Beginning

40 (40:2)(For the one directing, Of Dovid. Mizmor) I waited patiently for Hashem; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

^2 (3) Hashem brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

^3 (4) And He hath put a shir chadash in my mouth, even tehillah (hymn of praise) unto Eloheinu; many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in Hashem.

^4 (5) Ashrei is that man that maketh Hashem his trust, and looketh not to the proud ones, nor such as turn aside to lies (false g-ds).

^5 (6) Many, O Hashem Elohai, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward; they cannot be recounted unto Thee; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

^6 (7) Zevach and minchah Thou didst not desire; mine ears hast Thou pierced [cf Psa 22:17]; olah (burnt offering) and chata’ah (sin offering) hast Thou not required.

^7 (8) Then said I, Hinei, I come; in the megillat sefer it is written of me [cf MJ 10:5-7],

^8 (9) I delight to do Thy will, O Elohai; yea, Thy torah is within my heart.

^9 (10) I have preached tzedek in the kahal rav (great congregation); hinei, I have not restrained my lips, O Hashem, Thou knowest.

^10 (11) I have not hid thy tzedek within my lev; I have declared Thy emunah (faithfulness) and Thy teshuah (salvation); I have not concealed Thy chesed and Thy emes from the kahal rav.

^11 (12) Withhold not Thou thy rachamim from me, O Hashem; let Thy chesed and Thy emes continually preserve me.

^12 (13) For innumerable evils have compassed me about; mine avonot (iniquities) have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head; therefore my lev faileth me.

^13 (14) Be pleased, O Hashem, to deliver me; O Hashem, make haste to help me.

^14 (15) Let them be ashamed and mutually confounded that seek after my nefesh to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.

^15 (16) Let them be appalled because of their boshet (shame) that say unto me, Aha, aha.

^16 (17) Let all those that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee; let such as love Thy teshuah say continually, Hashem be magnified.

^17 (18) But I am poor and needy; yet Adonoi thinketh upon me; Thou art my ezer and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O Elohai.

41 (For the one directing, Mizmor of Dovid).

^2 (1) Blessed is he that considereth the helpless; Hashem will deliver him in time of ra’ah (evil, trouble).

^3 (2) Hashem will be shomer over him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed in ha’aretz; and Thou wilt not surrender him unto the desire of his enemies.

^4 (3) Hashem will support him upon the sickbed; in his illness, all his bedridden languishing Thou wilt change (i.e., toward recovery).

^5 (4) I said, Hashem, channeni (be gracious unto me); heal my nefesh; for I have sinned against Thee.

^6 (5) Mine enemies speak rah (evil) of me: When will he die, and shmo (his name) perish?

^7 (6) And if one cometh to see me, he speaketh falsely; his lev gathereth wickedness to itself; when he goeth lachutz (outside, around) he telleth it.

^8 (7) All that hate me whisper together against me; against me do they devise my hurt.

^9 (8) A thing of beliya’al (a wicked fate, i.e., a terminal illness), say they, cleaveth fast unto him, that when he lieth he shall rise up no more.

^10 (9) Yea, mine own ish shalom (familiar friend, close friend), in whom I trusted, which did eat of my lechem, hath lifted up his heel (i.e., deceitfully showed enmity) against me [see Yn 13:18].

^11 (10) But Thou, O Hashem, channeni (be gracious, merciful unto me), and raise me up, that I may repay them.

^12 (11) By this I know that Thou favorest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.

^13 (12) And as for me, Thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before Thy face l’olam (forever).

^14 (13) Baruch Hashem Elohei Yisroel m’haolam v’ad haolam. Omein and Omein.

42 (For the one directing, Maskil, for the Bnei Korah). As the deer panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my nefesh after Thee, O Elohim.

^2 (3) My nefesh thirsteth for Elohim, for El Chai. When shall I come and appear before Elohim [in the Beis Hamikdash]?

^3 (4) My tears have been my lechem yomam valailah, while they continually say unto me, Where is Eloheicha?

