In this verse the psalmist interrupts his denunciations in order to provide a justification. The Hebrew text is a bit irregular at the beginning of the verse, but there seems to be no reason to emend. In translation it will be clearer if the translator provides some kind of marker to show that the writer is offering a reason for his attacks on his enemies; for example, one might begin verse 26 with “Do all this because….”

Good News Translation “those whom you have punished” takes the Hebrew singular to be generic (so New Jerusalem Bible). The singular (so Revised Standard Version and others) can be taken to refer to the psalmist himself; but in line b the object in the Masoretic text is plural, “those you have wounded.” One Hebrew manuscript and the Targum have the singular, which Revised Standard Version prefers, in parallel with line a. The psalmist’s complaint is that his enemies, not content with the sufferings of those (or, of the one) punished by God, add to those sufferings by their hostile acts.

In verse 26b the Masoretic text is “they recount” (so Good News Translation “they talk about”); the Septuagint and Syriac have “they add to,” which is preferred by An American Translation, Revised Standard Version, Jerusalem Bible, Bible de Jérusalem, New American Bible; as Anderson points out, this is a closer parallel with line a. The Masoretic text, however, does make sense and can be translated.26 Hebrew Old Testament Text Project (“C” decision) stays with the Masoretic text “they gossip (about)” and comments: “This expression refers to the discussions about the sins which had caused the suffering of the psalmist, as Job’s friends presumed a sin as being the basis for his misfortune.”

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 .