Psalms 143:3

Certainly ¹  my enemies ²  chase me. They smash me into the ground. ³  They force me to live ⁴  in dark regions, ⁵  like those who have been dead for ages.

The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead.

For the enemy has persecuted my soul; He has crushed my life to the ground; He has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead.

My enemy has chased me. He has knocked me to the ground. He forces me to live in darkness like those in the grave.

The enemy hunted me down; he kicked me and stomped me within an inch of my life. He put me in a black hole, buried me like a corpse in that dungeon.

The evil man has gone after my soul; my life is crushed down to the earth: he has put me in the dark, like those who have long been dead.

For the enemy has pursued me, crushing my life to the ground, making me sit in darkness like those long dead.

For the enemy has persecuted my soul; He has crushed my life to the ground; He has made me dwell in darkness, Like those who have long been dead.

Certainly ¹  my enemies ²  chase me. They smash me into the ground. ³  They force me to live ⁴  in dark regions, ⁵  like those who have been dead for ages.

¹ tn Or “for.”

² tn Heb “an enemy.” The singular is used in a representative sense to describe a typical member of the larger group of enemies (note the plural “enemies” in vv. 9, 12).

³ tn Heb “he crushes on the ground my life.”

⁴ tn Or “sit.”

⁵ sn Dark regions refers to Sheol, which the psalmist views as a dark place located deep in the ground (see Ps 88:6).