^4 (5) When I remember these things, I pour out my nefesh within me; for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the Beis Elohim with the voice of rinnah and todah, with the multitude keeping Chag (holy day, pilgrim feast).

^5 (6) Why art thou cast down, O my nefesh? And why groanest thou (i.e., murmuring in discouragement) within me? Hope thou in (i.e., wait for) Elohim; for I shall yet give Him thanks, for He is the yeshuah (salvation) of my countenance and Elohai.

^6 (7) My nefesh is cast down within me; therefore will I remember Thee from Eretz Yarden, and from Chermon’s peaks, from Har Mitzar [mountain near Mt Chermon].

^7 (8) Tehom el Tehom ([oceanic] deep unto [oceanic] deep) calleth at the noise of Thy waterfalls; all Thy breakers and Thy billows are passed over me.

^8 (9) Yet Hashem will command His chesed by day, and in the night His shir (song) shall be with me, my tefillah (prayer) unto the El Chayyai (G-d of my life).

^9 (10) I will say unto El Sali (G-d my Rock), Why hast Thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the oyev (enemy)? [Mt 27:46]

^10 (11) As with the crushing of my atzamot (bones), mine tzorer (vexers, harassers) reproach me; while they say all day long unto me, Where is Eloheicha?

^11 (12) Why art thou cast down, O my nefesh? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in (wait for) Elohim; for I shall yet give Him thanks, for He is the yeshuah (salvation) of my countenance and Elohai.

43 Vindicate me, O Elohim, and plead my cause against a nation lo chasid; O deliver me from the ish mirmah v’avlah (deceitful and unjust man).

² For Thou art the Elohei Ma’oz of me. Why dost Thou cast me off? Why must I go mourning because of the oppression of the oyev?

³ O send out Thy Ohr and Thy Emes; let them guide me; let them bring me unto Thy Har Kodesh, and to Thy Mishkan.

⁴ Then will I go unto the Mizbe’ach of Elohim, unto El my exceeding joy; yea, upon the kinnor will I praise Thee, O Elohim Elohai.

⁵ Why art thou cast down, O my nefesh? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope in Elohim; for I shall yet praise Him, Who is the Yeshu’ot of my countenance, and Elohai.

44 (For the one directing. Of the Bnei Korach. A maskil). We have heard with our oznayim, O Elohim, Avoteinu have told us, what po’al (work) Thou hast wrought in their days, in the times of old.

^2 (3) How Thou didst drive out the Goyim with Thy Yad, but plantedst them; how Thou didst afflict the people, but for them Thou madest room.

^3 (4) For they got not eretz in possession by their own cherev, neither did their own zero’a save them, but Thy Yamin (Right Hand), and Thine Zero’a, and the ohr (light) of Thy countenance, because Thou favored them.

^4 (5) Thou art my Melech, O Elohim; command yeshu’ot (deliverances) for Ya’akov.

^5 (6) Through Thee will we push down our enemies; through Thy Shem will we trample them under that rise up against us.

^6 (7) For I will not trust in my keshet (bow), neither shall my cherev save me.

^7 (8) But Thou hast saved us from tzareinu (our enemies), and hast put them to shame that hated us.

^8 (9) In Elohim we boast kol hayom, and praise Thy Shem l’olam (forever). Selah.

^9 (10) But Thou hast cast off, and disgraced us; and goest not forth with tzivoteinu (our armies).

^10 (11) Thou makest us to turn back from before the tzar (enemy); and they which hate us have taken plunder for themselves.

^11 (12) Thou hast given us up like tzon appointed for food; and hast scattered us among the Goyim.

^12 (13) Thou sellest Amecha (Thy People) for a mere nothing, and art not enriched by their price.

^13 (14) Thou makest us a cherpah (reproach) to our shchenim (neighbors), a scorn and a derision to them that are all around us.

^14 (15) Thou makest us a mashal (byword) among the Goyim, a shaking of the rosh among the peoples.

