        The heavens are to declare His justness;
            for it is ʾĕlōhîm who is Judge.                                                                      (selâ)

god’s testimony at trial
7        Listen up, My people, and let Me speak, Yiśrāʾēl.
            I testify against you,
               I, ʾĕlōhîm, your God.
8        It isn’t because of your sacrifices that I reprove you,
            or because of your holocaust offerings that are conspicuous and continuous.
9        I don’t need a bull from your family,
            or a goat from your stalls;
10      for every living thing found in the wild belongs to Me,
            animals from a thousand mountains.
11      I am familiar with all hard-to-find birds
            and small critters that are Mine.
12      If I could feel hunger, I wouldn’t inform you,
            for the world is Mine along with its abundance.
13      Need I eat bull meat,
            or drink goat blood?
14      Sacrifice to ʾĕlōhîm as an expression of praise,
            fulfill your vows made to ʿelyôn,
15      and call out to Me in times of need--
            I will strengthen you, and you will magnify Me.”

god’s charges at trial
16      But to the ungodly, ʾĕlōhîm says:
            “What does it mean for you to celebrate My stipulations
               and take My covenant into your mouth
17      but despise admonishment
            and cast My words behind you?
18      If you observe a thief, you join him,
            and your share is with adulterers.
19      Your mouth spreads wickedness
            and your tongue is paired with deception.
20      You sit and speak against your brother.
            You assign fault to your own mother’s son.
21      You did these things and I remained silent.
            You now imagine, falsely, that I am like you.
               I will prosecute you and lay it all out for you.

final warning and promise
22      Take careful note of this, you who ignore God
            lest I tear you to pieces and there be no one to deliver.
23      Whoever sacrifices to express praise honors Me,
            and they establish a means
               that I can reveal ʾĕlōhîm’s salvation.

psalm 51

1             For the Music Director. A song of Dāwid 2when the prophet Nāṯān confronted him in regard to his having had sex with Baṯ-šeḇa‘.

invocation
3/1     Be generous, ʾelōhîm, as is reflective of your fidelity.
            Consistent with your deep tenderness, erase my wrongdoings.
4/2     Completely wash away my guilt.
            Cleanse me of my momentous sin.

confession
5/3     For I am aware of my wrongdoings;
            and my momentous sin confronts me always.
6/4     It is against you, and only you, that I have sinned,
            and done what you view as evil.
         So, you are right in your pronouncement;
            you are justified in your ruling.
7/5     Yes, I was born in guilt.
            And, yes, in sin my mother passionately conceived me.
8/6     But, you value truth, however hidden,
            and make me acknowledge what I would keep secret.

plea
9/7     Purify me with ʾēzôb, and I’ll be clean.
            Wash me, and I’ll be white as snow.
10/8    Proclaim joy and gladness for me
            that the body you crushed can rejoice.
11/9    Hide your face from my sin,
            and wipe out all my guilt.
12/10   Create in me an inner purity, ʾelōhîm,
            and restore a fixed determination deep inside me.
13/11   Do not cast me off from your presence,
            and do not take from me your incomparable influence.
14/12   Bing back the joy of your salvation,
            and sustain me with your generous spirit.

promise
15/13   I will teach the rebellious your principles
            and sinners that they should return to you.

16/14   Deliver me from the guilt of spilt blood,
            ʾelōhîm, God who saves me.
               I’ll shout out your rectitude.
17/15   My Lord, open my lips
            and my mouth will declare your renown.
18/16   For you do not yearn for sacrifice, that I should offer it.
            It isn’t burn offerings that you relish.
19/17   The sacrifices ʾelōhîm wants —a broken will
            and a heart, broken and beaten down--
               ʾelōhîm, you will not disdain.

benediction
20/18   Gladden Ṣiyyôn with your favor.
            Bolster Yerûšālayim’s fortifications.
21/19   Then will you find pleasure in proper sacrifice--
            whole, burnt offerings.
               Then they will offer bulls on your altar.

psalm 52

1           For the Music Director. A insight of Dāwid when Dô̕ēg the ʾadômî went and reported to Šāʾûl and told him, “Dāwid has entered ᵃḥîmelek’s house.”

the destructive character of the arrogant and powerful
3/1        Why do you expect commendation for malice, O you powerful?--
               perpetually insulting God.
4/2        Your tongue intends to bring about ruin;
               like a sharpened razor, it enacts treachery.
5/3        You love badness more than goodness;
               you love uttering falsehood more than truth.                                              selâ
6/4        You love every destructive word,
               O deceitful tongue.

execration of the arrogant and powerful
7/5        But God will obliterate you for good.
               He will take hold of you and rip you from your dwelling.
                  He will uproot you from the land of the living.                                       Selâ
8/6        The just will see it and be awestruck.
               They will scoff at the “great one” saying
9/7        “You see, this is the one who did not rely on ʾĕlōhîm for strength
               but trusted in his own great wealth
                  and remained firm in his desire for ruin.”

benediction
10/8       But I am like a luxuriant olive tree in ʾĕlōhîm’s house.
               I trust in ʾĕlōhîm’s reliability always and forever.
11/9       I will praise you forever because of what you have done,
               and will express hope in your excellent character;
                  doing so openly before those devoted to you.

psalm 53

1           For the Music Director. According to māḥᵃlat. An insight of Dāwid.

the psalmist’s assessment of the state of affairs
2/1     The defiantly self-centered thinks to himself,
            “’ĕlohîm is not to be considered.”
         They are a corrupting influence. They are loathsomely unjust.
            They do nothing good.

’ĕlohîm’s assessment of the state of afffairs
3/2     ’ĕlohîm looked down from the heavens
            upon humankind
         to determine, “Are there any in possession of knowledge;
            any who consult ’ĕlohîm?”
4/3     The whole lot of them had rebelled;
            as one, they had become morally tainted.
         There were none among them who did good.
            None! Not even one!

’ĕlohîm’s response to the state of affairs
5/4        Do they not understand, those who act cruelly--
            as if they were eating some common bread, they devour those I love--
               that it is ’ĕlohîm, himself, that they fail to acknowledge?
6/5     This is why they tremble dreadfully, when there had been no dread before:
                    because ’ĕlohîm will scatter the bones of those who besiege you;
               they are thwarted because ’ĕlohîm has rejected them.

benidiction: lesson drawn from ’ĕlohîm’s response
7/6     Who will provide Yiśrāʾēl deliverance from Ṣiyyôn?
            ’ĕlohîm, when he returns his exiled people.
         Yaʿaqōb will rejoice.
            Yiśrāʾēl will express gladness.

psalm 54 (edition: april 28, 2022)

1   For the Music Director. A Maśkîl belonging to Dāwid. 2When the Zîpî came and informed Šāʾûl, “Isn’t Dāwid hiding among us?”

complaint
3        ʾĕlōhîm, deliver me because of who you are.
            Take up my case with your unmatched power.
4        ʾĕlōhîm, respond to my prayer.
            Hear the words of my mouth;
5        for those hostile to me rise against me.
            Those who seek my life are alarmingly powerful.
               They pay ʾĕlōhîm no attention.                                                        Selâ

ʾĕlōhîm responds to the complaint
6        Witness how ʾĕlōhîm comes to my aid!
            My Lord, in support of me!
7        Turn upon my adversaries their own maliciousness.
            In your trustworthiness, annihilate them.

the psalmist’s gratitude for ʾĕlōhîm’s response
8        Free of compulsion, I will offer you sacrifice.
            I will laud your character, YHWH, for it is excellent.
9        For he has delivered me from all adversaries,
            and my own eyes have discerned what has come upon my enemies.

psalm 55

1For the Music Director. A Maśkîl belonging to Dāwid.

invocation
2/1     Hear, ʾĕlōhîm, my prayer.
            Do not ignore my plea for favor.
3/2           Give me your attention and answer me.

the psalmist’s plight
           My thoughts wander, and I am confused
4/3        because of the uproar of the enemy;
               before the crush of the ungodly.
         They batter me with abuse
            and, rage filled, they hate me.
5/4     My heart palpitates in my chest
            as the terrors of death come crashing down on me.
6/5     A fearful trembling comes upon me
            and writhing takes over me.

the psalmist’s desire for relief
7/6     Then I think, O that one would give me wings like a dove
            that I might fly away and abide in peace.
8/7     Truly, I would fly far away.
            I would remain in an unpopulated place.                                                       Selâ
9/8     I would rush to my sheltered place
            away from the rushing winds of the violent storm.

the nature of the ordeal
10/9    Muffle, my Lord, rip apart their allegations,
            for I witness the violent punitiveness that is in the city.

11/10   Twenty-four-seven, it envelopes the city.
            And inside the city is abuse induced misery.
12/11   It is filled with craven desire
            while oppression and deception never leave its public squares.

the added tragedy of the ordeal
13/12   But, it isn’t an enemy who belittles me—
               this I could bear--
         or someone who has hated me who promotes himself over me--
            then I could hide from him--
14/13   but, you, a man of my same rank,
            my friend, and one whom I knew well,
15/14   with whom, together, I enjoyed sweet companionship,
            with whom, together, I walked among the worshippers in ʾĕlōhîm’s temple.

execration and hope
16/15   Let death come upon them;
            may they descend into hell while still alive
               because multiply evils are deeply imbedded in their homes,.
17/16   As for me, I will call upon ʾĕlōhîm
            and YHWH will deliver me.
18/17   Evening, morning, and mid-day I will lament and moan
            and He will hear my voice.
19/18   “Restore peace to me from the hostility against me;
            for they are many who are against me.”

execration and grievance
20/19   God will hear,
            and he who exists from eternity will humble them                                                 selâ
         for whom there is no relenting
            and who will not reverence ʾĕlōhîm.
21/20   He exploited his power against those at peace with him.
            He betrayed his bond.
22/21   His words were supportive,
            but hostility lurked within.
         His utterances seemed harmless,
            but they were a menacing weapon.

benediction
23/22   Give your worries to YHWH, and he will uphold you.
            He will never allow the innocent to falter.
24/23   But you, ʾĕlōhîm, will cast them down into the deepest of pits.
            The violent and deceitful will not live a normal life span.
               As for me, I will rely upon you.

psalm 56 (edition: august 4, 2023)

1        For the Director. ʿal-yonat ’êlem reḥōqîm. Belonging to Dāwid. A miktām. When the Pelištîm seized him in Gat.

plea, complaint, and confession of trust
2/1     Have pity on me, ʾĕlōhîm.
            Although it is a mere mortal that vigorously pursues me.
               the attacker inexorably closes in on me.
3/2     Always, my foes energetically pursue me.
            Indeed, they are many who are hostile to me, having the advantage.
4/3     Whenever I find myself intimidated,
            I will turn trustingly to You.

refrain
5/4     It is in ʾĕlōhîm, whose word I extol;
            it is in ʾĕlōhîm that I find security.
               I will not be afraid of what anybody might do.

complaint and plea
6/5     Always, words are used to bring me pain.
            All their plans are aimed at harming.
7/6     They secretly cause strife.
            They keep watch on me, hoping for my death.
8/7     Because of his maliciousness, hand him over to misfortune.
            Angrily cast down such people, ʾĕlōhîm.

confession of trust
9/8     You have documented my agitation.
            Recorded my tears on parchment.
               Are they not written in Your book?

