And the people of Israel said to the LORD: The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And is better translated “But” (Good News Translation, New International Version), since in what follows, the Israelites protest. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh provides a helpful model here, saying “But the Israelites implored [or, pleaded with] the LORD.”
We have sinned: The people repeat their confession from verse 10.10.
Do to us whatever seems good to thee: In Hebrew this sentence is very emphatic. It is literally “You, do to us, according to all the good in your eyes.” Ironically it prefigures the thematic statement of this book: “every man did what was right in his own eyes” (verse 17.6; verse 21.25). Do renders the general Hebrew verb meaning “do” or “make.” In this context the Hebrew word for good (tov) refers to what is “right” or “best.” It does not necessarily refer here to moral goodness. The people are throwing themselves on God’s mercy, knowing they have seriously offended him. We might say “Do whatever you feel you must do” or “Do to us whatever we deserve.”
Only deliver us, we pray thee, this day: This is a desperate plea from the Israelites to their God. They are suffering greatly, so they say only deliver us. The Hebrew verb rendered deliver is not the same one used in the previous three verses. This verb can mean “plunder,” “escape” or “rescue,” depending on what form it has (see comments on verse 6.9, where the same verb is used). Here it has the sense of “rescue,” so we might say “help us escape.” This verb is followed by the Hebrew politeness particle naʾ, which is translated we pray thee. Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version say “please.” This day does not have the narrow sense of “this present 24-hour day,” but the broader sense of “this present time.” We might say “But please, LORD, save us now” or “Only please, deliver us [from our enemies] now.”
Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .