א׳
לַמְנַצֵּ֤חַ ׀ עַל־י֬וֹנַת אֵ֣לֶם רְ֭חֹקִים לְדָוִ֣ד מִכְתָּ֑ם בֶּֽאֱחֹ֨ז אֹת֖וֹ פְלִשְׁתִּ֣ים בְּגַֽת׃
1
For the leader; on yonath elem reḥokim. Of David. A michtam; when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
1
For the Leader; upon Jonath-elem-rehokim. [A Psalm] of David; Michtam; when the Philistines took him in Gath. .
יוֹנַת אֵלֶם רְחוֹקִים. עַל עַצְמוֹ אָמַר, שֶׁהָיָה רָחוֹק מֵאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵצֶל אָכִישׁ, וְהָיוּ אֶחָיו שֶׁל גָּלְיָת מְבַקְּשִׁים רְשׁוּת מֵאָכִישׁ לְהָרְגוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״הֲלֹא זֶה דָּוִד מֶלֶךְ הָאָרֶץ״ (שמואל א כא:יב), וְהוּא הָיָה בֵּינֵיהֶם כְּיוֹנָה אִלֶּמֶת (סוטה י:):
yonath elem rehokim He said this concerning himself, for he was with Achish, far from the land of Israel, and Goliath’s brothers were requesting permission from Achish to kill him, as it is said (I Sam. 21:12): “Is this not David, the king of the land?” And he was among them as a mute dove.
ב׳
חָנֵּ֣נִי אֱ֭לֹהִים כִּֽי־שְׁאָפַ֣נִי אֱנ֑וֹשׁ כָּל־הַ֝יּ֗וֹם לֹחֵ֥ם יִלְחָצֵֽנִי׃
2
Have mercy on me, O God,
for men persecute me;
all day long my adversary oppresses me.
2
Be gracious unto me, O God, for man would swallow me up; All the day he fighting oppresseth me.
שְׁאָפַנִי. מְצַפִּים לְבָלְעֵנִי, גולושי״ר בְּלַעַ״ז, כְּמוֹ ״שָׁאֲפָה רוּחַ״ (ירמיה ב:כד):
yearn Heb. שאפנו, yearn to swallow me up, goloseir or goloser, to long, to be impatient. (Cf. Rashi to Amos 2:7.) As (Jer. 2:24): “that snuffs up (שאפה) the wind.”
לֹחֵם. לְשׁוֹן מִלְחָמָה:
the warrior Heb. לחם, an expression of war (מלחמה).
ג׳
שָׁאֲפ֣וּ שׁ֭וֹרְרַי כָּל־הַיּ֑וֹם כִּֽי־רַבִּ֨ים לֹחֲמִ֖ים לִ֣י מָרֽוֹם׃
3
My watchful foes persecute me all day long;
many are my adversaries, O Exalted One.
3
They that lie in wait for me would swallow me up all the day; For they are many that fight against me, O Most High,
מָרוֹם. הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁהוּא יוֹשֵׁב מָרוֹם:
O Most High The Holy One blessed be He, Who dwells on High.
ד׳
י֥וֹם אִירָ֑א אֲ֝נִ֗י אֵלֶ֥יךָ אֶבְטָֽח׃
4
When I am afraid, I trust in You,
4
In the day that I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee.
ה׳
בֵּאלֹהִים֮ אֲהַלֵּ֪ל דְּבָ֫ר֥וֹ בֵּאלֹהִ֣ים בָּ֭טַחְתִּי לֹ֣א אִירָ֑א מַה־יַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה בָשָׂ֣ר לִֽי׃
5
in God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust;
I am not afraid;
what can mortals do to me?
5
In God—I will praise His word— In God do I trust, I will not be afraid; What can flesh do unto me?
בֵּאלֹהִים אֲהַלֵּל דְּבָרוֹ. אַף בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהוּא בָּא עִמִּי בְּמִדַּת הַדִּין, אֲהַלֵּל דְּבָרוֹ וְאֶבְטַח בּוֹ:
With God, I will praise His word Even when He deals with me with the Divine standard of justice I will praise His word and trust in Him.
ו׳
כָּל־הַ֭יּוֹם דְּבָרַ֣י יְעַצֵּ֑בוּ עָלַ֖י כָּל־מַחְשְׁבֹתָ֣ם לָרָֽע׃
6
All day long they cause me grief in my affairs,
they plan only evil against me.
6
All the day they trouble mine affairs; All their thoughts are against me for evil.
כָּל הַיּוֹם דְּבָרַי יְעַצֵּבוּ. מְעַצְּבִים אוֹתִי רוֹדְפַי, עַד שֶׁכָּל דִּבְרֵי פִּי עֶצֶב וּצְעָקָה:
All day long, my words grieve [me] My pursuers grieve me until all the words of my mouth are grief and cries.
ז׳
יָג֤וּרוּ ׀ יצפינו [יִצְפּ֗וֹנוּ] הֵ֭מָּה עֲקֵבַ֣י יִשְׁמֹ֑רוּ כַּ֝אֲשֶׁ֗ר קִוּ֥וּ נַפְשִֽׁי׃
7
They plot, they lie in ambush;
they watch my every move, hoping for my death.
7
They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, They mark my steps; According as they have waited for my soul.
יָגוּרוּ יִצְפּוֹנוּ. הֵמָּה אוֹרְבִים וְלָנִים בַּמָּקוֹם שֶׁהֵם מְקַוִּים שֶׁאֲנִי אֵלֵךְ שָׁם, וְשׁוֹמְרִים אֶת עֲקֵבַי, טר״צש בְּלַעַ״ז, לְרַגְּלֵנִי וּלְהוֹלִיךְ רוֹדְפַי שָׁם. כָּל זֶה הָיָה מְקֻבָּל עַל רִשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָאוֹרְבִים לוֹ, וּמֵאֵימָתָם בָּרַח אֵצֶל אָכִישׁ (שמואל א כא:יא):
They lodge, they hide They lurk and lodge in the place they hope I will go, and they watch my steps (traces in French, tracks, explained in Gen. 49:19, Song of Songs 1:8) to spy on me and to lead pursuers there. All this he would complain about the wicked of Israel: that they would lie in wait for him and out of fear of them he had fled to Achish.
יָגוּרוּ. יָלִינוּ:
יִצְפּוֹנוּ. יֶאֱרֹבוּ:
they hide They lurk.
כַּאֲשֶׁר קִוּוּ נַפְשִׁי. כְּשֶׁהֵם יוֹדְעִים וּמְקַוִּים לִי: דֶּרֶךְ זוֹ יֵלֵךְ:
when they hope for my life When they know [that I will pass] and hope for me, “He will go this way.”
ח׳
עַל־אָ֥וֶן פַּלֶּט־לָ֑מוֹ בְּ֝אַ֗ף עַמִּ֤ים ׀ הוֹרֵ֬ד אֱלֹהִֽים׃
8
Cast them out for their evil;
subdue peoples in Your anger, O God.
8
Because of iniquity cast them out; In anger bring down the peoples, O God.
עַל אָוֶן פַּלֶּט לָמוֹ. לִמְצוֹא הַצָּלָה וְעֹשֶׁר עַל דְּבַר עָוֹן וָרֶשַׁע, פַּלֶּט כְּמוֹ לְפַלֵּט; מְצַפִּים שָׂכָר מֵאֵת שָׁאוּל עַל כָּךְ:
For iniquity, they expect rescue To find rescue and riches for a matter of iniquity and wickedness. And פַלֶט is like לפלט, to rescue. They expect reward from Saul for that.
בְּאַף עַמִּים הוֹרֵד. בְּאַפְּךָ הוֹרֵד אוּמָּה זוֹ שֶׁאֲנִי בְּתוֹכָם מֵחָכְמָתָם וּמִמַּחְשְׁבוֹתָם, שֶׁאוֹמְרִים לְהָרְגֵנִי:
Bring down...with anger With Your anger, bring down this nation in whose midst I am, from their wisdom and from the plots that they devise to kill me.