10/9    My enemies will fall back in retreat
            when I call out.
               This I know, because ʾĕlōhîm is on my side.

refrain
11/10   It is in ʾĕlōhîm, whose word I extol;
            it is in YHWH, whose word I extol;
12/11   it is in ʾĕlōhîm that I find security.
            I will not be afraid of what any human being might do.

gratitude and the fulfilling of an obligation
13/12   The commitment You placed upon me, ʾĕlōhîm,
            I will fulfill: a thank offering to You
14/13   Because You have delivered me from death,
.           delivered my footsteps from stumbling,
         I go on living in ʾĕlōhîm’s presence,
            In the light of the living.

psalm 57 (edition: july 3, 2023)

1        For the Director. ʿal-tašḥēt. Belonging to Dāwid. A miktām. When he fled from Šāʾûl into the cave.

plea
2/1     Have pity on me, ʾĕlōhîm.
            Have pity on me when I come to You for refuge
         and take refuge in the shade of Your wings
            until the danger has pasted.

confession of trust
3/2     I will call out to ʾĕlōhîm ʿelyôn,
            to God who brings an end to what hangs over me.
4/3     He will reach down from heaven and deliver me;
            undermine my vigorous pursuer.                                                                    selâ
               ĕlōhîm will extend His unwavering devotion and fidelity.

complaint
5/4     My life exists among lions.
            I lay down among those who feast on human beings--
         their teeth a spear and arrows,
            their tongue a sharp sword.

refrain
6/5     Exalted above heaven, is ĕlōhîm.
            Your majesty is above the entire world.

complaint
7/6     They have set a trap for me.
            They set a snare for my life.
         The dig a pit in my path.
            It is they who fall into it.                                                                                selâ

determination to praise
8/7     My determination is firm, ʾĕlōhîm. My determination is firm.
            I most certainly will sing, and sing on.
9/8     My entire being will certainly be invigorated.
            Harp and lyre will certainly be set to vibrating.
               I will certainly so enliven the dawn.
10/9    I will praise You among the nations, my Lord.
            I sing of You among many peoples.

refrain
11/10   Because Your unwavering devotion is as expansive as the heavens
            and Your fidelity as high as the clouds.
12/11   ʾĕlōhîm is certainly exalted above the heavens.
            Your renown above all the world.

psalm 58

1           For the Music Director. ̕al-tašḥēt. A miktām belonging to Dāwid

question posed to world leaders
2/1        Do you rulers truly decree what is just?
               Do you govern your citizenry with equity?

the psalmist’s answer
3/2        From an inner rage, you act with injustice.
               The world over you facilitate violent power.
4/3        The wicked are alienated from conception.
               They are unmoored right from the start, spewing deception.
5/4        Their poison is like the poison of a snake.
               They are like a deaf cobra that refuses to hear.
6/5        They will not listen to the sound of snake charmers;
               will not hear the charm of even the gifted charmer.

execration of world leaders
7/6        ʾĕlōhîm! Knock the fangs out from their mouth.
               Shatter the jaws of lions, YHWH!
8/7        May they vanish away as flowing water.
               When he shoots his arrows, let them become flimsy.
9/8        May they be like a slug that oozes away as it crawls along.
               Like a woman’s miscarried fetus, let them not see the light of day.
10/9       May they be like a thornbush that, before it grows thorns
               and matures, a blazing heat blasts it.

benediction
11/10      The just will be glad when they see the wicked get their comeuppance.
               They will immerse their feet in the blood of the wicked.
12/11      Then one will conclude: “To be sure the just prevail.
               Truly there is a God who rules on earth.”

psalm 59 (edition: july 26, 2023)

1           For the Music Director. ̕al-tašḥēt. A miktām belonging to Dāwid. When Šāʾûl sent and they watched his house to kill him.

plea and complaint
2/1     Liberate me from my enemies, YHWH.
            Protect me from those who rise up against me.
3/2     Liberate me from those who practice aggression.
            Rescue me from violent individuals.
4/3     Just look how they ambush me;
            how the mighty oppose me,
               not for any disloyalty or crime on my part, YHWH!
5/4     Without cause for offense, they attack steadfastly.
            Wake up and look at what I am confronting!
6/5     But You, YHWH, ʾElōhîm Ṣebāʾôt, Yiśrāʾēl’s God,
            wake up to recompense every hostile alliance.
               Show no favor to any who plot aggression.                                                selâ

refrain
7/6     They reappear in the evening. They snarl like dogs.
            They roam the city.
8/7     They foam at the mouth,
            daggers between their lips.
               But who is paying attention?

imprecation
9/8     But You, YHWH, make sport of them.
            You scoff at all hostile alliances.
10/9    His strength! I wait for You,
            for YHWH is my unassailable stronghold.
11/10   My unwaveringly devoted God will shield me,
            ʾElōhîm putting the fear of me on my enemies.
12/11   You shouldn’t disappear them, lest my people be oblivious.
            Exercising your strength, you should turn them into rootless refugees,
               and lay them prostrate, our battle shield, our Lord.
13/12   Their offensive mouths, their lip’s utterances!
            They are captives of their own hubris.
               They proclaim cursedness and nihilism.
14/13   Bring an end to these. Bring an end, and let them be no more!
            By this they will understand that ʾElōhîm rules in Yaʿaqōb,
               and to earth’s ends.

refrain
15/14   They reappear in the evening. They snarl like dogs.
            They roam the city.
16/15   They wander about for food.
            When they remain unsatisfied, they wander all night.

praise
17/16   But as for me, I will sing of Your power.
            I will shout exultantly of Your unwavering devotion from the break of day,
         because You are my unassailable stronghold
            and my place of refuge whenever I am under duress.
18/17   My strength! I will sing praise to You,
            because ʾElōhîm is my unassailable stronghold,
               my unwaveringly devoted God.

psalm 60 (edition: august 2, 2023)

1      For the Director. ̕al-šûšan ʿēdût. A miktām belonging to Dāwid for instruction. 2When he fought ’Aram-nahᵃrayim and ’Aram-Ṣôbâ,
  and Yô’āb returned after he defeated ʾEdôm at rêʾ-melaḥ—consisting of 12 military companies.

complaint
3/1     ʾElōhîm, You have abandoned us, breached our lines.
            You’ve been enraged. Restore us!
4/2     You cause the land to tremble, split it open.
            Repair its fissures for it is roiling.
5/3     You have shown harshness to Your people.
            You have given them befuddling wine to drink.

plea
6/4     You have in the past provided those who reverence You a warning signal;
            hoisted a warning about archers
7/5     so that those beloved by You might be delivered.
            Oh, may Your power save and respond to me!

the divine response
8/6     ʾElōhîm proclaimed from His exclusive place:
            “I will certainly triumph. I will certainly take possession of Šekem.
               I will certainly make distribution of land in the plain of Sukkôṯ.
9/7     Gilʿād belongs to me. Menaššeh belongs to me.
            ʾEprayim is my principal stronghold,
               Yehûdâ, my ruler.
10/8    Môʾāb is where I wash.
            ʾEdôm is where I toss my shoes.
               Pelešet must hail me!”

the uncertain response
11/9    Who will take command against a fortified city?
            Who will lead us against ʾEdôm?
12/10   Isn’t it You, ʾElōhîm, that rejects us,
            and You, ʾElōhîm, who will not accompany our armies?
13/11   It is He who should provide support us against the enemy,
            since human help is worthless.
14/12   It’s through ʾElōhîm that we can act decisively,
            and He it is who can defeat our enemies.

psalm 61 (edition: august 4, 2023)

1        For the Music Director. ̕Belonging to Dāwid

plea
2/1     Hear, ʾElōhîm, my cry for help.
            Be attentive to my prayer.
3/2     From the edge of earth, I call out to You, being deeply disheartened.
            Guide me to a mountain high above me.
4/3     To be sure, You have been my refuge,
            a powerful defense against the enemy.
5/4     I wish to always find refuge in Your temple.
            May I find shelter under cover of Your wings.                                                 selâ

the plea is answered
6/5     Truly, it is You, ʾElōhîm, You who has listened to my solemn promises;
            who has made me heir to those who reverence You.
7/6     You have added time to the King’s life.
            His years are like one epoch after another.
8/7     He will sit enthroned before ʾElōhîm for a long time.
            Unwavering devotion and fidelity will lengthen his time.
9/8     Thus, I intend to always praise Your character
            so as to fulfill my solemn promises day after day.

psalm 62 (edition: august 23, 2023)

1        For the Director of Yeḏûṯûn. A hymn of Dāwid.

the sufficiency of god
2/1     My deepest security is found solely in ʾElōhîm.
            My safety comes from Him.
3/2     He is my only safe refuge;
            my only unassailable stronghold. I will not be greatly unsettled.

the depravity of human beings
4/3     Just how far will you go in attacking others?
            You are all murderers,
         as if others are a collapsing wall;
            a wall to be shoved down.
5/4     They only scheme to eradicate their worth.
            They cherish falsehood.
         Publicly, they offer praise,
            but privately, they are contemptuous.                                                               selâ

the sufficiency of god
6/5      It is through ʾElōhîm that I must find calm
            because my hope comes solely from Him.
7/6     He is my only safe refuge;
            my only unassailable stronghold. I will not be unsettled.
8/7     My hard-earned victory comes from ʾElōhîm.
            He is my strong mountain refuge.
               My shelter is in ʾElōhîm.
9/8     A nation must trust Him at all times.
            Pour out to Him all that you feel.
               ʾElōhîm is our shelter.                                                                                     selâ

the insufficiency of human beings
10/9    Human beings are simply worthless;
            humankind completely untrustworthy.
               On a weight scale, they are, combined, less than air.
11/10   Do not rely on exploitation.
            Do not crave wealth through plunder.
               Though it produces wealth, do not commit yourself to it.

the sufficiency of god
12/11   First, ʾElōhîm spoke.
            Second, I heard, this:
               “Power belongs to ʾElōhîm.”
13/12   You, Lord, possess constancy,
            in that you compensate individuals to match their action.

psalm 63

1        A Psalm belonging to David… When he was in the Yehûdah Wilderness.

the psalmist’s search for god
2/1    ’ĕlohîm, you are my God,
         I am always looking for you.
      The deepest part of me thirsts for you;
         the temporal part of me is in need of you,
      as a parched land
         wilting for lack of water.
3/2    Thus, I gaze upon you in the Holy Place,
         to witness your strength and honor.

the psalmist’s intent and expectation
4/3    Because your relationship with me is more important to me than life itself,
      I will boast of you.
5/4         Yes, I will bow the knee to you throughout my life.
            I will raise my hands to you.
6/5         Inasmuch as you fill my being with an abundance of the very best,
            I will extol you with an exultant shout.
7/6         Whenever I think of you upon my bed,
            I will meditate upon you throughout the night.
8/7         For you are a help to me.
            I am secure under your protection.
9/8         Every part of me clings to you;
            your right hand holds on to me.

the day of reckoning
10/9       As for those who seek my ruin,
            they shall enter the realm of the dead.
11/10    They will find themselves handed over to the sword-wielding hand
            to become food for a pack of wild, scavenging dogs
12/11    The king will rejoice in ’ĕlohîm.
            He will be exuberant who swears truthfully by him.
               But he will be silenced who utters falsehood.

psalm 64 (edition: august 31, 2023)

1        For the Director. A hymn belonging to Dāwid.

plea in the face of plotters
2/1     Hear, ʾElōhîm, the tone of my complaint,
            the consequence of my dread of the enemy. Watch over my life!
3/2     Protect me from the plotting of those who are malicious;
            from the conspiracy of those who practice aggression,
4/3     who sharpen their tongue as if it were a sword.
            They draw their arrows, hateful words,
5/4     intent on shooting the blameless from ambush.
            Suddenly they fire at him, without fear.
6/4     They are committed to the malicious affair.
            They secretly organize their traps.

investigation into plotters
         They think, “Who can detect them?
7/6Let them conduct a thorough investigation into wrongdoing!”

         “We have finished our investigation of the facts:
            inside, at the core, humans are unintelligible.” dangerous

results of the investigation
8/7     So, ʾElōhîm will fire His arrows at them.
            Unexpectedly, they are shot through.
9/8     Their own tongue will devour them.
            All who see them will flee from them.
10/9    And all humankind will be awestruck,
            declare ʾElōhîm’s deeds,
               and understand how he operates.
11/10   The devoted will rejoice in YHWH and take refuge in Him.
            All the sincerely upright will boast of Him.

psalm 65 (edition: september 13, 2023)

1        For the Director. A hymn belonging to Dāwid. A song.

god’s care for humans
2/1     A hush can serve as praise to You, God in Ṣîyôn,
            and can serve as a vow fulfilled to You.
3/2     Hearer of prayer,
            all humans come to You.
4/3     Our sinful deeds prevail over us.
            Our willful rebellion You cover over.
5/4     Happy are those You choose, whom You draw near,
            so they may abide in Your courts.
         We are fully satisfied with being in Your beautiful house,
            Your preeminent temple.
6/5     Triumphantly, You answer us in astonishing ways, our saving God,
            the source of security to the ends of the earth,
               and the farthest sea;
7/6     who founds mountain ranges through His power;
            who is armed with strength;
8/7     who calms the tumultuous seas,
            their turbulent waves,
               and their riotous peoples.
9/8     Those who live in distant places are awestruck at evidences of You.
            Morning and evening You produce rejoicing.

god’s care for nature
10/9    You care for the earth and give it abundance.
            You greatly enrich it,
         mighty streams full of water.
            You increase their grain, for in this manner you provide for it.
11/10 Saturating its furrows,
and penetrating its furrows,
You soften it with rain,
            and facilitate its spouting plants.
12/11   You bestow a year with Your beneficence.
            Your revolving years flow with abundance.
13/12   The grazing pastures flow with abundance,
            and the hills take up rejoicing.
14/13   Pastures are dressed up with flocks
            and plains are covered in grain.
               They are jubilant, even breaking out in song.

psalm 66 (edition: february 7, 2024)

1        A song for the director. A hymn.

call for worldwide praise of god
         The entire world should cheer ʾElōhîm;
2           sing to the fame of His character;
               offer forceful praise of Him;
3        say of ʾElōhîm, “How awesome are Your deeds!
            Because of Your tremendous strength, Your enemies cower before You.”
4        All the world should bow down to You and sing of You;
            All the world should sing of Your character.                                                    selâ

call to witness god’s awesomeness.
5        Come! Witness ʾElōhîm’s deeds--
            He whose actions toward humanity are awesome!
6        He transformed sea into dry ground.
            They crossed through the watercourse with dry feet,
               there, causing us to rejoice in Him.
7        He rules by his enduring power.
            He scrutinizes the nations.
               The rebellious cannot raise up against Him.                                                  selâ

call for israel to praise god
8        Praise, O people, our God,
            and proclaim His renown--
9        He who secures us with life,
            and does not allow our feet to slip.
10      You have certainly tested us, ʾElōhîm.
            You have refined us as one refines silver.
11      You have led us into a snare.
            You have placed hardship on our back.
12      You have allowed people to ride right over us.
            We have experienced fire and water,
               but you have led us to superabundance.

psalmist takes up call to worship god
13      I will enter your house with sacrifices.
            I will fulfill the promises I made to You,
14      which I uttered openly
            and spoke publicly when I was in distress.

