תהלים קל״ט | Psalms 139, interpretive translation by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

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Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription) and Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

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14 January 2020 under the

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Tehilim Book 5 (Psalms 107–150)

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interpretive translation, solstice, מזמור Mizmor, Winter Solstice, קלנדס Ḳalends, Psalms 139, Kalendes, Calends

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Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
^א לַ֭מְנַצֵּחַ לְדָוִ֣ד מִזְמ֑וֹר	¹ Conductor — David’s prayer set to music.
יְהוָ֥ה חֲ֝קַרְתַּ֗נִי וַתֵּדָֽע׃ ^ב אַתָּ֣ה יָ֭דַעְתָּ שִׁבְתִּ֣י וְקוּמִ֑י בַּ֥נְתָּה לְ֝רֵעִ֗י מֵרָחֽוֹק׃ ^‎‏ג אָרְחִ֣י וְרִבְעִ֣י זֵרִ֑יתָ וְֽכָל־דְּרָכַ֥י הִסְכַּֽנְתָּה׃	Yah! You have scanned me And discerned me. ² You know when I am relaxed or agitated. From afar You comprehend my fantasies. ³ You design my conduct and my repose. You direct my paths so I can manage.
^{‎‏ ד} כִּ֤י אֵ֣ין מִ֭לָּה בִּלְשׁוֹנִ֑י הֵ֥ן יְ֝הוָ֗ה יָדַ֥עְתָּ כֻלָּֽהּ׃ ^‎‏ה אָח֣וֹר וָקֶ֣דֶם צַרְתָּ֑נִי וַתָּ֖שֶׁת עָלַ֣י כַּפֶּֽכָה׃	⁴ Before my mouth opens You know what I am about to say. ⁵ You have shaped my past and my future. Your hand, gently on my shoulder.
^ו פלאיה פְּלִ֣יאָֽה דַ֣עַת מִמֶּ֑נִּי נִ֝שְׂגְּבָ֗ה לֹא־א֥וּכַֽל לָֽהּ׃	⁶ All this awes my awareness. It is beyond my skills to fathom.
^‎‏ז אָ֭נָ֥ה אֵלֵ֣ךְ מֵרוּחֶ֑ךָ וְ֝אָ֗נָה מִפָּנֶ֥יךָ אֶבְרָֽח׃	⁷ Whereto can I withdraw from Your spirit? Flee from facing You?
^‎‏ח אִם־אֶסַּ֣ק שָׁ֭מַיִם שָׁ֣ם אָ֑תָּה וְאַצִּ֖יעָה שְּׁא֣וֹל הִנֶּֽךָּ׃	⁸ If I would mount up to Heaven There are You. If I make my bed in Hell You are there too.
^‎‏ט אֶשָּׂ֥א כַנְפֵי־שָׁ֑חַר אֶ֝שְׁכְּנָ֗ה בְּאַחֲרִ֥ית יָֽם׃ ^‎‏י גַּם־שָׁ֭ם יָדְךָ֣ תַנְחֵ֑נִי וְֽתֹאחֲזֵ֥נִי יְמִינֶֽךָ׃	⁹ Soaring on the wings of the dawn, To find shelter in the setting sun, ¹⁰ It would be Your hand, that would carry me, Your right hand, holding me safe.
^‎‏יא וָ֭אֹמַר אַךְ־חֹ֣שֶׁךְ יְשׁוּפֵ֑נִי וְ֝לַ֗יְלָה א֣וֹר בַּעֲדֵֽנִי׃ ^‎‏יב גַּם־חֹשֶׁךְ֮ לֹֽא־יַחְשִׁ֪יךְ מִ֫מֶּ֥ךָ וְ֭לַיְלָה כַּיּ֣וֹם יָאִ֑יר כַּ֝חֲשֵׁיכָ֗ה כָּאוֹרָֽה׃ ^‎‏יג כִּֽי־אַ֭תָּה קָנִ֣יתָ כִלְיֹתָ֑י תְּ֝סֻכֵּ֗נִי בְּבֶ֣טֶן אִמִּֽי׃	¹¹ If I want to find oblivion in darkness, Trading light for darkness, ¹² To You, it would still not be dark. Night is as bright as day for You. Dark and light – the same in Your sight. ¹³ You have designed my innards, shaped me in the my mother’s womb.
^‎‏יד אֽוֹדְךָ֗ עַ֤ל כִּ֥י נוֹרָא֗וֹת נִ֫פְלֵ֥יתִי נִפְלָאִ֥ים מַעֲשֶׂ֑יךָ וְ֝נַפְשִׁ֗י יֹדַ֥עַת מְאֹֽד׃ ^‎‏טו לֹא־נִכְחַ֥ד עָצְמִ֗י מִ֫מֶּ֥ךָּ אֲשֶׁר־עֻשֵּׂ֥יתִי בַסֵּ֑תֶר רֻ֝קַּ֗מְתִּי בְּֽתַחְתִּיּ֥וֹת אָֽרֶץ׃	¹⁴ I am overcome with thanks At Your awesome wonders, Your astonishing works, Of which my soul is aware. ¹⁵ My essence is not hidden from You, Who have made me in concealment, Who has knitted me beneath the surface.
^‏טז גָּלְמִ֤י׀ רָ֘א֤וּ עֵינֶ֗יךָ וְעַֽל־סִפְרְךָ֮ כֻּלָּ֪ם יִכָּ֫תֵ֥בוּ יָמִ֥ים יֻצָּ֑רוּ ולא וְל֖וֹ אֶחָ֣ד בָּהֶֽם׃	¹⁶ Your eyes have seen me as embryo. My days–are all inscribed in Your ledger– Days not yet shaped — each one of them counted.
^‎‏יז וְלִ֗י מַה־יָּקְר֣וּ רֵעֶ֣יךָ אֵ֑ל מֶ֥ה עָ֝צְמוּ רָאשֵׁיהֶֽם׃ ^‎‏יח אֶ֭סְפְּרֵם מֵח֣וֹל יִרְבּ֑וּן הֱ֝קִיצֹ֗תִי וְעוֹדִ֥י עִמָּֽךְ׃	¹⁷ How precious are Your stirrings in me Oh God! How powerful their impact! ¹⁸ I can’t number them — beyond all sand grains. When I emerge from my reflection I am still with You.
^‎‏יט אִם־תִּקְטֹ֖ל אֱל֥וֹהַּ׀ רָשָׁ֑ע וְאַנְשֵׁ֥י דָ֝מִ֗ים ס֣וּרוּ מֶֽנִּי׃ ^‎‏כ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֹ֭אמְרֻךָ לִמְזִמָּ֑ה נָשֻׂ֖א לַשָּׁ֣וְא עָרֶֽיךָ׃	¹⁹ If You, God, would only rid us from our evil! If only the cruelty would disappear! ²⁰ And defiance of You vanish, Forgiveness overtaking enmity!
^‎‏כא הֲלֽוֹא־מְשַׂנְאֶ֖יךָ יְהוָ֥ה׀ אֶשְׂנָ֑א וּ֝בִתְקוֹמְמֶ֗יךָ אֶתְקוֹטָֽט׃ ^‎‏כב תַּכְלִ֣ית שִׂנְאָ֣ה שְׂנֵאתִ֑ים לְ֝אוֹיְבִ֗ים הָ֣יוּ לִֽי׃	²¹ I detest hatred of You – Yah! Quarrelsomeness repels me. ²² I loathe hostility to the utmost.
^‎‏כג חָקְרֵ֣נִי אֵ֭ל וְדַ֣ע לְבָבִ֑י בְּ֝חָנֵ֗נִי וְדַ֣ע שַׂרְעַפָּֽי׃ ^‎‏כד וּרְאֵ֗ה אִם־דֶּֽרֶךְ־עֹ֥צֶב בִּ֑י וּ֝נְחֵ֗נִי בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ עוֹלָֽם׃	²³ God! I open myself to Your scrutiny. Know what is in my heart. Examine and know my longings. ²⁴ See and remove any defiance from me And guide me in the way that serves Your intent for our Earth.

