1 Hear the right, O Lord, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.
2 Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal.
3 Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
4 Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.
5 Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
6 I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.
7 Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.
8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
9 From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.
10 They are inclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly.
11 They have now compassed us in our steps: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth;
12 Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.
13 Arise, O Lord, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:
14 From men which are thy hand, O Lord, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.
15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
<html><b>May my judgment come forth from before You</b> May the sins for which I deserve to be judged with torments, go forth from before You and not come before You in judgment. <b>may Your eyes see [my] upright acts</b> If I have merits, may Your eyes see the upright acts.</html>
<html><b>You have tried my heart, etc.</b> I know that I am guilty of a transgression, and, if the judgment of its punishment comes before You, I will not be declared innocent in the judgment, for You have already tried my heart. <b>You have visited [upon me] at night</b> at eventide for the iniquity of Bathsheba, concerning which it is stated (in II Sam. 11:2) “And it came to pass at the time of evening, that David arose, etc.” <b>You have refined me</b> You have tested me. <b>and not found</b> You have not found in me Your desire. <b>If I think, let it not pass my mouth</b> If it enters my thoughts again to be tried before You, let it not pass my mouth to say again, “Try me, O Lord, and test me,” as I have already said, as is written (26:2) “Try me, O Lord, and test me,” for David asked the Holy One, blessed be He, “Why do they say, ‘the God of Abraham,’ yet they do not say, ‘the God of David’?” He replied, “I tested him with ten tests, and he was found perfect.” He [David] said, “Try me and test me,” as appears in tractate Shabbath (?).</html>
<html><b>As for man’s deeds, because of the word of Your lips, etc. To support my feet, etc.</b> From then on, for every deed of man that I came to perform, I watched myself because of the word of Your lips; [I watched] the ways of the profligate, to turn away from them, so that I should not walk in them, but [would] support my feet constantly in Your paths, that my feet should not falter from them. Another explanation: <b>For the deeds of man according to the word of Your lips, etc.</b> Since a person must use his deeds according to the uprightness (decre - early editions) of the word of Your lips, as You said, “You shall not commit adultery,”I kept myself from the ways of the profligate although I behaved unseemly according to the good You have done.</html>
<html><b>To support my feet</b> From then on, for every deed of man that I did improperly, may Your eyes see the upright deeds, but my judgment shall go forth from before you.</html>
<html><b>because You shall answer me, O God</b> Because I am confident that You will answer me.</html>
<html><b>Distinguish Your kind acts</b> Heb. הפלה, esevre in Old French, to separate, as (in Exod. 33:16): “and I and my people will be distinguished (ונפלינו).” With Your right hand You save those who take refuge in You from those who rise up against them. (This does not appear in manuscripts or in most early editions.) [The literal meaning is:] Distinguish Your kind acts, You Who save those who take refuge, etc. This is a transposed verse, meaning: Distinguish Your kind acts to save with Your right hand those who take refuge, etc.</html>
<html><b>as the apple</b> Heb. (כאישון). That is the pupil (lit. the black) of the eye, on which the vision depends. Because it is black, it is called אישון, an expression of darkness, and the Holy One, blessed be He, prepared a guard for it, viz. the eyelids, which constantly cover it.</html>
<html><b>who have robbed me</b> Because of this: my enemies, who encompass me to take my life, rob me.</html>
<html><b>[With] their fat, they closed themselves up</b> With their fat, they closed their heart and their eyes from looking at Your deeds, in fear of You.</html>
<html><b>[By] our footsteps they surround us now</b> By our footsteps, the enemies surround us now, and they set their eyes roaming over the land, to raid the land. It appears to me that David prayed this prayer after the incident of Uriah and Joab had happened to him, and the Israelites were in the land of the children of Ammon besieging Rabbah (II Sam. 11), and David feared that they would be defeated there because of the sin that he had committed, and the Philistines, Moab, Edom, and all the evil neighbors of Eretz Israel, who looked forward to the day of their misfortune, would hear and march against them.</html>
<html><b>which yearns</b> Heb. יכסף, yearns, as (in Gen. 31:30): “for you yearned (נכסף נכספתי).”</html>
<html><b>confront him</b> The enemy. <b>bring him down to his knees</b> Beat his legs, and he will kneel and fall. <b>rescue my soul</b> from every wicked man who is Your sword, for You give him the power to rule, to requite those who are bound to You.</html>
<html><b>Of those who die by Your hand</b> I choose to be one of those who die by Your hand on their bed. <b>of those who die of old age</b> Heb. מחלד. Of those who die of old age, after they have “rusted” (חלודה), rodijjl in Old French, [rouille in Modern French] rust, and of the righteous, whose share is in life. <b>and whose belly You will fill with Your hidden treasure</b> And of those whose innards You will fill with Your good, which You have hidden for those who fear You. <b>their abundance</b> Their property that they leave over when they die.</html>
<html><b>I will see Your face with righteousness</b> In the future, take my judgment away from before You and grasp the righteous deeds that I have performed, and through them I will see Your face. <b>I will see Your face with righteousness</b> in the future (Mid. Ps. 17:13), or <b>I will see Your face with righteousness</b> Take my judgment away from before You and grasp the righteous deeds that I have performed, and through them I will see Your face. In other editions, this is one interpretation: <b>I will be satisfied with Your image upon the awakening</b> I will be satisfied with the vision of Your image when the dead awaken from their sleep. In many editions, the following appears at this point: Another explanation: I will be satisfied from seeing Your face when the dead awaken from their sleep, for they are in the likeness of Your image, for so it is stated (in Gen. 9:6): “For in the image of God, He made man.”</html>