15      I will offer up to You offerings of well-fed sheep
            along with the smell of rams.
               I will offer bulls and male goats.                                                                    selâ

psalmist takes up call to witnesses of god
16      Come. Give heed. And I will inform all who reverence ʾElōhîm
            what He has done for me.
17      I called to Him out loud,
            praise on my tongue.
18      Had I found malice in myself,
            My Lord would not have listened.
19      However, God did hear me.
            He was attentive to my vocal prayer.
20      Praise be to ʾElōhîm
            who did not ignore my plea
               or withdraw his unwavering devotion from me.

psalm 67

1           For the music director. Music and song.

the evangelizing of all nations
2/1        ’ĕlohîm! May you show us grace, and bless us!
               May you lighten us with your presence (selâ)
3/2         so that how you conduct yourself might be known throughout the earth;
               made known to all peoples, the victory you can bring.
4/3        That the nations might acknowledge you,
               all peoples yield to you;
5/4        that hosts of people might raise a shout of joy
               when you govern the nations justly,
                  when you supply direction to the peoples of the earth.                            (selâ)
6/5         That the nations might acknowledge you,
               every people yield to you.

the blessings of evangelizing
7/6        Earth will then yield its bounty.
               ’ĕlohîm, our God, will bless us.
8/7        ’ĕlohîm will bless us
               because every corner of the earth reveres him.

psalm 69 (edition: october 4, 2023)

1 For the director, ʽal-šôšannîm. Belonging to Dāwid

first plea and complaint
2/1 Rescue me, ʾĕlōhîm;
            for the water has risen up to my neck.
3/2 I sink into muddy depths,
            where it is impossible to stand.
         I have fallen into unfathomably deep waters
            in which surging waters sweep over me.
4/3 I am exhausted from screaming for help.
            My throat is raw,
         my eyesight fails
            while I wait for my God.
5/4 More numerous than the hairs on my head
            are those who hate me without justification.
               Powerful are they who would annihilate me.
         My enemies are liars--
            What I have not stolen, must I restore?

confession and plea
6/5 ʾĕlōhîm, You know my folly,
            and my guilt is not hidden from You.
7/6     Don’t allow those who wait for You, to be discouraged by my experience,
            my Lord, YHWH Ṣebāʾôt.
         Don’t allow those who long for You to experience humiliation on account of me,
            God of Yiśrāʾēl.

second complaint
8/7     For it is over You that I bear defamation;
that humiliation is spread across my countenance.
9/8     I am estranged from my siblings,
and am foreign to my mother’s children.
10/9    Yes, my fervor for Your house consumes me,
so that the same insults they hurl at You fall on me.
11/10   I lamented intensely during a fast,
and it became another criticism of me.
12/11   I adopted sackcloth as my garment,
but I became a parody to them.
13/12   Those who sit in the public square mull over me,
while I am a drinking song for those who drink booze.

second plea
14/13   As for me, my prayer is offered to You, YHWH,
            at an opportune moment.
         ʾĕlōhîm, respond to me with Your abounding and unwavering devotion;
            with your staunch assistance.
15/14   Deliver me out of the muck
            so that I don’t sink.
Let me be delivered from those who hate me,
and out of the unfathomably deep waters.
16/15 Don’t let the surging waters sweep over me,
or let the muddy depths engulf me,
or let the pit shut its mouth upon me.
17/16   Respond to me, YHWH, for Your unwavering devotion is indispensable.
            Attend to me as befits Your abundant compassion.
18/17   Don’t hide Yourself from Your servant,
for I am distressed. Hurry! Answer me!
19/18   Be present in my life! Reclaim me!
In light of my enemies, spare me!

third complaint
20/19   You certainly are fully aware of the shameful and humiliating defamation I face.
All my attackers are known to You.
21/20   The defamation has broken me and I am miserable.
I wait for someone to have pity, but no one does,
and for comforters, but I find none.
22/21   Rather, they have put poison in my food,
               and for my thirst, they have given me vinegar to drink.

imprecation
23/22   Let the meal before them become a ruse,
and let bait look wholesome to them.
24/23   Let their eyes become dim without sight
and cause their bowels to be constantly loose.
25/24   Pour Your angry condemnation out upon them,
and let Your burning anger overtake them.
26/25   Let their fortified encampments lie in ruins.
Let it be impossible for them to dwell in their tents.
27/26   Because, they hound whoever You, Yourself, wounded,
and add to the suffering of those You injured,
28/27   add this offense to their other offenses
and let them not experience Your exoneration.
29/28   Let them be erased from the record of those living,
and not recorded among the innocent.

the psalmist response to god’s help
30/29   I suffer denigration.
It is Your help, ʾĕlōhîm, that can lift me.
31/30   I fully intend to praise ʾĕlōhîm’s character in song,
and magnify Him with confessional praise.
32/31   Such is more pleasing to YHWH than young bull
or mature horned and hooved bull.

the response of the downtrodden to god’s help
33/32   May the downtrodden realize this and rejoice.
May those who make appeal to ʾĕlōhîm be invigorated,
34/33   for YHWH does pay heed to the destitute,
and has never been disdainful of the imprisoned.

the response of heaven and earth to god’s help
35/34   Heaven and earth praise Him;
the seas and all that moves in them
36/35   because ʾĕlōhîm will delivers Ṣîyôn,
and builds up Yehûdâ’s cities.
They will live there and remain in possess of it.
37/36      The descendants of His servants will inherit it,
and those who love Him will permanently reside in it.

psalm 70 (edition: july 30, 2024)

1        For the Director. Belonging to Dāwid. Serving as a reminder.

invocation and initial plea
2/1     ʾElōhîm! Come quickly to deliver me.
            YHWH! Come quickly to my assistance.

imprecation and blessing
3/2     May they be thwarted and disappointed
                    who seek my life
May they go into humiliating retreat
            who desire my harm.
4/3     May they withdraw on account of their setback
            who say, “Hurray! Hurray!”

5/4     May all be happy and rejoice because of You
            who seek You.
         May they always declare, “ʾElōhîm is magnanimous!”
            who are appreciative of Your help.

benediction and final plea
6/5     As for me, I am oppressed and destitute.
            ʾElōhîm! Come quickly to me.
         You are my help and my deliverer.
            YHWH! Do not delay.

psalm 71 (edition: june 17, 2022)

the psalmist’s plea
1        It is in you, YHWH, that I seek refuge.
            May I never be put to shame.
2        As befits you, rescue me and bring my escape.
            Bend your ear to me and deliver me.
3        Be, for me, a mountain retreat
            always available for entrance--
         you have so decreed my deliverance--
            for you are my mountain fortress.
4        O, My God, deliver me from the ungodly’s power;
            from the grasp of the ruthlessly unjust.

the psalmist’s basis for hope
5        For you are my hope, my Lord, YHWH;
            my confidence from my earliest days.
6        I have relied on you from birth;
            since you removed me from my mother’s womb.
               I will praise you always.
7        I am as a portent for many
            when you act as my strong refuge.
8        I overflow with praise of you;
            I overflow all day with boasting about you.

the present trial
9        Do no cast me away when I am old.
            When my strength is diminished, do not abandon me.
10      When my enemies speak out against me,
            and those scrutinizing me plot together,
11      asserting: “God has forsaken him.
            Pursue and seize him for he has no one to rescue him,”
12      ʾĕlōhîm, do not be distant with me.
            My God, be quick to help me.
13      May those who impugn me be disappointed and stymied.
            Cover those who seek my demise with reproach and contempt.

hopes for the future
14      As for me, I will always wait expectantly
            and add to all your praise.
15      I will innumerate your triumphs.
            All day long, I will recount your acts of deliverance
               though I can’t comprehend the measure of them.
16      I will press on with the strength of my Lord, YHWH.
            I will celebrate your and only your triumph.
17      ʾĕlōhîm, you have taught me from my earliest days,
            and right up to the present, I have heralded your preeminence.
18      And even when old and gray,
            ʾĕlōhîm, don’t leave me
         until I have borne witness to your strength;
            borne witness of your superiority to the rising generation.

god’s labors for the psalmist
19      Your achievements, ʾĕlōhîm, extend to the heavens,
            you who has done great things.
               Who is like you?
20      Though you have caused me to experience many grave afflictions,
            you bring me back to life,
               and out of the depths of Še’ôl you again raise me.
21      You increase my greatness.
            You surround and comfort me.

the psalmist’s commitment to praise
22      For this, I will praise you with string accompaniment;
            praise you for your trustworthiness, ʾĕlōhîm.
         I will sing of you with lyre,
            Yiśrāʾēl’s Incomparable One.
23      I will wax rapturous when I sing of you--
            my whole being that you have spared.
24      Finally, I will every moment reflect on your heroism
            because they have been disappointed and confounded
               who sought my demise.

psalm 72

1                  Belonging to Šelōmōh.

a plea for and the nature of good governance
            ’ĕlohîm, grant godly governance to the king;
               godlike justice to the king’s son.
2           May he adjudicate among your people rightly;
               with equity for the downtrodden.
3           The surrounding mountains can then signify the peace of the nation;
               the surrounding hills, the orderliness.
4           May he, then, administer justice to the nation’s vulnerable.
               May he come to the rescue of the destitute’s children
                  and crush those who would violently loot them.

domestic blessings accruing to the king from good governance
5           The king will then endure as the sun and moon
               for endless generations.
6           He will be like rain falling upon the fields;
               a soaking rain upon the ground.
7           In that day, those who act justly will flower,
               and peace will increase as long as the moon endures.

international blessings accruing to the king from good governance
8           He will exercise power from sea to sea,
               from river to the ends of the earth;
9           desert peoples will bow down to him,
               his enemies will eat dust;
10         kings of Taršîš and the sea coasts will pay him tribute;
               kings of Šebā’ and Sebā’ will offer tribute as well.
11         Indeed, every king will bow the knee to him,
               every nation be in service to him.

nature of good governance
12         Because he comes to the rescue of the destitute who are screaming for help,
               as well as the downtrodden and those who have no other source of succor;
13         because he shows compassion for the powerless and impoverished;
               brings deliverance into the life of the destitute;
14         because he defends them from violent exploitation;
               views their lives as invaluable;

personal blessings accruing to the king for good governance
15         He will live long,
               and have presented to him gold from Šebā’.
            Prayers will be offered continuously on his behalf;
               the entire nation praise him.
16         There will be an abundance of grain in the land;
               its kernels sway on the mountain ranges as on Lebānôn;
                  sprout outside cities as naturally as grass.
17         His fame will endure forever;
               his renown come up as often as the sun.
            Every nation will be blessed through him;
               esteem him a bearer of happiness.

concluding doxology
18         Praised be YHWH ’ĕlohîm, Yiśrā’ēl‘s God,
               who alone acts wondrously.
19         Extolled be his august character, forever;
               the whole earth filled with his grandeur.
                  ʾĀmēn and ʾāmēn.

20          The prayers of Dāwid, Yišay’s son, end here.

psalm 73 (edition: April 28, 2022)

1                  A song belonging to ʾĀsāp

invocation
            How good ’Ĕlohîm is to Yiśrā’ēl,
               to those of pure heart!

the psalmist’s past views and uncertainties
2           But I, for a time, lost my footing;
               lost my balance.
3           I felt envious of the corrup
               when I observed how well off the ungodly were.

the comfortable life of the wicked
4           Even in death, they experience no suffering,
               but die with stomachs full.
5           They do not experience the hardships of common people,
               nor are they struck as others are struck.
6           So, they adorn themselves with self-conceit;
               cloak themselves in a garment of cruelty.
7           Their eyes bulge out on account of their corpulence;
               their physique goes beyond imagination.

the corruption of the wicked
8           They are disdainful and promote wanton oppression.
               Their rhetoric is ever so soaring.
9           They claim divine license;
               their assertions are found the world over.
10         This is why peoples keep turning to them;
               why, as overflowing water, they flow to them.
11         They think, “How will God know?
               ʿElyôn be aware?”
12         In summary: these are the ungodly;
               ever secure, always increasing in wealth.

the psalmist’s past views and uncertainties revisited
13         What a waste, my efforts to keep myself innocent,
               washing my hands in purification rites;
14         while I was battered every single day,
               battered every morning by my internal debate!
15         If I had concluded, “I’ll just reckon these things to be as they seem,”
               I would have become unreliable to an entire generation of your children!
16         As I continued to think on this, hoping to understand,
               it became a burden to me.

the psalmist’s new-found convictions
17         Until, that is, I entered the holy place of God,
               there to discern what awaits the ungodly.
18         Contrary to what I had thought, you subject them to delusions.
               You let them fall prey to lies.
19         How suddenly they become objects of horror;
               come to a complete end through multiple catastrophes!
20         They are as a dream from which one awakens.
               My Lord, upon waking up, the shadowy memory of them is loathsome.

21         My mind then became disillusioned.
               Inside, I felt humiliation.
22         I, myself, had been stupid and knew nothing.
               Beastly was I before you.

23         Still, I am always with you.
               You keep hold of me by your own power.
24         You direct me with your guidance,
               then, receive me gloriously.
25         Who do I have in heaven, but you?
               I have no earthly desires.
26         Though exhausted, mind and body,
               my heart distressed,
                  ’ĕlohîm will always be my future.

benediction
27         So it is that those who distance themselves from you perish.
               You make an end to those who play the harlot in departing from you.
28         But for me, having God near, that is what is precious to me.
               I choose my Lord, YHWH, as the place I’ll go for shelter,
                  there, to tally all your achievements.

psalm 82

1           A hymn belonging to ʾāsāp.

sitting of the judge
          ’ĕlohîm takes his established place in the divine assembly.
               Even among ‘the gods,’ he rules.

trial and verdict
2           How long will you go on governing perversely,
               continuing to support the interests of the powerful?
3           You ought to govern for the powerless and orphaned.
               You ought to sustain those living under the humiliation of want.
4           You should free the disenfranchised and impoverished;
               deliver them from the power of the anti-social--
5           they who have no knowledge and possess no discernment;
               they who operate in the dark;
                  until all upon which the earth is built totters.

sentence and execration
6           I, even I pronounce, “Though you are ‘gods,’
               all of you, ‘sons of the most high god,’
7           it is certain, you will die the common death of man.
               As any other ruler, you will fall.

assent
8           Rise up, ’ĕlohîm. Govern the world.
               Do, truly, take possession of every nation!

psalm 88 (edition: october 30, 2023)

1        A song. Hymn belonging to the sons of Qōraḥ. For the director. ʿal maḥălaṯ leʿannôt. A maśḵîl belonging to Hêmân, the ’ezrâḥî.

the psalmist’s opening plea
2/1     YHWH is the God who helps me.
            During the day, I call out to You. At night I appear before You.
3/2     Give entrance to my prayer.
            Lend a listening ear to my outburst
4/3     because I am exhausted by cataclysm,
            as my life nears Šeʾôl.

complaint: the fear and threat of šeʾôl
5/4     I am thought of with those who descend into the Pit.
            I am as one without strength,
6/5     let go to be among the dead like those fatally wounded;
            among those sleeping in the grave
         to whom you do not give thought
            and who are cut off from Your power.

7/6     You have put me in the lowest of pits,
            in the very darkest and deepest.
8/7     Your wrath comes down hard on me,
            and You pound me down with all Your crashing waves.                                  selâ

9/8     You have taken from me those who know me.
            You have made me abhorrent to them.
               I am imprisoned and cannot escape.
10/9    My condition deteriorates because of my misery.
            I call out to You all day, YHWH.
               I stretch out my hands to You.

11/10   Can You perform any beneficial divine act for the dead?
               or can the departed rise up and praise You?                                                   selâ
12/11   Can Your unwavering devotion be recounted in the grave?
               Or Your fidelity in the underworld?
13/12   Can Your beneficial divine acts be known in its darkness?
            Or Your achievements in the land of forgetfulness?

complaint: yahweh contributes to the psalmist’s suffering
14/13   But I have repeatedly shouted out to You, YHWH
            My petition greets You first thing in the morning.

15/14   Why, YHWH, do You spurn me?
            Why do you hide Yourself from me?
16/15   I have been distressed and ready to die from a young age.
            I have carried a dread of You.
               I am in despair.
17/16   Your intense anger has overwhelmed me.
            Your intimidation has undone me.
18/17   They besiege me all the time.
            They utterly encircle me.
19/18 You have removed love and friendship far from me.
            My acquaintances exist in a dark place.

psalm 89 (edition: november 29, 2023)

1        A maśḵîl belonging to ʾêtān, the ’ezrâḥî.

a questionable assumption?
2/1     I intend to always sing of YHWH’s unwavering devotion,
            and to publicly reveal Your fidelity continuously.
3/2     Surely, I assumed that Your unwavering devotion would always exist;
            that You would firmly establish the heavens and Your fidelity in them.

yahweh’s assurance
4/3     I made a covenant with My chosen one.
            I swore an oath to my servant, Dāwid.
5/4     “I will always firmly establish your descendants,
            and continuously support your throne.”                                                            selâ

confession about the incomparable god
6/5     The universe professes the wonder You are, YHWH,
            as well as Your fidelity in the assembly of the peerless.
7/6     For who in heaven can be compared to YHWH?
            Who is like YHWH among the gods?
8/7 ʾĒl inspires tremendous awe in the council of the peerless.
            Awestruck are all who are in his orb.
9/8 Yahweh, ʾElōhîm Ṣebāʾôt, who is as mighty as You,
            Yah, with Your enveloping fidelity?

10/9    It is You who exerts control over the ocean’s swells.
            When their waves rise up, it is You who calms them.
11/10   It was You who subjugated the mortally wounded Rahab.
            With Your muscular arm, You scattered Your enemies.
12/11   The heavens as well the earth are Yours.
            You founded the world and its abundance.
13/12   It was You who created north and south.
            Tābôr and Ḥermôn rejoice loudly in Your character.
14/13   You possess incomparably powerful biceps.
            Your forearm is strong, Your dominant hand active.
15/14   Rectitude and justice are the foundation of Your throne.
            Unwavering devotion and fidelity are present with You.

the blessedness Yahweh extends to yiśrāʾēl
16/15   Fortunate are the people who are familiar with the cultic shout.
            YHWH, they live in the light of Your presence.

17/16   They will at all times experience joy because of Your disposition,
            and because of Your just intervention, they will be encouraged.
18/17   Truly, credit for their strength is Yours,
            and through Your goodwill, You increase our power.
19/18   Truly our protection belongs to YHWH,
            and to Yiśrāʾēl’s Peerless One, our King.

the promises yahweh made to dāwid
20/19   Then, through vision, You explained to Your devotees,
            and said, “I have given help to a hero.
               I have exalted a chosen one from among the people.
21/20   I have identified as My servant, Dāwid.
With My inimitable oil, I have anointed him,
22/21   whom My power will secure
as well My might strengthen.
23/22   No enemy will dominate him,
nor any with ill will oppress him.
24/23   I will crush his opponents,
and defeat those who hate him,
25/24   but My fidelity and unwavering devotion will accompany him,
and through Me, his power will be great.
26/25   I will establish his power over in the sea;
His dominance over rivers.

27/26   He will say of Me, “You are my Father,
my God, and my safe shelter.”
28/27   Even more, I will make him My heir,
loftiest of Earth’s rulers.
29/28   Always will I and My unwavering devotion provide him protection,
and My promise to him be reliable.

the promises yahweh made to dāwid’s heirs
30/29   I will always establish his descendants,
and make his throne as durable as the universe.
31/30   If his heirs should forsake My Tôrâ,
and not exercise the My sort of just governance;
32/31   if they should break My statutes,
and not observe My what I require,
33/32 I will punish their rebelliousness with a rod,
and their perversion with a beating.
34/33   But I will not annul My unwavering devotion to him,
or break from My fidelity.
35/34   I will not break My covenant,
or alter My public pronouncement.
36/35   Once and for all I swore as only I can
I will not be less than candid with Dāwid.
37/36   His descendants will always exist.
His throne will be before Me as is the sun;
38/37   as the moon always endures--
a trustworthy witness in the clouds.                                                                  selâ

complaint about yahweh’s apparent breach of promise
39/38   But You have rejected and disdained;
You have abandoned Your Māšîaḥ.
40/39   You have voided the covenant with Your servant.
You have desecrated his crown.
41/40   You have torn down all his walls.
You have turned his fortifications into ruins.
42/41   All who pass his way plunder him.
He is a disgrace to his neighboring countries.
43/42   You have increased the power of his adversaries.
You have brought joy to his enemies.
44/43   You have even turned the blade of his own sword back on him,
and not supported him in battle.
45/44   You have terminated his splendor,
and flung his throne to the ground.
46/45   You have shortened the time of his youthful vigor.
You have enveloped him in disillusionment.                                                   selâ

plea for yahweh’s attention
47/46   How long, YHWH? Will You hide Yourself perpetually?
Will Your rage burn like a fire?
48/47   Call to mind how fleeting I am;
how helpless You created all human beings--
49/48   Who lives, but does not experience death?
Who delivers himself from Šeʾôl?
50/49   Where are Your former acts of unwavering devotion, My Lord,
That You swore to Dāwid in Your fidelity?
51/50   Call to mind, My Lord, the disgrace of those who serve You,
            of this entire great nation, I bear in my bosom;
52/51   how Your enemies, YHWH, have heaped insult,
            heaped insult at the feet of Your Māšîaḥ.

benediction
53/52   YHWH is always to be praised.
            ʾĀmēn and ʾāmēn!

psalm 90 (edition: august 6, 2024)

1     A prayer belonging to Mōšeh, the man of God.

the timeless nature of god and transitory nature of humans
         My Lord, You have been our shelter
            time and time again.
2        Before mountains existed
            or You brought forth the entire world :
               long before that You were God.

3        You return humanity to dust,
            and say, “Return, mortals.”
4        (Truly from Your perspective a thousand years
            is as a passing day,
               as a single night watch.)
5        You sweep them away; they fall asleep.
            at dawn they are as sprouting grass.
6       Early on, it might emerge and sprout up,
            but by evening, it is withered and shriveled.

7        Truly, we waste away because of Your anger,
            And we are alarmed by Your wrath.
8        You have exposed our transgressions to Your view,
            You have brought things we have hidden into the light right in front of You.
9        So that our entire lives unfold in Your anger.
            We fill our years with mourning.
10      The length of our lives is seventy years.
            And if by some power they be eighty years,
         they are overwhelmed with toil and sorrow.
            Truly life passes swiftly and we fly off.
11      Who is it that understands the power of Your anger?
            Your fury produces dread of You.
12      Teach us to measure our lives correctly
            that we come to a knowing mind.

benediction and plea for reversal
13      Come back, YHWH! How long will it be?
            Have sympathy for Your servants.
14      Completely fill us first thing in the morning with Your unwavering devotion
            that we might shout for joy and rejoice all our lives.
15      Grant us joy equal to the affliction You brought us,
            equal to the calamity we experienced.

16      May Your servants witness You actively at work,
            and their children witness Your magnificence.
17      And let the benevolent side of my Lord, our God, be upon us.
            Give success to our labors.
               Yes, give success to our labors!

psalm 91 (edition: august 6, 2024)

invocation and testimonial
1        One who remains in ʿElyôn’s shelter
            and in Šaḏday’s shadow will find rest.
2        I will say this about YHWH, “He is my refuge and hiding place;
            my God, in whom I find safety.”

promise
3        He will certainly deliver you from the trapper’s snare
            and ruinous plague.
4        He will protect you with His pinions,
            and under His wings you will find shelter.
               His fidelity is an encircling full body shield.
5        You need not fear any terror of nighttime.
            the arrow that flies during the day,
6        the plague that occupies the darkest gloom,
            or the plague that devastates at the sun’s zenith.
7        A thousand might fall at your side,
            ten thousand on your right,
               but it will not come near you.
8        Only with your eyes will you see
            and witness the punishment of the malevolently immoral.
9        Because you have taken YHWH as your shelter;
            set ʿElyôn as your refuge,
10      no harm will come to you
            and plague will not enter your dwelling.
11      Truly, He will assign His angels to you
            to watch over all your activities.
12      They will lift you in their hands
            that you do not bash your foot against a rock.
13      You will stomp all over lion and cobra.
            You will trample on lion and serpent.

benediction
14      Because he clings to Me, I will deliver him.
            I will exalt him because he acknowledges My renown.
15      When he calls out to Me, I will answer him.
            I will be with him in distress.
               I will deliver him and honor him.
16      I will satisfy him with a long life,
            and let him experience My protection.

psalm 92 (edition: august 15, 2024)

1        A hymn. Song for the sabbath.

praise of yahweh and its justification
2/1     It is good to offer praise to YHWH;
            to sing of Your character, ʿElyôn;
3/2     to boldly declare at the beginning of the day Your unwavering devotion,
            and at the end of the day Your fidelity
4/3     upon a ten-stringed instrument, and upon harp
            and the melodious lyre.

opposite reactions to yahweh
5/4     You have certainly gladdened me through Your deeds.
            I will rejoice aloud in what Your power accomplishes.
6/5     How excellent are Your deeds, YHWH!
            How very profound are Your aims!
7/6     An ignorant person does not understand,
            or a stupid person perceive any of this.

opposite ends
8/7     Though the malevolently immoral sprout up like grass,
            and all who act abusively blossom,
         they are, in the end, always destroyed
9/8        while You are always exalted, YHWH.
10/9    Indeed, just look how Your enemies,
            yes, just look how Your enemies are destroyed;
               how all who act abusively are routed.
11/10   Indeed, just look how You have increased my power to be like that of a wild bull.
            I am anointed with fresh oil.
12/11   I gaze upon and understand those who rise against me
            I am aware of those who attack me.

the ends of the just
13/12   The just will burst out as a date palm
and grow as great as a Lebanese cedar.
14/13   Planted in YHWH’s temple,
they will burst out in our God’s courts.
15/14   They will continue to bear fruit when old.
They will continue to enlarge and grow--
16/15   proving that YHWH is reliable,
my rock, with no perverseness in Him.

psalm 93 (edition: september 4, 2024)

1        YHWH rules, enwrapped with majesty.
            YHWH is enwrapped with power. He is armed.
         So, the world is fixed
            and is not moved.
2        Your throne was previously fixed.
            You are eternal.

