Language-specific Insights

the Jews

The translation of the Greek οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι (hoi Ioudaioi), traditionally “the Jews” in English, is used particularly often in the Gospel of John and has been receiving attention in the last 50 years. Below you’ll find an overview of how some English translators and translation have translated it, why they did so and the solutions some other languages have chosen.

Starting in the late 1960s, at the time the English Today’s English Version (Good News Bible) and respective translations in other languages (see below) were published, many translators started to question the translation of hoi Ioudaioi with “the Jews.”

Robert Bratcher, the translator of the Today’s English Version New Testament describes why his translation uses four different translations for the same Greek words (in The Bible Translator 1975, p. 401ff. ): “Jewish people,” “Judeans,” “people hostile to Jesus,” and “the authorities in Jerusalem” (for more see here):

“In order to better understand the meaning of ‘the Jews’ in the Gospel of John, we must first look at the use and meaning of ‘the world’ in this Gospel. The author sees everything in terms of opposite forces: light and darkness, truth and error, life and death, God and the Devil. And he makes a sharp distinction between the world and Jesus and his followers, especially in the last half of the Gospel. Of course the world is the object of God’s love and of Christ’s saving mission (John 3:16–17; 12:47; 17:21, 23), but it is not the object of the love of the followers of Jesus: they are not commanded to love the world. The disciples of Jesus are in the world (John 13:1), but they do not belong to it (John 15:19). The world hates Jesus and his disciples, because they do not belong to it (John 15:18–19; 17:14, 15, 16). The world loves only those who belong to it (John 15:19). It does not know Jesus (John 1:10), or the Father (John 17:25), and cannot receive the Spirit of truth (John 14:17). The world’s ruler is to be overthrown (John 12:31, 14:30; 16:11). When Jesus is parted from his disciples, they will be sad, but the world will be glad (John 16:20). Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33); his kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). In the Gospel of John ‘the world’ stands in opposition to Jesus and his disciples.

“‘The Jews’ belong to ‘the world,’ as compared with Jesus and his followers. The Jews, like the world, do not know the Father. They have never heard his voice or seen his face, nor do they believe in the one whom he sent (John 5:37, 38). Jesus says to the Jews. ‘You come from this world, but I do not come from this world’ (John 8:23). (…)

“The author clearly places himself, and those whom he represents, as separate from the Jews. He speaks of ‘the Passover of the Jews’ (John 2:13; 6:4; 11:55), the religious rules of the Jews about purification (John 2:6), a religious festival of the Jews (John 5:1), the Festival of Shelters of the Jews (John 7:2), the Day of Preparation of the Jews (John 19:42), and the way in which Jews prepare a body for burial (19:40).

“And quite as clearly he regards Jesus as not ‘a Jew’. In talking to the Jews. Jesus speaks of ‘your Law’ (John 7:19; 8:17; 10:34) and ‘your circumcision’ (John 7:22). Abraham is ‘your father’ (John 8:56). When the Jews say to him. ‘Our ancestors ate manna in the desert’ (John 6:31), Jesus replies, ‘What Moses gave you was not the bread from heaven’ (John 6:32), and later on says, ‘Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert’ (John 6:49).

“It is true that twice Jesus is called a Jew: by the Samaritan woman (John 4:9) and by Pilate (John 18:35). But in both instances the term is used in its sense of ‘person of Judah’, contrasted with the Samaritan and the Roman. The same applies in John 4:22, where Jesus says to the Samaritan woman. ‘You (Samaritans) do not really know whom you worship; we (Jews) know whom we worship, for salvation comes from the Jews.’

“Apart from those two instances, it is only in John 1:11 that Jesus is identified as a Jew. in the statement that he came to ‘his own country’, but ‘his own people’ did not receive him. This passage, however, does not go against the Gospel as a whole, in which Jesus is shown as not being a part of ‘the Jews.’

“What accounts for this? It seems clear that the deep differences shown between Jesus and ‘the Jews’ of his time reflect the hostility between Church and Synagogue at the time the author wrote his Gospel. He has moved back the disputes and arguments of his own time into the time of Jesus, and they are represented as taking place between Jesus and the people of his time.

“The prominent part played by the Pharisees in the opposition to Jesus is worthy of note here. The High Priest and the chief priests are mentioned often, especially in chapters 18-19, as we would expect. They were, after all, the religious authorities responsible for arresting Jesus and turning him over to Pilate. What is surprising is that the Pharisees appear so often in the Gospel (see John 1:24; 4:1; 7:32, 47, 48; 8:13; 9:13, 15, 16, 40; 11:46; 12:19, 42), and are at times identified as ‘the Jews’, that is, the authorities. Their part in relation to Jesus in the Gospel of John is different from the part they play in the other Gospels. In John it is their refusal to believe in Jesus and his claims that brings them into conflict with him. They are not, as in the other Gospels, condemned by Jesus because of their hypocrisy or their understanding of the Law. (…)

“The translator is bound to represent faithfully the way in which the author describes the ministry of Jesus. But the way in which he will translate the Greek hoi loudaioi every time it appears in the Gospel is not an easy matter to decide. (1) Should he not, always and everywhere, translate it by ‘the Jews’? This certainly may be argued, since the author does not use the expression in a precise national or racial sense of the people of Israel in the years A.D. 30-33, but of the opponents of his own time who denied the claims the Church makes about Jesus the Messiah. If the translator did this, however, he would almost be forced to use quotation marks — ‘the Jews’ — to show the strangeness of the phrase. (2) But since the author has placed these disputes in the time of Jesus, it is at this level that the translation must take place, so that ‘the Jews’ must be identified in terms of the people of Jesus’ own time. But as a matter of fact Jesus was a Jew, and to translate a passage, for example. ‘Jesus, in Jerusalem, said to the Jews’, is as unnatural as to say, ‘The President, in Washington, said to the Americans’, or, ‘The Queen, in London, said to the British.’

“In translating on this ‘historical’ level, however, does not the translator somehow distort the meaning of the text? The answer depends on whether we believe that the author intended his readers to understand his Gospel as reporting historical events which took place in Judea, Samaria, and Galilee in the early part of the first century. Assuming that he did, it seems to me that the translator does not have much of a choice, unless he says something like ‘the enemies of Jesus’, or ‘the unbelievers’ every time ‘the Jews’ is used of the opponents of Jesus.

“Consequently, in following the course which I think is the only right one to take, the translator must carefully observe the different senses in which ‘the Jews’ is used in the Gospel of John—and this is what will be done in this study, with an examination of every occurrence of the phrase and its meaning in the ‘historical’ setting of the Gospel. (…)

“According to this review, ‘the Jews’ in the Gospel of John may have four different meanings:

its natural sense, meaning simply Jewish people
Judeans, people who live in and near Jerusalem
people hostile to Jesus
the authorities in Jerusalem

For the Contemporary English Version in the 1990s, similar translation strategies were taken, as explained by David Burke, a member of the translation team (see the reprint from an original article in TIC TALK 24, 1993 ). Other English translations that use varied translations for hoi Ioudaioi include the Living Bible, New International Version, Common English Bible, New Living Translation, The Inclusive New Testament, and others.

For a recent translation of the New Testament, its translator and Eastern Orthodox scholar David B. Hart (2017) explains why he chose to use ‘Judaean’ for every occurrence of the singular Ioudaios or the plural Ioudaioi throughout the New Testament (for more see here):

“The next term is Ioudaios — or Ioudaioi in the plural — which is usually rendered ‘Jew’ or ‘Jews,’ except in places where ‘Judaean’ or ‘Judaeans’ seems better to fit the context: again a perfectly justifiable practice, but also one that inadvertently introduces a distinction into the text that would not have been entirely intended by the authors. The books of the New Testament were written in an age in which national, ethnic, religious, and racial identities were not arranged in the often pernicious categories that came to hold sway in subsequent centuries; and it would be a severe distortion of the texts of the New Testament to allow these later developments to cast a shadow backward onto a time innocent of the evils of mediaeval or modern history. For example—and the most striking example — the Gospel of John has often been accused of anti-Semitism, despite the anachronism of the very concept. Where English readers are accustomed to reading the Gospel as referring, often opprobriously, to ‘the Jews,’ the original text is usually referring to the indigenous Temple and synagogue authorities of Judaea, or to Judaeans living outside Judaea, or even to ‘Judaeans’ as opposed to ‘Galileans’ (see, for instance, John 7:1). The Gospel definitely reflects the disenchantment of Jewish Christians in Asia Minor with those they saw as having expelled them from the synagogue, and later Christian culture certainly often took this as an excuse for anti-Jewish violence and injustice, but it would be absurd to impute to the Gospel the sort of religious prejudices born in later generations, or certainly the racial ideologies that are so much a part of the special legacy of post-Enlightenment modernity. I have rendered the word as ‘Judaean’ or ‘Judaeans’ throughout, even where that sounds somewhat awkward, and even in places where ‘Jew’ or ‘Jews’ would be an utterly anodyne or bracingly affirmative translation. After all, the general extension of the term ‘Jews’ to all who worshipped Israel’s God meant principally that their cultic life was focused on the Temple in Jerusalem. Again, my rationale for doing this, and for ignoring my own twinge of reluctance whenever it produced a somewhat inept construction, is that I thought it better to preserve the unity of the word and the concept in the language of the ancient authors than to impose distinctions that would make the texts conform more readily to our cultural categories (and historical sins). (source: Hart 2017, p. 548f.)

Other English translations that use Judeans in most passages in John for Ioudaioi include N.T. Wright’s Kingdom New Testament (in the UK: New Testament for Everyone), the Messianic Jewish Bible Project’s Tree of Life translation, and David Stern’s Jewish New Testament.

