Psalm 6 Text
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Read along and listen to our audio recordings for Psalm 6. Choose between simple, unaffected audio recordings (in Hebrew or English), or a dramatized reading that takes into account our emotional and discourse 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) |
---|---|---|
לַמְנַצֵּ֣חַ בִּ֭נְגִינוֹת עַֽל־הַשְּׁמִינִ֗ית מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃ | 1a | For the director, with stringed instruments, on the octave. A psalm by David. |
יְֽהוָ֗ה אַל־בְּאַפְּךָ֥ תוֹכִיחֵ֑נִי | 2a | YHWH, do not correct me in your anger, |
וְֽאַל־בַּחֲמָתְךָ֥ תְיַסְּרֵֽנִי׃ | 2b | and do not discipline me in your wrath. |
חָנֵּ֥נִי יְהוָה֮ כִּ֤י אֻמְלַ֫ל אָ֥נִי | 3a | Have mercy on me, YHWH, for I am languishing. |
רְפָאֵ֥נִי יְהוָ֑ה כִּ֖י נִבְהֲל֣וּ עֲצָמָֽי׃ | 3b | Heal me, YHWH, for my bones have become dismayed. |
וְ֭נַפְשִׁי נִבְהֲלָ֣ה מְאֹ֑ד | 4a | And my soul has become very dismayed. |
וְאַתָּ֥ה יְ֝הוָ֗ה עַד־מָתָֽי׃ | 4b | And you, YHWH, how long? |
שׁוּבָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה חַלְּצָ֣ה נַפְשִׁ֑י | 5a | Turn back, YHWH. Rescue my soul. |
ה֝וֹשִׁיעֵ֗נִי לְמַ֣עַן חַסְדֶּֽךָ׃ | 5b | Save me for the sake of your loyalty. |
כִּ֤י אֵ֣ין בַּמָּ֣וֶת זִכְרֶ֑ךָ | 6a | For there is no commemoration of you in the world of the dead. |
בִּ֝שְׁא֗וֹל מִ֣י יֽוֹדֶה־לָּֽךְ׃ | 6b | In Sheol, who praises you? |
יָגַ֤עְתִּי׀ בְּֽאַנְחָתִ֗י | 7a | I have grown weary because of my groaning. |
אַשְׂחֶ֣ה בְכָל־לַ֭יְלָה מִטָּתִ֑י | 7b | I drench my couch every night. |
בְּ֝דִמְעָתִ֗י עַרְשִׂ֥י אַמְסֶֽה׃ | 7c | With my tears I melt my bed. |
עָֽשְׁשָׁ֣ה מִכַּ֣עַס עֵינִ֑י | 8a | My eye has wasted away because of vexation. |
עָֽ֝תְקָ֗ה בְּכָל־צוֹרְרָֽי׃ | 8b | It has become weak because of all my adversaries. |
ס֣וּרוּ מִ֭מֶּנִּי כָּל־פֹּ֣עֲלֵי אָ֑וֶן | 9a | Move away from me, all workers of evil. |
כִּֽי־שָׁמַ֥ע יְ֝הוָ֗ה ק֣וֹל בִּכְיִֽי׃ | 9b | For YHWH has heard the sound of my weeping. |
שָׁמַ֣ע יְ֭הוָה תְּחִנָּתִ֑י | 10a | YHWH has heard my supplication. |
יְ֝הוָ֗ה תְּֽפִלָּתִ֥י יִקָּֽח׃ | 10b | YHWH will accept my prayer. |
יֵבֹ֤שׁוּ׀ וְיִבָּהֲל֣וּ מְ֭אֹד כָּל־אֹיְבָ֑י | 11a | Let all my enemies be shamed and very dismayed. |
יָ֝שֻׁ֗בוּ יֵבֹ֥שׁוּ רָֽגַע׃ | 11b | Let them turn back. Let them be shamed in an instant. |
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) |
---|---|---|
לַמְנַצֵּ֣חַ בִּ֭נְגִינוֹת עַֽל־הַשְּׁמִינִ֗ית מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃ | 1a | For the director, with stringed instruments, on the octave. A psalm by David. |
יְֽהוָ֗ה אַל־בְּאַפְּךָ֥ תוֹכִיחֵ֑נִי | 2a | YHWH, do not correct me in your anger, |
וְֽאַל־בַּחֲמָתְךָ֥ תְיַסְּרֵֽנִי׃ | 2b | and do not discipline me in your wrath. |
חָנֵּ֥נִי יְהוָה֮ כִּ֤י אֻמְלַ֫ל אָ֥נִי | 3a | Have mercy on me, YHWH, for I am languishing. |
רְפָאֵ֥נִי יְהוָ֑ה כִּ֖י נִבְהֲל֣וּ עֲצָמָֽי׃ | 3b | Heal me, YHWH, for my bones have become dismayed. |
וְ֭נַפְשִׁי נִבְהֲלָ֣ה מְאֹ֑ד | 4a | And my soul has become very dismayed. |
וְאַתָּ֥ה יְ֝הוָ֗ה עַד־מָתָֽי׃ | 4b | And you, YHWH, how long? |
שׁוּבָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה חַלְּצָ֣ה נַפְשִׁ֑י | 5a | Turn back, YHWH. Rescue my soul. |
ה֝וֹשִׁיעֵ֗נִי לְמַ֣עַן חַסְדֶּֽךָ׃ | 5b | Save me for the sake of your loyalty. |
כִּ֤י אֵ֣ין בַּמָּ֣וֶת זִכְרֶ֑ךָ | 6a | For there is no commemoration of you in the world of the dead. |
בִּ֝שְׁא֗וֹל מִ֣י יֽוֹדֶה־לָּֽךְ׃ | 6b | In Sheol, who praises you? |
יָגַ֤עְתִּי׀ בְּֽאַנְחָתִ֗י | 7a | I have grown weary because of my groaning. |
אַשְׂחֶ֣ה בְכָל־לַ֭יְלָה מִטָּתִ֑י | 7b | I drench my couch every night. |
בְּ֝דִמְעָתִ֗י עַרְשִׂ֥י אַמְסֶֽה׃ | 7c | With my tears I melt my bed. |
עָֽשְׁשָׁ֣ה מִכַּ֣עַס עֵינִ֑י | 8a | My eye has wasted away because of vexation. |
עָֽ֝תְקָ֗ה בְּכָל־צוֹרְרָֽי׃ | 8b | It has become weak because of all my adversaries. |
ס֣וּרוּ מִ֭מֶּנִּי כָּל־פֹּ֣עֲלֵי אָ֑וֶן | 9a | Move away from me, all workers of evil. |
כִּֽי־שָׁמַ֥ע יְ֝הוָ֗ה ק֣וֹל בִּכְיִֽי׃ | 9b | For YHWH has heard the sound of my weeping. |
שָׁמַ֣ע יְ֭הוָה תְּחִנָּתִ֑י | 10a | YHWH has heard my supplication. |
יְ֝הוָ֗ה תְּֽפִלָּתִ֥י יִקָּֽח׃ | 10b | YHWH will accept my prayer. |
יֵבֹ֤שׁוּ׀ וְיִבָּהֲל֣וּ מְ֭אֹד כָּל־אֹיְבָ֑י | 11a | Let all my enemies be shamed and very dismayed. |
יָ֝שֻׁ֗בוּ יֵבֹ֥שׁוּ רָֽגַע׃ | 11b | Let them turn back. Let them be shamed in an instant. |
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 |
---|---|---|
לַמְנַצֵּ֣חַ בִּ֭נְגִינוֹת עַֽל־הַשְּׁמִינִ֗ית מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃ | 1 | For the director, with stringed instruments, on the octave. A psalm by David. |
יְֽהוָ֗ה אַל־בְּאַפְּךָ֥ תוֹכִיחֵ֑נִי וְֽאַל־בַּחֲמָתְךָ֥ תְיַסְּרֵֽנִי׃ | 2 | YHWH, you are my father and I, the king, am your son. I have sinned against you, and you have become angry, and you have begun to discipline me as a father disciplines his son . I accept your fatherly discipline, but I only ask that you do not correct me in your anger lest I die, and do not discipline me in your wrath. |
חָנֵּ֥נִי יְהוָה֮ כִּ֤י אֻמְלַ֫ל אָ֥נִי רְפָאֵ֥נִי יְהוָ֑ה כִּ֖י נִבְהֲל֣וּ עֲצָמָֽי׃ | 3 | Instead of anger Have mercy on me, YHWH, for I am languishing due to the sickness which you have brought on me as discipline for my sin, sickness being a common punishment for sin. Heal me, YHWH, for my bones have become dismayed. My sickness has brought me near death, and the nearness of death has made be deeply afraid and distressed. |