3        Torrents have raised up, YHWH.
            Torrents have raised their roiling rumble.
               Torrents still do raise their pounding waves.
4        Above the roiling rumble of great waters;
            above the sea’s impressive breaking waves
               YHWH is impressive on high.

5        Your sworn truths are fully trustworthy.
            Preeminence belongs to Your temple,
               YHWH, to the end of time.

psalm 94

invocation: the psalmist appeals to yahweh for vengeance
1             Avenging God, YHWH,
            avenging God, reveal yourself.
2        Rise up, Ruler of the world;
            cause to rebound on those of rank what they deserve.
3        How long will the ungodly, YHWH;
            how long will the ungodly dominate?

the psalmist’s targets of vengeance
4        They exude, talk of, success.
            All who act oppressively promote themselves.
5        Your people, YHWH, they crush.
            They oppress those you granted inheritance.
6        They kill widows and refugees.
            And they murder orphans.

the oppressor’s stupidity and the yahweh’s corrective instruction
7        But they assert, “YH takes no notice;
            Yaʿaqōb’s God pays no attention.”
8        Pay heed, you stupidest of people.
            You dullards, when will you come to understanding?
9        The One who positioned the ear, will he really not listen?
            Or the One who fashioned the eye, will he really not look?
10      Should not he who instructs nations offer correction?
            Should not he teach humankind knowledge?
11      Yahweh knows the thoughts of humankind;
            that they amount to nothing.

the good news of yahweh’s instruction
12      Happy is the one, whom YH instructs
            and teaches out of his Tôrâ
13      to keep him unperturbed during evil times
            until a pit has been dug for the wicked.
14      For YHWH is not about to forsake his people
            or abandon those to whom he grants inheritance.
15      But governance will once more be just
            and all the upright will welcome it.

yahweh’s indispensable fidelity
16      Who can stand with me against malicious people?
            Who will take a stand with me against those who practice oppression?
17      If YHWH had not lent me support
            very quickly, my life would have been ended.
18      When I thought ‘I am about to die,’
            your fidelity, YHWH, came to my aid.
19      In my myriad inner worries,
            your assurances quieted my passions.

return to the targets of vengence
20      Can governance based on covetousness be allied with you;
            one that creates hardship through legislation?
21      They band together against the life of the innocent,
            and pronounce, “guilty,” the innocent.

benediction: the psalmist is assured that the requested vengeance will be granted
22      But YHWH is my unassailable refuge.
            My God is my high mountain retreat.
23      For he will send the same calamity upon them that they sent upon others,
            and bring an end to them with the same evil they perpetrated on others;
               Yahweh, our God, will certainly bring an end to them.

psalm 95 (edition: august 16, 2024)

first call to worship
1        Come! Let’s raise a shout to YHWH.
            Let’s raise a cheer for the Mount where we find deliverance.
2        Let’s appear before Him with adoration.
            Let’s raise a cheer for Him through psalms,
3        because YHWH is a magnificent God,
            and a King great above all gods.
4        One who possesses the world’s depths
            as well as its mountain tops.
5        One who possesses the sea, which he made,
            and dry ground, that His power formed.

second call to worship
6        Enter! Let’s worship and bow the knee;
            Let’s kneel before YHWH, who made us.
7        Truly, He is our God,
            and we the people He pastures,
         and the sheep He directs,
            right now, if you give heed to His voice.
8        Don’t harden your heart, as at Merîbâ;
            as that day at Massâ in the desert,
9        when your ancestors gave Me a test,
            put Me on trial though they had already witnessed My activity.
10      For forty years I was disgusted with that generation,
            and felt that they were a people who deeply erred,
               and would not acknowledge My principles--
11      about whom I swore in My anger,
            “They will not enter into My rest.”

psalm 96 (edition: august 30, 2024)

first call to worship
1        Sing a new song about YHWH.
            The entire world should sing of YHWH.
2        Sing of YHWH, and praise His character.
            From one day to the next, share the good news about the triumph He brings.
3        Proclaim His renown among the nations;
            His matchless wonders among all peoples.

reasons to worship
4        Surely, YHWH is magnificent, and tremendously praised.
            He is reverenced above all gods,
5        because all the nations’ gods are puny,
            while YHWH made the heavens.
6        Splendor and dignity are before Him.
            Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

second call to worship
7        The families of nations should ascribe to YHWH;
            ascribe to YHWH immense strength;
8        ascribe to YHWH the grandeur of His character;
            bear a gift, and enter His courts;
9        worship YHWH in the dignity glow of devotion.
            The entire world should thrill before Him.
10      Announce among the nations, “YHWH reigns.
            to the extent that the world remains steady, does not totter;
               He judges nations rightly.”
11      Heaven should rejoice, earth be jubilant,
            and the sea with all that fills be thunderous.
12      Land, with all that is in it, should exult.
            Then can all woodland trees wax rapturous 13before YHWH.

coda
         Surely He comes. Comes to govern the earth.
            He will govern the world justly,
               and nations equitably.

psalm 97 (edition: september 6, 2024)

initial call to praise
1        YHWH reigns! The earth should exalt.
            The many distant lands should rejoice.

theophany
2        Heavy clouds envelope Him.
            Rectitude and justice are the foundation of His governance.
3        Fire goes before Him
            and entirely consumes His enemies.
4        His lightnings lighten up the world.
            The earth sees it and convulses.
5        Mountains flow like wax because of YHWH’s presence;
            because of the presence of the Lord of the entire world.
6        The heavens proclaim His rectitude,
            And all nations witness His renown.

what the theophany reveals
7        All who serve idols will be disappointed.
            Disappointed are those who look to elevate themselves through useless gods.
               All gods bow down to Him.
8        Ṣîyôn has heard and rejoiced.
            Yehûdâ’s children find joy,
               because of Your sovereign decisions, YHWH.
9        Because You, YHWH, are high above the entire world
            You are exalted greatly above all gods.

what the theophany produces
10      Those who love YHWH must hate what is hurtful.
            He who watches over the life of those devoted to Him,
               delivers them from the power of the malevolently immoral.
11      Light is disseminated to the just,
            and joy to the genuinely upright.

final call to praise
12      The just should rejoice in YHWH,
            and offer praise at the memory of His preeminence.

psalm 98 (edition: september 9, 2024)

A hymn

initial call to praise
1        Sing a new song about YHWH
            since He has done wondrous things:
               His dominance and unmatched power have earned Him victory.
2        YHWH has revealed His triumph.
            He has laid bare His victory to the view of nations.
3        He has kept His unwavering devotion and His fidelity
            toward the nation of Yiśrāʾēl.
               The furthest reaches of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

second call to praise
4        All the world should cheer YHWH.
            They should break out, loudly rejoice, and sing.
5        Sing of YHWH with lyre accompaniment,
            with lyre, and with the sound of song.
6        With trumpets and the sound of the horn,
            cheer before the King, YHWH.

final call to praise
7        The sea and all that fills it should be thunderous;
            the world and all who inhabit it.
8        Water streams should slap their banks,
            mountains should unitedly rejoice aloud
9        before YHWH because he arrives to govern the earth.
            He will govern the world with rectitude,
               and the people with equity.

psalm 99 (edition: september 11, 2024)

the call to worship in light of the present moment
1        YHWH reigns! Nations are awestruck.
            He it is who sits among Kerûbîm.
               The earth trembles.
2        YHWH is illustrious in Ṣîyôn,
            and it is He who is exalted above all peoples.

3        They should praise Your tremendous and awe-inspiring character,
            for it is unparalleled.
4        The King’s strength is the justice He loves.
            You inaugurate equity.
               You carry out proper governance in Yaʿaqōb.
5        Exalt YHWH, our God,
            and bow down at His footstool
               since he is preeminent.

the call to worship in light of the past
6        Mōšeh and ’Ahărōn, with their priests,
            and Šemû’êl, with those who proclaimed His character,
               these called out of YHWH and He answered them.
7        He spoke to them from a columned cloud mass.
            They observed His sworn truths and standards.
8        YHWH, our God, You responded them.
            You were a God who lifted them,
               and punished their misdeeds.

benediction
9        Exalt YHWH, our God
            And worship Him at His temple preeminent,
               Because YHWH, our God is preeminent.

psalm 101

1           A hymn belonging to Dāwid

the king’s personal commitment to just governance
            Permit me to laud fidelity and good governance.
               Let me, YHWH, sing what is music to your ears.
2           I intend to devote myself to sound policy.
               So, when will you come to me?
            I will act out of pure motivations
               toward those under my governance.
3           I will never allow harmful counsel
               to have a settled place in my administration.
            I will refuse to act out of deception.
               Such conduct will never be associated with me.
4           Perverse desires will be absent from me.
               I will countenance no harmful thing.

the king’s commitment to a just administration
5           He who covertly slanders his fellow citizen,
             I will totally silence.
          The arrogant and over-confident,
             I will never empower.
6           I will keep an eye out for honest citizens;
               they it is who will govern with me.
            He who acts honestly;
               he it is who will serve with me.
7           They will not remain in my administration,
               who act deceitfully.
            One who counsels deceptions
               will never be allowed a place in my administration.

the king’s ultimate intent
8           As a first act, I will begin to put an end to all unjust citizens;
               eradicate from YHWH’s city
                  all who exercise power wrongfully.

psalm 103

1           Belonging to Dāwid

invocation
            My entire existence should be in praise of YHWH,
               and every part of me should praise His unmatched character.
2           My entire existence should be in praise of YHWH,
               and you should never forget a single one of His kindnesses.

what yahweh does
3           He is the One who pardons all your guilt.
               He is the One who heals all your infirmities.
4                  He is the One who delivers you from Hell’s pit.
               He is the One who surrounds you with fidelity and compassion;
5           He is the One who fulfills your desires for good.
               Your youthfulness is restored as a soaring eagle.

transition
6           YHWH is the One who does what is right
               and delivers justice for those who suffer wrong.

who yahweh is
7           He revealed his ways to Mōšeh.
               He caused the people of Yiśrāʾēl to understand how He conducts Himself.
8           Devoted and generous is YHWH;
               slow to become angry and abounding in fidelity.
9           He is not always condemning.
               He is not always annoyed.
10         He does not relate to us as our sins deserve
               or deal with us as our iniquities might suggest.
11         But as high as the heavens are above the earth,
               so overarching is his devotion toward those who revere him.
12         As distant as east is from west
               so far does he remove our offenses from us.
13         As a father feels tenderness for his children,
               YHWH feels tenderness for those who revere him.

what yahweh knows
14         For he understands our constitution.
               He calls to mind that we are dirt.

