Mazmur 25:11-14

25:11 For the sake of your reputation, ¹  O Lord,

forgive my sin, because it is great. ² 

25:12 The Lord shows his faithful followers

the way they should live. ³ 

25:13 They experience his favor; ⁴ 

their descendants ⁵  inherit the land. ⁶ 

25:14 The Lord’s loyal followers receive his guidance, ⁷ 

and he reveals his covenantal demands to them. ⁸ 

[25:11]  ¹ tn Heb “name.” By forgiving the sinful psalmist, the Lord’s reputation as a merciful God will be enhanced.

[25:11]  ² sn Forgive my sin, because it is great. The psalmist readily admits his desperate need for forgiveness.

[25:12]  ³ tn Heb “Who is this man, the one who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.” The singular (note “man”) is representative here (see v. 14, where the plural is used), and has thus been translated as a plural (“followers…they”).

[25:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “his life in goodness dwells.” The singular is representative (see v. 14).

[25:13]  ⁵ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[25:13]  ⁶ tn Or “earth.”

[25:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “the advice of the Lord belongs to those who fear him.”

[25:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “and his covenant, to make them know.”