Psalm 40 (Tehillim 40) in Hebrew and English
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Text (469) 608-9944Psalm 40
David’s psalm of thanks that Hashem drew him from the horrible pit and gave him a new song, his declaration of delight in Hashem’s Torah, and a renewed plea for help against his enemies.
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).
40:1To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
אלַ֝מְנַצֵּ֗חַ לְדָוִ֥ד מִזְמֽוֹר׃
40:2I waited patiently for Hashem; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
בקַוֺּ֣ה קִוִּ֣יתִי יְהוָ֑ה וַיֵּ֥ט אֵ֝לַ֗י וַיִּשְׁמַ֥ע שַׁוְעָתִֽי׃
40:3He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
גוַיַּעֲלֵ֤נִי ׀ מִבּ֥וֹר שָׁאוֹן֮ מִטִּ֪יט הַיָּ֫וֵ֥ן וַיָּ֖קֶם עַל־סֶ֥לַע רַגְלַ֗י כּוֹנֵ֥ן אֲשֻׁרָֽי׃
40:4And He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in Hashem.
דוַיִּתֵּ֬ן בְּפִ֨י ׀ שִׁ֥יר חָדָשׁ֮ תְּהִלָּ֪ה לֵֽאלֹ֫הֵ֥ינוּ יִרְא֣וּ רַבִּ֣ים וְיִירָ֑אוּ וְ֝יִבְטְח֗וּ בַּיהוָֽה׃
40:5Blessed is that man that makes Hashem his trust, and respects not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
האַ֥שְֽׁרֵי הַגֶּ֗בֶר אֲשֶׁר־שָׂ֣ם יְ֭הֹוָה מִבְטַח֑וֹ וְֽלֹא־פָנָ֥ה אֶל־רְ֝הָבִ֗ים וְשָׂטֵ֥י כָזָֽב׃
40:6Many, O Hashem my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done, and Your thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto You: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
ורַבּ֤וֹת עָשִׂ֨יתָ ׀ אַתָּ֤ה ׀ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהַי֮ נִֽפְלְאֹתֶ֥יךָ וּמַחְשְׁבֹתֶ֗יךָ אֵ֫לֵ֥ינוּ אֵ֤ין ׀ עֲרֹ֬ךְ אֵלֶ֗יךָ אַגִּ֥ידָה וַאֲדַבֵּ֑רָה עָ֝צְמ֗וּ מִסַּפֵּֽר׃
40:7Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; my ears have You opened: burnt offering and sin offering have You not required.
זזֶ֤בַח וּמִנְחָ֨ה ׀ לֹֽא־חָפַ֗צְתָּ אָ֭זְנַיִם כָּרִ֣יתָ לִּ֑י עוֹלָ֥ה וַ֝חֲטָאָ֗ה לֹ֣א שָׁאָֽלְתָּ׃
40:8Then said I, “Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
חאָ֣ז אָ֭מַרְתִּי הִנֵּה־בָ֑אתִי בִּמְגִלַּת־סֵ֝֗פֶר כָּת֥וּב עָלָֽי׃
40:9I delight to do Your will, O my God: yea, Your Torah is within my heart.”
טלַֽעֲשֽׂוֹת־רְצוֹנְךָ֣ אֱלֹהַ֣י חָפָ֑צְתִּי וְ֝ת֥וֹרָתְךָ֗ בְּת֣וֹךְ מֵעָֽי׃
40:10I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Hashem, You know.
יבִּשַּׂ֤רְתִּי צֶ֨דֶק ׀ בְּקָ֘הָ֤ל רָ֗ב הִנֵּ֣ה שְׂ֭פָתַי לֹ֣א אֶכְלָ֑א יְ֝הוָ֗ה אַתָּ֥ה יָדָֽעְתָּ׃
40:11I have not hid Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation: I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.
יאצִדְקָתְךָ֬ לֹא־כִסִּ֨יתִי ׀ בְּת֬וֹךְ לִבִּ֗י אֱמוּנָתְךָ֣ וּתְשׁוּעָתְךָ֣ אָמָ֑רְתִּי לֹא־כִחַ֥דְתִּי חַסְדְּךָ֥ וַ֝אֲמִתְּךָ֗ לְקָהָ֥ל רָֽב׃
40:12Withhold not You Your tender mercies from me, O Hashem: let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.
יבאַתָּ֤ה יְהוָ֗ה לֹא־תִכְלָ֣א רַחֲמֶ֣יךָ מִמֶּ֑נִּי חַסְדְּךָ֥ וַ֝אֲמִתְּךָ֗ תָּמִ֥יד יִצְּרֽוּנִי׃
40:13For innumerable evils have compassed me about: my iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head: therefore my heart fails me.
יגכִּ֤י אָפְפ֥וּ־עָלַ֨י ׀ רָע֡וֹת עַד־אֵ֬ין מִסְפָּ֗ר הִשִּׂיג֣וּנִי עֲ֭וֺנֹתַי וְלֹא־יָכֹ֣לְתִּי לִרְא֑וֹת עָצְמ֥וּ מִשַּֽׂעֲר֥וֹת רֹ֝אשִׁ֗י וְלִבִּ֥י עֲזָבָֽנִי׃
40:14Be pleased, O Hashem, to deliver me: O Hashem, make haste to help me.
ידרְצֵ֣ה יְ֭הוָה לְהַצִּילֵ֑נִי יְ֝הוָ֗ה לְעֶזְרָ֥תִי חֽוּשָׁה׃
40:15Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.
טויֵ֘בֹ֤שׁוּ וְיַחְפְּר֨וּ ׀ יַחַד֮ מְבַקְשֵׁ֥י נַפְשִׁ֗י לִסְפּ֫וֹתָ֥הּ יִסֹּ֣גוּ אָ֭חוֹר וְיִכָּלְמ֑וּ חֲ֝פֵצֵ֗י רָעָתִֽי׃
40:16Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, “Aha, aha.”
טזיָ֭שֹׁמּוּ עַל־עֵ֣קֶב בָּשְׁתָּ֑ם הָאֹמְרִ֥ים לִ֝֗י הֶ֘אָ֥ח ׀ הֶאָֽח׃
40:17Let all those that seek You rejoice and be glad in You: let such as love Your salvation say continually, “Hashem be magnified.”
יזיָ֘שִׂ֤ישׂוּ וְיִשְׂמְח֨וּ ׀ בְּךָ֗ כָּֽל־מְבַ֫קְשֶׁ֥יךָ יֹאמְר֣וּ תָ֭מִיד יִגְדַּ֣ל יְהוָ֑ה אֹֽ֝הֲבֵ֗י תְּשׁוּעָתֶֽךָ׃
40:18But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinks upon me: You are my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.
יחוַאֲנִ֤י ׀ עָנִ֣י וְאֶבְיוֹן֮ אֲדֹנָ֪י יַחֲשָׁ֫ב לִ֥י עֶזְרָתִ֣י וּמְפַלְטִ֣י אַ֑תָּה אֱ֝לֹהַ֗י אַל־תְּאַחַֽר׃
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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.