28:3 Do not drag me away with evil men,
with those who behave wickedly, 1
who talk so friendly to their neighbors, 2
while they plan to harm them! 3
35:4 May those who seek my life be embarrassed and humiliated!
May those who plan to harm me be turned back and ashamed! 4
64:5 They encourage one another to carry out their evil deed. 5
They plan how to hide 6 snares,
and boast, 7 “Who will see them?” 8
140:4 O Lord, shelter me from the power 9 of the wicked!
Protect me from violent men,
who plan to knock me over. 10
140:8 O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way! 11
Do not allow their 12 plan to succeed when they attack! 13 (Selah)
1 tn Heb “workers of wickedness.”
2 tn Heb “speakers of peace with their neighbors.”
3 tn Heb “and evil [is] in their heart[s].”
4 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies. See also the distinct jussive form in v. 6.
5 tn Heb “they give strength to themselves, an evil matter [or “word”].”
6 tn Heb “they report about hiding.”
7 tn Heb “they say.”
8 tn If this is a direct quotation (cf. NASB, NIV), the pronoun “them” refers to the snares mentioned in the previous line. If it is an indirect quotation, then the pronoun may refer to the enemies themselves (cf. NEB, which is ambiguous). Some translations retain the direct quotation but alter the pronoun to “us,” referring clearly to the enemies (cf. NRSV).
9 tn Heb “hands.”
10 tn Heb “to push down my steps.”
11 tn Heb “do not grant the desires of the wicked.”
12 tn Heb “his.” The singular is used in a representative sense (see v. 1).
13 tn Heb “his plot do not promote, they rise up.” The translation understands the final verb as being an unmarked temporal clause. Another option is to revocalize the verb as a Hiphil and take the verb with the next verse, “those who surround me lift up [their] head,” which could refer to their proud attitude as they anticipate victory (see Ps 27:6).