וְ֭נַפְשִׁי נִבְהֲלָ֣ה מְאֹ֑ד וְאַתָּ֥ה יְ֝הוָ֗ה עַד־מָתָֽי׃ | 4 | And my soul has become very dismayed. And you, YHWH, how long will you continue to discipline me in your anger? |
שׁוּבָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה חַלְּצָ֣ה נַפְשִׁ֑י ה֝וֹשִׁיעֵ֗נִי לְמַ֣עַן חַסְדֶּֽךָ׃ | 5 | Turn back from your anger, YHWH. Rescue my soul from death. Help me for the sake of your loyalty. You made a covenant with me, and you are committed to fulfilling your covenant obligations. You have said that your loyalty would never depart from my house. |
כִּ֤י אֵ֣ין בַּמָּ֣וֶת זִכְרֶ֑ךָ בִּ֝שְׁא֗וֹל מִ֣י יֽוֹדֶה־לָּֽךְ׃ | 6 | You should act because I am close to death. And if I die, I will not be able to praise you, For there is no commemoration of you in the world of the dead. In Sheol, who praises you? No one praises you in Sheol. |
יָגַ֤עְתִּי׀ בְּֽאַנְחָתִ֗י אַשְׂחֶ֣ה בְכָל־לַ֭יְלָה מִטָּתִ֑י בְּ֝דִמְעָתִ֗י עַרְשִׂ֥י אַמְסֶֽה׃ | 7 | See the desperateness of my situation; see how close to death I am. I have grown weary because of my groaning. I drench my bed every night. With my tears I melt my couch. It is as though I am already in Sheol, the place where you are not named. |
עָֽשְׁשָׁ֣ה מִכַּ֣עַס עֵינִ֑י עָֽ֝תְקָ֗ה בְּכָל־צוֹרְרָֽי׃ | 8 | My eye has wasted away because of vexation. It has become weak because of all my adversaries. I am vexed because of my enemies, who have exacerbated the situation. They have interpreted my sickness as a sign of sin and divine rejection, and they seek to take advantage of my weak position. |
ס֣וּרוּ מִ֭מֶּנִּי כָּל־פֹּ֣עֲלֵי אָ֑וֶן כִּֽי־שָׁמַ֥ע יְ֝הוָ֗ה ק֣וֹל בִּכְיִֽי׃ | 9 | YHWH promised that his loyalty would not move away from me. So, in my authority as the king, with YHWH still on my side, I say, Move away from me, all workers of evil. You have done evil in God's sight by opposing his anointed king. And, by opposing YHWH's anointed, you have opposed YHWH himself. For YHWH has not rejected me. Instead, he has heard the sound of my weeping. |
שָׁמַ֣ע יְ֭הוָה תְּחִנָּתִ֑י יְ֝הוָ֗ה תְּֽפִלָּתִ֥י יִקָּֽח׃ | 10 | YHWH has heard my supplication. He will turn from anger and have mercy. YHWH will take up my request. He will heal me. This means that I will be vindicated, and it will become clear that YHWH has not rejected me as king. And, when I am vindicated, then you will be shown to be in the wrong, having opposed YHWH's rightful king. YHWH will punish you, and you will be exposed as evil-doers and public failures. |
יֵבֹ֤שׁוּ׀ וְיִבָּהֲל֣וּ מְ֭אֹד כָּל־אֹיְבָ֑י יָ֝שֻׁ֗בוּ יֵבֹ֥שׁוּ רָֽגַע׃ | 11 | YHWH, according to your justice Let all my enemies be shamed and very dismayed just as I was shamed and dismayed. Let them turn back. Let them be shamed in an instant. |
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.
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