Mazmur 64:3-5

64:3 They ¹  sharpen their tongues like a sword;

they aim their arrow, a slanderous charge, ² 

64:4 in order to shoot down the innocent ³  in secluded places.

They shoot at him suddenly and are unafraid of retaliation. ⁴ 

64:5 They encourage one another to carry out their evil deed. ⁵ 

They plan how to hide ⁶  snares,

and boast, ⁷  “Who will see them?” ⁸ 

[64:3]  ¹ tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[64:3]  ² tn Heb “a bitter word.”

[64:4]  ³ tn The psalmist uses the singular because he is referring to himself here as representative of a larger group.

[64:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “and are unafraid.” The words “of retaliation” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[64:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “they give strength to themselves, an evil matter [or “word”].”

[64:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “they report about hiding.”

[64:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “they say.”

[64:5]  ⁸ tn If this is a direct quotation (cf. NASB, NIV), the pronoun “them” refers to the snares mentioned in the previous line. If it is an indirect quotation, then the pronoun may refer to the enemies themselves (cf. NEB, which is ambiguous). Some translations retain the direct quotation but alter the pronoun to “us,” referring clearly to the enemies (cf. NRSV).