9 The literary structure of chap. 26 is not entirely clear. The chapter begins with an eschatological song of praise and ends with a lament and prophetic response (vv. 16–21). It is not certain where the song of praise ends or how vv. 7–15 fit into the structure. Verses 10–11a seem to lament the presence of evil and v. 11b anticipates the arrival of judgment, so it is possible that vv. 7–15 are a prelude to the lament and announcement that conclude the chapter.
10 The Hebrew text has, “upright, the path of the righteous you make level.” There are three possible ways to translate this line. Some take יָשָׁר (yashar) as a divine title: “O Upright One” (cf. , , , , ). Others regard יָשָׁר as the result of dittography (מֵישָׁרִים יָשָׁר מַעְגַּל, mesharim yashar ma’gal) and do not include it in the translation. Another possibility is to keep יָשָׁר and render the line as “the path of the righteous that you prepare is straight.” The metaphor of a level/smooth road/path may refer to their morally upright manner of life (see v. 8a), but verse 7b, which attributes the smooth path to the Lord, suggests that the Lord’s vindication and blessing may be the reality behind the metaphor here.
11 The Hebrew text has, “yes, the way of your judgments.” The translation assumes that “way” is related to the verb “we wait” as an adverbial accusative (“in the way of your judgments we wait”). מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ (mishpatekha, “your judgments”) could refer to the Lord’s commandments, in which case one might translate, “as we obey your commands.” However, in verse 9 the same form refers to divine acts of judgment on evildoers.
12 Heb “your name and your remembrance [is] the desire of [our?] being.”
13 Heb “with my soul I.” This is a figure for the speaker himself (“I”).
14 Or “long for, desire.” The speaker acknowledges that he is eager to see God come in judgment (see vv. 8, 9b).
15 The translation understands צֶדֶק (tsedeq) in the sense of “justice,” but it is possible that it carries the nuance “righteousness,” in which case one might translate, “those who live in the world learn to live in a righteous manner” (cf. ).

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

The path of the righteous is level;

you make level the way of the righteous.

In the path of your judgments,

O Lord, we wait for you;

your name and remembrance

are the desire of our soul.

My soul yearns for you in the night;

my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.

For when your judgments are in the earth,

the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

The path of the righteous is level;

you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth.

Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,

we wait for you;

your name and renown

are the desire of our hearts.

My soul yearns for you in the night;

in the morning my spirit longs for you.

When your judgments come upon the earth,

the people of the world learn righteousness.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

The path of the righteous is level;

you clear a straight path for the righteous.

Yes, Lord, we wait for you

in the path of your judgments.

Our desire is for your name and renown.

I long for you in the night;

yes, my spirit within me diligently seeks you,

for when your judgments are in the land,

the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

NLTNew Living Translation

But for those who are righteous,

the way is not steep and rough.

You are a God who does what is right,

and you smooth out the path ahead of them.

Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws;

our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.

In the night I search for you;

in the morning I earnestly seek you.

For only when you come to judge the earth

will people learn what is right.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

The way of the righteous is a straight path;

you clear the level path of the righteous.

Surely we wait for you in the path of your judgments, Yahweh,

for your name and renown are the desire of the soul.

I desire you with all my soul in the night;

also I seek you with my spirit within me,

for when your judgments are upon the earth,

the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

KJV 1900King James Version

The way of the just is uprightness:

Thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.

Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee;

The desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.

With my soul have I desired thee in the night;

Yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early:

For when thy judgments are in the earth,

The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

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