Beginning

51 (For the one directing. Mizmor Dovid. When Natan HaNavi confronted him after he went into Bat- Sheva—2Sm. 11:2) Have mercy upon me, O Elohim, according to Thy chesed; according unto the multitude of Thy rachamim blot out my peysha’im (transgressions, rebellions).

^2 (4) Wash me thoroughly from mine avon (iniquity), and cleanse me from my chattat (sin).

^3 (5) For I acknowledge my peysha’im (transgressions, rebellions); and my chattat (sin) is ever before me.

^4 (6) Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done the rah in Thy sight; that Thou mightest be found just when Thou speakest, and be blameless when Thou judgest.

^5 (7) Surely, I was brought forth in avon; and in chet did immi conceive me [i.e., I was a sinner from conception].

^6 (8) Surely Thou desirest emes in the inward parts; and in the inmost place Thou shalt make me to know chochmah.

^7 (9) Purge me with ezov (hyssop), and I shall be tahor; wash me, and I shall be whiter than sheleg (snow).

^8 (10) Make me to hear sasson and simchah; that the atzmot which Thou hast broken may rejoice.

^9 (11) Hide Thy face from my chatta’im, and blot out all mine avonot.

^10 (12) Create in me a lev tahor, O Elohim; and renew a ruach nekhon (steadfast spirit [i.e., regeneration Ezek 36:26; Yn 3:3,6]) within me.

^11 (13) Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Ruach Hakodesh from me.

^12 (14) Restore unto me the sasson of Thy salvation; and uphold me with a ruach nedivah (a willing spirit; see Jer 31:31-34).

^13 (15) Then will I teach poshe’im (transgressors) Thy drakhim; and chatta’im (sinners) shall be converted [have a spiritual turnaround; see Isa 6:10] unto Thee.

^14 (16) Save me from damim (bloodguiltiness), O Elohim, Thou Elohei Teshuati; and my leshon shall sing aloud of Thy tzedakah.

^15 (17) Adonoi, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth Thy tehillah (praise).

^16 (18) For Thou desirest not zevach (sacrifice); else would I give it; Thou delightest not in olah (burnt offering).

^17 (19) The zivkhei Elohim are a ruach nishbarah (broken spirit); a broken and contrite lev, O Elohim, Thou wilt not despise.

^18 (20) Do good in Thy good pleasure unto Tziyon; build Thou the chomot Yerushalayim.

^19 (21) Then shalt Thou be pleased with zivkhei tzedek (true sacrifices, sacrifices of righteousness), with olah (burnt offering) and whole burnt offering; then shall they offer parim (bulls) upon Thine Mizbe’ach. [T.N. This Psalm, Ps 51, teaches the doctrine of Chet Kadmon from which comes the seminal corrupting human condition necessitating hitkhadshut for all fallen Bnei Adam]

52 (For the one directing. A maskil of Dovid. When Doeg HaAdomi [the Edomite] went to Sha’ul and said to him, Dovid has gone to Bais Achimelech). Why boastest thou thyself in ra’ah, O gibbor? The chesed El is kol hayom.

^2 (4) The leshon (tongue) deviseth treachery; like a sharp ta’ar (razor), working remiyyah (deceit).

^3 (5) Thou lovest rah more than tov; and sheker rather than to speak tzedek. Selah.

^4 (6) Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou leshon mirmah (deceitful tongue).

^5 (7) El shall likewise demolish thee for netzach (eternity), He shall break thee, and pluck thee out of thy ohel, and uproot thee out of the Eretz Chayyim. Selah.

^6 (8) The tzaddikim also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:

^7 (9) Hinei, this is the gever (man) that made not Elohim his ma’oz; but trusted in the abundance of his osher (riches), and strengthened himself in his treachery.

^8 (10) But I am like a green zayit (olive tree) in the Beis Elohim; I trust in the chesed Elohim olam va’ed.

^9 (11) I will give Thee thanks l’olam, because Thou hast done it; and I will wait on Shimecha; for it is tov before Thy chasidim.

