Psalm 119:121-144
New English Translation
ע (Ayin)
121 I do what is fair and right.[a]
Do not abandon me to my oppressors.
122 Guarantee the welfare of your servant.[b]
Do not let the arrogant oppress me.
123 My eyes grow tired as I wait for your deliverance,[c]
for your reliable promise to be fulfilled.[d]
124 Show your servant your loyal love.[e]
Teach me your statutes.
125 I am your servant. Give me insight,
so that I can understand[f] your rules.
126 It is time for the Lord to act—
they break your law.
127 For this reason[g] I love your commands
more than gold, even purest gold.
128 For this reason I carefully follow all your precepts.[h]
I hate all deceitful actions.[i]
פ (Pe)
129 Your rules are marvelous.
Therefore I observe them.
130 Your instructions are a doorway through which light shines.[j]
They give[k] insight to the untrained.[l]
131 I open my mouth and pant,
because I long[m] for your commands.
132 Turn toward me and extend mercy to me,
as you typically do to your loyal followers.[n]
133 Direct my steps by your word.[o]
Do not let any sin dominate me.
134 Deliver me[p] from oppressive men,
so that I can keep[q] your precepts.
135 Smile[r] on your servant.
Teach me your statutes!
136 Tears stream down from my eyes,[s]
because people[t] do not keep your law.
צ (Tsade)
137 You are just, O Lord,
and your judgments are fair.
138 The rules you impose are just,[u]
and absolutely reliable.
139 My zeal[v] consumes[w] me,
for my enemies forget your instructions.[x]
140 Your word is absolutely pure,
and your servant loves it.
141 I am insignificant and despised,
yet I do not forget your precepts.
142 Your justice endures,[y]
and your law is reliable.[z]
143 Distress and hardship confront[aa] me,
yet I find delight in your commands.
144 Your rules remain just.[ab]
Give me insight so that I can live.[ac]
Footnotes
- Psalm 119:121 tn Heb “do justice and righteousness.”
- Psalm 119:122 tn Heb “be surety for your servant for good.”
- Psalm 119:123 tn Heb “my eyes fail for your deliverance.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision. See the similar phrase in v. 82.
- Psalm 119:123 tn Heb “and for the word of your faithfulness.”
- Psalm 119:124 tn Heb “do with your servant according to your loyal love.”
- Psalm 119:125 tn or “know.” The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
- Psalm 119:127 tn “For this reason” connects logically with the statement made in v. 126. Because the judgment the psalmist fears (see vv. 119-120) is imminent, he remains loyal to God’s law.
- Psalm 119:128 tn Heb “for this reason all the precepts of everything I regard as right.” The phrase “precepts of everything” is odd. It is preferable to take the כ (kaf) on כֹּל (kol, “everything) with the preceding form as a pronominal suffix, “your precepts,” and the ל (lamed) with the following verb as an emphatic particle. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 138.
- Psalm 119:128 tn Heb “every false path.”
- Psalm 119:130 tn Heb “the doorway of your words gives light.” God’s “words” refer here to the instructions in his law (see vv. 9, 57).
- Psalm 119:130 tn Heb “it [i.e., the doorway] gives.”
- Psalm 119:130 tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly. See Pss 19:7; 116:6.
- Psalm 119:131 tn The verb occurs only here in the OT.
- Psalm 119:132 tn Heb “according to custom toward the lovers of your name.” The “lovers of” God’s “name” are the Lord’s loyal followers. See Pss 5:11; 69:36; Isa 56:6.
- Psalm 119:133 tn God’s “word” refers here to his law (see v. 11).
- Psalm 119:134 tn Or “redeem me.”
- Psalm 119:134 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
- Psalm 119:135 tn Heb “cause your face to shine.”
- Psalm 119:136 tn Heb “[with] flowing streams my eyes go down.”
- Psalm 119:136 tn Heb “they”; even though somewhat generic, the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Psalm 119:138 tn Heb “you commanded [in] justice your rules.”
- Psalm 119:139 tn or “zeal.”
- Psalm 119:139 tn Heb “destroys,” in a hyperbolic sense.
- Psalm 119:139 tn Heb “your words.”
- Psalm 119:142 tn Heb “your justice [is] justice forever.”
- Psalm 119:142 tn Or “truth.”
- Psalm 119:143 tn Heb “find.”
- Psalm 119:144 tn Heb “just are your rules forever.”
- Psalm 119:144 tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
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