1 Plead my cause, Jehovah, with those who plead against me; Fight with those who fight with me. 2 Grasp target and shield, And stand up in my help, 3 And unsheathe lance and battle-axe (?) against my pursuers; Say to my soul, Thy salvation am I.
4 Be the seekers after my life put to shame and dishonoured; Be the plotters of my hurt turned back and confounded 5 Be they as chaff before the wind, And the angel of Jehovah striking them down! 6 Be their path darkness and slipperiness, And the angel of Jehovah pursuing them!
7 For without provocation have they hidden for me their net; Without provocation have they dug a pit for my life. 8 May destruction light on him unawares, And his net which he hath hidden snare him; Into destruction (the pit?)--may he fall therein!
9 And my soul shall exult in Jehovah, Shall rejoice in His salvation. 10 All my bones shall say, Jehovah, who is like Thee, Delivering the afflicted from a stronger than he, Even the afflicted and poor from his spoiler?
11 Unjust witnesses rise up; Of what I know not they ask me. 12 They requite me evil for good-- Bereavement to my soul! 13 But I--in their sickness my garment was sackcloth, I afflicted my soul by fasting, And my prayer--may it return again (do thou return?) to my own bosom. 14 As [for] my friend or brother, I dragged myself about (bowed myself down?); As one mourning for a mother, I bowed down (dragged myself about?) in squalid attire. 15 And at my tottering they rejoice and assemble themselves; Abjects and those whom I know not assemble against me; They tear me, and cease not, 16 Like the profanest of buffoons for a bit of bread, Gnashing their teeth at me.
17 Lord, how long wilt Thou look on? Bring back my soul from their destructions, My only one from the young lions. 18 I will praise Thee in the great congregation; Among people strong [in number] will I sound Thy praise.
19 Let not my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me, Nor my haters without provocation wink the eye. 20 For it is not peace they speak, And against the quiet of the land they plan words of guile. 21 And they open wide their mouth against me; They say, Oho! Oho! our eyes have seen.
22 Thou hast seen, Jehovah: be not deaf; Lord, be not far from me! 23 Arouse Thyself, and awake for my judgment, My God and my Lord, for my suit! 24 Judge me according to Thy righteousness, Jehovah, my God, And let them not rejoice over me.
25 Let them not say in their hearts, Oho! our desire! Let them not say, We have swallowed him. 26 Be those who rejoice over my calamity put to shame and confounded together! Be those who magnify themselves against me clothed in shame and dishonour!
27 May those who delight in my righteous cause sound out their gladness and rejoice, And say continually, Magnified be Jehovah, Who delights in the peace of His servant. 28 And my tongue shall meditate Thy righteousness, All day long Thy praise.
The psalmist's life is in danger. He is the victim of ungrateful hatred. False accusations of crimes that he never dreamed of are brought against him. He professes innocence, and appeals to Jehovah to be his Advocate and also his Judge. The prayer in ver. 1 a uses the same word and metaphor as David does in his remonstrance with Saul (1 Sam. xxiv. 15). The correspondence with David's situation in the Sauline persecution is, at least, remarkable, and goes far to sustain the Davidic authorship. The distinctly individual traits in the psalm are difficulties in the way of regarding it as a national psalm. Jeremiah has several coincidences in point of expression and sentiment, which are more naturally accounted for as reminiscences by the prophet than as indications that he was the psalmist. His genius was assimilative, and liked to rest itself on earlier utterances.