ט׳
נֹדִי֮ סָפַ֪רְתָּ֫ה אָ֥תָּה שִׂ֣ימָה דִמְעָתִ֣י בְנֹאדֶ֑ךָ הֲ֝לֹ֗א בְּסִפְרָתֶֽךָ׃
9
You keep count of my wanderings;
put my tears into Your flask,
into Your record.
9
Thou has counted my wanderings; Put Thou my tears into Thy bottle; Are they not in Thy book?
נוֹדִי סָפַרְתָּה. אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ מִנְיַן הַמְּקוֹמוֹת שֶׁנָּדַדְתִּי לִבְרֹחַ:
You counted my wanderings You know the number of the places to which I wandered, to flee.
שִׂימָה דִמְעָתִי בְנֹאדֶךָ. שִׂים דִּמְעָתִי בְּנֹאד שֶׁלְּךָ, וּתְהֵא שְׁמוּרָה לְפָנֶיךָ:
place my tears in Your flask Place my tears in Your flask, and let them be preserved before You.
הֲלֹא בְּסִפְרָתֶךָ. בְּמִנְיָנְךָ תִּתְּנֶנָּה, לִמְנוֹתָהּ עִם שְׁאָר צָרוֹתַי. (וּמְנַחֵם חֲבֵרוֹ לְשׁוֹן סֵפֶר מַמָּשׁ):
Is it not in Your accounting Place them in Your accounting, to count them with the rest of my troubles. Menachem, however, associated it (p. 128) as an expression of an actual book.
י׳
אָ֥֨ז יָ֘שׁ֤וּבוּ אוֹיְבַ֣י אָ֭חוֹר בְּי֣וֹם אֶקְרָ֑א זֶה־יָ֝דַ֗עְתִּי כִּֽי־אֱלֹהִ֥ים לִֽי׃
10
Then my enemies will retreat when I call on You;
this I know, that God is for me.
10
Then shall mine enemies turn back in the day that I call; This I know, that God is for me.
י"א
בֵּֽ֭אלֹהִים אֲהַלֵּ֣ל דָּבָ֑ר בַּ֝יהוָ֗ה אֲהַלֵּ֥ל דָּבָֽר׃
11
In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise,
11
In God—I will praise His word— In the LORD—I will praise His word—
בֵּאלֹהִים אֲהַלֵּל, בַּה׳ אֲהַלֵּל. עַל מִדַּת הַדִּין וְעַל מִדַּת הָרַחֲמִים אֲהַלֵּל (ירושלמי ברכות ט,ה):
With God I will praise a word; with the Lord I will praise For the Divine standard of justice and for the Divine standard of mercy I will praise.
י"ב
בֵּֽאלֹהִ֣ים בָּ֭טַחְתִּי לֹ֣א אִירָ֑א מַה־יַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה אָדָ֣ם לִֽי׃
12
in God I trust;
I am not afraid;
what can man do to me?
12
In God do I trust, I will not be afraid; What can man do unto me?
י"ג
עָלַ֣י אֱלֹהִ֣ים נְדָרֶ֑יךָ אֲשַׁלֵּ֖ם תּוֹדֹ֣ת לָֽךְ׃
13
I must pay my vows to You, O God;
I will render thank offerings to You.
13
Thy vows are upon me, O God; I will render thank-offerings unto Thee.
י"ד
כִּ֤י הִצַּ֪לְתָּ נַפְשִׁ֡י מִמָּוֶת֮ הֲלֹ֥א רַגְלַ֗י מִ֫דֶּ֥חִי לְ֭הִֽתְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵ֣י אֱלֹהִ֑ים בְּ֝א֗וֹר הַֽחַיִּֽים׃
14
For You have saved me from death,
my foot from stumbling,
that I may walk before God in the light of life.
14
For thou hast delivered my soul from death; Hast Thou not delivered my feet from stumbling? That I may walk before God in the light of the living?
בְּאוֹר הַחַיִּים. לָשׁוּב לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל:
in the light of life To return to the Land of Israel.