Mazmur 70:2-4

70:2 May those who are trying to take my life

be embarrassed and ashamed! ¹ 

May those who want to harm me

be turned back and ashamed! ² 

70:3 May those who say, “Aha! Aha!”

be driven back ³  and disgraced! ⁴ 

70:4 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you!

May those who love to experience ⁵  your deliverance say continually, ⁶ 

“May God ⁷  be praised!” ⁸ 

[70:2]  ¹ tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed, the ones seeking my life.” Ps 40:14 has “together” after “ashamed,” and “to snatch it away” after “my life.”

[70:2]  ² tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies.

[70:2]  sn See Ps 35:4 for a similar prayer.

[70:3]  ³ tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive in this imprecation.

[70:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “May they be turned back according to their shame, those who say, ‘Aha! Aha!’” Ps 40:15 has the verb “humiliated” instead of “turned back” and adds “to me” after “say.”

[70:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “those who love,” which stands metonymically for its cause, the experience of being delivered by God.

[70:4]  ⁶ tn The three prefixed verbal forms prior to the quotation are understood as jussives. The psalmist balances out his imprecation against his enemies with a prayer of blessing on the godly.

[70:4]  ⁷ tn Ps 40:16 uses the divine name “Lord” here instead of “God.”

[70:4]  ⁸ tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the Lord be magnified [in praise].” Another option is to take the verb as an imperfect, “the Lord is great.” See Ps 35:27.