To “lift up the nefesh” (verse 1) means to pray to God, to worship him (see 86.4; 143.8). New Jerusalem Bible has “Adoration … I offer to you.” New Jerusalem Bible, however, translates “I set my hope on You.” The idea of prayer or adoration seems quite suitable here.
The expression I lift up my soul requires considerable recasting to express its meaning. Good News Translation‘s “I offer my prayer” suggests a model for many languages. However, since it is often necessary to speak of prayer as talking to God, one must include both elements of worship and of speaking with God; for example, “LORD, I speak with you and I worship you” or “LORD, I talk to you when I worship you.”
The phrase my God, with which verse 2 begins, is placed in the Masoretic text at the end of the previous line in verse 1 in order to make the second line begin with the letter bet (the first letter of “in you”), which is the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The expression my God, in thee I trust presents two problems for many languages, since God cannot be possessed like other objects. Therefore one must sometimes say, for example, “God, you whom I worship” or “God, you are the one I worship.” The second problem is that for some languages the idea of trusting is expressed in metaphorical language; for example, “to put one’s heart on” or “to lie down on.” The full line may then be rendered sometimes “O God, whom I worship, I place my heart upon you.”
For shame see comments on 6.10; either the shame of defeat, or of misfortune and disgrace. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translates the line “Do not disappoint me”; Bible en français courant “Do not leave me disillusioned.” One of the worst things about the psalmist’s defeat, or disgrace, would be that his enemies would make fun of him (see 22.7-8). The expression let me not be put to shame may be handled as in Good News Translation, where “defeat” is the cause of the shame the psalmist would suffer. Following the suggestion of making a request, one may say, for example, “do not let me be sorry that I trusted in you.”
The verb translated exult is used in 5.11 and 9.2, where Revised Standard Version translates “exult (in thee).” This line requests the same thing as the preceding line, that is, that Yahweh keep the psalmist’s enemies from defeating him. The relation between the two lines should be clear in translation. The expression exult over me may sometimes be rendered as “do not let them make fun of me,” “do not let them laugh at me,” and “do not let them say that I am nothing.”
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 .