Amy-Jill Levine argues about both of those translation choices (in Christian Century 2023 ) (for more see here):

“Second is the move to substitute for ‘Jews’ terms such as ‘Judeans,’ ‘Jewish leaders,’ or ‘religious leaders.’ ‘Judeans’ is a legitimate translation of Ioudaioi. But this approach draws attention to itself as a failed attempt to get around the problem: the lector says ‘Judeans,’ but the congregation hears ‘Jews.’

“A consistent reading of ‘Judean’ rather than ‘Jew’ also strips Jesus, his family, and his disciples of their Jewish identity—especially since in John’s Gospel they are not Judeans but Galileans. Further, the translation ‘Judean’ undercuts Jewish continuity over time and disallows the idea of speaking of Jesus and Paul as Jews. The upshot is that to replace the word ‘Jews’ with something else is to create or construct a judenrein text, to use the German term, a text ‘purified’ of Jews.

“Replacing ‘Jews’ with ‘Jewish leaders’ and ‘religious leaders’ is already compromised because John’s Gospel reads not ‘leaders’ but ‘Jews.’ Next, the literary sensibilities of the Gospels merge various Jewish groups. The Gospel of Matthew begins the process of lumping together Pharisees and Sadducees, inserts Pharisees into Mark’s template to increase their vilification, then speaks of ‘all the people’ (27:25), and finally mentions ‘the Jews’ (28:15) strategically to indicate those who believe the ridiculous story that Roman soldiers would have admitted to falling asleep while guarding Jesus’ tomb. John’s Gospel omits the Sadducees and morphs Pharisees and/or priests into ‘Jews.’

“‘Religious leaders’ also gives an unclear impression since the high priest, appointed by Rome, does not lead a ‘religion’ in terms of doctrine or practice, save for his oversight of the Jerusalem temple. Moreover, even if we do speak of ‘leaders,’ it remains the case that most Jews chose not to follow the lead of Jesus and his disciples.”

In The Jewish Gospel of John its translator explains why he chose to not translate but instead transliterate virtually every occurrence of Ioudaioi (for more see here):

“The Gospel of John was initially written for a particular audience consisting of a variety of intra-Israelite groups, one of the main ones being the Samaritan Israelites. To them, unlike for us today, the word Ioudaioi did not mean ‘the People of Israel,’ i.e. ‘the Jewish people’ as we call them today. For these people, the people I propose are one of the main audiences for the Gospel of John, the Ioudaioi, meant something different.

“One modern example that illustrates this ancient dynamic comes from an Eastern European setting. The Ukrainians often called Russians, with whom they had an uneasy relationship to say the least, ‘Maskali.’ The Ukrainian word ‘Maskal’ comes from the name of the Russian Imperial Capital — Moscow. Those who were either of Russian ethnic descent, or who even as much as acknowledged Moscow’s authority or leading role in the region, could be referred to as ‘Maskal.’ In fact, the Maskal did not have to be from Moscow or be ethnically Russian at all. The individual simply needed to be (or be perceived to be) a supporter of a Moscow-led political agenda. Other peoples outside of the Russian-Ukrainian political conflict, who were familiar with the issues, never used the designation ‘Maskali’ themselves, knowing that it was a Ukrainian term for the Russians and Russia’s affiliates.

“Therefore, using a similar analogy, those who acknowledged the Jerusalem-approved authorities in Kfar Nahum (Capernaum) and Cana, which were far from Jerusalem, were also referred to by the principal name for the Jerusalemite formal rulers and leading sect — the Ioudaioi. All members of the Jerusalem-led system became the Ioudaioi in the Gospel of John. This is very similar to the way ‘Russians’ became ‘Maskali’ to Ukrainians and to others who witnessed their polemic. So when the audience for John’s Gospel heard these anti-Ioudaioi statements (like John 7:1-2), whom did they think the author/s had in mind? This is the key question.

“To Samaritan Israelites, whatever else the Ioudaioi may have been, they were certainly Judeans –- members of the former Southern Kingdom of Israel who had adopted a wide variety of innovations that were contrary to the Torah as Samaritans understood it. Judging from this Gospel, the original audience understood that, as well as simply being Judeans, the Ioudaioi were: i) Judean authorities, and (ii) affiliated members of this authority structure living outside of Judea.

“These affiliates were located both in the territories of the former Northern Kingdom of Israel (Galilee) and in the large Israelite diaspora outside the Land of Israel, both in the Roman Empire and beyond. In this way, the Gospel of John, like the other Gospels, portrayed Jesus’ antagonists as representatives of sub-groups within Israel, and not the people of Israel as a whole. In other words Ioudaioi (‘the Jews’ in most translations) in this Gospel are not ‘the Jewish People’ in the modern sense of the word.

“The translation of Ioudaioi always and only as ‘Jews’ sends the reader in the opposite direction from what the author intended. While the translation of this word simply as ‘Judeans,’ is a more accurate choice than ‘Jews,’ it is still not fully adequate –- for three reasons that come to mind:

The English word Jews evokes, in the minds of modern peoples, the idea of Jewish religion (i.e. Jews are people who profess a religion called Judaism) and therefore cannot be used indiscriminately to translate the term Ioudaioi, since, in the first century, there was no separate category for religion (Judaism, when it was used, meant something much more all-encompassing than what it means to us today). In a sense, it was only when non-Israelite Christ-followers, in an attempt to self-establish and self-define, created the category called Christianity, that the category called Judaism, as we know it today, was also born. Since then most Christian theologians and most Jewish theologians after them project our modern definition of Judaism back into the New Testament.
On the other hand, the English word Judean evokes in the minds of modern people, oftentimes, an almost exclusively geographical definition (a Judean is the person who lives in Judea or used to live in Judea) and hence cannot be used indiscriminately either, since today it does not imply everything it intended to imply in late antiquity.
The word Judean, without clarification and nuancing, does not account for the complex relationship of the outside-of-Judea affiliates with the Jerusalem authorities either.

“Because of the lack of a perfect word to describe what was meant by Ioudaioi in the Gospel of John, I suggest that the word is best left untranslated.” (source: Lizorkin-Eyzenberg 2015, p. XIff.)

In other languages, many common language versions (approximate equivalents to the English Today’s English Version (Good News Bible) or other simplified translations (as well as non-simplified versions) use varied translations for Ioudaioi in John as well. Below are some examples of translations of hoi Ioudaioi in John 1:19:

Portuguese: líderes judeus (Jewish leaders) (in Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje — New Translation in Today’s Language)
French: autórités juives (Jewish authorities) (in Bible en français courant — Bible in Modern French) or chefs juifs (Jewish leaders) (in Parole de Vie — Word of Life)
Spanish: autoridades judías (Jewish authorities) (in Dios Habla Hoy — God Speaks Today)
Italian: autorità ebraiche (Jewish authorities) (in Traduzione Interconfessionale in Lingua Corrente — Interconfessional Translation into Modern Language)
Dutch: Joodse leiders (Jewish leaders) (in BasisBijbel — Basic Bible)
German: führende Männer (leading men) (in Die Gute Nachricht: Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch — Good News: The Bible in Today’s German), führende Männer des jüdischen Volkes (leading men of the Jewish people) (in Neue Genfer Übersetzung — New Geneva Translation), or jüdische Behörden (Jewish authorities) (in BasisBibel — Basic Bible)
Indonesian: penguasa Yahudi (Jewish authorities) (in Alkitab dalam Bahasa Indonesia Masa Kini — The Bible in Today’s Indonesian)
Hindi: यहूदी धर्म-गुरुओं ने Yahūdī dharma-guruoan ne (Jewish religious leaders (in पवित्र बाइबिल CL — Holy Bible CL)
Nepali: यहूदी अगुवाहरूले Yahūdī aguvāharūlē (Jewish leaders) (in सरल नेपाली पवित्र बाइबल (Simple Nepali Holy Bible)
Hebrew: רָאשֵׁי הַיְּהוּדִים rashei hayehudim (heads of the Jews) (Modern Hebrew New Testament)

Wendland (1998, p. 93) gives a large range of translations that was used in Chichewa interconfessional translation (publ. 1999): “Jewish leaders” (John 2:18); “people” (John 7:35); Jewish guards of the Temple (John 18:12); “Jewish elders/authorities” (John 18:28); “tribe/nation of Jews” (John 18:33); “whole crowd” (John 18:38).

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jew/Judean (Word Study) .

savior

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The Greek that is translated as “savior” in English in translated the following ways:

Laka: “one who takes us by the hand” (source: Nida 1952, p. 140)
Teutila Cuicatec: “one who saves those on this earth”
Isthmus Mixe: “one who saves from save from sin”
Tepeuxila Cuicatec: “a person who pardons people of their sins” (source for this and two above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Noongar: Keny-Barranginy-Ngandabat or “One Bringing Life” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “the King who lifts us from the punishment of our sins” (source: Uma Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “one who delivers us from punishment” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “one whom we hope/expect will do all we are waiting for” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “one who is the pledge of our assurance of salvation in the future.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Kâte: bâbâpiaŋ or “healer” (source: Renck 1990, p. 104)
Tibetan: skyabs mgon (སྐྱབས་མགོན།), lit. “refuge + lord” (source: gSungrab website )

In various German and Dutch Bible translations, the term Heiland is used, which was introduced by Martin Luther in the 16th century and means “the healing one.” This term (as “Hælend”) was used in Old English as a translation for “Jesus” — see Swain 2019 and Jesus.

In American Sign Language it is signed with a sign describing releasing someone from bondage. (Source: Yates 2011, p. 52)

“Savior” in American Sign Language (source )

flood

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “flood” in English is translated in the German Luther Bible as Sintflut and the influential Dutch Bibles Statenvertaling and Nieuwe Vertaling as zondvloed. Both terms originally mean “great / permanent flood” but have folk-etymologically been reinterpreted as “sin flood” (“sin” in Dutch is zonde and in German Sünde).

Today these terms are used in either language figuratively as well (“a lot of water” or “a lot”). (Source: Jost Zetzsche)

formal pronoun: Jesus and his mother

Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike most other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.

As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff. ), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.

Here, Jesus addresses Mary, his mother, with the formal, respectful pronoun, whereas she addresses him with the informal pronoun, typically used by parents for their children.

Vitaly Voinov explains how the translation team made those choices: “As in probably all languages with a formal/informal distinction, so in Tuvan, parents always address their children with the informal pronoun. Mary does likewise in the only passage where she directly addresses Jesus (Luke 2:48). It was assumed by the Tuvan translation team that Jesus always treated Mary with proper filial respect as a fulfillment of the fifth commandment (cf. Luke 2:51). This is the case even in John 2, where he addresses her as gunai ‘woman’ [see woman], and at first seemingly turns down her request.”

For these verses, most Nepali translations Mary use the medium honorific pronoun timīlē (तिमीले) when addressing Jesus who responds with the high honorific pronoun tapā’īnharū (तपाईंहरू), honoring his parents. (Source: Chitra Chhetri in The Bible Translator 2009, p. 73ff. )

In most Dutch translations, the same distinctions are made.

In Gbaya, Jesus addresses his mother with the less courteous pronoun. (Source Philip Noss)

whoever digs a pit will fall into it

The now commonly-used German proverb wer (anderen) eine Grube gräbt, fällt selbst hinein, meaning any evil planned for others will come back to oneself was first coined in 1534 in the German Bible translation by Martin Luther. (Source: Zetzsche)

Other languages where this also has become a proverb which is based on Bible translations as well include Dutch (Wie een kuil graaft voor een ander… valt er zelf in, Danish (den, der graver en grav for andre, falder tit selv i den), Norwegian (Den som graver en grav, faller selv i den), French (Qui creuse un piège pour autrui y tombe), Spanish (El que cava una fosa para su prójimo, caerá en ella), Italian (Chi scava la fossa agli altri, ci cade dentro), or Latin (Qui fodit foveam alteri, incidet in eam).

acrostic in Psalm 37

The Hebrew text of Psalms 9/10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, and 145 uses acrostics, a literary form in which each verse is started with one of the successive 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. According to Brenda Boerger (in Open Theology 2016, p. 179ff. ) there are three different reasons for acrostics in the Hebrew text: “for ease of memorization,” the representation “of the full breadth and depth of a topic, all the way from aleph to taw (tav),” and the perception of “the acrostic form as aesthetically attractive.” (p. 191)

While most translations mention the existence of an acrostic in a note or a comment, few implement it in their translation. The Natügu translation is one such exception. Boerger (see above) cites a strong tradition in singing the psalms and the fact that Natügu, like Hebrew, also has 22 possible initial letters as motivating factors to maintain the acrostics in that language.

Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Natügu

1-4 Abrtzlvz nzwztr-krbzme mz Yawe,
X sa nakabzle da kcng tqpq mz nabzm.
Ale da kxmrlz x abrtrpz drtwrm bade,
Murde namnc-zpwxq mz drtc’ kc tqpile kx nakabzle bamu.
Bzkq witibz nelzm nzmnckr kxdrka’-ngrng,
Murde mzli trnaboiu x sc tzbzpeng.
Bzkq kcmnz-ngrbzme nzalengr da kcng tzalelr,
Murde nzlu-krdr sa namrbc nzapulr nabr kxglr mz mzli r nepi.
5-7 Clveti-lzbq, x aenzli-lrpi mz nzabrtr-krbzme drtwrm mz Yawe.
Bzkq nabzm talvzo mz nzrmc-krm leplz kxnzrngiscng nzvz-nqblq-krdr nqmq krdr kxtrka.
Da kx na-aleq, mnc-xgle txpwz Yawe,
X abrtrpz drtwrm bade, murde sa naokatrle nim.
Delc sa na-aelwapx-ngrbzle nzopxkr nztubq-krm,
Mz nzapu-krde nilz r nepi kc tqvz-esz’ngr mzli kc bea.
8-11 Eu, bzkq drtwrm ngya x nabzm talvzo
Murde da lcng li ma tzrkatrpzng bam drtwr kxtrka.
Eu, murde kxnzabrtrpzlr drtwrdr mz Yawe sa nangi nyzdr drtc’ kc tqpile nakabzle badr,
A’ kxdrka’-ngrng sa namaszlrtxpx-ngrng.
Glqpx Yawe kx mzli trnaboipeu x kxdrka’-ngrng sc tzmrbrpeng.
Kxmule-esz’ rtangrtiq nidr a’ trpengr nzmc-krmleng.
Gct rlr-ngrbzle drtc’ nyzde mz kxnzavzo-lzbqng.
X sa na-abrtzng mz nzmnc-zpwx-krdr elr.
12-15 Ili! Kxnztubqng x kxtrnzrngiscung na-aclvetio-lzbqng
Murde kxdrka’-ngrng nzglalzpelr toki r vea x popz’ scdr.
Ili! A’ kxdrka’-ngrng na-aclvetio-lzbq-kzng murde toki r vea scdr sa nanibq-moule nidr,
X Yawe sa naplameitibzle popz’ scdr.
Jzs Yawe krkcng tzryrlqng drtwr kx na-atrkati-ngrdr kxnztubqng
X nzmadqti-zvzbzlr nqngidr badr.
Jzsle nidr mz nzodati-krde nidr,
X yrpalelvz-zvzle nidr murde trpnzngr nzxplr-krdr.
16-22 Kxetu Yawe aclve-zvzle kxnzvz-nqblqlr nide,
X nikeng kabzle badr nangisc-alopedr.
Kabzle badr dakxnzng kxkqlu mz mzli r dzbi,
X okatrle nidr mzli kx prtzngr da.
Lalztqmamu! Murde kxdrka’-ngrng sa nabzng, mz nzapu-krdr nrpq da kc tqplclqom
X enqmi r Yawe lcng sa nangiliang na-apulr zsikapu.
Mclr ncblo kxtubq, kxmule-esz’ kxpipzne,
Myaszpxle da kxkqlu kxngisc ncblo kxdrka’ngr.
Murde Yawe sa nakatxpxbzle zmatq ngrdr kxdrka’-ngrng,
A’ sa naokatrle kxnztubqng.
Ncblo kxdrka’-ngrng nzbi-txpwzlr nzrlxngr, x trnzkrlzlru nzrka-niwzlrngr.
A’ kxnzmrlzng yc mz drtwrdr nzrka-niwzlr-krdr vzmi kxnzamnzo-mzleu.
Ncblo kcng tqamrlzng Yawe sa nangi nyzdr drtc’ kc tqpile nakabzle badr.
A’ leplz kcng tqpilzleng sa nabzng.
23-26 Oblamzngeng, bztipex nzmncngr, x ninge ka tqnginipenge lrtzlvz.
X mcx kx nqmq kr ncblo kxtubq nide sele.
Okatr-zvzle leplz mz nzrlr-nrbalq-krde dztudeng, x doa nedeng ngi da kxmrlz kx kabz Gct bade.
Yawe okatr-zvzle nide x doa nedeng trnzyrnitrpwzung nadr dakxnzng.
Pq mz drtwr Yawe nzaelwa-krbzle mz leplz lrpzki kx nao-zlilr,
X mailz-zvzle krkcng tzabrtz-ngrdr nqmq krde.
Pipxle kx kxmule-esz’ nanycdr miglqpx, a’ trnztaoung,
Murde sc tqlolvz-amqngileng.
27-29 Rtxtiamu nibrmu da kxtrka, x aleamu da kxmrlz,
Murde neidu nemung namnc-along mz drtc’ kc tqpi Yawe nakabzle bamu.
Rpi Yawe kx mrlz bade da kxtubq,
X okatr-zvzle kxnzabrtrpzlr drtwrdr bade.
Sa naokatr-zvzle nidr,
A’ doa ne kxdrka’-ngrng sa nabzng.
Sa nangi nyz leplz kxnzmrlzng drtc’ kc tqpi Yawe nakabzle badr,
X sa namnc-alopeng elr.
30-33 Takitrde kx ncblo kxmrlz dekc tqvzkipxm natq ngr nzyrplapxngr,
X nikeng pitileng tubq.
Takitr-kzde nzkrlz-angidr-krde Lou amrlx sc Gct rde,
X nzlolvz-amqngi-zvz-krdeleng.
Vz zvz kxdrka’-ngrng nzaukzti-krdr leplz kxnzmrlzng,
Murde nanibqlrng.
Vz zvz Yawe nzkapx-krmle ncblo kxmrlz mz mq enqmi rdeng,
X mzli kc natwz-ngrdr nide mz kot, trnzaovxiolru nide.
34-36 Wz zvz mz nzabrtr-krbzmu drtwrmu bade,
Murde sa nangi nyzmu drtc’ kc tqpile nakabzle bamu mz nzamatq-krde nimu.
X sa namcamu nzmaneutipx-krde kxdrka’-ngrng.
Xlrmamu natqnge. Mcx kzdq ncblo kxdrka’ngr kxtrka-esz’ngr, x atrkati-zvzle leplz.
Xplr-esz’ngr x obqszo-ngrde leplz amrlx.
X kxmule-esz’ rtangrtix nide, a’ trmcpewxu, murde mrbrpe.
37-40 Yrlq angidr mz drtwrm ncblo kxmrlz kxtubq, murde mnc mz nrwx,
X doa kxnzmika mz neidu lrde nzkqlu-zlwzng.
Yrpalelvzx kxdrka’-ngrng murde sa nabzting,
X doa lr neidu lrdr sa nayrkrtxong.
Zvz Yawe na-arlapxle kxnztubqng.
Murde nide me nzrlakitrlr mz mzli r nzkxpu-krdr.
Zvz Yawe na-arlapxbzle nidr mz mq kxdrka’-ngrng,
Murde nzbrti drtwrdr nide nzokatr-krde nidr.

