Psalm 119:73-112
New English Translation
י (Yod)
73 Your hands made me and formed me.[a]
Give me understanding so that I might learn[b] your commands.
74 Your loyal followers will be glad when they see me,[c]
for I find hope in your word.
75 I know, Lord, that your regulations[d] are just.
You disciplined me because of your faithful devotion to me.[e]
76 May your loyal love console me,
as you promised your servant.[f]
77 May I experience your compassion,[g] so I might live.
For I find delight in your law.
78 May the arrogant be humiliated, for they have slandered me.[h]
But I meditate on your precepts.
79 May your loyal followers[i] turn to me,
those who know your rules.
80 May I be fully committed to your statutes,[j]
so that I might not be ashamed.
כ (Kaf)
81 I desperately long for[k] your deliverance.
I find hope in your word.
82 My eyes grow tired as I wait for your promise to be fulfilled.[l]
I say,[m] “When will you comfort me?”
83 For[n] I am like a wineskin[o] dried up in smoke.[p]
I do not forget your statutes.
84 How long must your servant endure this?[q]
When will you judge those who pursue me?
85 The arrogant dig pits to trap me,[r]
which violates your law.[s]
86 All your commands are reliable.
I am pursued without reason.[t] Help me!
87 They have almost destroyed me here on the earth,
but I do not reject your precepts.
88 Revive me with[u] your loyal love,
that I might keep[v] the rules you have revealed.[w]
ל (Lamed)
89 O Lord, your instructions endure;
they stand secure in heaven.[x]
90 You demonstrate your faithfulness to all generations.[y]
You established the earth and it stood firm.
91 Today they stand firm by your decrees,
for all things are your servants.
92 If I had not found encouragement in your law,[z]
I would have died in my sorrow.[aa]
93 I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have revived me.
94 I belong to you. Deliver me!
For I seek your precepts.
95 The wicked prepare to kill me,[ab]
yet I concentrate on your rules.
96 I realize that everything has its limits,
but your commands are beyond full comprehension.[ac]
מ (Mem)
97 O how I love your law!
All day long I meditate on it.
98 Your commandments[ad] make me wiser than my enemies,
for I am always aware of them.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your rules.
100 I am more discerning than those older than I,
for I observe your precepts.
101 I stay away[ae] from every evil path,
so that I might keep your instructions.[af]
102 I do not turn aside from your regulations,
for you teach me.
103 Your words are sweeter
in my mouth than honey![ag]
104 Your precepts give me discernment.
Therefore I hate all deceitful actions.[ah]
נ (Nun)
105 Your word[ai] is a lamp to walk by,
and a light to illumine my path.[aj]
106 I have vowed and solemnly sworn
to keep your just regulations.
107 I am suffering terribly.
O Lord, revive me with your word.[ak]
108 O Lord, please accept the freewill offerings of my praise.[al]
Teach me your regulations.
109 My life is in continual danger,[am]
but I do not forget your law.
110 The wicked lay a trap for me,
but I do not wander from your precepts.
111 I claim your rules as my permanent possession,
for they give me joy.[an]
112 I am determined to obey[ao] your statutes
at all times, to the very end.
Footnotes
- Psalm 119:73 tn Heb “made me and established me.” The two verbs also appear together in Deut 32:6, where God, compared to a father, is said to have “made and established” Israel.
- Psalm 119:73 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
- Psalm 119:74 tn Heb “those who fear you will see me and rejoice.”
- Psalm 119:75 tn In this context (note the second line) the Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim), which so often refers to the regulations of God’s law elsewhere in this psalm, may refer instead to his decisions or disciplinary judgment.
- Psalm 119:75 tn Heb “and [in] faithfulness you afflicted me.”
- Psalm 119:76 tn Heb “according to your word to your servant.”
- Psalm 119:77 tn Heb “and may your compassion come to me.”
- Psalm 119:78 tn Heb “for [with] falsehood they have denied me justice.”
- Psalm 119:79 tn Heb “those who fear you.”
- Psalm 119:80 tn Heb “may my heart be complete in your statutes.”
- Psalm 119:81 tn Heb “my soul pines for.” See Ps 84:2.
- Psalm 119:82 tn Heb “my eyes fail for your word.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision. See Ps 69:3.
- Psalm 119:82 tn Heb “saying.”
- Psalm 119:83 tn Or “even though.”
- Psalm 119:83 tn The Hebrew word נֹאד (noʾd, “leather container”) refers to a container made from animal skin which is used to hold wine or milk (see Josh 9:4, 13; Judg 4:19; 1 Sam 16:20).
- Psalm 119:83 tn Heb “in the smoke.”
- Psalm 119:84 tn Heb “How long are the days of your servant?”
- Psalm 119:85 tn Heb “for me.”
- Psalm 119:85 tn Heb “which [is] not according to your law.”
- Psalm 119:86 sn God’s commands are a reliable guide to right and wrong. By keeping them the psalmist is doing what is right, yet he is still persecuted.
- Psalm 119:88 tn Heb “according to.”
- Psalm 119:88 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
- Psalm 119:88 tn Heb “of your mouth.”
- Psalm 119:89 tn Heb “Forever, O Lord, your word stands firm in heaven,” or “Forever, O Lord, [is] your word; it stands firm in heaven.” The translation assumes that “your word” refers here to the body of divine instructions contained in the law (note the frequent references to the law in vv. 92-96). See vv. 9, 16-17, 57, 101, 105, 130, 139 and 160-61. The reference in v. 86 to God’s law being faithful favors this interpretation. Another option is that “your word” refers to God’s assuring word of promise, mentioned in vv. 25, 28, 42, 65, 74, 81, 107, 114, 147 and 169. In this case one might translate, “O Lord, your promise is reliable, it stands firm in heaven.”
- Psalm 119:90 tn Heb “to a generation and a generation [is] your faithfulness.”
- Psalm 119:92 tn Heb “if your law had not been my delight.”
- Psalm 119:92 tn Or “my suffering.”
- Psalm 119:95 tn Heb “the wicked wait for me to kill me.”
- Psalm 119:96 tn Heb “to every perfection I have seen an end, your command is very wide.” God’s law is beyond full comprehension, which is why the psalmist continually studies it (vv. 95, 97).
- Psalm 119:98 tn The plural form needs to be revocalized as a singular in order to agree with the preceding singular verb and the singular pronoun in the next line. The Lord’s “command” refers here to the law (see Ps 19:8).
- Psalm 119:101 tn Heb “I hold back my feet.”
- Psalm 119:101 tn Heb “your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural.
- Psalm 119:103 tn Heb “How smooth they are to my palate, your word, more than honey to my mouth.” A few medieval Hebrew mss, as well as several other ancient witnesses, read the plural “your words,” which can then be understood as the subject of the plural verb “they are smooth.”
- Psalm 119:104 tn Heb “every false path.”
- Psalm 119:105 tn Many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural (“words”).
- Psalm 119:105 tn Heb “[is] a lamp for my foot and a light for my path.”
- Psalm 119:107 tn Heb “according to your word.”
- Psalm 119:108 tn Heb “of my mouth.”
- Psalm 119:109 tn Heb “my life [is] in my hands continually.”
- Psalm 119:111 tn Heb “for the joy of my heart [are] they.”
- Psalm 119:112 tn Heb “I turn my heart to do.”
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