Psalm 41
English Standard Version
O Lord, Be Gracious to Me
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
41 (A)Blessed is the one who considers the poor![a]
(B)In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him;
2 the Lord protects him and keeps him alive;
he is called blessed in the land;
you (C)do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
3 The Lord sustains him on his sickbed;
in his illness you restore him to full health.[b]
4 As for me, I said, “O Lord, (D)be gracious to me;
(E)heal me,[c] for I have sinned against you!”
5 My enemies say of me in malice,
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
6 And when one comes to see me, (F)he utters empty words,
while his heart gathers iniquity;
when he goes out, he tells it abroad.
7 All who hate me whisper together about me;
they imagine the worst for me.[d]
8 They say, “A deadly thing is poured out[e] on him;
he will not rise again from where he lies.”
9 Even my (G)close friend in whom I trusted,
who (H)ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
10 But you, O Lord, be gracious to me,
and raise me up, that I may repay them!
11 By this I know that (I)you delight in me:
my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.
12 But (J)you have upheld me because of (K)my integrity,
and (L)set me in your presence (M)forever.
13 (N)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.
Footnotes
- Psalm 41:1 Or weak
- Psalm 41:3 Hebrew you turn all his bed
- Psalm 41:4 Hebrew my soul
- Psalm 41:7 Or they devise evil against me
- Psalm 41:8 Or has fastened
Psalm 41
Revised Geneva Translation
41 Blessed is he who judges wisely of the poor. The LORD shall deliver him in the time of trouble.
2 The LORD will keep him and preserve him alive. He shall be blessed upon the Earth; and You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.
3 The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of sorrow. You have turned all his bed in his sickness.
4 I said, “LORD have mercy upon me. Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”
5 My enemies speak evil of me, saying, “When shall he die, and his name perish?”
6 And if he come to see me, he speaks lies; his heart heaps iniquity within him. When he comes forth, he tells it.
7 All those who hate me whisper together against me. They imagine my hurt against me, saying,
8 “A mischief lies upon him,” and, “He who lies shall rise no more.”
9 Indeed, my familiar friend whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted up the heel against me.
10 Therefore, O LORD, have mercy upon me and raise me up. So shall I reward them.
11 By this I know that You favor me: because my enemy does not triumph against me.
12 And as for me, You uphold me in my integrity, and set me before Your face forever.
13 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, world without end! So be it. Even so be it! To him who excels: A Psalm to give instruction, committed to the sons of Korah.
Psalm 41
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Psalm 41[a]
Thanksgiving After Sickness
1 For the leader. A psalm of David.
I
2 Blessed the one concerned for the poor;[b]
on a day of misfortune, the Lord delivers him.(A)
3 The Lord keeps and preserves him,
makes him blessed in the land,
and does not betray him to his enemies.
4 The Lord sustains him on his sickbed,
you turn down his bedding whenever he is ill.[c]
II
5 Even I have said, “Lord, take note of me;
heal me, although I have sinned against you.
6 My enemies say bad things against me:
‘When will he die and his name be forgotten?’
7 When someone comes to visit me, he speaks without sincerity.
His heart stores up malice;
when he leaves, he gossips.(B)
8 All those who hate me whisper together against me;
they imagine the worst about me:
9 ‘He has had ruin poured over him;
that one lying down will never rise again.’
10 [d]Even my trusted friend,
who ate my bread,
has raised his heel against me.(C)
III
11 “But you, Lord, take note of me to raise me up
that I may repay them.”[e]
12 By this I will know you are pleased with me,
that my enemy no longer shouts in triumph over me.
13 In my integrity may you support me
and let me stand in your presence forever.
14 [f]Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from all eternity and forever.
Amen. Amen.(D)
Footnotes
- Psalm 41 A thanksgiving for rescue from illness (Ps 41:4, 5, 9). Many people, even friends, have interpreted the illness as a divine punishment for sin and have ostracized the psalmist (Ps 41:5–11). The healing shows the return of God’s favor and rebukes the psalmist’s detractors (Ps 41:12–13).
- 41:2 Blessed the one concerned for the poor: cf. Ps 32:1–2; 34:9; 40:5; 65:5. The psalmist’s statement about God’s love of the poor is based on the experience of being rescued (Ps 41:1–3).
- 41:4 You turn down his bedding whenever he is ill: the Hebrew is obscure. It suggests ongoing attentive care of the one who is sick.
- 41:10 Even my trusted friend…has raised his heel against me: Jn 13:18 cites this verse to characterize Judas as a false friend. Raised his heel against me: an interpretation of the unclear Hebrew, “made great the heel against me.”
- 41:11 That I may repay them: the healing itself is an act of judgment through which God decides for the psalmist and against the false friends. The prayer is not necessarily for strength to punish enemies.
- 41:14 The doxology, not part of the Psalm, marks the end of the first of the five books of the Psalter, cf. Ps 72:18–20; 89:53; 106:48.
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