Psalms 28

 

לְדָוִד אֵלֶיךָ יְהוָה אֶקְרָא צוּרִי אַל־תֶּחֱרַשׁ מִמֶּנִּי פֶּן־תֶּחֱשֶׁה מִמֶּנִּי וְנִמְשַׁלְתִּי עִם־יוֹרְדֵי בוֹר׃   28:1

Psal. 28:1   Of David's.

                     To You, O Lord, my Rock, will I call.

                              May You not be concealed from me,

                      lest if You remain silent with me,

                               then I would become like the descenders of the pit.

שְׁמַע קוֹל תַּחֲנוּנַי בְּשַׁוְּעִי אֵלֶיךָ בְּנָשְׂאִי יָדַי אֶל־דְּבִיר קָדְשֶׁךָ׃   28:2

Psal. 28:2   Hear the sound of my supplication in my crying to You,

                               in my raising of my hands to the oracle of Your holiness.

אַל־תִּמְשְׁכֵנִי עִם־רְשָׁעִים וְעִם־פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן דֹּבְרֵי שָׁלוֹם עִם־רֵעֵיהֶם וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם׃   28:3

Psal. 28:3   May You not defer me with the wicked and with the commiters of evil,

                               speakers of peace with their neighbors with mischief in their hearts.

תֶּן־לָהֶם כְּפָעֳלָם וּכְרֹעַ מַעַלְלֵיהֶם כְּמַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם תֵּן לָהֶם הָשֵׁב גְּמוּלָם לָהֶם׃   28:4

Psal. 28:4   You will render to them according to their deeds

                               and according to the evil of their endeavors.

                      According to the work of their hands You will render to them;

                               return their just desert to them!

כִּי לֹא יָבִינוּ אֶל־פְּעֻלֹּת יְהוָה וְאֶל־מַעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו יֶהֶרְסֵם וְלֹא יִבְנֵם׃   28:5

Psal. 28:5   Because they do not attend to the labors of the Lord

                               and to the work of His “hands,”

                      He will pull them down

                               and not build them up.

בָּרוּךְ יְהוָה כִּי־שָׁמַע קוֹל תַּחֲנוּנָי׃   28:6

Psal. 28:6   Blessed is the Lord,

                               for He hears the sound of my supplications.

יְהוָה עֻזִּי וּמָגִנִּי בּוֹ בָטַח לִבִּי וְנֶעֱזָרְתִּי וַיַּעֲלֹז לִבִּי וּמִשִּׁירִי אֲהוֹדֶנּוּ׃   28:7

Psal. 28:7   The Lord is my Strength and my Shield;

                               my heart trusts in Him that I will be helped;

                      so my heart rejoices,

                                and with my songs I will praise Him.

יְהוָה עֹז־לָמוֹ וּמָעוֹז יְשׁוּעוֹת מְשִׁיחוֹ הוּא׃   28:8

Psal. 28:8   The Lord is the Strength of His nation;

                                and the saving Strength of His anointed is He.

Notice the pattern David uses frequently, as he does here.  A psalm may start with a personal touch, David singing of his intimate relationship with his God.  Then near the end of a psalm it becomes an intercessory prayer as he brings in the whole of the people.  There is, however, another possible pattern.  It’s possible that David assumes the person of Israel from time to time in these psalms, and in the final verse reveals this by pleading for Israel.  I wonder, this second possibility seems intriguing.

הוֹשִׁיעָה אֶת־עַמֶּךָ וּבָרֵךְ אֶת־נַחֲלָתֶךָ וּרְעֵם וְנַשְּׂאֵם עַד־הָעוֹלָם׃   28:9

Psal. 28:9   Save Your people and bless Your possession!

                               Also tend to them

                      and raise them up until the end of time!

 

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