Mazmur 38:11-12

38:11 Because of my condition, ¹  even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance; ² 

my neighbors stand far away. ³ 

38:12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me; ⁴ 

those who want to harm me speak destructive words;

all day long they say deceitful things.

Mazmur 38:19-20

38:19 But those who are my enemies for no reason are numerous; ⁵ 

those who hate me without cause outnumber me. ⁶ 

38:20 They repay me evil for the good I have done;

though I have tried to do good to them, they hurl accusations at me. ⁷ 

[38:11]  ¹ tn Or “wound,” or “illness.”

[38:11]  ² tn Heb “stand [aloof].”

[38:11]  ³ tn Heb “and the ones near me off at a distance stand.”

[38:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “lay snares.”

[38:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “and my enemies, life, are many.” The noun חַיִּים (khayyim, “life”) fits very awkwardly here. The translation assumes an emendation to חִנָּם (khinam, “without reason”; note the parallelism with שֶׁקֶר [sheqer, “falsely”] and see Pss 35:19; 69:4; Lam 3:52). The verb עָצַם (’atsam) can sometimes mean “are strong,” but here it probably focuses on numerical superiority (note the parallel verb רָבַב, ravav, “be many”).

[38:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “are many.”

[38:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “the ones who repay evil instead of good accuse me, instead of my pursuing good.”