תהלים צ״א | Psalms 91, a song against evil spirits translated by Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi

Contributor(s):

Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Mosheh ben Amram (traditional attribution) and the Masoretic Text

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19 March 2022 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

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Tehilim Book 4 (Psalms 90–106)

Tags:

Psalms 91, interpretive translation, protection, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., apotropaic prayers of protection, devotional interpretation

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Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
יֹ֭שֵׁב בְּסֵ֣תֶר עֶלְי֑וֹן בְּצֵ֥ל שַׁ֝דַּ֗י יִתְלוֹנָֽן׃	In concealment You dwell, Most High, Almighty, You linger in the shadow.
אֹמַ֗ר לַ֭יהֹוָה מַחְסִ֣י וּמְצוּדָתִ֑י אֱ֝לֹהַ֗י אֶבְטַח־בּֽוֹ׃ כִּ֤י ה֣וּא יַ֭צִּילְךָ מִפַּ֥ח יָק֗וּשׁ מִדֶּ֥בֶר הַוּֽוֹת׃ בְּאֶבְרָת֨וֹ ׀ יָ֣סֶךְ לָ֭ךְ וְתַחַת־כְּנָפָ֣יו תֶּחְסֶ֑ה צִנָּ֖ה וְסֹחֵרָ֣ה אֲמִתּֽוֹ׃	I say to You YHVH You are both my safe haven, My bastion holding me. I must trust You my God. You save me from entrapment, from putrid scourge. You cover me under Your shelter. You keep me safe under Your wings. I am protected by Your truth.
	(I am assured by You.)
לֹֽא־תִ֭ירָא מִפַּ֣חַד לָ֑יְלָה מֵ֝חֵ֗ץ יָע֥וּף יוֹמָֽם׃ מִ֭דֶּבֶר בָּאֹ֣פֶל יַהֲלֹ֑ךְ מִ֝קֶּ֗טֶב יָשׁ֥וּד צׇהֳרָֽיִם׃	Do not panic facing night’s terror, a bullet shot in broad daylight, a blight creeping in the murky dark, a wasting plague at high noon.
יִפֹּ֤ל מִצִּדְּךָ֨ ׀ אֶ֗לֶף וּרְבָבָ֥ה מִימִינֶ֑ךָ אֵ֝לֶ֗יךָ לֹ֣א יִגָּֽשׁ׃	You will not be harmed though a thousand fall near you, a myriad at your right hand.
רַ֭ק בְּעֵינֶ֣יךָ תַבִּ֑יט וְשִׁלֻּמַ֖ת רְשָׁעִ֣ים תִּרְאֶֽה׃	You just look steadfastly ahead and you will see how malice will get its rebuke.
כִּֽי־אַתָּ֣ה יְהֹוָ֣ה מַחְסִ֑י עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן שַׂ֣מְתָּ מְעוֹנֶֽךָ׃	Yes, You, YHVH are my defense. I am at home with You, high beyond reach.
	(You assure me.)
לֹא־תְאֻנֶּ֣ה אֵלֶ֣יךָ רָעָ֑ה וְ֝נֶ֗גַע לֹא־יִקְרַ֥ב בְּאׇהֳלֶֽךָ׃	No mishap will befall you. Your tent will be safe from harm.
כִּ֣י מַ֭לְאָכָיו יְצַוֶּה־לָּ֑ךְ לִ֝שְׁמׇרְךָ֗ בְּכׇל־דְּרָכֶֽיךָ׃	Angels are appointed to care and watch over you wherever you are.
עַל־כַּפַּ֥יִם יִשָּׂא֑וּנְךָ פֶּן־תִּגֹּ֖ף בָּאֶ֣בֶן רַגְלֶֽךָ׃	They will bear you high on their hands. You will not strike your foot against a stone.
עַל־שַׁ֣חַל וָפֶ֣תֶן תִּדְרֹ֑ךְ תִּרְמֹ֖ס כְּפִ֣יר וְתַנִּֽין׃	Snakes and wildcats will avoid you. Lions and serpents will get out of your way.
	(You assure me.)
כִּ֤י בִ֣י חָ֭שַׁק וַאֲפַלְּטֵ֑הוּ אֲ֝שַׂגְּבֵ֗הוּ כִּֽי־יָדַ֥ע שְׁמִֽי׃	Because you long for Me I will rescue you. I will raise you up because you know My Name.
יִקְרָאֵ֨נִי ׀ וְֽאֶעֱנֵ֗הוּ עִמּֽוֹ־אָנֹכִ֥י בְצָרָ֑ה אֲ֝חַלְּצֵ֗הוּ וַאֲכַבְּדֵֽהוּ׃	When you call Me I will answer you. I will free you and esteem you.
אֹ֣רֶךְ יָ֭מִים אַשְׂבִּיעֵ֑הוּ וְ֝אַרְאֵ֗הוּ בִּישׁוּעָתִֽי׃	I will make you content with your life span and I will have you witness how I bring deliverance.

This paraliturgical translation of Psalms 91 (“A Song Against Evil Spirits”) by Reb Zalman can be found in print as published in his All Breathing Life: At the Interface Between Poetry and Prayer: translations and compositions of Jewish sacred literature (ed. Michael Kagan, 2011: Gaon Books), pp.197-198. The version there appears to be missing a full translation of the verse, Psalms 91:15. Perhaps Reb Zalman left this verse untranslated so that it may be completed by one through one’s own devotional translation. (If you have seen a translation of this final verse by Reb Zalman, please leave a comment or contact us.)

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“תהלים צ״א | Psalms 91, a song against evil spirits translated by Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.

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.

Mosheh ben Amram (traditional attribution)

Mosheh ben Amram (affectionately, Mosheh Rabbeinu -- our teacher, Mosheh; fl. 13th century BCE) is the pre-eminent prophet in all forms of Judaism and one of the most important prophets in Christianity, Islam, the Druze faith, the Baháʼí Faith and other so-called Abrahamic religions. According to both the Torah and the Quran, Mosheh was the leader of the Israelites and the recipient of the Divine Instruction/Teaching (Torah), and the first five books of the Torah are traditionally attributed to him. A handful of psalms are also traditionally attributed to him (Psalms 90-95). In the Rabbinic Jewish tradition, besides the name "Mosheh" given to him by Pharaoh's daughter Bityah, he was also known by other names: Yared, Avi Gedor, Ḥever, Avi Sokho, Yequtiel, Avi Zano'aḥ, Shemayah, and "Heiman" (span class="hebrew">הֵימָן).

the Masoretic Text

The Masoretic Text is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the Tanakh for Karaite and Rabbinic Judaism. It was primarily copied, edited and distributed by a group of Jews known as the Masoretes between the 7th and 10th centuries CE. The Masoretic Text defines the Jewish canon and its precise letter-text, with its vocalization and accentuation known as the Masorah.

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1 comment to תהלים צ״א | Psalms 91, a song against evil spirits translated by Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi

Deidrea Woods
2024-01-13 at 2:42 am · Reply.
I love this version / prayer of Psalm 91. You REALLY feel it in your spirit man! HALLELUJAH! ALLEUJIA!

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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