Psalm 26 Text

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Listen & Read: Psalm 26

Read along and listen to our audio recordings for Psalm 26. Choose between simple, unaffected audio recordings (in Hebrew or English), or a dramatized reading that takes into account our emotional, discourse, and poetic analyses. You can also choose between a text-only view, or a view overlaid with our summary At-a-Glance, Expanded Paraphrase, or Participant Analysis tracking.

Simple Reading (Hebrew)
Forthcoming. 		Simple Reading (English)
Forthcoming.
Dramatic Reading (Hebrew)
Forthcoming. 		Dramatic Reading (English)
Forthcoming.

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.

Text (Hebrew) Verse Text (CBC)
לְדָוִ֨ד 1a By David.
שָׁפְטֵ֤נִי יְהוָ֗ה כִּֽי־אֲ֭נִי בְּתֻמִּ֣י הָלַ֑כְתִּי 1b Judge me, YHWH, for I have walked in my integrity,
וּבַיהוָ֥ה בָּ֝טַ֗חְתִּי לֹ֣א אֶמְעָֽד׃ 1c and I have trusted in YHWH. I shall not waver.
בְּחָנֵ֣נִי יְהוָ֣ה | וְנַסֵּ֑נִי 2a Test me, YHWH, and try me;
צָרְפָ֖ה כִלְיוֹתַ֣י וְלִבִּֽי׃ 2b refine my kidneys and my heart,
כִּֽי־חַ֭סְדְּךָ לְנֶ֣גֶד עֵינָ֑י 3a for your loyalty is before my eyes,
וְ֝הִתְהַלַּ֗כְתִּי בַּאֲמִתֶּֽךָ׃ 3b and I walk in your truth.
לֹא־יָ֭שַׁבְתִּי עִם־מְתֵי־שָׁ֑וְא 4a I have not sat down with deceitful people,
וְעִ֥ם נַ֝עֲלָמִ֗ים לֹ֣א אָבֽוֹא׃ 4b and with hypocrites I do not go.
שָׂ֭נֵאתִי קְהַ֣ל מְרֵעִ֑ים 5a I have rejected the community of evildoers,
וְעִם־רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים לֹ֣א אֵשֵֽׁב׃ 5b and I do not sit down with wicked people.
אֶרְחַ֣ץ בְּנִקָּי֣וֹן כַּפָּ֑י 6a I wash my hands in innocence,
וַאֲסֹבְבָ֖ה אֶת־מִזְבַּחֲךָ֣ יְהוָֽה׃ 6b so that I can go around your altar, YHWH,
לַ֭שְׁמִעַ בְּק֣וֹל תּוֹדָ֑ה 7a to make thanksgiving heard with a voice,
וּ֝לְסַפֵּ֗ר כָּל־נִפְלְאוֹתֶֽיךָ׃ 7b and to tell all of your wonders.
יְֽהוָ֗ה אָ֭הַבְתִּי מְע֣וֹן בֵּיתֶ֑ךָ 8a YHWH, I love the dwelling place of your house,
וּ֝מְק֗וֹם מִשְׁכַּ֥ן כְּבוֹדֶֽךָ׃ 8b and the place where your presence dwells.
אַל־תֶּאֱסֹ֣ף עִם־חַטָּאִ֣ים נַפְשִׁ֑י 9a Do not take away my soul with sinful people;
וְעִם־אַנְשֵׁ֖י דָמִ֣ים חַיָּֽי׃ 9b and [do not take away] my life with bloodthirsty people,
אֲשֶׁר־בִּידֵיהֶ֥ם זִמָּ֑ה 10a in whose hands is wickedness;
וִֽ֝ימִינָ֗ם מָ֣לְאָה שֹּֽׁחַד׃ 10b and their right hands are full of bribes.
וַ֭אֲנִי בְּתֻמִּ֥י אֵלֵ֗ךְ 11a But I will walk in my integrity.
פְּדֵ֣נִי | וְחָנֵּֽנִי׃ 11b Redeem me, and be gracious to me!
רַ֭גְלִי עָֽמְדָ֣ה בְמִישׁ֑וֹר 12a My foot is standing on a plain.
בְּ֝מַקְהֵלִ֗ים אֲבָרֵ֥ךְ יְהוָֽה׃ 12b In assemblies I shall bless YHWH.

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.

