Behold calls attention to the entire line and is often rendered as “Look,” “Listen,” or in idiomatic ways such as “Eye” or “Ear to this.” It is not necessary to understand from the introductory expression Behold that the psalmist is addressing someone in particular; verses 14-16 are a brief meditation on how the wicked are punished by their own evil.

In the Hebrew text the subject of the verbs is still unexpressed, but since it is obviously not God (as in the preceding verses), both Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version refer it explicitly to the wicked: the wicked man (generic singular) and “wicked people” (plural).

In vivid terms the psalmist describes the beginning, development, and appearance of evil in terms of procreation: conception, gestation, birth (Revised Standard Version conceives … is pregnant … brings forth); see Job 15.35. New International Version has “is pregnant … conceives … gives birth to.” (New Jerusalem Bible mixes the metaphors with “he hatches … conceives … gives birth.”)

The three nouns, evil, mischief (as in verse 16b), and lies, are variously translated. New American Bible takes lies (Good News Translation “deception”) in the sense of “failure”; New International Version has “disillusionment.” Many languages are not able to maintain effectively the procreation figure in all three lines, and many in none. It is particularly strange and unnatural in many languages to speak of a man being pregnant with mischief. One may sometimes say, for example, “He is the father of evil plans” or, as a simile, “He fathers evil plans as a man has sons.” Conceives must often be recast as “to think of ways to do evil deeds.” “Plan trouble” (Good News Translation) must often be recast as “to think of ways to cause people to have trouble.” Brings forth lies may sometimes be rendered “to tell lies to people.”

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 .