53 (For the one directing. According to ma’alot. Maskil of Dovid). The naval (fool) hath said in his lev, Ein Elohim (There is no G-d). Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity; there is none that doeth tov.

^2 (3) Elohim looked down from Shomayim upon Bnei Adam, to see if there were any of seichel, that did seek Elohim.

^3 (4) Every one of them has fallen away; they are altogether perverse; there is none that doeth tov, no, not echad (one).

^4 (5) Have the workers of iniquity no da’as? Who eat up My people as they eat lechem; they have not called upon Elohim.

^5 (6) There were they in great pachad (fear), pachad such as never was; for Elohim hath scattered the atzmot of him that encampeth against thee; thou [Yisroel] hast put them to shame, because Elohim hath rejected them.

^6 (7) Oh that the Yeshuat Yisroel would come out of Tziyon! When Elohim bringeth back the captivity of Amo (His people), Ya’akov shall rejoice, and Yisroel shall be glad.

54 (For the director. With stringed instruments. A maskil. For Dovid, when the Ziphim came and said to Sha’ul, Dovid is in hiding among us.) Hoshieini (save me), O Elohim, by Shimecha, and vindicate me by Thy gevurah (might, power).

^2 (4) Hear my tefillah, O Elohim; give ear to the words of my mouth.

^3 (5) For zarim (strangers) are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my nefesh; they have not set Elohim before them. Selah.

^4 (6) Hinei, Elohim is mine Ozer (helper); Adonoi is with them that uphold my nefesh.

^5 (7) He shall recompense the rah (evil) unto mine enemies; in Thy emes cut them off.

^6 (8) I will sacrifice a nedavah (freewill offering) unto Thee; I will praise Shimecha, Hashem; for it is tov (good).

^7 (9) For He hath delivered me out of all my tzoros; and mine eye hath looked in triumph upon mine oyevim (enemies.)

55 (For the one directing. With Neginos. Maskil of Dovid) Give ear to my tefillah, O Elohim; and veil not Thyself from my techinnah (supplication).

^2 (3) Attend unto me, and hear me; I wander restlessly in my si’ach (anxiety), and aloud I groan;

^3 (4) Because of the voice of the oyev (enemy), because of the oppression of the rasha (evildoer); for they cast aven (iniquity) upon me, and in af (wrath, anger) cherish their malice against me.

^4 (5) My lev writhes within me; and the terrors of mavet are fallen upon me.

^5 (6) Yirah va’ra’ad (fear and trembling) are come upon me, and pallatzut (horror, shuddering) overwhelmed me.

^6 (7) And I said, Oh that I had wings like a yonah! For then would I fly away and be at rest.

^7 (8) Hinei, then would I flee far off and lodge in the midbar. Selah.

^8 (9) I would hasten to my place of shelter from the ruach so’ah (wind of the tempest) and storm.

^9 (10) Destroy, Adonoi, and confuse their leshon; for I see chamas (violence) and riv (strife) in the Ir (city, i.e., Jerusalem).

^10 (11) Yomam and lailah they go about her [Yerushalayim] upon the chomot thereof; aven also and amal are in the midst of her [Yerushalayim].

^11 (12) Ruin is in the midst thereof; oppression and mirmah (guile, fraud, deceit) depart not from her rechov.

^12 (13) For it was not an oyev (enemy) that reproached me; then I could bear it; neither was it he that had sinah (hatred) for me that did exalt himself against me; then I could have hid myself from him;

^13 (14) But it was thou, an enosh (a man) equally [valued with myself], my aluf (intimate, friend), and me’yuda’i (deep acquaintance, familiar friend, see Psalm 41:9)

^14 (15) Together we took sweet sod (intimate conversation, fellowship, counsel), and walked unto the Beis Elohim with the throng.

^15 (16) Let mavet seize upon them, and let them go down chayyim into Sheol; for ra’ot (evils) are in their dwellings, and among them.

^16 (17) As for me, I will call upon Elohim; and Hashem shall save me.

^17 (18) Erev, and boker, and at tzohorayim (noon), will I pray, and cry aloud; and He shall hear my kol (voice).