^15 (16) Kol hayom my dishonor is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,

^16 (17) At the voice of him that reproacheth and revileth; by reason of the oyev (enemy) and avenger.

^17 (18) All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten Thee, neither have we dealt falsely in Thy Brit.

^18 (19) Libenu (our heart) is not turned back, neither have our steps departed from Thy way;

^19 (20) Though Thou hast crushed us in the makom (place, home, haunt) of jackals, and covered us with the tzalmavet (shadow of death).

^20 (21) If we have forgotten the Shem of Eloheinu, or stretched out our palms [in worship] to an el zar (foreign g-d);

^21 (22) Shall not Elohim search this out? For He knoweth the secrets of the lev.

^22 (23) Yes, for Thy sake are we killed kol hayom; we are counted as tzon (sheep) for the tivchah (slaughter).

^23 (24) Awake. Why sleepest Thou, Adonoi? Arise, cast us not off lanetzach (forever).

^24 (25) Why hidest Thou Thy face, and forgettest our oni (misery, affliction) and our oppression?

^25 (26) For our nefesh is bowed down to the aphar (dust); our beten (belly, body) has deveykus with the dirt.

^26 (27) Arise for our help, and redeem us for the sake of Thy chesed.

45 (For the one directing upon Shoshannim, for the Bnei Korach. A Maskil. Shir yedidot, i.e., a love song). My lev is stirred with davar tov; I speak my verses to HaMelech; my leshon (tongue) is the et (pen, stylus) of a sofer mahir (ready scribe, skillful writer).

^2 (3) Thou art fairer than Bnei Adam; chen (grace, favor) is poured upon Thy sfatayim (lips); therefore Elohim hath blessed Thee l’olam. [T.N. The coming Messianic King is called Elohim [Ps 45:6(7)] just as this coming personage is called El Gibbor in Isa 9:5; see MJ 1:8; The Targumist renders Psa 45:2(3) as a reference to Moshiach.]

^3 (4) Gird Thy cherev upon Thy side, O Gibbor [See Isaiah 9:5(6)], with Thy hod (glory, splendor) and Thy hadar (majesty).

^4 (5) And in Thy hadar (majesty) ride forth victoriously for the sake of emes and anavah and tzedek; and Thy Yamin (Right Hand) shall guide Thee to nora’ot (things of awe).

^5 (6) Thine khitzim (arrows) are sharp in the lev oyvei HaMelech (in the heart of the King’s enemies); the Amim (nations) fall under Thee.

^6 (7) Thy kisse (throne), O Elohim, is olam va’ed; the shevet (sceptre) of Thy Malchut is a shevet of uprightness.

^7 (8) Thou lovest tzedek, and hatest resha; therefore Elohim, Eloheicha, hath anointed Thee with shemen sasson (the oil of gladness) above Thy chaverim.

^8 (9) All Thy robes smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia; out of the ivory heikhalim stringed instruments have made Thee glad.

^9 (10) Banot Melachim were among Thy ladies of honor; upon Thy Yamin (Right Hand) is stationed the Shegal (Queen consort, spouse of the reigning monarch) in golden jewelry of Ophir.

^10 (11) Pay heed, O Bat (daughter), and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy Bais Avi;

^11 (12) Then shall HaMelech be enthralled with thy beauty; since He is thy Adon, hishtachavi lo (bow to Him).

^12 (13) And the Bat Tzor (Tyre) shall be there with a minchah (gift); even the ashirim (rich ones) among the people shall entreat thy favor.

^13 (14) The Bat Melech is all glorious within; her clothing is zahav embroidered.

^14 (15) She shall be brought unto HaMelech in woven apparel; the betulot (virgins), her companions that follow her, shall be brought unto Thee.

^15 (16) With simchah and gladness shall they be led forth; they shall enter into the Heikhal Melech.

^16 (17) Instead of thy avot shall be thy sons, whom thou mayest make sarim (princes) in kol ha’aretz.

^17 (18) I will make Thy Shem to be remembered kol dor vador; therefore shall the Amim (nations) praise Thee l’olam va’ed.