The two lines of verse 1 are semantically parallel, with a slight step up in intensity in line b. As is often the case in an opening verse, line b reverses the word order so that in Hebrew the order is “Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men; from violent men preserve me.” Line b has no vocative (O LORD) and must depend on line a to supply it by implication. Translators should make an effort to reflect the intensification by saying something like “LORD, save me from evil men; even more, keep me safe from violent ones” or “Protect me from people who do bad deeds; and still more, keep me safe from people who harm others.” If the receptor language style requires the address form in the second line, it should be made explicit.

In the same way, line b of verse 2 moves from the general idea plan evil things to the more specific stir up wars and may be rendered, for example, “Not only do they make up evil plots, but they even stir up wars” or “They not only think up evil plans; they actually cause people to fight each other.” The statement who plan … in their heart is a way of saying “who make secret plots”; or else, as New Jerusalem Bible has it, “their minds are full of evil schemes.” In verse 2b it seems better to take the Hebrew noun to mean fights or quarrels (see New English Bible, Bible en français courant, New Jerusalem Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) and not wars, which has to do with armed conflicts between nations. Men in verse 1 is to be taken collectively and inclusively; so it will be best to translate as “people” in order not to give the impression that the psalmist meant that only males are evil and violent. Violent men may sometimes be rendered as “people who use force on others” or “people who attack others.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .