Psalm 25 Text
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Psalm 25
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Listen & Read: Psalm 25
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Text Only (Hebrew and English) The text below is divided according to the psalm's poetic lines. For additional information, see our Poetic Structure layer.
Structure Overlay Below, the text has been overlaid with our summary structural analysis. For details on the structure, see the Structure At-a-Glance here.
Expanded paraphrase The expanded paraphrase seeks to capture the implicit information within the text and make it explicit for readers today. It is based on the CBC translation and uses italic text to provide the most salient background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences.
| Text (Hebrew) | Verse | Expanded Paraphrase |
|---|---|---|
| לְדָוִ֡ד אֵלֶ֥יךָ יְ֝הוָ֗ה נַפְשִׁ֥י אֶשָּֽׂא׃ אֱֽלֹהַ֗י | 1 | By David, the king. YHWH made a covenant with David and his descendants. If David and his descendants walked in YHWH's ways, they would experience YHWH's loyalty and faithfulness (cf. Jer 22:3–5); but if they sinned and rebelled against YHWH, they would be punished (2 Sam 7:14; 1 Kgs 2:1–4; Ps 89:20–38), and their enemies would afflict them. In this psalm David prays: YHWH, I have sinned against you, and now I am experiencing your discipline at the hand of my enemies. But I turn to you, YHWH, for restoration – forgiveness of my sins, rescue from my enemies, and the ability to walk in covenant faithfulness. To you alone, YHWH, I lift my soul; I hope in you and depend on you, my God. |
| בְּךָ֣ בָ֭טַחְתִּי אַל־אֵב֑וֹשָׁה אַל־יַֽעַלְצ֖וּ אֹיְבַ֣י לִֽי׃ | 2 | I trust in you alone; do not abandon me and let me be disappointed! Do not let my enemies defeat me and rejoice over me! |
| גַּ֣ם כָּל־קֹ֭וֶיךָ לֹ֣א יֵבֹ֑שׁוּ יֵ֝בֹ֗שׁוּ הַבּוֹגְדִ֥ים רֵיקָֽם׃ | 3 | Yes, I know that you always come through, and that none who hope in you will be disappointed. Instead, worthless people who disregard your ways and act unfaithfully without repenting will be disappointed and will come to shame. |
| דְּרָכֶ֣יךָ יְ֭הוָה הוֹדִיעֵ֑נִי אֹ֖רְחוֹתֶ֣יךָ לַמְּדֵֽנִי׃ | 4 | YHWH, I do not want to be counted among the "worthless people who act unfaithfully." Help me to walk in covenant faithfulness to you. Show me your ways, YHWH, "so that I may know you and find favor in your sight" (Exod 33:13); teach me to walk in your paths! |
| הַדְרִ֘יכֵ֤נִי בַאֲמִתֶּ֨ךָ ׀ *לַמְּדֵ֗נִי כִּֽי־אַ֭תָּה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׁעִ֑י אוֹתְךָ֥ קִ֝וִּ֗יתִי כָּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃ | 5 | Guide me in your truth, that I may walk in it; teach me to live a life of faithfulness; because I can only be truly free from my enemies and experience the fullness of your favor if I am walking faithfully in your ways (cf. Jer 22:3–5; 2 Sam 7:14; 1 Kgs 2:1–4). So, teach me, because you are the God who saves me. I hope in you alone, and I do so all day long. |
| זְכֹר־רַחֲמֶ֣יךָ יְ֭הוָה וַחֲסָדֶ֑יךָ כִּ֖י מֵעוֹלָ֣ם הֵֽמָּה׃ | 6 | Yet I know, YHWH, that I do not deserve your guidance and protection, because I am a sinner (cf. Exod 33:2–5). Nevertheless, I appeal to your unchanging character: Remember your compassion, YHWH, and [remember] your acts of loyalty, because they have been around forever. Long ago, when our people broke the covenant and worshipped the golden calf, you did not destroy us. Instead, you showed yourself to be "compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in loyalty and faithfulness, keeping loyalty for thousands, forgiving guilt and rebellion and sin" (Exod 34:6–7). |
| חַטֹּ֤אות נְעוּרַ֨י ׀ וּפְשָׁעַ֗י אַל־תִּ֫זְכֹּ֥ר כְּחַסְדְּךָ֥ זְכָר־לִי־אַ֑תָּה לְמַ֖עַן טוּבְךָ֣ יְהוָֽה׃ | 7 | In the same way, I ask you: Do not remember my youthful sins – the many sins that I have committed throughout my life, ever since I was a youth – or my rebellious acts! Instead, remember me according to your loyalty, because of your goodness, YHWH, which you revealed to Moses on the mountain (cf. Exod 33:19)! |
| טוֹב־וְיָשָׁ֥ר יְהוָ֑ה עַל־כֵּ֤ן יוֹרֶ֖ה חַטָּאִ֣ים בַּדָּֽרֶךְ׃ | 8 | Now, I will reflect on YHWH's character and how he deals with sinners. YHWH is good and just; therefore, he does not destroy his people as soon as they sin. Instead, he restores them; he instructs sinners in the way of covenant faithfulness. |