^18 (19) He hath redeemed my nefesh in shalom from the battle that was against me; for there were rabbim against me.

^19 (20) El (G-d) shall hear, and afflict them, even He that abideth kedem (of old, forever). Selah. Because they do not change, therefore they fear not Elohim.

^20 (21) He [the faithless friend of verse 13-14] hath laid his hands on such as are at shalom with him; he hath broken his Brit.

^21 (22) The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his lev; his devarim were softer than shemen, yet they were drawn swords.

^22 (23) Cast thy burden upon Hashem, and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the tzaddik to be moved.

^23 (24) But Thou, O Elohim, shalt bring them down into the pit of shachat; anshei damim umirmah (bloody and deceitful men) shall not live out half their yamim; but I will trust in Thee.

56 (For the director. Set to The Silent, Distant Yonah. Of Dovid. A mikhtam—when the Pelishtim seized him in Gat.) Chaneini (be merciful) unto me, O Elohim: for enosh (man) tramples upon me; kol hayom they press their attack against me.

^2 (3) Mine adversaries kol hayom trample me; for they be rabbim that fight against me, Marom (Most High).

^3 (4) What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.

^4 (5) In Elohim I will praise His Word [See Yn 1:1,14]. In Elohim I have put my trust; I will not fear what basar can do unto me.

^5 (6) Kol hayom they twist my words; all their machsh’vot (thoughts) are against me for rah (evil).

^6 (7) They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they are shomer over my steps, when they wait for my nefesh.

^7 (8) Shall they escape by iniquity? In Thine anger cast down the amim (peoples), O Elohim.

^8 (9) Thou hast acted as a sofer, recording my wanderings; put Thou my tears into Thy wineskin; are they not in Thy Sefer (Book)?

^9 (10) On the day when I cry unto Thee, then shall mine oyevim turn back; of this I have da’as; for Elohim is for me [Ro 8:31].

^10 (11) In Elohim will I praise His Word; in Hashem will I praise His Word [Yn 1:1; Mishlei 30:4; Ps 33:6; Mishlei 8:30].

^11 (12) In Elohim have I put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can adam do unto me?

^12 (13) Thy nederim are upon me, O Elohim; I will render todot (thank offerings) unto Thee.

^13 (14) For Thou hast delivered my nefesh from mavet (death). Wilt not Thou deliver my feet from stumblimg, that I may walk before Elohim in the Ohr HaChayyim (the light of the living)?

57 (For the one directing. Set to Do Not Destroy. Mikhtam of Dovid, when he had fled from Sha’ul into the me’arah [cave]). Channeni, O Elohim, channeni; for my nefesh taketh refuge in Thee; yes, in the tzel (shadow) of Thy wings will I make my refuge, until these devastations pass by.

^2 (3) I will cry out unto Elohim Elyon; unto El that fulfilleth all things for me.

^3 (4) He shall send from Shomayim, and save me from the disgrace of him that would swallow me up. Selah. Elohim shall send forth His chesed (lovingkindness) and His emes (truth).

^4 (5) My nefesh is among lions, and I lie even among them that devour Bnei Adam, whose shinayim (teeth) are spears and khitzim (arrows), and their leshon a sharp cherev.

^5 (6) Be Thou exalted, O Elohim, above Shomayim; let Thy kavod be above kol ha’aretz.

^6 (7) They have prepared a reshet (net) for my steps; my nefesh is bowed down; they have dug a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.

^7 (8) My lev is nachon (steadfast), O Elohim, my lev is nachon; I will sing and make music.

^8 (9) Awake, my kavod (glory, soul, life); awake, nevel and kinnor; I myself will awake the shachar (dawn).

^9 (10) I will give thanks unto Thee, Adonoi, among the peoples; I will sing of Thee among the peoples.

^10 (11) For Thy chesed is gadol unto Shomayim, and Thy emes unto the heights.

^11 (12) Be Thou exalted, O Elohim, above Shomayim; let Thy kavod be above kol ha’aretz (all the earth).