Old/New Testament
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)?
3 What then is the advantage of the Yehudi? Or what is the value of the bris milah?
2 Much in every way! For, koidem kol (in the first place), they are entrusted with the Divrei Hashem (the oracles, the words of G-d).
3 So, where does that leave us? If some have disbelieved, has their lack of emunah annulled the ne’emanut (faithfulness, trustworthiness, reliability) of Hashem?
4 Chas v’shalom (G-d forbid!) Let G-d be true and KOL HAADAM KOZEV ("every man a liar" TEHILLIM 116:11). Even as it is written, L’MA’AN TITZDAK B’DAVRECHA ("in order that you might be vindicated when you speak" and shall overcome when you judge TEHILLIM 51:6[4]).
5 But if our unrighteousness brings out and highlights the Tzedek Olamim, the Tzidkat Hashem (the righteousness of G-d), what shall we say? Rhetorically speaking, is G-d unjust in inflicting Charon Af Hashem (1:18)? (I speak from a human standpoint.)
6 Chas v’shalom! (G-d forbid!) For then how could Hashem be HaShofet kol ha’Aretz (BERESHIS 18:25)?
7 "But if the Emes Hashem (truth of G-d) has by my sheker overflowed to His kavod (glory), why am I still judged as a rashah (an evildoer)?"
8 Why do we not say, as some speakers of lashon hora slanderously report us to say, "Let us do rah that tov might come of it"? The gezar din (verdict) of ashem (guilty) on them is well deserved.
9 What then? Are we (Yehudim) better off? Not altogether. For we have now charged both Yehudim and non-Jews as all alike under HaChet (sin, i.e., the power of Chet Kadmon Ro 7:23),
10 As it is written, EIN TZADDIK BA’ARETZ (KOHELET 7:20), There is none [on earth] righteous, not even one.
11 There is none who has binah, there is none who seeks out G-d.
12 All have turned aside, they have become altogether paskudneh, worthless; there is none who does good, there is none, not so much as one.
13 Their throat is an open grave. They use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips,
14 Whose mouth is full of curses and bitterness.
15 Their feet are swift when it comes to shefach dahm.
16 Ruin and wretchedness are in their ways,
17 And the derech Shalom (the way of peace) they have not known.
18 There is no yirat Shomayim (fear of G-d) before their eyes. (See TEHILLIM 13:1-3; 14:1-3; 5:9,10; 139:4; 140:3; 9:28; 10:7; YESHAYAH 59:7 8; TEHILLIM 36:1; MISHLE 1:16; TEHILLIM 35:2.)
19 Now we know that whatever the Torah says, it says to those under the Torah, in order that every mouth might be stopped and kol HaOlam Hazeh become ashem (guilty) and liable to the Mishpat Hashem [TEHILLIM 1:5].
20 For by Ma’asim (Works) of Chok (Law) shall KOL CHAI LO YITZDAK ("all living not be justified" TEHILLIM 143:2), for through the Chok (Law) comes the da’as HaChet (the knowledge of sin, BERESHIS 3:7).
21 But now, apart from the Chok, the Tzedek Olamim—the Tzidkat Hashem—has been revealed, as attested by the Torah and the Nevi’im,
22 That is, the Tzidkat Hashem through emunah in Moshiach Yehoshua (Yeshua) to all the ma’aminim (believers). For there is no distinction.
23 For all have sinned and suffered want of the kavod Hashem.
24 They are acquitted and accounted to be YITZDAK IM HASHEM as a matnat Hashem (gift of G-d) by the unmerited Chen v’Chesed Hashem (grace of G-d) through HaPedut (the ransom, the payment of ransom for the Geulah redemption—Shmuel Bais 7:23 that comes about through the Go’el Moshiach Tzidkeinu) which is in Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua,
25 Whom G-d set forth as a kapporah (that which propitiates G-d’s wrath; cf the sa’ir l’azazel in Lv 16:22 and Isa 53:12 paying the onesh for sin) through emunah (faith) in the DAHM ("blood" Gen 22:7; Ex 12:3,6; Isa 53:7,10) of Moshiach, to demonstrate the Tzedek Olamim, the Tzidkat Hashem (righteousness of G-d) in pasach (passing over, letting go the penalty of) the averos (sins) committed in former times
26 In the forbearance of G-d, to vindicate his Tzidkat Hashem (righteousness of G-d) in the present time, that HASHEM TZADDIK ("G-d is righteous" DIVREY HAYAMIM BAIS 12:6) Himself and the One who counts to be YITZDAK IM HASHEM (IYOV 25:4) the person who has emunah (faith) and bitachon (trust) in [Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach] Yehoshua.
27 Where then is boasting? (Ro 4:2) It has been memayet (precluded, excluded). By what kind of Torah? Of ma’asim (works)? No, on the contrary, by the Torah of Emunah (the Law of Faith, that is, the Law understood in terms of emunah).
28 For we reckon that a man is acquitted and pronounced to be YITZDAK IM HASHEM by emunah (personal faith, trust, bitachon), apart from the [(supposed) zechus-earning] ma’asei mitzvot.
29 Or is Hashem G-d of the Yehudim only? Is Hashem not also G-d of the Nations? Ken, of non-Jews, too,
30 Vi-bahlt (since), after all, Adonai echad ("G-d is one" DEVARIM 6:4). Therefore, He will consider to be YITZDAK IM HASHEM and acquit those of the bris milah on the ground of emunah and the "arelim" (uncircumcised ones) through that same emunah.
31 Does it follow that we abolish Torah and make it invalid through emunah? Chas v’shalom! Aderaba (to the contrary), we uphold the Torah.
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