| יַדְרֵ֣ךְ עֲ֭נָוִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט וִֽילַמֵּ֖ד עֲנָוִ֣ים דַּרְכּֽוֹ׃ | 9 | He guides afflicted people – those, like me, who humbly hope in him – in the way of justice and he teaches afflicted people to walk in his way. |
| כָּל־אָרְח֣וֹת יְ֭הוָה חֶ֣סֶד וֶאֱמֶ֑ת לְנֹצְרֵ֥י בְ֝רִית֗וֹ וְעֵדֹתָֽיו׃ | 10 | And those who learn to walk in YHWH's paths and to keep his covenant will experience the fullness of his favor, the blessings of his loyalty and faithfulness. For all of YHWH's paths are loyalty and faithfulness for those who keep his covenant and his demands. |
| לְמַֽעַן־שִׁמְךָ֥ יְהוָ֑ה וְֽסָלַחְתָּ֥ לַ֝עֲוֺנִ֗י כִּ֣י רַב־הֽוּא׃ | 11 | I long to experience the blessings of covenant faithfulness, yet my great guilt stands in the way. Because of your great name YHWH, because of who you are – a god who is "compassionate and merciful" (Exod 34:6–7) – would you forgive my guilt, because it is great! Yet, though my guilt is great, your name is greater still. |
| מִי־זֶ֣ה הָ֭אִישׁ יְרֵ֣א יְהוָ֑ה י֝וֹרֶ֗נּוּ בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ יִבְחָֽר׃ | 12 | Who is the person who fears YHWH and walks in covenant faithfulness? Let him listen to what I am about to say! He (= YHWH) will regularly teach him how to live and, in any given situation, he will instruct him in the way he should choose. |
| נַ֭פְשׁוֹ בְּט֣וֹב תָּלִ֑ין וְ֝זַרְע֗וֹ יִ֣ירַשׁ אָֽרֶץ׃ | 13 | As a result of YHWH's constant guidance, he and his descendants will be blessed. He himself will experience many successes; he will stay in a good place, and YHWH will grant him offspring to preserve his family line, so that, when he dies, his offspring will inherit his property and possess a piece of the land that YHWH promised to Abraham. |
| ס֣וֹד יְ֭הוָה לִירֵאָ֑יו וּ֝בְרִית֗וֹ לְהוֹדִיעָֽם׃ | 14 | YHWH's personal counsel, his guidance and care, and his covenant are for the benefit of those who fear him, for teaching them how to walk in his ways. |
| פְּנֵה־אֵלַ֥י וְחָנֵּ֑נִי כִּֽי־יָחִ֖יד וְעָנִ֣י אָֽנִי׃ | 16* | Now (in vv. 16, 15–21), I will once again pray to YHWH for help. Turn towards me, YHWH, and be merciful to me, because I am alone and afflicted, with no one else to help me. |
| עֵינַ֣י תָּ֭מִיד אֶל־יְהוָ֑ה כִּ֤י הֽוּא־יוֹצִ֖יא מֵרֶ֣שֶׁת רַגְלָֽי׃ | 15* | My eyes are always on YHWH, looking to him alone, because he alone will rescue me from my enemies and bring my feet out of a net that my enemies have set for me. |
| צָר֣וֹת לְבָבִ֣י הִרְחִ֑יבוּ מִ֝מְּצֽוּקוֹתַ֗י הוֹצִיאֵֽנִי׃ | 17 | YHWH, the troubles of my heart have expanded. Bring me out of my distresses! |
| רְאֵ֣ה עָ֭נְיִי וַעֲמָלִ֑י וְ֝שָׂ֗א לְכָל־חַטֹּאותָֽי׃ | 18 | Turn towards me and look at my affliction and my hardship, which my enemies have brought on me, and forgive all my sins, which lie at the root of my affliction! |
| רְאֵֽה־אוֹיְבַ֥י כִּי־רָ֑בּוּ וְשִׂנְאַ֖ת חָמָ֣ס שְׂנֵאֽוּנִי׃ | 19 | Look at my enemies, how they have multiplied and how they hate me with violent hatred! They are among those who act unfaithfully (v. 3), so may they be disappointed and come to shame! |
| שָׁמְרָ֣ה נַ֭פְשִׁי וְהַצִּילֵ֑נִי אַל־אֵ֝ב֗וֹשׁ כִּֽי־חָסִ֥יתִי בָֽךְ׃ | 20 | Guard my life and rescue me from them! Do not let me be disappointed, because I have taken refuge in you! |
| תֹּם־וָיֹ֥שֶׁר יִצְּר֑וּנִי כִּ֝֗י קִוִּיתִֽיךָ׃ | 21 | May you teach me to walk in integrity and justice, so that I experience the blessings of your loyalty and faithfulness and so that you keep me safe from my enemies. Do this, YHWH, because I hope in you for guidance and protection. |
| פְּדֵ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל מִ֝כֹּ֗ל צָֽרוֹתָיו׃ | 22 | God, I pray this prayer not only on my own behalf, but on behalf of the people whom you have put under my care. Would you guide your people, Israel, to walk in covenant faithfulness. Forgive their sins, and thus redeem Israel from all their troubles! |
Participant Tracking Text Participant Analysis focuses on the characters in the psalm and asks, “Who are the main participants (or characters) in this psalm, and what are they saying or doing? Our full analysis can be found in the Participant Analysis layer.