15         Humans: their lives are as wild grass--
               they bloom as a wildflower,
16         but wind blows on it and it is no more;
               the ground holds no more remembrance of it.

what yahweh is, does, and knows is everlasting and boundless
17         YHWH’s fidelity exists from the distant past to the distant future toward those who worship him.
               And his loyalty extends to generation after generation
18         of those who keep his covenant
               and remember to observe his precepts.
19         YHWH has secured his throne in the heavens
               and his royal power rules over all

benediction/doxology
20         Praise YHWH, you, his emissaries, strong and powerful,
               who pass on his word upon hearing his uttered word.
21         Praise YHWH, all you, his hosts
               who serve him by passing on his goodwill.
22         Praise YHWH, all you, his creation, in every part of his domain.
               My entire existence should be in praise of YHWH.

psalm 105 (edition: june 12, 2024)

yahweh’s character and deeds
1        Offer praise of YHWH. Proclaim His character.
            Make His deeds known among the people.
2        Sing of Him. Create music about Him.
            Offer meditations on all His unparalleled deeds.
3        Boast of His preeminent character.
            Inquirers of YHWH should passionately rejoice.
4        Resort to YHWH and His assistance.
            Seek His presence always.
5        Call to mind His unparalleled deeds that He has accomplished,
            His marvels and His revealed wisdom;
6        you who are ʾAbrāhām’s offspring,
            Yaʿaqōb’s descendants, His chosen ones.
7        He is YHWH, our God.
            His understanding extends over the entire world.

a people promised and protected
8        He has always remembered His covenant;
            remembered the promise he decreed for a thousand generations--
9        the covenant He made with ʾAbrāhām,
            and the oath He swore to Yiśḥâq,
10      and confirmed as a precedent to Yaʿaqōb,
            and to Yiśrāʾēl as a perpetual covenant--
11      promising, “I give the land of Kenaʿan to you,
            a region for your inheritance.”
12      When they were few in number,
            when they were few and lived as refugees,
13      they moved from nation to nation,
            from one kingdom to another.
14      He did not leave secure anyone oppressing them,
            but contended with kings over them,
15      warning, “Do not oppress My anointed ones,
            or do harm to My prophets.

the promise and protection of joseph
16      He announced a famine on the land.
            He depleted every food source.
17      He sent a man ahead of them,
            sold as a slave, Yôsēp--
18      his feet confined by shackles
            his neck in iron--
19      until the fulfillment of His promise,
            until YHWH’s promise had put him to the test.
20      The king sent and freed him;
            the people’s ruler released him.
21      He appointed him master of his domain,
            and ruler of all that he possessed,
22      to organize his officials according to his will.
            and direct his advisors.

the promise and protection of moses
23      Yiśrāʾēl entered Miṣrayim,
            and Yaʿaqōb took up residence in Ḥām’s territory.
24      God greatly multiplied His people,
            and made them more numerous than their oppressors.
25      They changed their feelings toward His people to hatred,
            to plot against His servants.
26      God sent Mōšeh, His servant;
            ʾAhărōn whom He had chosen.
27      They presented His portentous words
            and wonders in Ḥām’s territory.
28      He sent darkness, and it became dark,
            but they resisted His warnings.
29      He changed their water to blood
            thus killing their fish.
30      Their land swarmed with frogs,
            even in their kings’ bedrooms.
31      He spoke, and swarms of flies appeared;
            swarms of gnats throughout their territory.
32      He sent as their rain, hail,
            and lightening shafts over their land.
33      He struck vine and fig tree,
            and shattered the region’s trees.
34      He spoke, and a swarm of locusts appeared--
            locusts without number--
35      and devoured everything green in their land,
            and consumed all their land’s crops.
36      He slayed all the country’s firstborn,
            where all their power began.
37      He led them out with silver and gold,
            and there were no infirm among their tribes.
38      Miṣrayim rejoiced when they left,
            because a dread of them had fallen upon them.

the promise and protection of the wilderness wanderings
39      He spread out a cloud as a covering,
            as well as a fire to lightened the night.
40      The people asked, and He brought quail,
            and He sated them with food from heaven.
41      He opened a rock face, and water flowed out.
            Water ran in a dried river bed.
42      He did indeed remember His unparalleled promise
            to ʾAbrāhām, His servant.
43      He lead His people with rejoicing;
            His chosen ones with joyous shouts.
44      He gave them other nation’s land,
            and they took possession of other’s people’s labors,
45      with the expectation that they would observe His norms,
            and observe His teachings.

         Hallûyāh

psalm 106 (edition: july 15, 2024)

doxology
1        Hallûyāh
            Praise YHWH! This is proper
               since His unwavering devotion is constant.
2        Who can describe YHWH’s preeminence?
            Who can proclaim His utter praiseworthiness?

opening petition
3        Lauded are those who do what is just;
who do what is right at all times.
4        Think of me, YHWH, in association with the pleasure You have for Your people.
            Grant me Your deliverance
5        that I experience the benefits of Your chosen ones;
            that I rejoice with the joy of Your people;
               that I count myself honored as one of Your possessions.

confessional
6        We have behaved offensively, right along with our ancestors.
            We have acted perversely. We have acted malevolently immoral.
7        While in Miṣrayim, our ancestors could not comprehend Your wonders,
            nor did they call to mind Your tremendous unwavering devotion.
               Rather, they acted rebelliously at the sea, at Yam-sûp.
8        Still, He delivered them because of His character,
            to reveal His preeminence.
9        He rebuked Yam-sûp, it became dry,
            And he led them through the watery depths as if through arid lands.
10      He delivered them from their foe’s power,
            And redeemed the from their enemy’s power.
11      Water covered their adversaries.
            Not one of them remained.
12      Then they believed his promises,
            And sang His praises.

13      They quickly disregarded His accomplishments.
            They did not adhere to his advice.
14      They were full of lust and longing in the wilderness,
            and put God to the test in the desert.
15      And he granted them their request
            and gave them over to their inner leanness.

16      They were jealous of Mōšeh in the encampment,
            as well as ̕̕Ahrōn, YHWH’s devotee.
17      Earth open up and swallowed Dātān,
            buried those in league with ʾAbîrām,
18      and a fire burned among their faction;
            a flame consumed the malevolently immoral.

19      They made a calf at Ḥōreḇ,
            and bowed down to a cast image.
20      They traded their Honored One
            for the image of a cow that grazes on grass.
21      They disregarded ʾĒl, who delivered them,
            who performed magnificent deeds in Miṣrayim;
22      supernatural things in Ḥām’s land;
            awesome things at Yam-sûp.
23      Then He said that He would destroy them.
            Except Mōšeh, His chosen, stood before Him against the outburst
               to turn back His destructive rage.

24      They snubbed the desirable land.
            They did not believe His promise.
25      They complained in their tents,
            and did not listen to YHWH.
26      He used His power against them
            to lay them waste in the wilderness,
27      to lay waste their descendants among the nations,
            and to scatter them throughout the earth.

28      They became devoted to Pe‘ôr’s fertility god,
            and consumed offerings made to the dead.
29      They provoked with their misdeeds,
            and plague broke out among them.
30      Pînᵉḥās stood up and intervened,
            so the plague was checked,
31      and he was reckoned pious
            by generation after generation to perpetuity.

32      They angered Him at the waters of Merîbâ,
            and Mōšeh acted badly because of them
33      when they brought him inner disillusionment,
            and he spoke publicly without thinking.

34      They did not exterminate the nations
            as YHWH had told them to do,
35      but integrated among the peoples,
            adopted their traditions,
36      and became slaves to their idols
            that entrapped them.
37      They slaughtered their own sons
            and daughters to demonic power,
38      and pour innocent blood,
            their sons’ and daughters’ blood
         whom they slaughtered to Kenaʿan’s idols.
            and the land was polluted with the flow of blood.
39      So through their traditions they were polluted
            and fornicated through their deeds.

yahweh’s response to israel’s constant rebellion
40      YHWH burned with anger against His people,
            and abhorred His inheritance.
41      He put them under the power of other nations,
            so that those who hated them dominated them.
42      Their enemies oppressed them,
            and they were subjugated under their power.
43      There were many instances when he delivered them,
            but they willfully rebelled
               and were brought low because of their guilt.
44      Then He acknowledged their distress
            when he heard them crying out,
45      called to mind His covenant with them
            felt sorry for them, true to his abundant unwavering devotion,
46      and granted them compassion
            before all their captors.

final plea and doxology
47      Deliver us, YHWH, our God,
            and gather us from the nations
         to bring praise to Your incomparable character
            and laud Your praiseworthiness.
48      Praised be YHWH, Yiśrāʾēl’s God
            from the furthest past to the furthest future.
         All people should say, “So be it,
            Hallûyāh!”

psalm 113

1             Halelûyah

doxology
         You who serve YHWH, praise him.
            Boast of YHWH’s renown.
2        Pay homage to YHWH’s character
                    from this very moment and forever after.
3        From eastern to western horizon,
            let YHWH’s character be celebrated.
4        YHWH is exalted above the earth.
            Greater is His importance than the universe is expansive.

reasons for praising yahweh
5        Who is like YHWH, our God;
            the One who sits, exalted;
6        the One who condescends to look upon
            heaven and earth;
7        the One who raises the powerless from their humiliation;
            the One who lifts the destitute out of their desperation,
8        so that they may associate with thos who are noble,
            with the most noble citizens among my people;
9        the One who bestows a home upon the barren woman,
            making her a mother gladdened by children?

         Halelûyah

psalm 119 (edition: june 19, 2024)

ʾālep
1        How truly fulfilled are those sound in principle,
            who live by YHWH’s teachings.
2        Fulfilled are those who search His sworn truths,
            and inquire after Him whole heartedly.
3        Indeed, they do not act unjustly.
            They live by His principles.
4        You have commanded that Your ordering precepts
be diligently observed.
5        If only my habit was fixed
on observing Your norms!
6        I would not be regretful
            by paying close attention to all Your directives.
7        I could praise you with complete integrity
            by learning Your correct and sovereign decrees.
8        I would observe Your norms,
            and you would not ever forsake me.

bêt
9        How can a youth keep their behavior guilt-free?
            By observing Your word.
10      I have sought You earnestly.
            Don’t let me wander from Your directives.
11      I have treasured You word in my mind
            so that I not offend You.
12      You are to be praised, YHWH.
            Teach me Your norms.
13      I have publicly
recounted all Your sovereign decisions.
14      I have rejoiced in the manner of life found in Your sworn truths,
            above all riches.
15      I intend to meditate on Your ordering precepts,
            and look to Your principles.
16      I will find joy in Your norms.
            I will not ignore Your word.

gîmel
17      Reward You servant, that I may live,
            and observe Your word.
18      Open my eyes
            that I may discern marvelous things from Your teachings.
19      I am at risk on earth.
            Don’t hide Your directions from me.
20      I am overcome with strong desire
            for Your sovereign viewpoint, at all times.
21      You rebuff the damnable self-serving.
            They are the ones who stray from Your directives.
22      Remove from me reproach and distain,
            for I have observed Your norms.
23      Though “nobles” should sit and speak against me,
            Your servant will meditate on Your standards.
24      Yes! Your sworn truths are my ultimate delight,
            my companion, my counselor.

dālet
25      My life is linked to dirt.
            Keep me alive, true to Your word.
26      I have given an accounting of my conduct, and You responded.
            Teach me Your standards.
27      Help me understand the principles behind Your ordering precepts,
            permitting me to contemplate the wonder that You are.
28      I weep due to grief.
            Steady me, true to Your word.
29      Remove from me fraudulent conduct.
            Favor me with Your instruction.
30      I have chosen a habit of integrity.
            I have adopted Your sovereign viewpoint.
31      I adhere to Your sworn truths, YHWH.
            Don’t let me experience humiliation.
32      I will run Your directed path
            because You strengthen my will.

hēh
33      Teach me, YHWH, conduct befitting Your standards.
            that I may observe them.
34      Give me discernment as I study Your teachings,
            that I may observe it fully.
35      Help me travel in Your directed paths,
            because this is my desire.
36      Bend my will to Your sworn truths,
            rather than ill-gotten gain.
37      Keep me from setting my sights on what is of no value,
            and give me life through Your principles.
38      Fulfill Your promise given to Your servant--
            a promise indicative of Your awesomeness.
39      End my disgrace, which I dread.
            Truly Your sovereign decrees are beneficial.
40      Just look how I have longed for Your ordering precepts!
            Give me life through Your merit.

wāw
41      Give me Your unwavering devotion, Yahweh.
            Give me Your help, true to Your promise.
42      Then I’ll be able to respond to my detractor with the promise.
            For I have confidence in Your promise.
43      Don’t ever let the faithful promise cease from my mouth.
            Truly I trust Your sovereign decrees.
44      I will fully observe Your teachings,
            always and forever.
45      I live expansively
            when I follow Your ordering precepts.
46      I will present Your sworn truths to monarchs,
            and not be ashamed.
47      I will take pleasure in Your directives,
            which I love.
48      I will accept Your direction, which I love,
            and meditate on Your standards.

zayin
49      Remember what You said to Your servant.
            You have given me hope because of it.
50      This is what comforts me in my distress.
            Truly, it’s Your promise that sustains me.
51      The self-serving are extraordinarily contemptuous of me
            because I do not turn from Your teachings.
52      I call to mind Your sovereign decrees from the distant past, YHWH,
            and am comforted.
53      Indignation takes hold of me
            because of the malevolently immoral who reject Your teachings.
54      Your standards have been my song
            in the house where I reside.
55      During the night, I call to mind Your character, YHWH,
            and treasure Your instruction.
56      This happens
            whenever I search Your ordering precepts.

ḥêt
57      You are my fulfillment, YHWH.
            I have promised to keep Your words.
58      I have intensely begged for Your presence.
            Be generous with me, true to Your promise.
59      I have considered my actions,
            and yield myself to Your sworn truths.
60      I have been quick,
            and not delayed to observe Your direction.
61      The snares of the malevolently immoral have surrounded me,
            but I have not abandoned Your teachings.
62      I wake up in the middle of the night to offer You praise,
            because of the correctness of Your sovereign decisions.
63      I am a companion of all who reverence You
            and of those who observe Your ordering precepts.
64      Your unwavering devotion, YHWH, fills the world.
            Teach me Your norms.

