Note: the text above is taken from line 17 of the original text.

Translator's note: More than a third of the Psalms bear a superscription that contains a Hebrew word nowadays usually translated "to the chief Musician", "for the Leader", or the like. The Septuagint, a Greek translation produced by Hebrew scholars in the third century BC, interpreted this word differently and translated it as εἰς τὸ τέλος, which then made its way into the Latin Bible as in finem, meaning "to/until the end". It is this Latin version that is the basis for the current translation.

Note for verse 13: the original text has "my kidneys", an idiom of Hebrew origin that does not translate well into English.

Text Authorship:

• Translation from Latin to English copyright © 2026 by Grant Hicks, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:

• a text in Latin by Bible or other Sacred Texts , "Psalmus 138 (139)"
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This text was added to the website: 2026-04-21
Line count: 50
Word count: 431