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1O Lord , fight those who fight with me![#tn Or “contend.”]
Attack those who attack me!
2Grab your small shield and large shield,[#tn Two different types of shields are mentioned here. See also Ezek 38:4. Many modern translations render the first term (translated here “small shield”) as “buckler” (cf. NASB “buckler and shield”; the order is often reversed in the translation, apparently for stylistic reasons: cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV “shield and buckler”). The English term “buckler,” referring to a small round shield held on the arm to protect the upper body, is unfamiliar to many modern readers, so the term “small shield” was used in the present translation for clarity.]
and rise up to help me!
3Use your spear and lance against those who chase me![#tn Or “javelin.” On the meaning of this word, which occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible, see M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:210-11.; #tn Heb “draw out spear and lance to meet.”]
Assure me with these words: “I am your deliverer!”
4May those who seek my life be embarrassed and humiliated!
May those who plan to harm me be turned back and ashamed!
5May they be like wind-driven chaff,[#tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. See v. 4.]
as the Lord ’s angel attacks them!
6May their path be dark and slippery,[#tn The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive, indicating this is a prayer.]
as the Lord ’s angel chases them!
7I did not harm them, but they hid a net to catch me
and dug a pit to trap me.
8Let destruction take them by surprise![#tn Heb “let destruction [which] he does not know come to him.” The singular is used of the enemy in v. 8, probably in a representative or collective sense. The psalmist has more than one enemy, as vv. 1-7 make clear.]
Let the net they hid catch them!
Let them fall into destruction!
9Then I will rejoice in the Lord
and be happy because of his deliverance.
10With all my strength I will say,[#tn Heb “all my bones will say.”]
“O Lord , who can compare to you?
You rescue the oppressed from those who try to overpower them;
the oppressed and needy from those who try to rob them.”
11Violent men perjure themselves,[#tn Heb “witnesses of violence rise up.”]
and falsely accuse me.
12They repay me evil for the good I have done;[#tn Heb “they repay me evil instead of good.”]
I am overwhelmed with sorrow.
13When they were sick, I wore sackcloth,[#tn Heb “as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth.” Sackcloth was worn by mourners. When the psalmist’s enemies were sick, he was sorry for their misfortune and mourned for them.]
and refrained from eating food.
(If I am lying, may my prayers go unanswered!)
14I mourned for them as I would for a friend or my brother.[#tn Heb “like a friend, like a brother to me I walked about.”]
I bowed down in sorrow as if I were mourning for my mother.
15But when I stumbled, they rejoiced and gathered together;
they gathered together to ambush me.
They tore at me without stopping to rest.
16When I tripped, they taunted me relentlessly,[#tc The MT reads “as profane [ones] of mockers of food,” which is nonsensical. The present translation assumes (1) an emendation of בְּחַנְפֵי (bÿkhanfey, “as profane men”) to בְּחַנְפִי (bekhanfiy, “when I tripped”; preposition + Qal infinitive construct from II חָנַף [“limp”] + first common singular pronominal suffix) and (2) an emendation of לַעֲגֵי מָעוֹג (la’agey ma’og, “mockers of food”) to עָגוּ[ם]לַעְגָּ (la’gam ’agu, “[with] taunting they taunted”; masculine plural noun with enclitic mem + Qal perfect third common plural from לַּעַג [la’ag, “taunt”]).]
and tried to bite me.
17O Lord, how long are you going to just stand there and watch this?[#tn Heb “O Lord, how long will you see?”]
Rescue me from their destructive attacks;
guard my life from the young lions!
18Then I will give you thanks in the great assembly;[#sn The great assembly is also mentioned in Ps 22:25.]
I will praise you before a large crowd of people!
19Do not let those who are my enemies for no reason gloat over me![#tn Heb “[with] a lie.” The Hebrew noun שֶׁקֶר (sheqer, “lie”) is used here as an adverb, “falsely, wrongfully” (see Ps 38:19).; #tn Heb “rejoice.”]
Do not let those who hate me without cause carry out their wicked schemes!
20For they do not try to make peace with others,[#tn Heb “for they do not speak peace.”]
but plan ways to deceive those who are unsuspecting.
21They are ready to devour me;[#tn Heb “and they cause their mouth to be wide against me.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries on the generalizing mood of the previous verse. For other examples of this use of the prefixed verbal form with vav consecutive, see GKC 329 §111.t.]
they say, “Aha! Aha! We’ve got you!”
22But you take notice, Lord ![#tn Heb “you see, O Lord.” There is a deliberate play on words. In v. 21 the enemies say, “our eye sees,” but the psalmist is confident that the Lord “sees” as well, so he appeals to him for help (see also v. 17).]
O Lord, do not remain far away from me!
23Rouse yourself, wake up and vindicate me![#sn Though he is confident that the Lord is aware of his situation (see v. 22a), the psalmist compares the Lord’s inactivity to sleep and urges him to wake up.; #tn Heb “for my justice.”]
My God and Lord, defend my just cause!
24Vindicate me by your justice, O Lord my God!
Do not let them gloat over me!
25Do not let them say to themselves, “Aha! We have what we wanted!”[#tn Heb “in their heart[s].”; #tn Heb “Aha! Our desire!” The “desire” of the psalmist’s enemies is to triumph over him.]
Do not let them say, “We have devoured him!”
26May those who want to harm me be totally embarrassed and ashamed![#tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed together, the ones who rejoice over my harm.”]
May those who arrogantly taunt me be covered with shame and humiliation!
27May those who desire my vindication shout for joy and rejoice!
May they continually say, “May the Lord be praised, for he wants his servant to be secure.”
28Then I will tell others about your justice,[#tn Heb “and my tongue will proclaim your justice.”]
and praise you all day long.