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As for me, I said:[a]
“O Lord, have mercy on me!
Heal me, for I have sinned against you.
My enemies ask this cruel question about me,[b]
‘When will he finally die and be forgotten?’[c]
When someone comes to visit,[d] he pretends to be friendly;[e]
he thinks of ways to defame me,[f]
and when he leaves he slanders me.[g]
All who hate me whisper insults about me to one another;[h]
they plan ways to harm me.
They say,[i]
‘An awful disease[j] overwhelms him,[k]
and now that he is bedridden he will never recover.’[l]
Even my close friend[m] whom I trusted,
he who shared meals with me, has turned against me.[n]
10 As for you, O Lord, have mercy on me and raise me up,
so I can pay them back!”[o]

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 41:4 sn In vv. 4-10 the psalmist recites the prayer of petition and lament he offered to the Lord.
  2. Psalm 41:5 tn Heb “my enemies speak evil concerning me.”
  3. Psalm 41:5 tn Heb “and his name perish.”
  4. Psalm 41:6 tn Heb “to see.”
  5. Psalm 41:6 tn Heb “he speaks deceitfully.”
  6. Psalm 41:6 tn Heb “his heart gathers sin to itself.”
  7. Psalm 41:6 tn Heb “he goes outside and speaks.”
  8. Psalm 41:7 tn Heb “together against me they whisper, all those who hate me.” The Hitpael of לָחַשׁ (lakhash) refers here to whispering to one another (see 2 Sam 12:19).
  9. Psalm 41:8 tn The words “they say” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to make it clear that v. 8 contains a quotation of what the psalmist’s enemies say about him (see v. 7a).
  10. Psalm 41:8 tn Heb “thing of worthlessness.” In Ps 101:3 the phrase refers to evil deeds in general, but here it appears to refer more specifically to the illness that plagues the psalmist.
  11. Psalm 41:8 tn Heb “is poured out on him.” The passive participle of יָצַק (yatsaq) is used.
  12. Psalm 41:8 tn Heb “and he who lies down will not again arise.”
  13. Psalm 41:9 tn Heb “man of my peace.” The phrase here refers to one’s trusted friend (see Jer 38:22; Obad 7).
  14. Psalm 41:9 tn Heb “has made a heel great against me.” The precise meaning of this phrase, which appears only here, is uncertain.sn The language of this verse is applied to Judas Iscariot in John 13:18.
  15. Psalm 41:10 tn The cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) here indicates purpose or result (“Then I will repay them”) after the preceding imperatives.

I said, “Have mercy(A) on me, Lord;
    heal(B) me, for I have sinned(C) against you.”
My enemies say of me in malice,
    “When will he die and his name perish?(D)
When one of them comes to see me,
    he speaks falsely,(E) while his heart gathers slander;(F)
    then he goes out and spreads(G) it around.

All my enemies whisper together(H) against me;
    they imagine the worst for me, saying,
“A vile disease has afflicted him;
    he will never get up(I) from the place where he lies.”
Even my close friend,(J)
    someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
    has turned[a] against me.(K)

10 But may you have mercy(L) on me, Lord;
    raise me up,(M) that I may repay(N) them.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 41:9 Hebrew has lifted up his heel