There are two Dutch translations that maintain the acrostic: Naardense Bijbel (publ. 2004) and the Tot Lof van God by Frans Croese (publ. 2010).

Click or tap here for the complete psalm in the Dutch translations

Naardense Bijbel:

1
(v. David, toen hij zijn verstand verdraaide
voor het aanschijn van Avimelech,- ✡
die hem wegjoeg,
zodat hij kon gáán.)
2
Altijd zal ik zegenen de Ene, ✡
steeds
ligt zijn lof mij voor in de mond.
3
Bij de Ene prijst mijn ziel zich gelukkig,- ✡
mogen gebukten het horen
en zich verheugen!
4
Geeft met mij grootheid aan de Ene, ✡
laat ons zijn naam eenparig roemen!
5
De Ene zocht ik
en hij heeft mij geantwoord, ✡
aan al wat ik duchtte
heeft hij mij ontrukt!
6
En wie opkeken naar hem, zij straalden, ✡
geen schaamrood kleurde
hun wangen.
7
Fluisterend kon deze gebogene nog roepen
en de Ene hoorde, ✡
uit al wat hem benauwde
heeft hij hem gered.
8
Gelegerd is de engel van de Ene
rondom wie hem vrezen, ✡
en hij redt ze uit.
9
Hoe goed de Ene is: proeft het en ziet! ✡
Zalig de kerel
die toevlucht zoekt bij hem!
10
Ja gij, zijn heiligen, vreest de Ene!- ✡
want er zal geen gebrek zijn
voor wie hem vrezen.
11
Kommer en honger leden
welpen van leeuwen, ✡
maar de zoekers van de Ene:
niets van alle goed zal hun ontbreken.
12
Laat u leiden door mij, zonen, en hoort; ✡
de vreze voor de Ene
zal ik u leren!
13
Mannen met behagen in leven, wie niet?- ✡
die lengte van dagen minnen,
het goede willen zien:
14
niet nalaten je tong te hoeden voor kwaad, ✡
je lippen
voor het spreken van bedrog!
15
O wijk voor het kwade, doe het goede, ✡
zoek naar vrede, jaag die na!
16
Rechtvaardigen:
de Ene houdt zijn ogen op hen, ✡
zijn oren
richten zich op hun geroep.
17
Pijnlijk is het aanschijn van de Ene
voor daders van kwaad, ✡
hij snijdt hun gedachtenis van de aarde af.
18
Schreeuwden zij: de Ene hoorde, ✡
aan al hun benauwingen
heeft hij hen ontrukt.
19
Terzijde staat de Ene
gebrokenen van hart, ✡
hij redt verbrijzelden van geest.
20
Vele zijn de rampen
voor een rechtvaardige, ✡
aan die alle
ontrukt hem de Ene,
21
wakend over elk van zijn botten, ✡
daarvan zal niet een
worden gebroken.
22
Zelf echter zal het kwaad
de booswicht doden ✡
en zullen haters van een rechtvaardige
hun schuld boeten.
23
Maar de Ene koopt
de ziel van zijn dienaren los,- ✡
geen schuld voor
al wie toevlucht zoeken bij hem!
24
ja, mocht hij vallen, geveld is hij niet, ✡
want de Ene
schraagt zijn hand.
25
Nooit heb ik, toen ik jong was,
ook niet toen ik oud werd,
een rechtvaardige gezien verlaten, ✡
of zijn zaad
zien bedelen om brood:
26
al de dag gunt hij en leent hij, ✡
zijn zaad
is tot zegen.
27
Ontloop het kwade, doe het goede, ✡
dan mag je wonen voor eeuwig;
28
zij worden bewaard voor eeuwig ✡
en weggemaaid wordt het zaad van bozen.
29
Rechtvaardigen, zij beërven de aarde, ✡
zij mogen haar blijvend bewonen,
30
Spellen zal de mond van een rechtvaardige
wijsheid, ✡
zijn tong
spreekt uit wat het recht is;
31
het onderricht van zijn God is in zijn hart,
zijn wandel wankelt nooit.
32
Tracht een boze
de rechtvaardige te vangen
en zoekt hij
hem te doden,
33
ook in diens hand verlaat de Ene hem niet,
laat hem in zijn recht
niet tot boosdoener maken.
34
U, hoop op de Ene en bewaak zijn weg:
en hij zal u verheffen
om de aarde te beerven,-
het wegmaaien van boosdoeners
zul je zien.
35
Eens zag ik een boosdoener, geweldig,
zich blootgeven,-
als een groene ceder.
36
Voorbij ging iemand, en zie, hij was weg;
ik zocht hem,
maar niets meer te vinden!
37
maar bewaak wie gaaf is,
zie aan een oprechte:
dat er toekomst is voor een man van vrede!
38
Weggevaagd worden
grensoverschrijders tezamen,
verdelgd wordt de toekomst van bozen;
39
Zalig zijn rechtvaardigen!-
hun redding komt van de Ene,
hij is hun toevlucht
in tijd van benauwing;
40
de Ene helpt hen,
hij doet hen ontkomen,
ontkomen aan boosdoeners,
hij redt hen,
want hun toevlucht is in hem.

Tot Lof van God translation:

Op naam van David.

Ach, wind u niet op over die kwaadaardige lieden,
wees niet afgunstig op wie onrecht bedrijven;
2
ze zullen weldra verdorren als gras,
verwelken als het nog zo frisse groen.
3
Blijf bezig het goede te doen, vertrouw op Jehovah,
bewoon de aarde, betoon u getrouw,
4
laat uw genieting Jehovah toch zijn.
Alles waar uw hart naar verlangt, Hij zal het u geven.

5
Dus wentel uw weg op Jehovah,
vertrouw op Hem, Hij zal het doen:
6
Hij doet uw gerechtigheid stralen als het licht,
uw recht als de klaarlichte dag.
7
En daarom, houd u in jegens Jehovah,
wees oprecht wachtend op Hem
en wind u niet op over degene wiens weg voor de wind lijkt te gaan,
die mens die snode plannen bedrijft.
8
Furieus? Ach, laat toch af, laat varen die woede,
wind u niet op, om alleen maar het verkeerde te doen.
9
Die kwaadaardige lieden worden stellig vernietigd,
terwijl wie op Jehovah hopen de aarde zullen bezitten.
10
Geduld dus… nog even en wie gewetenloos is, is er niet meer,
zou je je richten op de plek waar hij was, stellig, hij is er niet meer;
11
dan zijn het de zachtaardigen, die zullen de aarde bezitten
en overvloedige vrede genieten aldaar.

12
Hoewel de gewetenloze jegens de rechvaardige van alles beraamt
– vanwege hem is immers diens tandengeknars –
13
Jehovah lacht hem [die gewetenloze] vierkant uit;
dat diens dag is aangebroken, heeft Hij al gezien.
14
Intussen trokken gewetenloze lieden het zwaard, spanden hun boog
om die arme stakkers om te leggen, om hen wier weg oprecht is af te slachten.
15
Maar, hun zwaard komt elders terecht, in hun eigen hart;
hun bogen worden compleet doormidden gebroken.

16
Juist daarom is het weinige van de rechtvaardige zoveel beter
dan de enorme overdaad van wie gewetenloos is,
17
want wat die gewetenlozen vermogen zal worden verbroken,
terwijl Jehovah steun verleent aan wie rechtvaardig zijn.
18
Kortom, Jehovah weetwat zij, onkreukbaar als ze zijn,
nu door moeten maken, maar hun erfdeel staat vast, definitief.
19
Geen teleurstelling daarom ten tijde van rampspoed,
ze worden ook op dagen van honger verzadigd.

20
Luistert, het zijn de gewetenlozen, die zullen vergaan,
het zal Jehovah’s vijanden vergaan als de trots van de weide:
opgaand in rook, houden zij op te bestaan.
21
Merk op, de gewetenloze betaalt niet eens terug wat hij leende,
de rechtvaardige is daarentegen goedgunstig, gul en goedgeefs.
22
Zijn gezegenden zullen daarom de aarde bezitten,
terwijl Zijn vervloekten de afsnijding wacht.

23
Naarmate de schreden van een man door Jehovah zijn bevestigd,
heeft Hij aan diens weg een welgevallen;
24
zou hij vallen, languit gaat hij niet,
want Jehovah houdt hem vast, bij de hand.
25
Ooit ook jong ben ik intussen oud geworden,
maar nooit heb ik de rechtvaardige verlaten gezien,
of diens nageslacht zoekend naar brood.
26
Integendeel, heel de dag is hij goedgunstig, leent hij anderen gul,
terwijl zijn nageslacht tot zegen is.

27
Pas op daarom, wijk van het kwade, beoefen het goede
en houd zodoende verblijf voor altijd;
28
Jehovah is op gerechtigheid gesteld,
Hij zal Zijn loyalen nimmer verlaten.
Reken maar dat 37 blijvend bescherming genieten,
terwijl het nageslacht der gewetenlozen afsnijding wacht;
29
de rechtvaardigen zullen de aarde bezitten
en daarop voor eeuwig verblijven.

30 Slechts wijsheid beweegt de mond van de rechtvaardige,
waardoor zijn tong gerechtigheid spreekt;
31
in zijn hart is de Wet van zijn God,
zijn schreden wankelen niet.
32
Terwijl de gewetenloze loert op de rechtvaardige,
erop uit is om hem te doden,
33
laat Jehovah hem niet vallen in diens hand,
Hij verklaart hem onschuldig ingeval hij mocht worden berecht.

34
Uw hoop zij op Jehovah derhalve, houd vast aan Zijn weg.
Hij zal u verhogen zodat u de aarde in bezit kunt nemen;
de vernietiging van wie doortrapt gewetenloos is, maakt u dan mee.
35
Voorwaar, ik heb het gezien al in feite:
de gewetenloze die zo gewelddadig was,
welig tierend als het woekerende gewas,
36
maar hij verdween. Ja ziet, hij is er niet meer!
Ik ging nog zoeken, maar het bleek dat hij onvindbaar was.

