Psalm 31 (Tehillim 31) in Hebrew and English
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Text (469) 608-9944Psalm 31
David’s psalm committing his spirit into Hashem’s hand, pleading for deliverance amid grief, slander, and enemies, then blessing Hashem for His marvellous kindness and calling His saints to love Him.
Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, where the heading is verse 1. In most English Bibles the heading has no number, so each verse here is one higher than there (verse 2 here is verse 1 there).
31:1To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
אלַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃
31:2In You, O Hashem, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in Your righteousness.
בבְּךָ֖ יְהוָ֣ה חָ֭סִיתִי אַל־אֵב֣וֹשָׁה לְעוֹלָ֑ם בְּצִדְקָתְךָ֥ פַלְּטֵֽנִי׃
31:3Bow down Your ear to me; deliver me speedily: be You my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.
גהַטֵּ֤ה אֵלַ֨י ׀ אָזְנְךָ֮ מְהֵרָ֪ה הַצִּ֫ילֵ֥נִי הֱיֵ֤ה לִ֨י ׀ לְֽצוּר־מָ֭עוֹז לְבֵ֥ית מְצוּד֗וֹת לְהוֹשִׁיעֵֽנִי׃
31:4For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore for Your name’s sake lead me, and guide me.
דכִּֽי־סַלְעִ֣י וּמְצוּדָתִ֣י אָ֑תָּה וּלְמַ֥עַן שִׁ֝מְךָ֗ תַּֽנְחֵ֥נִי וּֽתְנַהֲלֵֽנִי׃
31:5Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for You are my strength.
התּוֹצִיאֵ֗נִי מֵרֶ֣שֶׁת ז֭וּ טָ֣מְנוּ לִ֑י כִּֽי־אַ֝תָּה מָֽעוּזִּֽי׃
31:6Into Your hand I commit my spirit: You have redeemed me, O Hashem God of truth.
ובְּיָדְךָ֮ אַפְקִ֪יד ר֫וּחִ֥י פָּדִ֖יתָה אוֹתִ֥י יְהוָ֗ה אֵ֣ל אֱמֶֽת׃
31:7I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in Hashem.
זשָׂנֵ֗אתִי הַשֹּׁמְרִ֥ים הַבְלֵי־שָׁ֑וְא וַ֝אֲנִ֗י אֶל־יְהוָ֥ה בָּטָֽחְתִּי׃
31:8I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy: for You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities;
חאָגִ֥ילָה וְאֶשְׂמְחָ֗ה בְּחַ֫סְדֶּ֥ךָ אֲשֶׁ֣ר רָ֭אִיתָ אֶת־עָנְיִ֑י יָ֝דַ֗עְתָּ בְּצָר֥וֹת נַפְשִֽׁי׃
31:9And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: You have set my feet in a large room.
טוְלֹ֣א הִ֭סְגַּרְתַּנִי בְּיַד־אוֹיֵ֑ב הֶֽעֱמַ֖דְתָּ בַמֶּרְחָ֣ב רַגְלָֽי׃
31:10Have mercy upon me, O Hashem, for I am in trouble: my eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.
יחָנֵּ֥נִי יְהוָה֮ כִּ֤י צַ֫ר־לִ֥י עָשְׁשָׁ֖ה בְכַ֥עַס עֵינִ֗י נַפְשִׁ֥י וּבִטְנִֽי׃
31:11For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones are consumed.
יאכִּ֤י כָל֪וּ בְיָג֡וֹן חַיַּי֮ וּשְׁנוֹתַ֪י בַּאֲנָ֫חָ֥ה כָּשַׁ֣ל בַּעֲוֺנִ֣י כֹחִ֑י וַעֲצָמַ֥י עָשֵֽׁשׁוּ׃
31:12I was a reproach among all my enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to my acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.
יבמִכָּל־צֹרְרַ֨י הָיִ֪יתִי חֶרְפָּ֡ה וְלִשֲׁכֵנַ֨י ׀ מְאֹד֮ וּפַ֪חַד לִֽמְיֻדָּ֫עָ֥י רֹאַ֥י בַּח֑וּץ נָדְד֥וּ מִמֶּֽנִּי׃
31:13I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.
יגנִ֭שְׁכַּחְתִּי כְּמֵ֣ת מִלֵּ֑ב הָ֝יִ֗יתִי כִּכְלִ֥י אֹבֵֽד׃
31:14For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.
ידכִּ֤י שָׁמַ֨עְתִּי ׀ דִּבַּ֥ת רַבִּים֮ מָג֪וֹר מִסָּ֫בִ֥יב בְּהִוָּסְדָ֣ם יַ֣חַד עָלַ֑י לָקַ֖חַת נַפְשִׁ֣י זָמָֽמוּ׃
31:15But I trusted in You, O Hashem: I said, “You are my God.”
טווַאֲנִ֤י ׀ עָלֶ֣יךָ בָטַ֣חְתִּי יְהוָ֑ה אָ֝מַ֗רְתִּי אֱלֹהַ֥י אָֽתָּה׃
31:16My times are in Your hand: deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from them that persecute me.