ṭêt
65 You have acted beneficently toward Your servant
            You have acted beneficently, YHWH, true to Your promise.
66      Teach me good sense and insight
            since I have relied on Your directives.
67      Previously, I debased myself, going astray.
            But now I observe Your word.
68      You are beneficent and act beneficently.
            Teach me Your norms.
69      The self-serving have spread falsehood about me,
            but I intend to observe Your ordering precepts completely.
70      Their minds are as thick sludge,
            but I find pleasure in Your instruction.
71      It’s been good for me to have been humiliated,
            so that I would learn Your standards.
72      Instruction from Your own mouth is better
            than untold thousands in gold or silver.

yôd
73      You personally made me and have supported me.
            Teach me that I might absorb Your directions.
74      Those who worship You will see and be happy
            that I trust Your word.
75      I know, YHWH, that Your sovereign decision was right,
            and that you have justifiably afflicted me.
76      Please allow Your unwavering devotion to comfort me,
            true to Your promise made to Your servant.
77      Let Your displays of compassion appear, and I, revive,
            since Your instruction is my joy.
78      Let the self-serving that wrong me without justification be disappointed.
            As for me, I will meditate on Your ordering precepts.
79      Let those who worship You turn to me,
            as well as those who acknowledge Your sworn truths.
80      May I be entirely sound in Your norms
            so that I am not disappointed.

kap
81      I deeply long for Your deliverance.
            I await Your promise.
82      I long for Your promise,
            saying, “When will You comfort me?”
83      Though I am like a smoking scroll,
            I do not ignore Your norms.
84      How many are Your servant’s days?
            When will you bring a ruling against those who harass me?
85      The self-serving have dug pits for me,
            which is inconsistent with Your teachings.
86      All Your directions are reliable.
            Without justification they harass me. Help me!
87      They have very nearly obliterated me from earth,
            but I have not forsaken Your ordering precepts.
88      Consistent with Your unwavering devotion, revive me,
            and I will observe the sworn truths that come from Your own mouth.

lāmed
89      Forever, YHWH,
            Your word endures in heaven.
90      Your fidelity endures from one era to the next.
            You give earth permanence, and it endures.
91      Heaven and earth continue to endure by Your sovereign governance.
            All these serve You.
92      If Your instruction was not my delight,
            then I would perish from my mistreatment.
93      I’ll never disregard Your ordering precepts,
            since You enliven me with them.
94      I am Yours. Help me
            Since I seek out Your ordering precepts.
95      The malevolently immoral are anxious to destroy me,
            though I am attentive to Your sworn truths.
96      I have seen that everything comes to an end and has limitations.
            But Your directives are very broad.

mēm
97      How I love Your instruction!
            It is my meditation throughout the day.
98      You have given me greater wisdom than my enemies through Your directives,
            because they are always with me.
99      I have greater insight than all my teachers,
            because Your sworn truths are my meditation.
100     I achieve greater perceptiveness than those more mature,
            because I observe Your ordering precepts.
101     I have refrained myself from all hurtful behavior,
            so as to observe Your word.
102     I have not deviated from Your sovereign decrees
            because it’s been You that has instructed me.
103     How sweet are Your words to my taste!
            Sweeter than honey.
104     I always gain insight from Your ordering precepts,
            by which I avoid every false act.

nûn
105     Your word is a lamp for my steps,
            and a light on my path.
106     I have taken an oath, and will fullfil it:
            to observe Your just and sovereign decrees.
107     I am very oppressed.
            YHWH! Revive me true to Your promise.
108     Please accept my public voluntary offering, YHWH,
            and teach me Your sovereign viewpoint.
109     My life is always uncertain.
            Still, I do not discount Your teachings.
110     The malevolently immoral have laid a trap for me
            though I have not strayed from Your ordering precepts.
111     I have always taken Your sworn truths as my legacy,
            because they are a deep joy to me.
112     I have exerted myself to observe Your norms.
            Always and to the end.

sāmek
113     I eschew those who have divided loyalties.
            But I love Your teachings.
114     You are my shelter and my battle shield.
            I await Your promise.
115     Leave me alone, you malicious ones.
            I intend to observe my God’s directives.
116     True to Your promise, support me that I might live.
            Do not disappoint me in my expectation.
117     Sustain me that I might be delivered,
            and I will always look to Your standards.
118     You reject all those who stray from Your norms
            because of their deceit and treachery.
119     You put an end to the filth of all the world’s maliciously immoral.
            For this reason I love Your sworn truths.
120     My body trembles in dread of You,
            and I am awestruck at Your sovereign viewpoint.

ʿayin
121     I have done what is just and right.
            Do not abandon me to my oppressors.
122     Pledge to do good by Your servant.
            Don’t allow the self-serving to oppress me.
123     My eyes remain fixed on Your help,
            and Your promise of vindication.
124     Act toward Your servant with unwavering devotion,
            and teach me Your standards.
125     I am Your servant.
            Give me discernment that I may understand Your sworn truths.
126     Now is the time for YHWH to act.
            They violate Your teachings.
127     Contrarywise, I love Your directives
            more than gold, even the finest.
128     Contrary wise, I fully consider all Your ordering precepts to be right,
            and hate every dishonest act.

pēh
129     Your sworn truths are transcendent.
            This is why I earnestly examine them.
130     Your word’s disclosure enlightens,
            providing the open-minded insight.
131     As with mouth gaping wide, I have craved;
            I have longed for Your direction.
132     Turn and look at me. Be favorable to me,
            as is right toward those who love You.
133     Direct my behavior through Your word,
            and don’t allow cruelty to dominate me.
134     Release me from human oppression
            so I may observe Your ordering precepts.
135     Smile upon Your servant,
            and teach me Your norms.
136     Streams of water drop from my eyes
            because they will not observe Your teachings.

ṣādî
137     You are just, YHWH,
            and equitable in Your governance.
138     You have decreed the correctness of Your sworn truths,
            and their extreme reliablility.
139     My passionate feelings consume me
            because my enemies ignore Your words
140     Your word is very sure,
            So, Your servant loves it.
141     I am insignificant and looked down on,
            but I never ignore Your ordering precepts.
142     Your rectitude is forever proper,
            and Your instruction reliable.
143     Adversity and hardship come to me,
            but Your directives are my greatest joy.
144     The correctness of Your sworn truths is enduring.
            Give me discernment that I may endure.

qôp
145     I have called out with all I have. Respond, YHWH!
            I fully intend to observe Your norms.
146     I have call out to You, “deliver me,
            and I will truly obey Your sworn truths.”
147     I have greeted dawn while howling for help.
            I anxiously await Your response.
148     My eyes greet each watch of the night
            to try and understand Your word.
149     Respond to me as befits Your unwavering devotion.
            YHWH, restore me as befits Your justice.
150     Those who pursue evil plots close in.
            They are far removed from Your teachings.
151     Be You nearby, YHWH,
            and all Your directions reliable.
152     Early on, I came to understand this about Your sworn truths:
            You have established them forever.

rēš
153     See my affliction, and deliver me,
            for I do not ignore Your instruction.
154     Argue my case, and deliver me.
            Grant me life through Your defense.
155     Vindication is far removed from the malevolently immoral,
            for they do not consult Your norms.
156     Your compassion is great, YHWH.
            Grant me life commensurate with Your justice.
157     Though my dogged enemies are many
            I do not turn from Your sworn truths.
158     I witnessed the treacherous, and loathed
            that they did not observe Your word.
159     Witness how I love Your ordering precepts.
            YHWH, true to Your unwavering devotion, enliven me.
160     Your first word was trustworthy,
            and forever all Your sovereign decrees are just.

šîn
161     Rulers have harassed me without justification,
            but I am in total awe of Your word.
162     I am one who rejoices over Your word,
            as one does upon finding a huge reward.
163     I hate and abominate deception.
            Your teachings I love.
164     I praise You seven times a day
            because Your sovereign decrees are just.
165     There is tremendous peace for those who love Your instruction,
            and there is for them no obstacle.
166     I have hoped for Your help, YHWH,
            and observed Your directives.
167     I have earnestly observed Your sworn truths
            and have greatly loved them.
168     I have observed Your ordering precepts and Your sworn truths.
            because all my actions are in full view of You.

tāw
169     Oh that my loud outbursts come to Your awareness, YHWH.
            Give me discernment of Your word.
170     Oh that my plea for help comes to Your awareness.
            Deliver me true to Your promise.
171     My lips will gush with praise
            when You teach me Your standards.
172     My tongue will bear witness of Your word,
            because all Your directives are right.
173     Oh that Your power be dedicated to helping me,
            since I have adopted Your ordering precepts.
174     I have longed for Your effectual help, YHWH,
            and Your instruction is my delight.
175     Oh that I might live to praise You,
            and Your sovereign governance protect me.
176     I have wandered off like a wondering sheep.
            Seek out Your servant, for I do not ignore Your directions.

psalm 120

1        A Processional hymn

the psalmist remembers
            It was YHWH that I, in my anguish, called upon.
               How he responded to me!

the psalmist’s plea
2        “YHWH! Deliver me from deceitful lips;
            from a treacherous tongue.

yahweh’s response
3        What will you procure for yourself?
            What will you gain for yourself, you with the treacherous tongue?
4        A hero’s arrows, sharp pointed,
            burning hot.

recitation of the psalmist’s trial
5        I was in despair because I lived, an alien, in Mešek;
            I lived a transient life in Qêḏâr.
6        Many a year did I live
            among them who distained peaceful coexistence--
7        though I spoke up for camaraderie,
            they remained antagonistic.”

psalm 121

1        A Processional hymn

the psalmist seeks assurance in trial
            I will raise my eyes to the hills.
               Is this from whence my relief will come?
2        Will my help come from YHWH,
            Creator of heaven and earth?

the psalmist’s question is answered
3        He will not allow your feet to stumble.
            He who watches out for you will never slumber.
4        Be assured, He will not relax or ever fall asleep--
            He who is Yiśrā’ēl’s Guardian.
5        YHWH is your shield.
            YHWH is your shade, right beside you.
6        Daytime sun will not beat down on you;
            nor shall the moonlight at night.
7        YHWH will protect you from every evil.
            He will safeguard your life.
8        YHWH will watch over all your comings and goings
            from this moment, and ever more.

psalm 122

1        A Processional hymn to Dāwid

the joy of anticipation
         I rejoiced when they said to me,
            “Let’s go to YHWH’s temple.”

the beauty of yerûšālayim
2        Our feet stood
            within your gates, Yerûšālayim--
3        Yerûšālayim, built up,
            united, as one--
4        where the familiar tribes ascend,
            the tribes of Yāh,
         as enjoined upon Yiśrā’ēl
            to profess YHWH’s character.
5        For it is there that the thrones of governance are established;
            thrones belonging to Dāwid’s line.

prayer for yerûšālayim
6        Seek Yerûšālayim’s welfare.
            May they be at ease, who love you.
7        May there be peace within your walls;
            security within your fortifications.
8        For family and fellow citizens
            I pray for peace within you.
9        Because of the temple of YHWH, our God,
            I can anticipate your success.

psalm 123

1        A processional hymn

trust in yahweh
         It is to You that I lift my eyes,
            The One who sits in heaven.
2        See how, as the eyes of servants are on their master,
            as the eyes of maid servants are on their mistress,
               so are our eyes on YHWH, our God, until He has pity on us.

plea
3        Have pity on us, YHWH, have pity on us,
            for we are covered in contempt.
4        Our lives are overflowing with the mockery of the self-assured,
            with the distain of elites.

psalm 124

1        A processional hymn. For Dāwid

wonder at yahweh’s rescue
         If YHWH had not been for us--
            Yiśrāʾēl should surely say--
2        if YHWH had not been for us
            when mortals rose up against us,
3        then they would have consumed us alive
            when their blazing anger came upon us;
4        then the waters would have swept over us,
            the torrential flow surged over our necks,
5              then the churning water would have surged over us.

praise for yahweh’s rescue
6        YHWH be praised,
            Who did not yield us, prey for their teeth.
7        As a bird we escaped the fowler’s net.
            Breaking the net, we escaped.
8        Our help is found in the character of YHWH,
            Maker of heaven and earth.

psalm 125 (edition: january 23, 2023)

1        A processional hymn

         Those who trust in YHWH are like mount Ṣiyyôn.
            They cannot be moved, always enduring
2        Yerûšalāyim has mountains encircling it
            and YHWH encircles his people, now and forever.
3        So, governance of the ungodly should never dictate the decisions of the just
            so that the just never become complicit with injustice.
4        Be good, YHWH, to those who are good
            and to those who are sincerely just.
5        As for those who yield to perversion,
            YHWH will remove them with those who act with cruelty.

         Peace be upon Yiśrāʾēl.

psalm 126 (edition: march 30, 2022)

1        A Processional hymn.

remembrance of and appeal to yahweh’s past benefits…
         Whenever YHWH has reversed Ṣîyôn’s captivity
            we have been like those who dream.
2        At such times our mouths are imbued with laughter;
            and our tongue raises a shout for joy.
         At such times those in other nations say,
            “YHWH has shown his greatness in what he has done for them.”
3        YHWH has indeed shown his greatness in what he has done for us.
            We are joyful.

for help in the present trials of draught and famine
4        Return, O YHWH, our fortunes,
            as a torrent of water in the desert
5        that those who plant while weeping
            may harvest with shouts of joy;
6        that he who goes out weeping
            as he bears his sack of seeds
         may finally return, rejoicing
            bearing his bunches of wheat.

psalm 127 (edition: march 1, 2023)

1        A processional hymn. Belonging to Šelōmōh.

         If YHWH does not wish to build a house,
            it is to no avail for its builders to labor on it.
         If YHWH does not intend to protect a city,
            it is to no avail for guards to keep watch.
2        It is to no avail whether you arise early
            or stay up late.
         eating food produced through much labor.
            Still, its God who grants repose to those He loves.

