1To victory, on the roses of David. God, make thou me safe; for waters have entered unto my soul. (For the choirmaster, to the tune of ‘The lilies’, (a song) by David. God, save thou me; for the waters have entered unto my soul!)

2I am set in the slime of the depth; and there is no substance. I came into the depth of the sea; and the tempest drenched me [down]. (I am sinking in the slime of the depth; and there is no firm ground beneath me. I came into the depth of the sea; for the tempest hath drowned me.)

3I travailed crying, my cheeks were made hoarse; mine eyes failed, the while I hope/d into my God. (I am made weary from crying, my voice is made hoarse; my eyes have failed, yet all the while I have hope/d in my God.)

4They that hated me without cause; were multiplied above the hairs of mine head. Mine enemies that pursued me unjustly were comforted; I paid then (for) those things, which I ravished not. (They who hated me for no reason, were greater in number than the hairs of my head. My enemies who unjustly persecuted me were strong; and I was forced to pay for what I did not steal.)

5God, thou knowest mine unknowing, (or God, thou knowest my foolishness, or my ignorance); and my trespasses be not hid from thee.

6Lord, Lord of virtues; they, that abide thee, be not ashamed in me. God of Israel; they, that seek thee, be not shamed on me. (Lord, Lord of hosts; let they, who wait for thee, be not shamed by me. God of Israel; let they, who seek thee, be not shamed by me.)

7For I suffered shame for thee; shame covered my face.

8I am made a stranger to my brethren; and a pilgrim to the sons of my mother.

9For the fervent love of thine house ate me (or For my fervent love for thy House ate me up, or devoured me); and the shames of men saying shames to thee fell on me.

10And I covered my soul with fasting; and it was made into shame to me. (I humbled myself by fasting; and I was reproached for even that.)

11And I putted (for) my cloth an hair-shirt; and I am made to them into a parable. (I had a hair-shirt for my cloak; and for that, I am made into their parable.)

12They, that sat in the gate, spake against me; and they, that drank wine, sang of me. (They, who sat by the gate, spoke against me; and they, who drank wine, sang about me.)

13But Lord, I (ad) dress my prayer to thee; God, I abide the time of good pleasance. Hear thou me in the multitude of thy mercy; in the truth of thine health. (But Lord, I direct my prayer to thee; O God, I wait for the time of thy good pleasure. Hear thou me because of thy great love; because of the truth of thy salvation or because of the surety of thy deliverance.)

14Deliver thou me from the clay, that I be not fast set-in; deliver thou me from them that hate me, and from [the] depths of waters/and from [the] deepness of waters. (Rescue thou me from the clay, so that I do not get stuck in it; save thou me from those who hate me, and from the depths of the waters or and from the deep waters.)

15The tempest of water drench not me [down], neither the depth swallow me; neither the pit make strait his mouth on me. (Let not the tempest of the water drown me, nor let the depths swallow me; let not the pit close its mouth upon me.)

16Lord, hear thou me, for thy mercy is benign; after the multitude of thy merciful doings behold thou into me. (Lord, hear thou me, out of the goodness of thy love; and according to the multitude of thy merciful doings, look thou upon me.)

17And turn not away thy face from thy servant; for I am in tribulation, hear thou me swiftly, (or for I am in trouble, so answer thou me swiftly).

18Give thou attention to my soul, and deliver thou it; for mine enemies, deliver thou me. (Give thou attention to me, and save me; save thou me from my enemies or save thou me, for I have many enemies.)

19Thou knowest my reproof, and my despising; and my shame. All that trouble me be in thy sight; (Thou knowest the reproaches, and the despisings, and the shames that I bear. All who trouble me be before thee;)

20mine heart abode (in) shame, and wretchedness. And I abode him, that was sorry together (with me), and none was; and that should comfort me, and I found not. (shame and wretchedness live in my heart. And I waited for someone, who would be sad together with me, but there was no one; and someone who would comfort me, but I found no one.)

21And they gave gall into my meat; and in my thirst they gave to me drink with vinegar. (And they gave me gall for my food; and for my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink.)

22The board of them be made before them into a snare; and into yieldings, and into cause of stumbling. (May their own table be made into a snare before them; and may their sacred feasts be made into a trap, yea, the reason for their downfall, or ruin.)

23Their eyes be made dark, that they see not; and ever[more] bow down the back of them. (May their eyes be made dark, or dim, so that they cannot see; and bow down their backs forevermore or and make their backs crooked forevermore.)

24Shed out thine ire on them; and the strong vengeance of thine ire take them. (Pour out thy anger upon them; and let the fury of thy anger take hold of them.)

25The habitation of them be made forsaken; and be there none that dwell in the tabernacles of them. (May their homes be made empty; and may there be none of them left to live in their tents.)

26For they pursued him, whom thou hast smitten; and they added on(to) the sorrow of my wounds. (For they pursued after those whom thou hast struck down; yea, they added to the sorrow of those whom thou hast wounded.)

27Add thou wickedness on(to) the wickedness of them; and enter they not into thy rightwiseness.

28Be they done away from the book of living men; and be they not written with just men. (Let them be done away from The Book of the Living; and let their names be not written in The List of the Righteous.)

29I am poor and sorrowful; God, thine health took me up. (I am in pain and full of sorrow; God, lift me up, and save me.)

30I shall praise the name of God with song; and I shall magnify him with praising.

31And it shall please God more than a new calf bringing forth horns and claws. (And this shall please God more than the offering of a new calf that hath horns and claws.)

32Poor men see, and be glad; seek ye God, and your soul shall live. (Let the poor see this, and be glad; seek ye God, and ye shall live.)

33For the Lord heard poor men; and despised not his bound men. (For the Lord heareth the poor; and despiseth not his people who be imprisoned or and despiseth not those who be bound to his service.)

34Heavens and earth, praise him; the sea, and all creeping beasts in those, praise him. (Let the heavens and the earth praise him; and the seas, and all the things that move in them.)

35For God shall make safe Zion; and the cities of Judah shall be builded. And they shall dwell there; and they shall get it by heritage. (For God shall save Zion; and he shall rebuild the cities of Judah. And his people shall live there; and they shall have it as their possession.)

36And the seed of his servants shall have it in possession; and they that love his name, shall dwell therein. (And the children, or the descendants, of his servants shall get it by inheritance; and they who love his name shall live there.)