37
Wees dus rechtschapen, houd daaraan vast,
zie naar wat recht, naar wat terecht is,
want de toekomst is voor degene die uit is op vrede;
38
de opstandigen worden gezamenlijk verdelgd,
de toekomst van de gewetenlozen wordt onherroepelijk afgesneden.
39
Zodat de redding der rechtvaardigen afkomstig zal zijn van Jehovah,
Hij, hun vesting in tijden van nood.
40
Zo helpt Jehovah hen; Hij is mét hen en doet hen ontkomen.
Hij doet hen ontkomen aan wie gewetenloos zijn en redt hen,
tot Hem immers hebben zij toevlucht genomen.

With thanks to Thamara van Eijzeren

The English Bible translation by Ronald Knox (publ. 1950) maintains most Hebrew acrostics (even though Knox’s translation itself is based on the Latin text of the Vulgate rather than the Hebrew). Due to the higher number of letters in the English alphabet, it skips the letter P, Q, X, Y, and Z. (Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Knox’s translations)

1 (Of David.) Art thou impatient, friend, when the wicked thrive; dost thou envy the lot of evil-doers?
2 they will soon fade like the grass, like the green leaf wither away.
3 Be content to trust in the Lord and do good; live on thy land, and take thy ease,
4 all thy longing fixed in the Lord; so he will give thee what thy heart desires.
5 Commit thy life to the Lord, and trust in him; he will prosper thee,
6 making thy honesty clear as the day, the justice of thy cause bright as the sun at noon.
7 Dumb and patient, to the Lord’s mercy look thou, never fretting over the man that has his own way, and thrives by villainy.
8 End thy complaints, forgo displeasure, do not fret thyself into an evil mood;
9 the evil-minded will be dispossessed, and patient souls, that wait for the Lord, succeed them.
10 Forbear yet a little, and the sinner will be seen no more; thou wilt search in vain to find him,
11 while patient souls are the land’s heirs, enjoying great peace.
12 Gnashing his teeth with envy, the wrong-doer plots against the innocent,
13 and cannot see his own turn coming; but the Lord sees it, and laughs at his malice.
14 How they draw the sword, how they bend the bow, these sinners, to bring ruin on helpless poverty, to murder the upright;
15 swords that will pierce their own hearts, bows that will break in pieces!
16 Innocence, ill endowed, has the better of the wicked in their abundance;
17 soon fails the strength of their arms, and still the Lord has the just in his keeping.
18 Jealously the Lord watches over the lives of the guiltless, they will hold their lands for ever,
19 undismayed by adversity, in time of famine well content.
20 Knavery will yet come to an end; like the spring’s finery they will die, the Lord’s enemies, vanish away like smoke.
21 Let the sinner borrow, and never repay, still the good man will be a generous giver;✻
22 win the Lord’s blessing, and the land is thine, his ban is death.
23 Man’s feet stand firm, if the Lord is with him to prosper his journey;
24 he may stumble but never fall, with the Lord’s hand in his.
25 Now youth is past, and I have grown old; yet never did I see the good man forsaken, or his children begging their bread;
26 still he lends without stint, and men call down blessings on his posterity.
27 Offend no more, rather do good, and be at rest continually;
28 the Lord is ever just, and will not abandon his faithful servants. Perish the sinner, forgotten be the name of the evil-doer,
29 but these will hold their land, and live on it always at rest.
30 Right reason is on the good man’s lips, well weighed are all his counsels;
31 his steps never falter, because the law of God rules in his heart.
32 Sinners lie in wait, plotting against the life of the innocent;
33 but the Lord will never leave him in their power, never find him guilty when he is arraigned.
34 Trust the Lord, and follow the path he has chosen; so he will set thee up in possession of thy land, and thou wilt live to see the wicked come to ruin.
35 Until yesterday, I saw the evil-doer throned high as the branching cedars;
36 then, when I passed by, he was there no longer, and I looked in vain to find him.
37 Virtuous men and innocent mark thou well; he that lives peaceably will leave a race behind him,
38 while sinners are rooted out every one, and their graceless names forgotten.
39 When affliction comes, the Lord is the refuge and defence of the innocent;
40 the Lord will aid and deliver them, rescue and preserve them from the power of wickedness, because they put their trust in him. (Source )

Another English translation that maintains the acrostic is by Gordon Jackson (The Lincoln Psalter, 1997):

Are you incensed because the wicked do so well?
Do you envy them their success? Forget it.
They may flourish like leaves, but remember autumn is coming.
Be wise; do good, and trust the Lord;
Mind your own business, leave others to theirs;
Set your heart on God, he will look after you.
Confide in the Lord, commit all your dealings to him;
With him as your backer how can you fail to prosper?
The good of your name will shine like the sun in the sky.
Don’t be upset by others that prosper dishonestly;
They get their way, yes, but at what a cost;
Don’t worry; God’s mercy is more than money.
Envy will do you no good, neither will anger;
You know the dishonest will get their just deserts;
But those who rely on God have a fortune in him.
For a little time the wicked may rule the roost;
A little time, and no more; others supplant them;
But in the end the land will revert to the humble.
Green with envy, the wicked detest the honest;
They feel derided; God derides them indeed;
He knows the ending of their curious plans.
Hatred of weakness, of good, excites them to action;
They are armed with sword and bow and pocket-book;
Weapons they lived by but yet will be their undoing.
Innocents have a power unknown to the wicked;
The power of arms, of armies, of allies will fail;
Yet the Lord, unseen, will preserve his own forever.
Justice demands that the Lord will provide for the just;
Misfortune, oppression, will never distress them long;
They will come, with him, through famine, and war, and flood.
Kings of the castle may think themselves secure
But they will fall as sure as autumn leaves;
They will burn as rubbish, and even their smoke will vanish.
Loans to the wicked rarely get paid back,
But the Lord will repay the good and the bad in his time;
The good are generous givers, and so is our God.
Men with a mind to be upright sons shall be so;
The Lord will hold them steady on their feet;
From time to time they may stumble, but won’t fall down.
Never have I seen a good man begging his bread,
Not from when I was young to my old age now;
He always has something to spare, for friends, for the needy.
Order your days; do good; make peace where you can;
God who loves justice will always favour the just;
His law will deal with the lawless and their kind.
Possession of lands will pass to those who deserve them;
Peace follows justice; with peace comes prosperity;
Who will remember the names of past grasping landlords?
Reason and rhyme will season a good man’s language:
A level head is matched with a witty heart;
Workman’s words that hit the nail on the head.
Steallth is the wicked man’s trade, and seeming important;
Getting the weak in their clutches is their profession;
But the Lord will not let them keep the fruits of their labour,
Trust in the Lord; he will keep you out of their hands;
You will yet live to see the land you love rejoicing;
You will see those that ruined it come down themselves to ruin.
Up to all sorts of tricks, the unworthy will rise;
I have seen them dining in their successful villas;
I have passed again, and seen them gone and forgotten.
Virtue and honesty leave good things behind them
Worthy to carry on a good man’s name;
But they try to conceal their names, the disgraced one’s children.
When trouble comes to the good, the Lord is their lawyer;
He will take their case, he will use the law to save them;
Because they were innocent; because they trusted in him.

And lastly, Brenda Boerger (2024) translated this psalm while maintaining the acrostic (click or tap here for the complete psalm in Boerger’s translation).

1 Avoid your frets regarding evil powers.
And do not envy those who’re doing wrong.
2 All of them wither like the grass and flowers,
And fading, they become pale, soon are gone.
3 But put your trust in Yahweh; do what’s right.
Build in the land, know safety set apart.
4 Based on who God is make him your delight,
Because he’ll give you longings of your heart.
5 Commit your future to Yahweh, my friend,
Confident he will act on your behalf.
Can’t you stop worrying? Why do you fret?
Count on God for petitions you have.
6 Dear God will make your righteousness to shine —
Dawn’s light has never been beaming so bright.
Declaring you have vindication so fine —
Due to its being like noonday sun’s light.
7 Entrust your way to Yahweh, let him lead.
Earnestly wait for Lord Yahweh to act.
Enough fretting when others might succeed,
Engaged in making evil schemes and pacts.
8/9 Forsaking anger, stop being so bitter.
For evildoers will lose in the end.
Fretting will not help, nor being a quitter,
For God-trusters will inherit the land.
10 Godless ones soon will meet their just ends.
Go looking and they’ll no longer be seen.
11 God’s oppressed people are blessed by his hands,
Granted the land, shalom, prosperity.
12 Hateful men plot against those doing right,
Hounding them so that they might do them wrong.
13 How God laughs at the wicked and their plight.
He knows that they’ll all be judged before long.
14 Insolent men draw swords and bend their bows,
Intending to tear the upright apart.
15 Instead broken bows are found by the foes;
Instead they’ll find swords pierce into their hearts.
16 Just the few things belonging to good men,
Justly surpass all evil-gotten wealth.
17 Justice dictates the wicked be broken;
Just God upholds the righteous by his strength.
18 King Yahweh makes his blessings theirs forever;
Kindly he cares for those who have no blame.
19 Kept by God in famine without any hunger;
Kind ones in troubled times won’t suffer shame.
20 Look, Yahweh brings the wicked to their end,
Like being burned up in a furnace fire.
Little will be heard from his enemies again.
Like going up in smoke, they all expire.
21/22 Master and Lord gives good things to his own,
Meaning the righteous can give without end.
Malicious men are rejected and wiped out.
Men like that borrow; won’t pay back or lend.
23 Now Yahweh teaches his children to walk.
Naturally, pleased when they choose to obey;
24 Needing a grip on their hands lest they fall;
Never fails to uphold them on their way.
25 Older and wiser, but once I was young.
On this my journey, I’ve never yet seen
Our Lord forsaking any godly one,
Or his offspring with not a thing to eat.
26 Profusely generous, these righteous men,
Put other folks as priority one,
Providing grace, they happily will lend.
27 Plus God will bless them with daughters and sons.
Quickly obey, you’ll have good things forever.
Quit doing evil. Practice what is right.
28 Quelling the wicked for their bad behavior;
Quite rightly God loves those who do what’s right!
Refusing to see his children forlorn;
Renewing his own with gifts from his hand;
Rewarding the righteous ones yet to be born.
29 Right-hearted people inherit the land.
So they know its provision for all times.
30 Such are your steps if you want to do right:
Say only things that are both just and wise,
So that you please God and walk in his light.
31 Take Yahweh’s teachings deep into your heart,
Truly then you will walk and stumble not.
32 Treacherous ones wait to tear you apart,
Trying to kill off the people of God.
33 Unwav’ringly, he keeps away the foe.
Under Yahweh’s care, never fear the vile.
Upholding his own, we’re not condemned although
Under a foeman’s judgment at our trial.
34 Voice your trust. Follow the way of your Lord.
Vic-to-ry’s yours; you will possess the land.
Violent men will receive their reward —
Vanquished before your eyes by Yahweh’s hand.
35 Wicked, violent, and unruly men
Will grow and flourish like weeds in good ground.
36 When they die though, that truly is the end.
Where did they go? Now they cannot be found.
37 Examine blameless who follow instructions.
Expect that men of peace have futures true.
38 Except for the rebels who end in destruction.
Expect those sinners have no future too.
39 Yahweh’s the source of salvation for those
Yielding themselves to him completely and
Yearning for his refuge in times of woes.
Yahweh is their stronghold when times are bad.
40 Zion’s Lord will deliver his children,
Zeroing arrows at each wicked heart.
Zealously he saves his own, draws them in —
Zones keeping his own safe never depart.