טזבְּיָדְךָ֥ עִתֹּתָ֑י הַצִּ֘ילֵ֤נִי מִיַּד־א֝וֹיְבַ֗י וּמֵרֹדְפָֽי׃
31:17Make Your face to shine upon Your servant: save me for Your mercies’ sake.
יזהָאִ֣ירָה פָ֭נֶיךָ עַל־עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ ה֖וֹשִׁיעֵ֣נִי בְחַסְדֶּֽךָ׃
31:18Let me not be ashamed, O Hashem; for I have called upon You: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.
יחיְֽהוָ֗ה אַל־אֵ֭בוֹשָׁה כִּ֣י קְרָאתִ֑יךָ יֵבֹ֥שׁוּ רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים יִדְּמ֥וּ לִשְׁאֽוֹל׃
31:19Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.
יטתֵּ֥אָלַ֗מְנָה שִׂפְתֵ֫י שָׁ֥קֶר הַדֹּבְר֖וֹת עַל־צַדִּ֥יק עָתָ֗ק בְּגַאֲוָ֥ה וָבֽוּז׃
31:20Oh how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for them that fear You; which You have wrought for them that trust in You before the sons of men!
כמָ֤ה רַֽב־טוּבְךָ֮ אֲשֶׁר־צָפַ֪נְתָּ לִּֽירֵ֫אֶ֥יךָ פָּ֭עַלְתָּ לַחֹסִ֣ים בָּ֑ךְ נֶ֝֗גֶד בְּנֵ֣י אָדָם׃
31:21You shall hide them in the secret of Your presence from the pride of man: You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
כאתַּסְתִּירֵ֤ם ׀ בְּסֵ֥תֶר פָּנֶיךָ֮ מֵֽרֻכְסֵ֫י אִ֥ישׁ תִּצְפְּנֵ֥ם בְּסֻכָּ֗ה מֵרִ֥יב לְשֹׁנֽוֹת׃
31:22Blessed be Hashem: for He has shown me His marvellous kindness in a strong city.
כבבָּר֥וּךְ יְהוָ֑ה כִּ֥י הִפְלִ֘יא חַסְדּ֥וֹ לִ֝֗י בְּעִ֣יר מָצֽוֹר׃
31:23For I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”: nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried unto You.
כגוַאֲנִ֤י ׀ אָ֘מַ֤רְתִּי בְחָפְזִ֗י נִגְרַזְתִּי֮ מִנֶּ֪גֶד עֵ֫ינֶ֥יךָ אָכֵ֗ן שָׁ֭מַעְתָּ ק֥וֹל תַּחֲנוּנַ֗י בְּשַׁוְּעִ֥י אֵלֶֽיךָ׃
31:24O love Hashem, all you His saints: for Hashem preserves the faithful, and plentifully rewards the proud doer.
כדאֶֽהֱב֥וּ אֶת־יְהוָ֗ה כָּֽל־חֲסִ֫ידָ֥יו אֱ֭מוּנִים נֹצֵ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה וּמְשַׁלֵּ֥ם עַל־יֶ֝֗תֶר עֹשֵׂ֥ה גַאֲוָֽה׃
31:25Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you that hope in Hashem.
כהחִ֭זְקוּ וְיַאֲמֵ֣ץ לְבַבְכֶ֑ם כָּל־הַ֝מְיַחֲלִ֗ים לַיהוָֽה׃
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Sources & method
- Hebrew text
- The Masoretic text with vowels (nikkud) and cantillation marks (ta’amim), from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain) as published by the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (CC BY 4.0). Where the written text (ketiv) differs from the reading (qere), the reading is shown and the written form follows in small type. The Divine Name is printed as it appears in the codex.
- English translation
- The King James Version (public domain), lightly modernized by Benei Avraham: “thee/thou/ye” become “you,” older verb forms are updated (“hath” to “has”), and archaic words are replaced only where the meaning would otherwise be unclear. People and places carry their Hebrew names, with the familiar English name in parentheses the first time on each page (e.g., Tziyon (Zion)). The Divine Name (יהוה, “the LORD” in the KJV) is written “Hashem,” the short form יָהּ is “Yah,” and הַלְלוּ־יָהּ is “Hallelujah”; “God” (Elohim) and “Lord” (Adonai) are unchanged, and “law” is “Torah” where the Hebrew is תּוֹרָה.
- Verse numbers
- Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible. In the Hebrew a psalm’s heading (“A Psalm of David…”) is part of the text and is counted as verse 1, or verses 1–2, so in psalms with a heading the verse numbers are often one or two higher than in English Bibles. Where that happens, a note under the summary says so.
- Quiz
- Written by Benei Avraham for young readers (about 11 and up). Every answer is in the psalm on this page. Answers and scores are kept only in this browser (local storage) and can be cleared with Start over.
- Hebrew font
- SBL Hebrew, by the Society of Biblical Literature.