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TORAH
FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
NEVI'IM
PROPHETS
KETUVIM
WRITINGS

Chapter 41

Translation and Transliteration of 

1For the leader. A psalm of David.

la-menat-TSE-akh, miz-MOR, l'-da-VID

אלַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃

2Happy is he who is thoughtful of the wretched; in bad times may Hashem keep him from harm.

a-SH'-ray mas-KIL el-DAL b'-YOM ra-AH y'-ma-l'-TE-hu a-do-NAI

באַ֭שְׁרֵי מַשְׂכִּ֣יל אֶל־דָּ֑ל בְּי֥וֹם רָ֝עָ֗ה יְֽמַלְּטֵ֥הוּ יְהֹוָֽה׃

3May Hashem guard him and preserve him; and may he be thought happy in the land. Do not subject him to the will of his enemies.

a-do-NAI yish-m'-RE-hu vi-cha-YE-hu (ya-SHAR) [v'-u-SHAR] ba-A-retz v'-al ti-t'-NE-hu b'-NE-fesh o-y'-va-vai-v

גיְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ יִשְׁמְרֵ֣הוּ וִ֭יחַיֵּהוּ (יאשר) [וְאֻשַּׁ֣ר] בָּאָ֑רֶץ וְאַֽל־תִּ֝תְּנֵ֗הוּ בְּנֶ֣פֶשׁ אֹיְבָֽיו׃

4Hashem will sustain him on his sickbed; You shall wholly transform his bed of suffering.

a-do-NAI yis-a-DE-nu al-E-resh d'-VAI, kol-mish-KA-vo ha-FAKH-ta v'-kho-LO.

דיְֽהֹוָ֗ה יִ֭סְעָדֶנּוּ עַל־עֶ֣רֶשׂ דְּוָ֑י כׇּל־מִ֝שְׁכָּב֗וֹ הָפַ֥כְתָּ בְחׇלְיֽוֹ׃

5I said, “Hashem, have mercy on me, heal me, for I have sinned against You.”

a-NEE a-mar-TEE a-do-NAI kha-NE-NEE re-fa-AH naf-SHEE kee-kha-ta-TEE lakh

האֲֽנִי־אָ֭מַרְתִּי יְהֹוָ֣ה חׇנֵּ֑נִי רְפָאָ֥ה נַ֝פְשִׁ֗י כִּֽי־חָטָ֥אתִי לָֽךְ׃

6My enemies speak evilly of me, “When will he die and his name perish?”

o-y'-VAI yo-M'-RU ra-LEE ma-TAY ya-MUT v'-a-VAD sh'-MO

ואוֹיְבַ֗י יֹאמְר֣וּ רַ֣ע לִ֑י מָתַ֥י יָ֝מ֗וּת וְאָבַ֥ד שְׁמֽוֹ׃

7If one comes to visit, he speaks falsely; his mind stores up evil thoughts; once outside, he speaks them.

v'-im-BA li-RO-at sha-VU y'-da-BER li-BO yik-BATZ-a-VON LO ye-TZE la-KHUTZ y'-da-BER

זוְאִם־בָּ֤א לִרְא֨וֹת ׀ שָׁ֤וְא יְדַבֵּ֗ר לִבּ֗וֹ יִקְבׇּץ־אָ֥וֶן ל֑וֹ יֵצֵ֖א לַח֣וּץ יְדַבֵּֽר׃

8All my enemies whisper together against me, imagining the worst for me.

YA-khad a-LAI yit-la-KHA-shu kol so-NEI a-LAI ya-KH'-sh'-VU ra-AH li

חיַ֗חַד עָלַ֣י יִ֭תְלַחֲשׁוּ כׇּל־שֹׂנְאָ֑י עָלַ֓י ׀ יַחְשְׁב֖וּ רָעָ֣ה לִֽי׃

9“Something baneful has settled in him; he'll not rise from his bed again.”

d'-VAR b'-li-YA-al ya-TZUK BO va-a-SHER sha-KHAV lo yo-SEEF la-KUM

טדְּֽבַר־בְּ֭לִיַּעַל יָצ֣וּק בּ֑וֹ וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר שָׁ֝כַ֗ב לֹא־יוֹסִ֥יף לָקֽוּם׃

10My ally in whom I trusted, even he who shares my bread, has been utterly false to me.

gam-ish sh'-lo-MI a-SHER ba-takh-TI BO o-KHEL lakh-MI hi-g'-DIL a-LAI a-KEV

יגַּם־אִ֤ישׁ שְׁלוֹמִ֨י ׀ אֲשֶׁר־בָּטַ֣חְתִּי ב֭וֹ אוֹכֵ֣ל לַחְמִ֑י הִגְדִּ֖יל עָלַ֣י עָקֵֽב׃

11But You, Hashem, have mercy on me; let me rise again and repay them.

v'-a-TAH a-do-NAI kha-NE-ni va-ha-ki-ME-ni va-a-sha-l'-MAH la-HEM

יאוְאַתָּ֤ה יְהֹוָ֗ה חׇנֵּ֥נִי וַהֲקִימֵ֑נִי וַאֲשַׁלְּמָ֥ה לָהֶֽם׃

12Then shall I know that You are pleased with me: when my enemy cannot shout in triumph over me.

b'-ZOT ya-DA-ti KEE-kha-FATZ-ta BEE, KEE lo ya-REE-a o-Y'-vee a-LAI

יבבְּזֹ֣את יָ֭דַעְתִּי כִּֽי־חָפַ֣צְתָּ בִּ֑י כִּ֤י לֹֽא־יָרִ֖יעַ אֹיְבִ֣י עָלָֽי׃

13You will support me because of my integrity, and let me abide in Your presence forever.

va-a-NEE b'-tu-MEE ta-MAKH-ta BEE va-ta-TZI-ve-NEE l'-fa-NE-kha l'-o-LAM

יגוַאֲנִ֗י בְּ֭תֻמִּי תָּמַ֣כְתָּ בִּ֑י וַתַּצִּיבֵ֖נִי לְפָנֶ֣יךָ לְעוֹלָֽם׃

14Blessed is Hashem, God of Yisrael, from eternity to eternity. Amen and Amen.

ba-RUKH a-do-NAI e-lo-HAY yis-ra-AYL may-ha-o-LAM v'-ad ha-o-LAM a-MAYN v'-a-MAYN

ידבָּ֘ר֤וּךְ יְהֹוָ֨ה ׀ אֱלֹ֘הֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל מֵֽ֭הָעוֹלָם וְעַ֥ד הָעוֹלָ֗ם אָ֘מֵ֥ן ׀ וְאָמֵֽן׃

 41:14   Blessed is Hashem

Sefer Tehillim is traditionally subdivided into five books, parallel to the five books of the Torah. Psalm 41 concludes the first of these five books with a blessing. The word for blessing, beracha (ברכה), comes from the root ב-ר-כ which also produces words like ‘crevice’, ‘tunnel’, and ‘knees’. All these reflect the notion of going from above to something below. In his book Jewish Meditation, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan explains that our mission is to bring Hashem down from above to become an integral part of our lives. In contrast, the word tehilla (תהילה), meaning ‘praise,’ implies God’s transcendence. Yet, the two words together, tehilla and beracha, ‘praise’ and ‘blessing,’ are the essence of man’s relationship with the Lord. We must strive to both praise Hashem as transcendent above place and time, and bless Him as being very immanent and closely involved in our lives.