Another published English translation with acrostics is The Psalms Chronologically Arranged by the “Four Friends” (C.T. Arnold, A.W. Potts, F.E. Kitchener, S. Philpotts) of 1870.

Another 19th century translation with maintained acrostics is the German 1883 commentary and translation by Franz Delitzsch . Unlike the other translations, he translates the acrostics of this and the other acrostic psalms by following an approximation of the German sound of the 22 letters (alef/א‎ = a; bet/ב‎ = b; gimel/ג‎ = g; dalet/ד = d; he/ה‎ = h; vav/ו = u; zayin/ז‎ = s; chet/ח‎ = h; tet/ט = t; yod/י‎ = i or j; kaf/כ = k; lamed/ל = l; mem/מ = m; nun/נ = n; samech/ס‎ = s; ayin/ע = e; pe/פ = f; tsadi/צ‎ = z; qof/ק = k; resh/ר = r; shin/ש‎ = sch; tav/ת = t).

acrostic in Psalm 111

Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Natügu

1 Awi Yawe! Glqpxku Yawe!
Bilvzx nide mz nabznge atwrnrngr, mz nzyrlwr-lxblr-krgr badr leplz nedeng.
2 Clvele nrlc x da kcng tqwz-ngrde, tqaletileng nzmyalzng.
Delc, leplz amrlx na-aotingr drtwrdr da lcng mz nzabrtzlvz-krdrleng.
3 Eu, da lcng amrlx nzaelwapx-ngrdr zmrlue x zmatq rde.
Glqpxku nztubq-krde kc tqvzpe tqvzpe.
4 Ipqle nigu mz zmrlz ngrde kxmyalz x ycngr drtwrde nigu.
Jzsle nigu x nayc zvz mz drtwrgu rkx ngrdeng.
5 Kabzle dakxnzng mz leplz kcng tzamrluelr nide.
Lolvz-amqngile mz drtwrde da kx esalz-ngrbzle badr.
6 Mz nzaprc-krbzle drtc’ ngr lr mrkzbleng mz doa nedeng,
Nide kc tqaelwapx-ngrbzle zmatq rde badr.
7 Okatrle nidr mz nzaclve-krdeng kxtubq.
Prlxpx-zvzle da angidr x nzrsakrlrngr.
8 Rkapx zvz natq kx rsakrlrngr.
Sa na-atutrleng murde nqmq krde mrlz x tubq.
9-10 Takitrde nzangio-krgu drtqde kxtr mz nzamrluengr murde
Vz-nqblq-zvzle nzesalz-krde x
Witi nelzde nzarlapx-krde leplz nedeng.
X aelwapx-ngrgu nzyrplapx-krgu mz nzamrlue-krgu nide.
Yawe kabzle nzrkrlz-angidrngr mz krkcng tzyrlq-angidrlr natqde.
Zbq kalvz nzrglqpxngr nide navz zvz x tqvzpe, tqvzpe.

The Danish Bibelen på Hverdagsdansk (publ. 1985, rev. 2015 et al.) translated Psalm 111 into an acrostic. Iver Larsen who worked in this translation explained (in Roelie Van der Spuy in Old Testament Essays 2008, p. 513ff. ) the choice of letters: “We don’t use c, q, w, x and z. On the other hand we do use the extra Danish vowel symbols æ, ø and å, and the y is a vowel, not a consonant. Since Danish has more than 22 letters, we cannot use all the letters, so among those last ones (æ, ø, å) I chose what fits best.”

Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Danish with its English translation

1. Af hele mit hjerte vil jeg takke Herren,

[From all of my heart I will thank the Lord]

berømme ham midt i de gudfrygtiges forsamling.

[extol him in the midst of the assembly of the God-fearing.[

2. De ting, han gør, er vidunderlige,

[The things he does are wonderful,[

enhver, der oplever dem, må juble og glæde sig.

[all who experience them rejoice and are happy.]

3. Fantastiske er alle hans undere,

[All his wonders are fantastic,]

glem ikke hans uendelig godhed.

[never forget his unending goodness.]

4. Herren er nådig og barmhjertig,

[The Lord is compassionate and merciful]

ingen må glemme hans velgerninger.

[no one should ever forget his good deeds.]

5. Jeg ved, at han altid sørger for sit folk.

[I know that he always provides for his people,]

Kan han nogensinde glemme sin pagt med dem?

[Could he ever forget his covenant with them?]

6. Landet, som tilhørte de fremmede, gav han til sit eget folk,

[The land that belonged to foreigners he gave to his own people,]

med magt drev han de andre væk for øjnene af sine udvalgte.

[he forced them away before the eyes of his chosen ones.]

7. Når han handler, gør han altid det rigtige,

[When he acts, he always does what is right,]

ordene fra ham kan man stole på.

[his words are trustworthy.]

8. Pas på, at I trofast adlyder hans bud,

[Be careful to faithfully obey his commands,]

retsindighed har evighedsværdi.

[uprightness/justice is of eternal value.]

9. Sit folk har han sat i frihed,

[He has given his people their freedom,]

til evig tid varer hans pagt med dem.

[his covenant with them will last forever.]

Underfuld og hellig er Herren.

[Wonderful and holy is the Lord.]

10. Visdom udspringer af ærefrygt for Gud.

[Wisdom results from respectfully honoring God.]

Ypperlig er den indsigt, man får ved at adlyde ham.

[The insight you get from obeying him is superb.]

Æren er hans for evigt!

[He is to be honored forever!]

There are two Dutch translations that maintain the acrostic: Naardense Bijbel (publ. 2004) and the Tot Lof van God by Frans Croese (publ. 2010).

Click or tap here for the complete psalm in the Dutch translations

Naardense Bijbel:

1
Alleluia, ik dank de Ene van ganser harte, ✡
binnen de kring der oprechten,
een samenkomst;
2
groot zijn de daden van de Ene, ✡
doorvorsbaar
voor elk met behagen daarin;
3
en glans en luister straalt van zijn werk, ✡
fleur houdt zijn gerechtigheid
voor altijd;
4
genadig en barmhartig is de Ene, ✡
hij doet zijn wonderen voorgoed gedenken;
5
indachtig is hij voor eeuwig zijn verbond, ✡
ja, wie hem vrezen gaf hij teerkost; de
6
kracht van zijn daden
heeft hij zijn gemeente gemeld; ✡
leende hun
het erfdeel van volkeren;
7
machtig zijn zijn handen in trouw en recht, ✡
nooit onbetrouwbaar zijn
al zijn inzettingen;
8
ondersteund voor altijd en eeuwig, ✡
product
van trouw en oprechtheid;
9
redding, loskoop zond hij zijn gemeente,
sloot voor eeuwig zijn verbond, ✡
te vrezen en heilig is zijn naam!-
10
vreze voor de Ene
is het beginsel van wijsheid,
weg tot goed inzicht
voor wie daarnaar dóen; ✡
zijn lof
blijft staande voor altíjd!

Tot Lof van God translation:

Looft Jah!

Aan Jehovah betuig ik dank, van ganser harte prijs ik Hem,
bij het beraad der oprechten, maar ook in vergadering bijeen.
2
De daden van Jehovah zijn waarlijk groots,
en fascinerend voor een ieder die er behagen in schept.
3
Fenomenaal is Zijn werk in luister en pracht,
gezien ook Zijn rechtvaardigheid die voor alle eeuwigheid staat.
4
Hij stelde voor Zijn wonderdaden een gedachtenis in
– inderdaad, Jehovah is goedgunstig en barmhartig,
5
ja, zoals Hij proviand verschafte aan hen die Hem vreesden –
kortom, Hij zal Zijn verbond voor altijd gedenken.
6
Louter de kracht van Zijn daden al, zoals Hij die Zijn volk verhaalde,
met daarbij hetgeen Hij hun gaf: het erfdeel der natiën.
7
Naar waarheid en recht, dat zijn de werken van Zijn handen;
onveranderlijk zijn al Zijn voorschriften,
8
pal en onwrikbaar staan die, voor altijd en eeuwig;
recht en waarachtig, zo zijn zc gemaakt.
9
Schonk Hij Zijn volk destijds de verlossing,
toen was daar tevens Zijn blijvend verbond.
Uniek, ontzagwekkend en heilig, dat is Zijn naam.
10
Vrees voor Jehovah is het begin van de wijsheid,
waarbij allen scherp van inzicht zijn die daar ook naar doen.
Zijn lof staat voor alle eeuwigheid!

With thanks to Thamara van Eijzeren

In the Zürich German dialect (Züritüütsch) of Swiss German, the Psalms were translated while maintaining the acrostic by Josua Boesch (publ. 2009 ).

Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Zürich German

1 Halleluja! ER isch is mee wèrt als ales.
Au iich wil IMM tanke vo ganzem hèrze,
Bi siine friind i siinere gmäind.
2 Chumm lueg, was èr ales ttaa hät für öis.
Die, wo s ggluschtet, psined sich drüber.
3 ER hat ales herrlich und schöön gmacht.
Für eewig bliibt siini grächtigkäit fescht.
4 Gaar nie wil iich sini wunder vergässe.
Häsch ghöört, ER isch barmhèrzig und güetig.
5 I siinere hand isch z ässe fur d fründ.
Käine chunnt z chuurz, èr haltet s verschpräche.
6 Lueg, was er mit chraft fur siis volk tuet,
Mit welere liebi èr ine s land gitt.
7 Nüüt isch nöd zueverlèèssig und rächt vo dèm, won er gmacht hät.
Ooni siis soorge hett ales kä sinn.
8 Probier nöd z flicken a siineren oornihg, suscht hebt si nöd eewig.
Rue hetsch au nümen und ales gieng schieff.
9 Siim volk hät èr emaal d freihäit ggèè.
Tänk doch an bund, won èr mit em gschlosse.
Uurhäilig isch IMM sini nööchi bi öis.
10 Vo aafang aa hämer nur INN als mitti vo öisere wiishäit.
Wèr siich dernaa richtet, hät s imer guet.
Zum schluss wämer inn rüeme imer und eewig, ER isch is mee wèrt als ales.

The English Bible translation by Ronald Knox (publ. 1950) maintains most Hebrew acrostics (even though Knox’s translation itself is based on the Latin text of the Vulgate rather than the Hebrew). Due to the higher number of letters in the English alphabet, it skips the letters J, Q, X, and Z. (Click or tap here for the complete psalm in the Knox translation.)

1 All my heart goes out to the Lord in praise, Before the assembly where the just are gathered.
2 Chant we the Lord’s wondrous doings, delight and study of all who love him.
3 Ever his deeds are high and glorious, faithful he abides to all eternity.
4 Great deeds, that he keeps still in remembrance!
5 He, the Lord, is kind and merciful. In abundance he fed the men who feared him, keeping his covenant for ever.
6 Lordly the power he shewed his people,
7 making the lands of the heathen their possession. No act but shews him just and faithful; of his decrees there is no relenting.
8 Perpetual time shall leave them changeless; right and truth are their foundation.
9 So he has brought our race deliverance; to all eternity stands his covenant. Unutterable is his name and worshipful;
10 vain without his fear is learning. Wise evermore are you who follow it; yours the prize that lasts for ever. (Source )

Another English translation that maintains the acrostic is by Gordon Jackson (The Lincoln Psalter, 1997). (Click or tap here for the complete psalm in the Jackson translation.)

Hallelujah!

All that I am I offer in praise of the Lord,
Being in the band of the blessed, all good men and true.
Can we give adequate, accurate praise for his works?
Dearer and dearer he is to us, as we consider them.
Exalt him as much as we may he is always more worthy
For the meters of mortals are useless to measure his good with.
Great is his name, and yet he deserves a far greater;
Heaven’s his nickname, and Holiness, Mercy, Truth, Grace.
If those who fear him hunger, see how he feeds them!
Keeping his word for his own honour’s sake;
Look how he gave his people the lands of others,
Making them gifts of cities by his own strength.
Nothing he does that is not done deeply with justice;
On stone his laws are written, and they will not adjust;
People and fashions will change, but not his wisdom;
Right is right with him, and truth is truth.
Saving his people again and again he is faithful
To a promise his people have broken again and again.
Unworthy as we are, his holy name honours us;
Vital wisdom it is that we trust him and fear him,
Wanting his teaching, enjoying our own understanding,
Yielding our wisdom to his, and gaining by giving.

And lastly, Brenda Boerger (2024) translated this psalm while maintaining the acrostic:

1 Allelu-Yah! O, praise th’almighty King!
Bless him! I’ll let all my thanksgivings ring;
Companions of faith will join us and sing.
2 Dynamic — God’s deeds in every detail,
Eagerly studied in all they entail,
For deep delight is found there without fail.
3 God’s glory glows from every endeavor;
His righteous holiness lasts forever.
4 Incomparable marvels make us recall,
Just, gentle, good Yahweh, is Lord of all.
5 Kind Yahweh feeds all those who revere him,
Loyally keeps his pledge, draws us near him.
6 Manifesting immense might to his clan,
Now we inherit other nations’ land.
7 Outstanding loyalty, justice renowned;
Precepts proven to rest on solid ground,
Quintessentially trustworthy and sound.
8 Righteous, reliable, bound together;
Securely they stand, established forever.
9 Truly he triumphed in saving his sheep,
Upheld his covenant, ordained to keep;
Victoriously, it is ever the same.
Wonderful, holy, and awesome’s his name!
10 Exalting Yahweh shows wisdom’s growing;
Yielding means understanding is flowing.
Zealously then, let his praise be on-going.

Another published English translation with acrostics is The Psalms Chronologically Arranged by the “Four Friends” (C.T. Arnold, A.W. Potts, F.E. Kitchener, S. Philpotts) of 1870.

This blog post mentions several English translation of Psalm 111 with an acrostic that were not published in official Bible translations. The above-quoted Van der Spuy also has his own Afrikaans translation with an acrostic (quoted in Old Testament Essays 2008, p. 513ff. ).

acrostic in Psalm 34

Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Natügu

1 Awi-zvzbo mz Yawe,
X tramawxu nzglqpx-krnge nide.
2 Bilvz-zvzx Yawe mz nabznge,
Murde nimu kx nzaetqbz drtqmu na-abrtzlvzamu da kcng tqaleleng.
3 Clve Yawe doa x da amrlx. Naglqlzku drtqde.
X napipx-lxblr-ngrgu nzetu-krde.
4 Da kcng tqmwxlrtix, arlapxpebz Yawe ninge mz da lcng amrlx.
Murde mzli kc tqkrka’-ngrbo bade, ayzlumle natqnge.
5 Elr! Na-abrtrpzmu drtwrmu mz Yawe, murde ma drtqmu tqmya,
X na-abrtzlvzamu nzokatr-krde nimu.
6 Gct, mzli kc nzmnc-krnge tqtrka-ngrde, arlapxq ninge,
Mz nzatutr-krm nzkrka’-krnge.
7 Ili! Enjrl ne Yawe arlapxle leplz mzli kc drtqdr tqetq-ngrde,
Murde aclvele krkcng tzmyatitrlr Yawe.
8 Jzsamu ena nzmrlzkr Yawe x na-abrtr-krbzmu drtwrmu bade.
Murde krkcng tqaclveleng nzabrtz-zvzng.
9 Kxnzvz-nqblqlr natq Yawe nzrngiscng da amrlx.
Delc nimu leplz nedeng na-amrlue-ngrnamu nide.
10 Laion kx nzxplrng nzkrlzlr nzbrtalengr,
Leplz kx nzvz-nqblqlr Yawe, trpnzngr da kx mrbrpxm badr.
11 Mrlxngeng x inyxngeng, lalztqmamu bange,
Murde na-alvztrpo bamu kxnamu nzamrluengr Yawe.
12?Nike suti drtwrm?
?Nzlungr kxmrlz kxboi?
13 Obq zpwx, x bzkq pokiaq.
Bzkq ycmne-atrkatiq leplz,
14 Prszpx nqmq kxtrka. X ale zvz da kxmrlz.
X nasuti drtwrm nzmnc-zpwx-krmu badr leplz mz nrwx.
15 Rlxtibz ncblo kxtubq mz Yawe nzokatr-krde nide.
X Yawe sa naxlrbzle nzkrka’-krde mz nzaclve-krde nide.
16 Sa napnanatile krkcng tzale-zvzng da kxtrka.
Trobqpwzu badr x mzli kc nabz-ngrdr, ani txpwz nzmrbrtrkr mz drtwr nidr. 1 Pita 3:10-12
17 Takitrde nzxlr-krbz Yawe natq leplz kxnztubqng mzli kc tzyrni-ngrbzlr bade,
Murde ngi nqmq krde nzokatr-krde leplz nedeng.
18 Vz zvz nzesolvzti-krde krkcng drtwrdr tqvz,
X nzamnc-lrpi-krde krkcng nabzdr tqyrnibu.
19 Wzpxtx zlwz nzkxpukr ncblo kxtubq.
A’ Yawe sa na-arlapxle nide mz da lcng amrlx.
20 X mz nzaclve-zpwx-krde nide,
Trpnzngr nrvr ngrdeng kx nztavxi. Jon 19:36
21 Yawe sa na-ayrplapxle kxdrka’-ngrng kcng tztrkalr-ngrdr kxnztubqng.
X nqmq krdr lc tqtrka sa nanibq-moule nidr.
22 Zvz Yawe nztu-krbzle mz nibr kxnzawz nedeng.
X trpnzngr nzayrplapx-krde krkcng tzabrtrpzlr drtwrdr bade.

There are two Dutch translations that maintain the acrostic: Naardense Bijbel (publ. 2004) and the Tot Lof van God by Frans Croese (publ. 2010).

