Now the psalmist expresses his trust in God, confident that God will rescue him from his enemies. In verse 14 it is not necessary to have the psalmist quoting himself, particularly if that will appear to be somewhat strange and unusual, and so Good News Translation may be a good model. But if it is effective, the translator should follow the Hebrew form as Revised Standard Version has it.

In verse 15a My times is taken to mean “my fate” (New Jerusalem Bible), “destiny” (New American Bible; see Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), “fortunes” (New English Bible), “life” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Bible en français courant). Dahood takes times as being the seven stages of life; so it means “my whole life” (see Anderson; see New Jerusalem Bible “every moment of my life”).

My enemies and persecutors are not two different groups; the meaning is “my enemies, those who persecute me.”

Persecutors is sometimes rendered “people who cause me to suffer.” Good News Translation, which has recast the noun persecutors as a clause, has created an additional line. Translators may find it desirable to do likewise.

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 .