Thanksgiving to Yahweh for Victory

¹ A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.¹ It is good to give thanks to Yahweh, and to sing praise concerning your name, O Most High;

1. The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one

² to declare in the morning your loyal love and your faithfulness in the night,

³ on the ten string, and on the harp, with a melody on the lyre.

⁴ For you, O Yahweh, have made me glad by your work; by the deeds of your hands I sing for joy.

⁵ How great are your deeds, O Yahweh; how very deep are your thoughts.

⁶ The brutish man does not know, and the fool cannot understand this.

⁷ When the wicked flourish like grass and all the workers of evil blossom, it is so they can be destroyed forever.

⁸ But you are on high forever, O Yahweh.

⁹ For behold, your enemies, O Yahweh, for behold, your enemies will perish. All the workers of evil will be scattered.

¹⁰ But you have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; you have anointed me¹ with fresh oil.

1. The Hebrew’s “that I have moistened with fresh oil” seems unlikely. The above translation presupposes the loss of a letter in the Hebrew textual tradition (ballotani for the MT’s balloti)

¹¹ And so my eye looks on my enemies.¹ My ears hear those evildoers who rise up against me.

1. This word for “enemies” suggests those watching for any advantage

¹² The righteous¹ will flourish like the date palm. They will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

1. Hebrew singular, but used as a collective. The verbs of this verse are also singular

¹³ Planted in the house¹ of Yahweh, they will flourish in the courts of our God.

1. Or “temple”

¹⁴ They will still prosper in old age. They will be fat and luxuriant,¹

1. This is the same word used of the oil in v. 11 and translated “fresh”

¹⁵ to declare that Yahweh is upright. He is my rock, and there is no injustice¹ in him.

1. According to the reading tradition (Qere)