Psalms 37:14

37:14 Evil men draw their swords

and prepare their bows,

to bring down ¹  the oppressed and needy,

and to slaughter those who are godly. ² 

Psalms 37:32-33

37:32 Evil men set an ambush for the godly

and try to kill them. ³ 

37:33 But the Lord does not surrender the godly,

or allow them to be condemned in a court of law. ⁴ 

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¹ tn Heb “to cause to fall.”

² tn Heb “the upright in way,” i.e., those who lead godly lives.

³ tn Heb “an evil [one] watches the godly [one] and seeks to kill him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and godly individual are in view. The active participles describe characteristic behavior.

⁴ tn Heb “the Lord does not abandon him into his hand or condemn him when he is judged.” The imperfects draw attention to the Lord’s characteristic behavior in this regard.