Chronological
26 [The psalm of David.] Lord, deem thou me, for I entered in mine innocence; and I hoping in the Lord, shall not be made unsteadfast. (The song of David. Lord, judge me, for I have gone my way in innocence; and trusting in the Lord, I have not been made unsteady, that is, I have not slipped, or stumbled.)
2 Lord, prove thou me, and assay me; burn thou my reins, and mine heart (burn thou my will, and my heart).
3 For why thy mercy is before mine eyes; and I pleased in thy truth. (For thy love is always before me; and I have gone in thy faithfulness.)
4 I sat not with the counsel of vanity; and I shall not enter with men doing wicked things. (I sat not down with vain, that is, empty, or worthless, people; and I shall not go along with those who do wicked things.)
5 I hated the church of evil men; and I shall not sit with wicked men. (I hate the company of evil people; and I shall not sit with the wicked.)
6 I shall wash mine hands among innocents; and, Lord, I shall compass thine altar. (I shall wash my hands in innocence; and then, Lord, I shall march around thy altar.)
7 That I hear the voice of praising; and that I tell out all thy marvels. (And I shall sing thy praises with thanksgiving; and I shall tell of all thy marvellous deeds.)
8 Lord, I have loved the fairness of thine house; and the place of the dwelling of thy glory. (Lord, I love the beauty of thy House; yea, the place where thy glory dwelleth.)
9 God, lose thou not my soul with unfaithful men; and my life with men of bloods. (God, do not thou destroy me along with the unfaithful; and do not take away my life along with those who thirst for blood, that is, murderers.)
10 In whose hands wickednesses be; the right hand of them is full-filled with gifts. (In whose hands be wickednesses; their right hands be filled full with bribes.)
11 But I entered in mine innocence; again-buy thou me, and have mercy on me. (But I went forth in innocence; so redeem thou me, and have mercy on me.)
12 My foot stood in rightfulness; Lord, I shall bless thee in churches. (Yea, my feet standeth on firm ground; Lord, I shall bless thee in the congregations.)
40 For victory, the psalm of David. I abiding abode the Lord; and he gave attention to me. And he heard my prayers; (To victory, the song of David. Patiently waiting, I waited for the Lord; and he gave attention to me. And he heard my prayers;)
2 and he led out me from the pit of wretchedness, and from the filth of dregs. And he ordained my feet on a stone; and he (ad)dressed my goings. (and he led me out of the pit of wretchedness, and out of the filth of dregs. And he ordained my feet upon a stone; and he directed my goings.)
3 And he sent into my mouth a new song; a song to our God. Many men shall see, and dread; and shall hope in the Lord. (And he put a new song in my mouth; a song to our God. And many shall see this, and shall have fear/and shall be in awe; and then they shall put their trust in the Lord.)
4 Blessed is the man, of whom the name of the Lord is his hope; and he beheld not into vanities, and into false vengeances. (Happy is the person, for whom the Lord’s name is his hope; and he looketh not to idols, or to false gods.)
5 My Lord God, thou hast made thy marvels many; and in thy thoughts none is, that is like thee (toward us). I told and I spake; and they be multiplied above number. (My Lord God, thou hast done many marvellous deeds; and there is no one like thee, for all thy thoughts be for our benefit. I have told about them; yea, I have spoken about them, and they be multiplied far above number.)
6 Thou wouldest not sacrifice and offering; but thou madest perfectly ears to me. Thou askedest not burnt sacrifice, and other sacrifice for sin; (Thou desiredest not sacrifices and offerings; but thou hast given me ears to hear thee. Thou askedest not for burnt sacrifices, and other sacrifices for sin;)
7 then I said, Lo! I come. In the head of the book it is written of me, (and so I said, Lo! I am here. From the beginning, the Book of thy Law was written for me,)
8 that I should do thy will; my God, I would/I desired also to do (it); and thy law in the midst of mine heart. (so that I would do thy will; my God, I desire to do it; and thy Law is there in the midst of my heart.)
9 I told thy rightfulness in a great church; lo! I shall not refrain my lips, Lord, thou knewest. (I told of thy righteousness in the great congregation; lo! I shall not refrain my lips, Lord, thou knowest that.)
10 I hid not thy rightfulness in mine heart; I said thy truth and thine health. I hid not thy mercy, and thy truth, from a much council. (I kept not thy righteousness, or thy goodness, hidden in my heart; I spoke about thy faithfulness, and thy salvation, or thy deliverance. I hid not thy love, and thy faithfulness, from the great congregation.)
11 But thou, Lord, make not far thy merciful doings from me; thy mercy and truth ever[more] take me up. (But thou, Lord, make not thy merciful doings to be far away from me; let thy love, and thy faithfulness, keep me safe forevermore.)