3        Know that children are YHWH’s inheritance.
            One’s wage is the fruit of the womb.
4        As arrows in the hero’s hand,
            even so are the children of one’s prime.
5        Happy is the man who has filled his quiver with them.
            He will not be disappointed.

psalm 128 (edition: december 13, 2023)

1        A processional hymn.

         Confident can everyone be who reverences YHWH,
            who lives by His principles.
2        You will certainly live off what you have toiled over.
            You will be secure and well off.
3        Your wife will be like a bountiful vine on the side of your home.
            Your children will be like transplanted olive trees around your table.
4        Bear witness! Thus is a man blessed
            who reverences YHWH.
5        May YHWH bless you from Ṣîyôn,
            allow you to experience Yerûšalāyim’s benifits throughout your life,
6              and to see your grandchildren.

         Peace be upon Yiśrāʾēl!

psalm 129 (edition: december 14, 2023)

1        A processional hymn.

israel’s history of harassment
         They have greatly harassed me from my earliest times,
            Yiśrāʾēl can certainly say.
2        They have greatly harassed me from my earliest times,
            but they have not prevailed against me.
3        The ploughers ploughed upon my back.
            They made long furrows.

the future of israel’s harassers
4        YHWH is just.
            He will sunder the shackles of the malevolent.
5        They will be thwarted and go into retreat,
            all that have enmity for Ṣîyôn.
6        They will be as grass on a roof--
            before it has grown, it shrivels up--
7        of which a reaper does not take a handful,
            or bundle at his chest.
8        No one who passes by will say,
            “YHWH’s blessings be upon you.
               We bless you in YHWH’s name.”

psalm 130

1        A Processional hymn

invocation/ plea
         From the deepest of places, I cry out to you, YHWH
2           O Lord, hear me!
               Listen to me as I appeal to your generosity.

plea for forgiveness
3             “If you stay on the look out for sin, Yah,
            My Lord, who will be able to stand before you?”
4        But it is in your nature to forgive.
            This is why you are revered.

hopeful expectation
5        I fully expect YHWH;
            every part of me is expecting him
               as I await his decision.
6        I am watching for the Lord
            more than watchmen watch for the morning--
               far more than watchmen watch for the morning.

benediction/ assurance
7        Have hope, Yiśrā’el, in YHWH,
            knowing that YHWH possesses fidelity,
               along with an abundant capacity to pardon;
8        even so far as to be able to free Yiśrā’el
            from all their sins.

psalm 131 (edition: june 15, 2023)

1        A processional hymn. Belonging to Dāwid.

         YHWH, I am not presumptuous.
            Nor am I arrogant.
         Nor do I pursue great matters,
            or things beyond my comprehension.
2        I have most certainly disciplined and quieted myself
            as a child weaned of its mother,
               I am as a weaned child.
3        Let Yiśrāʾēl wait expectantly on YHWH
            for as long as it takes.

psalm 138 (edition: october 16, 2023)

1        Belonging to Dāwid.

promise of praise
         I will praise You with my whole being.
            In the presence of ’ĕlōhîm, I will sing of You.
2        I will bow toward Your temple preeminent,
            and testify of Your character
         because of Your unwavering devotion and fidelity.
            For You magnify Your character and word above all things.
3        When I cried out, You answered me.
            You infused strength into me.

4        All the world’s rulers will praise You, YHWH
            when they hear the words You speak.
5        They will sing of YHWH’s actions,
            For YHWH’s reputation is tremendous.

reasons for praise
6        Though YHWH is exalted, He is aware of the lowly,
            but keeps His distance from the prestigious.
7        When I pass through adversity,
            You reinforce me.
         You exert Your power against my hostile enemies,
            and with maximum power You deliver me.
8        YHWH puts an end to it for me.
            YHWH, Your unwavering devotion is ever present.
               You have no intention of abandoning what You have made.

psalm 140 (edition: march 8, 2023)

1        For the Director: a hymn belonging to Dāwid.

1st plea
2/1     Rescue me, YHWH, from the malicious person;
            protect me from violent individuals
3/2     who secretly, at all times, intend harm.
            They live for conflict.
4/3     Their tongue is sharp, like a snake’s fangs.
            Viper’s venon is under their lips.                                                                            selâ

2nd plea
5/4     Protect me, YHWH, from the ungodly’s power.
            Protect me from violent individuals,
               who intend to trip me up.
6/5     The high and mighty hide net and snare for me.
            They spread a net across my path.
               They place a snare for me.                                                                                   selâ

3rd plea
7/6     I spoke to YHWH, “You are my God.
            Hear, YHWH, my pleading voice,
8/7     YHWH, my Lord, my powerful protection,
            You have shielded me during times of conflict.
9/8     Do not grant, YHWH, the ungodly’s deeply-held desires.
            Do not grant success to their vile plans by which they hope to rise.                      selâ

4th plea
10/9    As for the chief of those who encircle me,
            may their own burdening statements overwhelm them.
11/10   Let burning coals fall upon them.
            Shove them into standing fire,
               into a wretchedness from which there is no escape.
12/11   A slanderous individual should have no place in the land.
               Let repeated disasters hunt down the violent individual.

confession
13/12   I know that YHWH holds court for the downtrodden;
            brings justice for the impoverished.
14/13   Certainly, the just laud Your character
            The upright dwell in Your presence.

psalm 145

1                  A song of praise belonging to David

invocation
                    I will exalt you, my God, my King.
               I will praise your character, always and forever.
2           Every day, I will praise you.
               I repeat, I will sing to your character, always and forever.
3                  YHWH is great, and worthy of loud and joyful acclamation.
               There is no comprehending His greatness.
4                  One generation after another finds cause to boast of all you do,
               and confidently proclaim your surpassing deeds.

the Psalmist’s person confession
5                  Of your impossible and incomprehensible Being,
               and your impenetrable actions.
6                  Others expound upon your awe-inspiring deeds,
               while I just keep tallying up the great things you do.
7           Others gush with remembrances of how incredibly good you are,
               while I joyfully shout out the rightness of all you do.

the divine character
8                  YHWH is accepting and nurturing,
               He is not inclined to reject, but is of enormous fidelity.
9                  YHWH is good to all,
               and his loving interest controls his every action.

divine governance
10               All your works express gratitude to you, YHWH.
               Those whose devotion you have won, kneel reverently before you.
11               They speak of the significance of your governance,
               and talk of your excellencies,
12               in order to teach those not devoted to you of your excellencies
               and the necessity of your dignifying governance.
13               Yours is a rule that lasts for all time;
               a dominion that endures though all generations of time.

the divine character
14         A buttress is YHWH to all those who might be falling.
               He raises up those who are bent over.

15         All eyes set themselves expectantly upon you,
               as you provide all with sustenance when it is needed,
16         opening your hand,
               and filling all living things with what is desired.
17         YHWH acts justly in all his dealings;
               devoted in all that he does.
18      YHWH stays close by those who call out to him;
            to all those who call out to him trustingly.
19      He supplies the acceptance that those who fear him want.
         He hears their repeated cries for help and comes to their assistance
20      Yahweh protects all those who love him,
            while all those who act wrongfully he eradicates.

benediction
21      I will openly declare praise for YHWH.
            But more, every living thing will praise his incomparable character,
               always and forever.

psalm 146

invocation
1                  Hallelûyah
               Praise YHWH, my all.
2           I will praise YHWH as long as I live.
               I will sing of my God always.

on human fraility
3           Don’t put trust in even the best of human beings,
               for there is no salvation to be found in them.
4           He expires his final breath, he returns to the soil.
               In that very day, all his intentions are destroyed.

on the fullness of yahweh
5           Enduring is he whose help comes from Yaʿaqōb’s God;
               His hope placed on YHWH, our God--
6           The One who created heaven and earth and ocean
               and all that is in them,
                  the One who always maintains fidelity,
7           the One who effects justice for the oppressed,
               the One who provides food for the hungry,
                  YHWH, who liberates those held captive,
8           YHWH, who gives sight to the blind,
               YHWH, who lifts those who are exhausted,
                  YHWH, who loves those who do right,
9           YHWH, who watches after foreigners;
               He adopts orphans and widows
                  but overthrows the principles of the ungodly.

benediction
10         YHWH will reign forever,
               Your God, Ṣîyôn, generation upon generation.

            Hallelûyah.

psalm 147

invocation
1             Hallelûyah.
            Truly, it is good to sing of our God!
               Yes, delightful, glorious is a song of praise!

first exposition on why yahweh is to be praised
2        YHWH is rebuilding Yerûšalāyim,
            Gathering Yiśrāʾēl’s refugees.
3        Healing the heartbroken,
            putting an end to their emotional distress.

4        Tallying up the number of stars,
            He is able to name every single one of them.
5        Our Lord is awesome and abounding in power.
            There is no limit to his understanding.
6        YHWH restores the downtrodden.
            He reduces the ungodly lower than dirt.

second exposition on why Yahweh is to be praised
7        Sing thankfully to YHWH.
            With the accompaniment of lyre, sing to our God
8        who fills the sky with clouds;
            who ensures rain for the soil;
               who causes mountain grasses to grow.
9        He provides food to animals;
            and to the chirping offspring of ravens.

10      It is not in the horse’s power that He finds pleasure.
            It is not in human muscle that he finds delight.
11      YHWH is One who accepts those who reverence Him;
            those who trust in his fidelity.

third exposition on why yahweh is to be praised
12      Praise YHWH, O Yerûšalāyim.
            Praise your God, O Ṣiyyôn.
13      For He has strengthened your barred gates,
            blessing your children within.
14      He has established peace in your land.
            He has satisfied you with high-quality wheat.

15      He sends his word out to the world.
            Ever so swiftly, His word rushes out
16            sending snow like tufts of wool.
         He spreads frost like dust.
17         sending his hail as tiny morsels of bread.
               Who can endure in the face of cold weather?
18      He sends out his word, and it all melts.
            He sends a wind, and water flows.

19      He reveals his word to Yaʿaqōb;
            His stipulations and resolutions to Yiśrāʾēl.
20      He has not done so for any other nation.
            They do not know his decisions.

benediction
           Hallelûyah.

psalm 148 (edition: december 30, 2023)

1        Hallûyah.

praise from above...
         Praise YHWH from the heavens.
            Praise YHWH from the highest of places.
2        Praise Him, all His divine messengers.
            Praise Him, all His divine ministers.
3        Praise Him, sun and moon.
            Praise Him, all glittering stars.
4        Praise Him, heaven’s skies,
            and waters above the heavens.
5        Praise YHWH’s authority
            because He commanded, and they were created.
6        He fixed them forever and ever.
            He issued the decree and it will not end.

praise from below...
7        Praise YHWH from the earth,
            sea creatures and all those of the depths,
8        fire and hail, snow and fog,
            windstorm that does as He commands,
9        mountain ranges and hills,
            deciduous trees and all evergreens,
10      all wild and domesticated animals,
            small animal and winged bird,
11      the earth’s rulers and all peoples,
            government officials and all who govern on earth,
12      young men as well as young women,
            the elderly with the youthful.

praise from near...
13      Praise YHWH’s character
            for only His character is unimaginably lofty.
14      He increases the power of His people;
            the renown of all His devotees,
               Yiśrāʾēl’s people, a nation close to Him.

Hallûyah.

psalm 149 (edition: january 1, 2024)

1        Hallûyah.

the call to praise
Sing a new song to YHWH;
            sing of His renown in the gathering of devotees.
2        Yiśrāʾēl should rejoice in the One who made it.
            The people of Ṣîyôn should be exuberant about their King,
3        praise His character in dance.
            and sing of Him with cymbals and harp.

the reasons for the call to praise
4 For YHWH takes pleasure in His people.
            He adorns the downtrodden with victory.
5 The devoted should rejoice abundantly.
            They should outwardly rejoice upon their beds.
6 Their praise of God is deep-throated,
            and a two-edged sword is in their hand
7        to execute retribution against the nations,
         punishments for peoples;
8        to bind their kings with chains,
            and their elites with iron chains;
9 to accomplish the prescribed justice.
            This is the privilege belonging to all His devotees.

         Hallûyah.

psalm 150 (edition: january 6 2024)

1        Hallûyah.

         Praise God in His preeminent place.
            Praise Him in heaven, His stronghold.
2        Praise Him for His mighty acts.
            Praise Him as His bounteous greatness deserves.
3        Praise Him with trumpet blast.
            Praise Him with harp and lyre.
4        Praise Him with tambourine and dance.
            Praise Him with strings and pipe.
5        Praise Him with crashing cymbals.
            Praise Him with clanging cymbals.

6        Everything that breaths should praise Yah.

         Hallûyah.