Click or tap here for the complete psalm in the Dutch translations

Naardense Bijbel:

Tot Lof van God translation:

Op naam van David, toen bjj zich aan Abimelech als verward bad voorgedaan, waarop die bent wegjoeg en bij heenging.

2
Altijd, alom, allerwegen, zo wil ik Hem zegenen, Jehovah!
Aanhoudend is Zijn lofzang in mijn mond.
3
Beroemen wil mijn ziel zich op Hem, op Jehovah,
zachtaardigen luisteren verheugd.
4
Daarom, verheerlijkt Jehovah met mij,
laat ons gezamenlijk Zijn naam hogelijk prijzen.
5
Ernstig zocht ik Jehovah en Hij antwoordde mij,
uit al mijn verschrikkingen bevrijdde Hij mij.
6
Fantastisch! Ze keken naar Hem uit en straalden;
rood, maar beslist niet van schaamte, was hun gelaat!
7
Hij, Jehovah, Hij luistert waar de ellendige Hem aanroept;
uit al zijn noden zal Hij hem redden.
8
Inderdaad, het is Jehovah’s engel die zich legert
rondom hen die Hem vrezen; Hij is het die hen verlost.
9
Ja, proeft en ervaart dat Jehovah goed is;
hoe gelukkig, de man die toevlucht zoekt bij Hem!
10
Koestert daarom vrees voor Jehovah, al Zijn heiligen,
voor hen die Hem vrezen is er geen enkel gebrek.
11
Liepen jonge leeuwen uitgehongerd rond,
wie Jehovah zochten, ontbrak het aan niets van al het goede.

12
Maar nu dit, mijn kinderen, komt luisteren naar mij,
laat mij jullie Ieren omtrent de vrees voor Jehovah.
13
Natuurlijk, wie wil er niet, waar men het leven liefheeft,
die dagen genieten om inderdaad het goede te zien, allicht.
14
O, hoedt uw tong voor slechtheid,
uw lippen voor bedrieglijke spraak.
15
Pas op, mijd het slechte, beoefen het goede veeleer,
zoek de vrede, jaag die vooral na.
16
Richten Jehovah’s ogen zich op wie rechtvaardig zijn,
Zijn oren zijn op hun noodkreet gericht.
17
Slaat Jehovah’s aangezicht gade wie het kwade bedrijven,
dan toch veeleer om hun gedachtenis op aarde af te snijden.
18
Toen zij echter [de rechtvaardigen dus] schreeuwden,
toen heeft Jehovah geluisterd, uit al hun noden bevrijdde Hij hen.
19
Uit al hun noden! Jehovah is nabij degenen wier hart gebroken is;
redding bewerkt Hij voor degenen wier geest verbrijzeld is.
20
Voor de rechtvaardige zijn er heel wat rampspoeden,
maar van dat alles zal Jehovah hem stellig bevrijden.
21
Werkelijk, al diens beenderen zal Hij beschermen,
niet één ervan zal worden gebroken.
22
Zo zal rampspoed degenen doden die doortrapt gewetenloos zijn,
zij die de rechtvaardige haten, zullen daar ook voor boeten.

23
Stellig, Jehovah zal de ziel loskopen van hen die Hem dienen; niets te boeten valt er daarom voor hen, voor allen die toevlucht zoeken bij Hem!

With thanks to Thamara van Eijzeren

2 At all times I will bless the Lord; his praise shall be on my lips continually.
3 Be all my boasting in the Lord; listen to me, humble souls, and rejoice.
4 Come, sing the Lord’s praise with me, let us extol his name together.
5 Did I not look to the Lord, and find a hearing; did he not deliver me from all my terrors?
6 Ever look to him, and in him find happiness; here is no room for downcast looks.
7 Friendless folk may still call upon the Lord and gain his ear, and be rescued from all their afflictions.
8 Guardian of those who fear the Lord, his angel encamps at their side, and brings deliverance.
9 How gracious the Lord is! Taste and prove it; blessed is the man that learns to trust in him.
10 It is for you, his chosen servants, to fear the Lord; those who fear him never go wanting.
11 Justly do the proud fall into hunger and want; blessing they lack not that look to him.
12 Know, then, my children, what the fear of the Lord is; come and listen to my teaching.
13 Long life, and prosperous days, who would have these for the asking?
14 My counsel is, keep thy tongue clear of harm, and thy lips free from every treacherous word.
15 Naught of evil cherish thou, but rather do good; let peace be all thy quest and aim.
16 On the upright the Lord’s eye ever looks favourably; his ears are open to their pleading.
17 Perilous is his frown for the wrong-doers; he will soon make their name vanish from the earth.
18 Roused by the cry of the innocent, the Lord sets them free from all their afflictions.
19 So near is he to patient hearts, so ready to defend the humbled spirit.
20 Though a hundred trials beset the innocent, the Lord will bring him safely through them all.
21 Under the Lord’s keeping, every bone of his is safe; not one of them shall suffer harm.
22 Villainy hastes to its own undoing; the enemies of innocence will bear their punishment.
23 The Lord will claim his servant as his own; they go unreproved that put their trust in him. (Source )

(Note that in the Hebrew version, 34:1-22 is lettered 34:2-23, which is followed by Knox)

Another English translation that maintains the acrostic is by Gordon Jackson (The Lincoln Psalter, 1997). (Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Jackson’s translations).

All my days I will bless the Lord;
always my lips shall speak good of his kindness.
Being his, I will glory in him;
let the humble hear and join in praise with me.
Come, all who are minded to honour his name
and let us share together our hallelujahs.
Duly I prayed to him when I was in need;
duly he answered and set my mind at rest.
Each one who seeks him eventually will find him;
he will light up their faces with sudden joy;
For the poor in spirit have a Father in heaven,
and all his wealth is at their command.
Guardian angels are night and day on hand
to preserve God-fearing souls in hardship.
He is the man of supreme taste among men
who has for himself tasted the goodness of God.
In fear of the Lord there is prosperity;
having God, what more can you have?
Just men find in him whatever they need,
but the others are never satisfied.
Knowledge is good, and the first thing you should know
is your place, with God above you.
Life and all of its blessings you can have
if you set store by a few well-tested maxims:
Mind your tongue, so it doesn’t lead you astray,
so it never licks the allurement of a lie;
Never do what you think wrong; always do what you should;
let peace be precious to you, and help others to it;
Open are the eyes of the Lord to the needs of the honest,
and open his ears to their prayers;
Pronounced on the workers of wrong is the sentence of God,
even before they do it their doom is determined;
Ready to help the just, though, before they ask;
he is impatient to hear their prayers, and help them;
So keenly he shares the tears of the broken-hearted,
so keen to lift the spirits of the downcast;
Through all the troubles that fall to a good man’s lot
the Lord sustains him and turns them into blessings;
Unbroken his bones and his spirit,
however much tested and tried;
Vainly the wicked assault him,
they hate him and kill him in vain;

Yes, the Lord will set free the souls of those who love him,
and acquit the failings of any who trust in him.

And lastly, Brenda Boerger (2024) translated this psalm while maintaining the acrostic (click or tap here for the complete psalm in Boerger’s translation).

1 Always Amighty One, I’ll give you praise,
Asserting honor should be God Yahweh’s.
2 By boasting, I brag of his great displays;
By hearing, let abased ones shout hoorays.
3 Choose cheering, exalting him, everyone;
Chant till we’re done and give HaShem our praise.
4 Desperately I asked the Lord to hear,
Delivered, for Lord Yahweh’s ever near.
Each strong anxiety did disappear.
Encouraged, I escaped from every fear.
5 For faces glow, focusing on his name,
For no shame comes when one’s faith is sincere.
6 God hears the poor and grants them hearings sure,
Gracious, he saves from what they can’t endure.
7 High heaven’s angel now camps round the pure.
He rescues those who love him and revere.
8 I tell you, taste the goodness of the Lord.
In his fort’s shelter one finds life secure.
9 Just bow to Yahweh now. on reverent knees;
Join holy ones of his communities.
Keep it in mind that Lord God meets our needs,
Kindly he meets our shortfalls by his deeds.
10 Lean lion ribs may look thin as a rack;
Lord-seekers lack not one good thing indeed.
11 My children, take heed to me when I call.
Make sure that Yahweh’s honored above all.
12 / 13 Now those who love to live long and not fall
Need to refrain from evil lying talk.
Oh only then does life have meaning true —
Obeying God Tsidkenu in your walk.
14 Pursue God’s peace with a hot, holy fire.
Purge evil, making goodness your desire.
Quit your iniquity. Avoid God’s ire.
Quickly now do whatever he requires.
15 Redeemer God rewards those doing right,
Resolves their plight, as holy rectifier.
16 See God stop those who wickedly molest,
So they’re all forgotten, since that is best.
17 Sharp shrieks of pain. God hears his own protest.
Shows shackles fall, as they get their request.
18 Tis true he’s near when broken spirits moan,
To liberate his own who are depressed.
19 Uncounted trials come in by the score,
Unchanging undergirding’s from the Lord.
Vexed, testing great now knocks right at the door —
Vic-to-ry comes from God, whom we adore.
20 When Yahweh God protects the godly’ s bones,
We hear no groans, no breaks, with his support.
21 Expect that men die from iniquity,
Executed as foes of purity.
22 Yahweh God shows his folks security,
Yearning to save those with integrity.
Zapping, condemning need not be his way.
Zeal for Yahweh who gives clemency.

Another published English translation with acrostics is The Psalms Chronologically Arranged by the “Four Friends” (C.T. Arnold, A.W. Potts, F.E. Kitchener, S. Philpotts) of 1870.

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Language: Dutch

Language-specific Insights

the Jews

savior

flood

formal pronoun: Jesus and his mother

whoever digs a pit will fall into it

acrostic in Psalm 37

acrostic in Psalm 111

acrostic in Psalm 34

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