12 For why evils, of which is no number, (en)compassed me; my wickednesses have taken me, and I might not, that I should (even) see. Those be multiplied above the hairs of mine head; and mine heart forsook me. (For evils, of which there is no number, surrounded me; my wickednesses have taken hold of me, and I can no longer see. Yea, they be multiplied far above the hairs of my head; and my heart hath deserted me.)
13 Lord, please it to thee, that thou deliver me; Lord, behold thou to help me. (Lord, may it please thee to save me; Lord, look thou to help me.)[a]
14 Be they shamed, and ashamed together; that seek my life, to take away it. Be they turned aback, and be they shamed/and be they ashamed; that will evils to me. (Be they shamed, and ashamed; all who seek to take my life. Be they turned back, and be shamed/and be ashamed; all who desire evil for me.)
15 Bear they their confusion anon; that say to me, Well! well! in scorn. (Bear they their own shame at once/Be they ashamed at once; who scornfully say to me, Well! well!)
16 All men that seek thee, be fully joyful, and be glad in thee; and say they, that love thine health, The Lord be magnified ever[more]. (But let all those who seek thee, be very joyful, and be glad in thee; and let those who love thy salvation, or thy deliverance, say forevermore, The Lord be magnified.)
17 Forsooth I am a beggar and poor; the Lord is busy of me (But I am a poor and needy man, yea, a beggar; Lord, help thou me). Thou art mine helper and my defender; my God, tarry thou not.
58 To victory, lose thou not the sweet song, either the seemly psalm, of David. Forsooth if ye speak rightfulness verily; ye sons of men, deem rightfully. (To victory, destroy thou not the sweet song, that is, the comely song, of David. Speak ye truly with righteousness, ye sons and daughters of men? judge ye justly? Nay!)
2 For in heart ye work wickedness in earth; your hands make ready unrightfulnesses. (For in your hearts ye do evil; and your hands bring forth unrightfulnesses, or wickedness, in all the earth.)
3 Sinners were made aliens from the womb (Sinners, or evil-doers, go wrong from the womb); they erred from the womb, they spake false things.
4 Strong vengeance is to them, by the likeness of a serpent; as of a deaf snake, and stopping his ears. (Strong venom cometh forth from them, like that of serpents; and they be like a deaf snake that stoppeth its ears.)
5 Which shall not hear the voice of charmers; and of a venom-maker charming (ever so) wisely.
6 God shall all-break the teeth of them in their mouth; the Lord shall break (al)together the great teeth of lions. (O God, break all the teeth in their mouths; O Lord, break all in pieces the great teeth of these lions.)
7 They shall come to nought, as water running away; he bent his bow, till they be made sick. (They shall come to nothing, like water running forth; and when they go to bend their bows, they shall be made feeble, or weak.)
8 As wax that floateth away, they shall be taken away; fire fell above, and they saw not the sun. (Like a snail that melteth away into slime, they shall be taken away; like a dead-born child, they shall not see the sun.)
9 Before that your thorns understood the rhamn, either thieve-thorn; he swalloweth them so in ire, as (with) living men. (Before that the rhamn, or the thieve-thorn, that is, a weed, can grow, he shall swallow them up in his anger; yea, while they still be living.)
10 The just man shall be glad, when he shall see vengeance; he shall wash his hands in the blood of a sinner. (The righteous shall be glad when they see the vengeance taken; they shall wash their hands in the blood of the sinners.)
11 And a man shall say truly, For fruit is to a just man; truly God is deeming them in earth. (And someone shall say, Truly there is a reward for the righteous; truly God is judging people here on earth.)
61 To victory on organs, to David himself. God, hear thou my beseeching; give thou attention to my prayer. (To victory, on instruments, the psalm, or the song, of David. God, hear thou my plea; give thou attention to my prayer.)
2 From the ends of the land I cried to thee; the while mine heart was anguished, thou enhancedest me in a stone (and while my heart was anguished, thou liftedest me up on a rock). Thou leddest me forth,
3 for thou art made mine hope; a tower of strength from the face of the enemy. (for thou art made my hope; a tower of strength before my enemies.)
4 I shall dwell in thy tabernacle into worlds; I shall be covered in the covering of thy wings. (I shall live in thy Tent forever/I shall live in thy dwelling place forever; I shall be covered with the covering of thy wings.)
5 For thou, my God, hast heard my prayer; thou hast given heritage to them that dread thy name (thou hast given me the inheritance of those who fear thy name/of those who revere thy name).
6 Thou shalt add, either increase, days on[to] the days of the king; his years till into the day of generation and of generation. (Thou shalt add days onto the days of the king; yea, year upon year for many generations.)
