Translations
Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.
Judge my case, O Elohim—plead my cause against a nation without chesed; from the man of deceit and injustice, deliver me.
Vindicate me, O God—take up my cause against a faithless nation; rescue me from the man of lies and wickedness.
Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation; deliver me from deceitful and unjust men.
Footnotes
The opening verb (shofteni) is a legal term: 'judge on my behalf,' carrying the sense of a courtroom advocate rising to defend a client. The psalmist does not merely ask for acquittal but for God to enter the dock as his champion. (goy lo-chasid) literally means 'a nation without chesed'—without covenant-faithfulness or loyal-love—a far richer accusation than simply 'ungodly.' F.O.G. renders chesed explicitly; F.O.G.M. uses 'faithless' to capture the covenantal betrayal in plainer English. This psalm likely continues the lament of Psalm 42, possibly set against the backdrop of exile or the psalmist's forcible distance from the Temple.

