A Psalm pertaining to Dauid, which he sang to the Lord because of the words of Chousi son of Iemeni.
- O Lord my God, in you I hoped;
save me from all pursuing me, and rescue me, - lest he like a lion seize my soul,
there being no one redeeming me or saving me. - O Lord my God, if I did this,
if there is injustice in my hands, - if I repaid those who repaid me with evil,
then may I fall away from my enemies empty; - may the enemy pursue and overtake my soul
and trample my life into the earth
and make my glory encamp in the dust.
Musical Interlude
- Arise, O Lord, in your wrath;
be exalted at the end of my enemies,
and awake, O my God, with the ordinance you commanded. - And a congregation of people will encircle you,
and above them return on high! - The Lord will judge peoples;
judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness
and according to the innocence in me. - Indeed, let the wickedness of sinners be brought to an end,
and you shall keep straight the righteous.
God is someone testing hearts and kidneys. - Righteous is my help from God,
he who saves the straight in heart. - God is a righteous judge, and strong and patient,
not bringing wrath each day. - If you do not turn back, he will polish his sword;
he has bent his bow and prepared it, - and on it he prepared implements of death;
he prepared his arrows for those being burnt. - Behold, he suffered labor pains from injustice;
he conceived toil
and gave birth to lawlessness. - He dug a pit and cleaned it out,
and he shall fall into the hole he made. - His toil shall return upon his own head,
and on his own scalp his injustice will descend. - I will acknowledge the Lord according to his righteousness
and make psalms to the name of the Lord, the Most High.
Notes
Verse 10
“hearts and kidneys”: In the ancient world both the heart and the kidneys were regarded as seats of our innermost thoughts. See this article.
For more about this translation, see my blog “The Septuagint Psalms”.