7 He dwelleth [into] without end in the sight of God; who shall seek the mercy and truth of him? (He shall live before God forever; may thy love, and thy faithfulness, preserve, and protect him.)
8 So I shall say psalm to thy name into the world of world; that I yield my vows from day into day. (And I shall sing songs, or praises, to thy name forever and ever; as I offer my vows each day.)
62 To victory over Jeduthun, the psalm of David. Whether my soul shall not be subject to God; for mine health is of him. (To victory, to Jeduthun, the song of David. Surely my soul shall be made subject under God; for my salvation, or my deliverance, is from him.)
2 For why he is both my God, and mine health; mine up-taker, I shall no more be moved. (For he is both my God, and my deliverer; yea, my defender, and I shall not be shaken, or defeated.)
3 How long fall ye on a man? all ye slain; as to a wall bowed, and as a wall of stone without mortar cast down. (How long shall ye fall upon a man? ye shall all be killed; ye shall be like a wall bowed down, yea, like a stone wall without mortar thrown down.)
4 Nevertheless they thought to put away my price, I ran in thirst; with their mouth they blessed, and in their heart they cursed. (Nevertheless they thought to put him down from his place of honour, and they delighted in lies; they blessed with their mouths, but they cursed in their hearts.)
5 Nevertheless, my soul, be thou subject to God; for my patience is of him. (Nevertheless, my soul, be thou made subject under God; for my hope of deliverance is in him.)
6 For he is my God, and my saviour; mine helper, I shall not pass out. (For he is my God, and my saviour; my helper, and I shall not be moved, or shaken.)
7 Mine health, and my glory is in God; God is the giver of mine help, and mine hope is in God. (My salvation, or my deliverance, and my glory be in God; God is the giver of my help, and my trust is in God.)
8 All the gathering together of the people, hope ye in God, pour ye out your hearts before him; God is our helper [into] without end (All the gathering together of the people, trust ye in God, pour ye out your hearts before him; God shall be our helper forever.)
9 Nevertheless the sons of men be (all in) vain; the sons of men be liars in balances, that they deceive of vanity into the same thing. (Nevertheless the lives of the sons and daughters of men be but a puff of air; yea, the sons and daughters of men all be liars, and if you put them on a balance, their lives shall be lighter than a breath, or a puff of air.)
10 Do not ye have hope in wickedness, and do not ye covet ravens; if riches be plenteous, do not ye set the heart thereto. (Do not ye have trust in wickedness, and do not ye desire, or lust after, stolen goods; if riches be plentiful, do not ye set your heart on it.)
11 God spake once, I heard these two things; that power is of God (that power belongeth to God),
12 and, thou Lord, mercy is to thee; for thou shalt yield to each man by his works. (and, O Lord, that true love is from thee; for thou shalt yield to each person according to his works.)
64 To victory, the psalm of David. God, hear thou my prayer, when I beseech; deliver thou my soul from dread of the enemy. (To victory, the song of David. God, hear thou my prayer, when I beseech thee; save thou me from the threats of my enemies.)
2 Thou hast defended me from the covent of evil-doers; from the multitude of them that work wickedness. (Thou hast protected me from the plots of the evil-doers; yea, from the many who do evil.)
3 For they sharpened their tongues as a sword, they bend their bow, a bitter thing; (For they sharpened their tongues like swords, yea, they bent their bows, and shot out bitter words;)
4 for to shoot in huddles, or privates, him that is unwemmed. Suddenly they shall shoot him, and they shall not dread; (to secretly attack he who is without blemish, or without fault. Suddenly they shall shoot at him, and they shall not fear;)
5 they made steadfast to themselves a wicked word. They told, that they should hide snares; they said, Who shall see them? (for they encouraged each other in their evil plots. And they told one another to hide their snares; even though they also said, But who shall see them?)
6 They sought wickednesses; they sought, and failed (not) in seeking. A man nighed to [a] deep heart; (They sought out wickednesses; yea, they sought them out, and failed not in finding them, for their hearts be dark and deep.)
7 and God shall be enhanced. The arrows of little men, that is, (of) envious men, be made the wounds of them; (But God shall shoot his arrows at them; and then suddenly they shall be the ones who be wounded.)
8 and the tongues of them be made sick against them. All men be troubled, that saw them; (And their tongues, that is, their own evil words, shall be their own undoing. And all who see them shall shake their heads;)
9 and each man dreaded. And they told the works of God; and they understood the deeds of him. (and every person shall be afraid. And they shall tell about the works of God; for they shall understand his deeds, that is, why he hath done all this.)
10 The just man shall be glad in the Lord, and shall hope in him; and all men of rightful heart shall be praised. (The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust him; and all who have upright hearts shall praise him.)
2001 by Terence P. Noble