לַמְנַצֵּחַ עַל־שׁוֹשַׁנִּים לְדָוִד׃   69:1

Psal. 69:1   For the leader on shoshannim of David's.

Concerning the term shoshannim, see Psal. 45:1.

הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי אֱלֹהִים כִּי בָאוּ מַיִם עַד־נָפֶשׁ׃   69:2

Psal. 69:2   Save me, O God,

                              for water has come even to the soul.

טָבַעְתִּי בִּיוֵן מְצוּלָה וְאֵין מָעֳמָד בָּאתִי בְמַעֲמַקֵּי־מַיִם וְשִׁבֹּלֶת שְׁטָפָתְנִי׃   69:3

Psal. 69:3   I am sunk in mire so deep that there is no standing;

                              I have come into the deepest of waters,

                     and the flowing stream engulfs me.

יָגַעְתִּי בְקָרְאִי נִחַר גְּרוֹנִי כָּלוּ עֵינַי מְיַחֵל לֵאלֹהָי׃   69:4

Psal. 69:4   I am weary because of my crying out,

                              my throat is burning,

                     waiting for my God, my eyes fail.

רַבּוּ מִשַּׂעֲרוֹת רֹאשִׁי שֹׂנְאַי חִנָּם עָצְמוּ מַצְמִיתַי אֹיְבַי שֶׁקֶר אֲשֶׁר לֹא־גָזַלְתִּי אָז אָשִׁיב׃   69:5

Psal. 69:5   My haters without cause are more than the hairs of my head;

                               my would-be exterminators are numerous,

                      my enemies -- deceitful!

                               Can I restore, then, what I did not take away?

The last line of this verse makes it sound as if the scribe’s enemies accuse him of taking something from them.

אֱלֹהִים אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ לְאִוַּלְתִּי וְאַשְׁמוֹתַי מִמְּךָ לֹא־נִכְחָדוּ׃   69:6

Psal. 69:6   O God, You know about my folly,

                                and my offenses from You are not hidden.

אַל־יֵבֹשׁוּ בִי קֹוֶיךָ אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה צְבָאוֹת אַל־יִכָּלְמוּ בִי מְבַקְשֶׁיךָ אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃   69:7

Psal. 69:7   Let those waiting for You not be ashamed because of me, O Master, Lord of hosts;

                                let those seeking you not be confounded because of me, God of Israel;

כִּי־עָלֶיךָ נָשָׂאתִי חֶרְפָּה כִּסְּתָה כְלִמָּה פָנָי׃   69:8

Psal. 69:8   for I have borne reproach on Your behalf;

                                confusion has covered my face.

מוּזָר* הָיִיתִי לְאֶחָי וְנָכְרִי לִבְנֵי אִמִּי׃   69:9

Psal. 69:9   I am a stranger to my brothers

                                 and an alien to the children of my mother.

כִּי־קִנְאַת בֵּיתְךָ אֲכָלָתְנִי וְחֶרְפּוֹת חוֹרְפֶיךָ נָפְלוּ עָלָי׃   69:10

Psal. 69:10   For the ardor of Your house eats me up,

                                 as the reproaches of those defying You have fallen on me.

וָאֶבְכֶּה בַצּוֹם נַפְשִׁי וַתְּהִי לַחֲרָפוֹת לִי׃   69:11

Psal. 69:11   And I weep in the fasting of my soul

                                 that it is as reproaches for me.

וָאֶתְּנָה לְבוּשִׁי שָׂק וָאֱהִי לָהֶם לְמָשָׁל׃   69:12

Psal. 69:12   And I employ sackcloth for my garment

                                 and I become as a byword to them.

יָשִׂיחוּ בִי יֹשְׁבֵי שָׁעַר וּנְגִינוֹת שׁוֹתֵי שֵׁכָר׃   69:13

Psal. 69:13   Sitters of the gate can speak about me,

                                  and drinkers of liquor, songs.

וַאֲנִי תְפִלָּתִי־לְכָ* יְהוָה עֵת רָצֹון אֱלֹהִים בְּרָב־חַסְדֶּךָ עֲנֵנִי בֶּאֱמֶת יִשְׁעֶךָ׃   69:14

Psal. 69:14   But I, my prayer is to You, O Lord, at an acceptable time;

                                  O God, in the abundance of Your Mercy,

                        answer me with the certainty of Your salvation.

הַצִּילֵנִי מִטִּיט וְאַל־אֶטְבָּעָה אִנָּצְלָה מִשֹּׂנְאַי וּמִמַּעֲמַקֵּי־מָיִם׃   69:15

Psal. 69:15   Deliver me from the mire and let me not sink,

                                   let me be delivered from my enemies

                        and from the depths of the water.

אַל־תִּשְׁטְפֵנִי שִׁבֹּלֶת מַיִם וְאַל־תִּבְלָעֵנִי מְצוּלָה וְאַל־תֶּאְטַר־עָלַי בְּאֵר פִּיהָ׃   69:16

Psal. 69:16   Let not the flowing stream of water engulf me,

                                   or the deep swallow me up,

                        or the mouth of its well shut over me.

עֲנֵנִי יְהוָה כִּי־טוֹב חַסְדֶּךָ כְּרֹב רַחֲמֶיךָ פְּנֵה אֵלָי׃   69:17

Psal. 69:17   Answer me, O Lord, for Your mercy is good;

                                  according to the abundance of Your compassions, turn to me.

וְאַל־תַּסְתֵּר פָּנֶיךָ מֵעַבְדֶּךָ כִּי־צַר־לִי מַהֵר עֲנֵנִי׃   69:18

Psal. 69:18   And may You not hide Your “face” from Your servant;

                                  because of my distress, quickly answer me.

קָרְבָה אֶל־נַפְשִׁי גְאָלָהּ לְמַעַן אֹיְבַי פְּדֵנִי׃   69:19

Psal. 69:19   Draw near to my soul -- redeem it;

                                  because of my enemies, ransom me.

אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ חֶרְפָּתִי וּבָשְׁתִּי וּכְלִמָּתִי נֶגְדְּךָ כָּל־צוֹרְרָי׃   69:20

Psal. 69:20   You know my reproach and my shame and my confusion;

                                  all distressing me are in front of You.

חֶרְפָּה שָׁבְרָה לִבִּי וָאָנוּשָׁה וָאֲקַוֶּה לָנוּד וָאַיִן וְלַמְנַחֲמִים וְלֹא מָצָאתִי׃   69:21

Psal. 69:21   Condemnation has quenched my heart, and I am sick;

                                  and I have hoped for compassion, but there is none,

                        or for comforters, but I find none.

וַיִּתְּנוּ בְּבָרוּתִי רֹאשׁ וְלִצְמָאִי יַשְׁקוּנִי חֹמֶץ׃   69:22

Psal. 69:22   They would even put venom in my food,

                                  and for my thirst would give me vinegar to drink.

יְהִי־שֻׁלְחָנָם לִפְנֵיהֶם לְפָח וְלִשְׁלוֹמִים לְמוֹקֵשׁ׃   69:23

Psal. 69:23   Let their table become before them as a snare,

                                  and in their times of peace as a trap.

תֶּחְשַׁכְנָה עֵינֵיהֶם מֵרְאוֹת וּמָתְנֵיהֶם תָּמִיד הַמְעַד׃   69:24

Psal. 69:24   Let their eyes become too dim for seeing,

                                  and make their loins shake continually.

שְׁפָךְ־עֲלֵיהֶם זַעְמֶךָ וַחֲרוֹן אַפְּךָ יַשִּׂיגֵם׃   69:25

Psal. 69:25   Pour out upon them Your “indignation,”

                                  and let the ferocity of Your “anger” overtake them.

תְּהִי־טִירָתָם נְשַׁמָּה בְּאָהֳלֵיהֶם אַל־יְהִי יֹשֵׁב׃   69:26

Psal. 69:26   Let their encampment become desolate,

                                   in their tents let none be remaining.

כִּי־אַתָּה אֲשֶׁר־הִכִּיתָ רָדָפוּ וְאֶל־מַכְאוֹב חֲלָלֶיךָ יְסַפֵּרוּ׃   69:27

Psal. 69:27   Because of You, they harass whom You smite,

                                   so they may declare concerning the pain of Your fatally wounded.

The meaning of this verse?  Here are my thoughts on it.  (1) To spite the Lord, the people harass those He smites, making their plight worse so they can brag about or ridicule the hardship of those smitten.  Or (2) They extend the work of the Lord (as His servants) and therefore publicize the woes of the smitten.  The next two verses lead me to favor the first interpretation.  What of the other translators?  They all ignore the first two words I translate as Because of You.  Thus they misinterpret the verse to differing extents.

תְּנָה־עָוֺן עַל־עֲוֺנָם וְאַל־יָבֹאוּ בְּצִדְקָתֶךָ׃   69:28

Psal. 69:28   Extend iniquity onto their iniquity,

                                   that they would not come into Your righteousness.

יִמָּחוּ מִסֵּפֶר חַיִּים וְעִם צַדִּיקִים אַל־יִכָּתֵבוּ׃   69:29

Psal. 69:29   May they be wiped from the book of the living,

                                   that with the righteous they would not be written.

וַאֲנִי עָנִי וְכוֹאֵב יְשׁוּעָתְךָ אֱלֹהִים תְּשַׂגְּבֵנִי׃   69:30

Psal. 69:30   Still I am wretched and in pain;

                                   may Your salvation, O God, set me up on high.

אֲהַלְלָה שֵׁם־אֱלֹהִים בְּשִׁיר וַאֲגַדְּלֶנּוּ בְתוֹדָה׃   69:31

Psal. 69:31   I will praise the name of God in song,

                                   and magnify Him with thanksgiving.

וְתִיטַב לַיהוָה מִשּׁוֹר פָּר מַקְרִן מַפְרִיס׃   69:32

Psal. 69:32   And it shall be more pleasing for the Lord than a young bull,

                                   than horn, than hooves.

רָאוּ עֲנָוִים יִשְׂמָחוּ דֹּרְשֵׁי אֱלֹהִים וִיחִי לְבַבְכֶם׃   69:33

Psal. 69:33   The humble have seen;

                                   let the seekers of God be glad,

                        so your heart is revived.

כִּי־שֹׁמֵעַ אֶל־אֶבְיוֹנִים יְהוָה וְאֶת־אֲסִירָיו לֹא בָזָה׃   69:34

Psal. 69:34   For the Lord is listening to the needy,

                                  and His prisoners He does not despise.

יְהַלְלוּהוּ שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ יַמִּים וְכָל־רֹמֵשׂ בָּם׃   69:35

Psal. 69:35   Let heaven and earth, seas,

                                  and everything moving in them, praise Him.

כִּי אֱלֹהִים יוֹשִׁיעַ צִיּוֹן וְיִבְנֶה עָרֵי יְהוּדָה וְיָשְׁבוּ שָׁם וִירֵשׁוּהָ׃   69:36

Psal. 69:36   For God shall save Zion,

                                  and rebuild the cities of Judah,

                        and they shall dwell there and possess it.

וְזֶרַע עֲבָדָיו יִנְחָלוּהָ וְאֹהֲבֵי שְׁמוֹ יִשְׁכְּנוּ־בָהּ׃   69:37

Psal. 69:37   And the seed of His servants shall inherit it,

                                  and lovers of His name shall abide on it.

As before, I believe this psalm is about Israel, not David.  The last two verses ending this psalm support my belief.

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