TORAH

FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES

NEVI'IM

PROPHETS

KETUVIM

WRITINGS

Chapter 69

Translation and Transliteration of

Listen to this chapter in Hebrew:

1For the leader. On shoshannim. Of David.

אלַמְנַצֵּחַ עַל־שׁוֹשַׁנִּים לְדָוִד׃

2Deliver me, O Hashem, for the waters have reached my neck;

בהוֹשִׁיעֵנִי אֱלֹהִים כִּי בָאוּ מַיִם עַד־נָפֶשׁ׃

3I am sinking into the slimy deep and find no foothold; I have come into the watery depths; the flood sweeps me away.

גטָבַעְתִּי בִּיוֵן מְצוּלָה וְאֵין מָעֳמָד בָּאתִי בְמַעֲמַקֵּי־מַיִם וְשִׁבֹּלֶת שְׁטָפָתְנִי׃

4I am weary with calling; my throat is dry; my eyes fail while I wait for Hashem.

דיָגַעְתִּי בְקָרְאִי נִחַר גְּרוֹנִי כָּלוּ עֵינַי מְיַחֵל לֵאלֹהָי׃

5More numerous than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without reason; many are those who would destroy me, my treacherous enemies. Must I restore what I have not stolen?

הרַבּוּ מִשַּׂעֲרוֹת רֹאשִׁי שֹׂנְאַי חִנָּם עָצְמוּ מַצְמִיתַי אֹיְבַי שֶׁקֶר אֲשֶׁר לֹא־גָזַלְתִּי אָז אָשִׁיב׃

6Hashem, You know my folly; my guilty deeds are not hidden from You.

ואֱ‍לֹהִים אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ לְאִוַּלְתִּי וְאַשְׁמוֹתַי מִמְּךָ לֹא־נִכְחָדוּ׃

7Let those who look to You, O Hashem, God of hosts, not be disappointed on my account; let those who seek You, O God of Yisrael, not be shamed because of me.

זאַל־יֵבֹשׁוּ בִי קֹוֶיךָ אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה צְבָאוֹת אַל־יִכָּלְמוּ בִי מְבַקְשֶׁיךָ אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

8It is for Your sake that I have been reviled, that shame covers my face;

חכִּי־עָלֶיךָ נָשָׂאתִי חֶרְפָּה כִּסְּתָה כְלִמָּה פָנָי׃

9I am a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my kin.

טמוּזָר הָיִיתִי לְאֶחָי וְנָכְרִי לִבְנֵי אִמִּי׃

10My zeal for Your house has been my undoing; the reproaches of those who revile You have fallen upon me.

יכִּי־קִנְאַת בֵּיתְךָ אֲכָלָתְנִי וְחֶרְפּוֹת חוֹרְפֶיךָ נָפְלוּ עָלָי׃

11When I wept and fasted, I was reviled for it.

יאוָאֶבְכֶּה בַצּוֹם נַפְשִׁי וַתְּהִי לַחֲרָפוֹת לִי׃

12I made sackcloth my garment; I became a byword among them.

יבוָאֶתְּנָה לְבוּשִׁי שָׂק וָאֱהִי לָהֶם לְמָשָׁל׃

13Those who sit in the gate talk about me; I am the taunt of drunkards.

יגיָשִׂיחוּ בִי יֹשְׁבֵי שָׁעַר וּנְגִינוֹת שׁוֹתֵי שֵׁכָר׃

14As for me, may my prayer come to You, Hashem, at a favorable moment; O Hashem, in Your abundant faithfulness, answer me with Your sure deliverance.

ידוַאֲנִי תְפִלָּתִי־לְךָ יְהֹוָה עֵת רָצוֹן אֱלֹהִים בְּרָב־חַסְדֶּךָ עֲנֵנִי בֶּאֱמֶת יִשְׁעֶךָ׃

15Rescue me from the mire; let me not sink; let me be rescued from my enemies, and from the watery depths.

טוהַצִּילֵנִי מִטִּיט וְאַל־אֶטְבָּעָה אִנָּצְלָה מִשֹּׂנְאַי וּמִמַּעֲמַקֵּי־מָיִם׃

16Let the floodwaters not sweep me away; let the deep not swallow me; let the mouth of the Pit not close over me.

טזאַל־תִּשְׁטְפֵנִי שִׁבֹּלֶת מַיִם וְאַל־תִּבְלָעֵנִי מְצוּלָה וְאַל־תֶּאְטַר־עָלַי בְּאֵר פִּיהָ׃

17Answer me, Hashem, according to Your great steadfastness; in accordance with Your abundant mercy turn to me;

יזעֲנֵנִי יְהֹוָה כִּי־טוֹב חַסְדֶּךָ כְּרֹב רַחֲמֶיךָ פְּנֵה אֵלָי׃

18do not hide Your face from Your servant, for I am in distress; answer me quickly.

יחוְאַל־תַּסְתֵּר פָּנֶיךָ מֵעַבְדֶּךָ כִּי־צַר־לִי מַהֵר עֲנֵנִי׃

19Come near to me and redeem me; free me from my enemies.

יטקָרְבָה אֶל־נַפְשִׁי גְאָלָהּ לְמַעַן אֹיְבַי פְּדֵנִי׃

20You know my reproach, my shame, my disgrace; You are aware of all my foes.

כאַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ חֶרְפָּתִי וּבָשְׁתִּי וּכְלִמָּתִי נֶגְדְּךָ כָּל־צוֹרְרָי׃

21Reproach breaks my heart, I am in despair; I hope for consolation, but there is none, for comforters, but find none.

כאחֶרְפָּה שָׁבְרָה לִבִּי וָאָנוּשָׁה וָאֲקַוֶּה לָנוּד וָאַיִן וְלַמְנַחֲמִים וְלֹא מָצָאתִי׃

22They give me gall for food, vinegar to quench my thirst.

כבוַיִּתְּנוּ בְּבָרוּתִי רֹאשׁ וְלִצְמָאִי יַשְׁקוּנִי חֹמֶץ׃

23May their table be a trap for them, a snare for their allies.

כגיְהִי־שֻׁלְחָנָם לִפְנֵיהֶם לְפָח וְלִשְׁלוֹמִים לְמוֹקֵשׁ׃

24May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see; may their loins collapse continually.

כדתֶּחְשַׁכְנָה עֵינֵיהֶם מֵרְאוֹת וּמָתְנֵיהֶם תָּמִיד הַמְעַד׃

25Pour out Your wrath on them; may Your blazing anger overtake them;

כהשְׁפָךְ־עֲלֵיהֶם זַעְמֶךָ וַחֲרוֹן אַפְּךָ יַשִּׂיגֵם׃

26may their encampments be desolate; may their tents stand empty.

כותְּהִי־טִירָתָם נְשַׁמָּה בְּאָהֳלֵיהֶם אַל־יְהִי יֹשֵׁב׃

27For they persecute those You have struck; they talk about the pain of those You have felled.

כזכִּי־אַתָּה אֲשֶׁר־הִכִּיתָ רָדָפוּ וְאֶל־מַכְאוֹב חֲלָלֶיךָ יְסַפֵּרוּ׃

28Add that to their guilt; let them have no share of Your beneficence;

כחתְּנָה־עָוׂן עַל־עֲוׂנָם וְאַל־יָבֹאוּ בְּצִדְקָתֶךָ׃

29may they be erased from the book of life, and not be inscribed with the righteous.

כטיִמָּחוּ מִסֵּפֶר חַיִּים וְעִם צַדִּיקִים אַל־יִכָּתֵבוּ׃

30But I am lowly and in pain; Your help, O Hashem, keeps me safe.

לוַאֲנִי עָנִי וְכוֹאֵב יְשׁוּעָתְךָ אֱלֹהִים תְּשַׂגְּבֵנִי׃

31I will extol Hashem's name with song, and exalt Him with praise.

לאאֲהַלְלָה שֵׁם־אֱלֹהִים בְּשִׁיר וַאֲגַדְּלֶנּוּ בְתוֹדָה׃

32That will please Hashem more than oxen, than bulls with horns and hooves.

לבוְתִיטַב לַיהֹוָה מִשּׁוֹר פָּר מַקְרִן מַפְרִיס׃

33The lowly will see and rejoice; you who are mindful of Hashem, take heart!

לגרָאוּ עֲנָוִים יִשְׂמָחוּ דֹּרְשֵׁי אֱלֹהִים וִיחִי לְבַבְכֶם׃

34For Hashem listens to the needy, and does not spurn His captives.

לדכִּי־שֹׁמֵעַ אֶל־אֶבְיוֹנִים יְהֹוָה וְאֶת־אֲסִירָיו לֹא בָזָה׃

35Heaven and earth shall extol Him, the seas, and all that moves in them.

להיְהַלְלוּהוּ שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ יַמִּים וְכָל־רֹמֵשׂ בָּם׃

36For Hashem will deliver Tzion and rebuild the cities of Yehuda; they shall live there and inherit it;

KEE e-lo-HEEM yo-SHEE-a tzi-YON v'-yiv-NEH a-RAY y'-hu-DAH v'-YA-sh'-vu SHAM vee-ray-SHU-ha

לוכִּי אֱלֹהִים יוֹשִׁיעַ צִיּוֹן וְיִבְנֶה עָרֵי יְהוּדָה וְיָשְׁבוּ שָׁם וִירֵשׁוּהָ׃

69:36 They shall live there and inherit it

Historically, the Israelites lived and prospered in the central mountain region of Israel, the area of Judea and Samaria. Avraham traveled from the north through the Samarian hills down to Chevron, his future eternal resting place. Yitzchak and Yaakov, as well as King David and the Maccabees, hovered around the mountainous area, with its springs and grass for grazing. The psalmist reminds us of the close connection Israel has with the hills of Judea, and delivers a charge to settle the mountains and redeem them as their inheritance. An ancient road traverses the hilltops of Judea, connecting Yerushalayim with the southern Chevron hills. This road is called the Path of the Patriarchs, as it is most probably the route taken by Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov when traveling between Beersheva, Chevron, Mount Moriah, Beit El, and Shechem. Walking on it, one finds Roman milestones, an ancient ritual bath and archaeological remnants of years past. One also sees the beautiful, populated, modern cities of Efrat, Neve Daniel, Elazar, Alon Shevut, K’far Etzion and many other settlements in the area of Judea.