Text (Hebrew) Verse Text (CBC)
לְדָוִ֨ד 1a By David.
שָׁפְטֵ֤נִי יְהוָ֗ה כִּֽי־אֲ֭נִי בְּתֻמִּ֣י הָלַ֑כְתִּי 1b Judge me, YHWH, for I have walked in my integrity,
וּבַיהוָ֥ה בָּ֝טַ֗חְתִּי לֹ֣א אֶמְעָֽד׃ 1c and I have trusted in YHWH. I shall not waver.
בְּחָנֵ֣נִי יְהוָ֣ה | וְנַסֵּ֑נִי 2a Test me, YHWH, and try me;
צָרְפָ֖ה כִלְיוֹתַ֣י וְלִבִּֽי׃ 2b refine my kidneys and my heart,
כִּֽי־חַ֭סְדְּךָ לְנֶ֣גֶד עֵינָ֑י 3a for your loyalty is before my eyes,
וְ֝הִתְהַלַּ֗כְתִּי בַּאֲמִתֶּֽךָ׃ 3b and I walk in your truth.
לֹא־יָ֭שַׁבְתִּי עִם־מְתֵי־שָׁ֑וְא 4a I have not sat down with deceitful people,
וְעִ֥ם נַ֝עֲלָמִ֗ים לֹ֣א אָבֽוֹא׃ 4b and with hypocrites I do not go.
שָׂ֭נֵאתִי קְהַ֣ל מְרֵעִ֑ים 5a I have rejected the community of evildoers,
וְעִם־רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים לֹ֣א אֵשֵֽׁב׃ 5b and I do not sit down with wicked people.
אֶרְחַ֣ץ בְּנִקָּי֣וֹן כַּפָּ֑י 6a I wash my hands in innocence,
וַאֲסֹבְבָ֖ה אֶת־מִזְבַּחֲךָ֣ יְהוָֽה׃ 6b so that I can go around your altar, YHWH,
לַ֭שְׁמִעַ בְּק֣וֹל תּוֹדָ֑ה 7a to make thanksgiving heard with a voice,
וּ֝לְסַפֵּ֗ר כָּל־נִפְלְאוֹתֶֽיךָ׃ 7b and to tell all of your wonders.
יְֽהוָ֗ה אָ֭הַבְתִּי מְע֣וֹן בֵּיתֶ֑ךָ 8a YHWH, I love the dwelling place of your house,
וּ֝מְק֗וֹם מִשְׁכַּ֥ן כְּבוֹדֶֽךָ׃ 8b and the place where your presence dwells.
אַל־תֶּאֱסֹ֣ף עִם־חַטָּאִ֣ים נַפְשִׁ֑י 9a Do not take away my soul with sinful people;
וְעִם־אַנְשֵׁ֖י דָמִ֣ים חַיָּֽי׃ 9b and [do not take away] my life with bloodthirsty people,
אֲשֶׁר־בִּידֵיהֶ֥ם זִמָּ֑ה 10a in whose hands is wickedness;
וִֽ֝ימִינָ֗ם מָ֣לְאָה שֹּֽׁחַד׃ 10b and their right hands are full of bribes.
וַ֭אֲנִי בְּתֻמִּ֥י אֵלֵ֗ךְ 11a But I will walk in my integrity.
פְּדֵ֣נִי | וְחָנֵּֽנִי׃ 11b Redeem me, and be gracious to me!
רַ֭גְלִי עָֽמְדָ֣ה בְמִישׁ֑וֹר 12a My foot is standing on a plain.
בְּ֝מַקְהֵלִ֗ים אֲבָרֵ֥ךְ יְהוָֽה׃ 12b In assemblies I shall bless YHWH.

