Psalm 41 (Tehillim 41) in Hebrew and English
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Text (469) 608-9944Psalm 41
David’s psalm blessing the one who considers the poor, pleading with Hashem for mercy and healing against enemies and a trusted friend who turned on him, and closing with a blessing of Hashem.
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).
41:1To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
אלַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃
41:2Blessed is he that considers the poor: Hashem will deliver him in time of trouble.
באַ֭שְׁרֵי מַשְׂכִּ֣יל אֶל־דָּ֑ל בְּי֥וֹם רָ֝עָ֗ה יְֽמַלְּטֵ֥הוּ יְהוָֽה׃
41:3Hashem will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and You will not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
גיְהוָ֤ה ׀ יִשְׁמְרֵ֣הוּ וִֽ֭יחַיֵּהוּ וְאֻשַּׁ֣ר (כתיב יאשר) בָּאָ֑רֶץ וְאַֽל־תִּ֝תְּנֵ֗הוּ בְּנֶ֣פֶשׁ אֹיְבָֽיו׃
41:4Hashem will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: You will make all his bed in his sickness.
דיְֽהוָ֗ה יִ֭סְעָדֶנּוּ עַל־עֶ֣רֶשׂ דְּוָ֑י כָּל־מִ֝שְׁכָּב֗וֹ הָפַ֥כְתָּ בְחָלְיֽוֹ׃
41:5I said, “Hashem, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against You.”
האֲֽנִי־אָ֭מַרְתִּי יְהוָ֣ה חָנֵּ֑נִי רְפָאָ֥ה נַ֝פְשִׁ֗י כִּי־חָטָ֥אתִי לָֽךְ׃
41:6My enemies speak evil of me, “When shall he die, and his name perish?”
ואוֹיְבַ֗י יֹאמְר֣וּ רַ֣ע לִ֑י מָתַ֥י יָ֝מ֗וּת וְאָבַ֥ד שְׁמֽוֹ׃
41:7And if he come to see me, he speaks vanity: his heart gathers iniquity to itself; when he goes abroad, he tells it.
זוְאִם־בָּ֤א לִרְא֨וֹת ׀ שָׁ֤וְא יְדַבֵּ֗ר לִבּ֗וֹ יִקְבָּץ־אָ֥וֶן ל֑וֹ יֵצֵ֖א לַח֣וּץ יְדַבֵּֽר׃
41:8All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt.
חיַ֗חַד עָלַ֣י יִ֭תְלַחֲשׁוּ כָּל־שֹׂנְאָ֑י עָלַ֓י ׀ יַחְשְׁב֖וּ רָעָ֣ה לִֽי׃
41:9“An evil disease,” say they, “cleaves fast unto him: and now that he lies he shall rise up no more.”
טדְּֽבַר־בְּ֭לִיַּעַל יָצ֣וּק בּ֑וֹ וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר שָׁ֝כַ֗ב לֹא־יוֹסִ֥יף לָקֽוּם׃
41:10Yea, my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.
יגַּם־אִ֤ישׁ שְׁלוֹמִ֨י ׀ אֲשֶׁר־בָּטַ֣חְתִּי ב֭וֹ אוֹכֵ֣ל לַחְמִ֑י הִגְדִּ֖יל עָלַ֣י עָקֵֽב׃
41:11But You, O Hashem, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them.
יאוְאַתָּ֤ה יְהוָ֗ה חָנֵּ֥נִי וַהֲקִימֵ֑נִי וַֽאֲשַׁלְּמָ֥ה לָהֶֽם׃
41:12By this I know that You favour me, because my enemy does not triumph over me.
יבבְּזֹ֣את יָ֭דַעְתִּי כִּֽי־חָפַ֣צְתָּ בִּ֑י כִּ֤י לֹֽא־יָרִ֖יעַ אֹיְבִ֣י עָלָֽי׃
41:13And as for me, You uphold me in my integrity, and set me before Your face for ever.
יגוַאֲנִ֗י בְּ֭תֻמִּי תָּמַ֣כְתָּ בִּ֑י וַתַּצִּיבֵ֖נִי לְפָנֶ֣יךָ לְעוֹלָֽם׃
41:14Blessed be Hashem God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.
ידבָּ֘ר֤וּךְ יְהוָ֨ה ׀ אֱלֹ֘הֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל מֵֽ֭הָעוֹלָם וְעַ֥ד הָעוֹלָ֗ם אָ֘מֵ֥ן ׀ וְאָמֵֽן׃
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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.