This translation of Psalms 139 is included in Reb Zalman’s Sabbath Supplement to his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi ~ As I Can Say It (for Praying in the Vernacular) (2009). There he notes, “I prefer this one as the 9th [psalm] of Rebbe Naḥman’s Ten,” — referring to Rebbe Naḥman’s Tikun haKlali selection of 10 psalms for repairing transgressions. Psalms 139 would replace psalms 137 in Reb Zalman’s adaptation of Rebbe Naḥman’s tikkun.

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“תהלים קל״ט | Psalms 139, interpretive translation by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.

Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription)

Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)

Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

Rabbi Dr. Zalman Meshullam Schachter-Shalomi, affectionately known as "Reb Zalman" (28 August 1924 – 3 July 2014) was one of the founders of the Jewish Renewal movement. Born in Żółkiew, Poland (now Ukraine) and raised in Vienna, he was interned in detention camps under the Vichy Regime but managed to flee the Nazi advance, emigrating to the United States in 1941. He was ordained as an Orthodox rabbi in 1947 within the ḤaBaD Hasidic movement while under the leadership of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, and served ḤaBaD communities in Massachusetts and Connecticut. He subsequently earned an M.A. in psychology of religion at Boston University, and a doctorate from the Hebrew Union College. He was initially sent out to speak on college campuses by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, but in the early 1960s, after experimenting with "the sacramental value of lysergic acid", the main ingredient in LSD, leadership within ḤaBaD circles cut ties with him. He continued teaching the Torah of Ḥassidut until the end of his life to creative, free and open-minded Jewish thinkers with humility and kindness and established warm ecumenical ties as well. In September 2009, he became the first contributor of a siddur to the Open Siddur Project database of Jewish liturgy and related work. Reb Zalman supported the Open Siddur Project telling its founder, "this is what I've been looking forward to!" and sharing among many additional works of liturgy, an interview he had with Havurah magazine in the early to mid-1980s detailing his vision of "Database Davenen." The Open Siddur Project is proud to be realizing one of Reb Zalman's long held dreams.

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." –Psalms 90:17