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
לְדָוִ֨ד שָׁפְטֵ֤נִי יְהוָ֗ה כִּֽי־אֲ֭נִי בְּתֻמִּ֣י הָלַ֑כְתִּי וּבַיהוָ֥ה בָּ֝טַ֗חְתִּי לֹ֣א אֶמְעָֽד׃ 1 By David God’s chosen covenant king. Judge me, YHWHfor you are the just judge who judges all humans and their behaviour, giving punishment for the wicked and favourable judgement for the righteous. Consider me righteous and grant me a favourable judgement, for though I am not flawless or sinless I have walked in my integrity which is what your covenant requires: to walk with you innocently and wholly, in all parts of life and I have trusted in YHWH YHWH! a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in faithfulness and truth who is in covenant with me and my people. Because he is trustworthy, I am confident that I shall not waver as I continue to walk in the ways of his covenant.
בְּחָנֵ֣נִי יְהוָ֣ה | וְנַסֵּ֑נִי צָרְפָ֖ה כִלְיוֹתַ֣י וְלִבִּֽי׃ 2 Test me, YHWH, and try me for you take those in covenant with you and purify them; Refine my kidneys and my heart, as a smelting process separates the dross from the pure metal, so I long for internal refining, with all impurities removed, that I may stand before you not only in integrity but also in absolute holiness.
כִּֽי־חַ֭סְדְּךָ לְנֶ֣גֶד עֵינָ֑י 3 I trust that your refining will result in my internal purification, for your faithfulness, the faithfulness which you revealed as your character to Moses and our people, before renewing the covenant at Sinai and also to me as one of your people, and in the covenant you made with my house, is before my eyes, like a lens through which I view the world before me, and I walk in your truth.
לֹא־יָ֭שַׁבְתִּי עִם־מְתֵי־שָׁ֑וְא וְעִ֥ם נַ֝עֲלָמִ֗ים לֹ֣א אָבֽוֹא׃ 4 According to covenant obligation, I have not sat down with deceitful people, and with hypocrites I do not go. I do not trust those who deceive, and hide their characters, but I trust you who revealed yours as true.
שָׂ֭נֵאתִי קְהַ֣ל מְרֵעִ֑ים וְעִם־רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים לֹ֣א אֵשֵֽׁב׃ 5 I have rejected the community of evildoers as ruler of your people, in covenant with you, I reject those who reject you, I do not sit down with wicked (people).
אֶרְחַ֣ץ בְּנִקָּי֣וֹן כַּפָּ֑י וַאֲסֹבְבָ֖ה אֶת־מִזְבַּחֲךָ֣ יְהוָֽה׃ 6 According to covenant obligation and blessing, because of your favourable judgement, I wash my hands in innocence, so that I can go around your altar, YHWH, refined and purified to worship where your presence dwells, your name is remembered and you bless your people, showing your mercy and dispensing justice through your representatives,
לַ֭שְׁמִעַ בְּק֣וֹל תּוֹדָ֑ה וּ֝לְסַפֵּ֗ר כָּל־נִפְלְאוֹתֶֽיךָ׃ 7 to make thanksgiving heard with a voice, as when the the Ark came to Jerusalem, and to tell of all your wonders your great acts of creation and salvation.
יְֽהוָ֗ה אָ֭הַבְתִּי מְע֣וֹן בֵּיתֶ֑ךָ 8 YHWH, I love the dwelling place of your house, which is your dwelling, though like the vast heavens, it cannot contain you, and the place where your presence dwells , your glorious manifest presence, where no deceit or wickedness has any place.
אַל־תֶּאֱסֹ֣ף עִם־חַטָּאִ֣ים נַפְשִׁ֑י וְעִם־אַנְשֵׁ֖י דָמִ֣ים חַיָּֽי׃ 9 Expecting the just judgement of deceitful and wicked people, I ask you, Do not take away my soul with these sinful (people) for you have control over the outcome of human souls, including a king's; and (do not take away) my life with bloodthirsty people when you judge their deeds,
אֲשֶׁר־בִּידֵיהֶ֥ם זִמָּ֑ה וִֽ֝ימִינָ֗ם מָ֣לְאָה שֹּֽׁחַד׃ 10 in whose hands is wickedness; for my hands are washed in innocence and their right hand(s) are full of of bribe(s), whereas I have been tested and purified.
וַ֭אֲנִי בְּתֻמִּ֥י אֵלֵ֗ךְ פְּדֵ֣נִי | וְחָנֵּֽנִי׃ 11 But I will walk in my integrity, judged favourably, not condemned. Redeem me, for I belong to you, and be gracious to me, so that by your graciousness and faithful commitment to me I will continue to walk in covenant relationship with you!
רַ֭גְלִי עָֽמְדָ֣ה בְמִישׁ֑וֹר 12 Because you are gracious and faithful, I trust that not only will I not waver, but My foot is standing on a plain, where I am safe, secure, and at rest. In assemblies, in the presence of your people I shall bless YHWH, they shall witness my blessing and we shall exalt his name together.

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.

This resource is forthcoming.