16 Heb “Protect me like the pupil, a daughter of an eye.” The noun בַּת (bat, “daughter”) should probably be emended to בָּבַת (bavat, “pupil”). See Zech 2:12 (2:8 ) and *בָּבָה.
17 Your wings. The metaphor compares God to a protective mother bird.
18 Heb “from before”; or “because.” In the Hebrew text v. 9 is subordinated to v. 8. The words “protect me” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
19 Heb “destroy.” The psalmist uses the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of danger. He describes the wicked as being already in the process of destroying him.
20 Heb “my enemies, at the risk of life they surround me.” The Hebrew phrase בְּנֶפֶשׁ (bénefesh) sometimes has the nuance “at the risk of [one’s] life” (see 1 Kgs 2:23; Prov 7:23; Lam 5:9).
21 Heb “their fat they close.” The Hebrew term חֵלֶב (khelev, “fat”) appears to stand by metonymy for their calloused hearts. They attack the psalmist without feeling any pity or remorse. Some propose emending the text to חֵלֶב לִבָּמוֹ (khelev libbamo, “fat of their heart[s]; cf. Ps 119:70, “their heart is insensitive like fat”). This assumes haplography of the לב (lamed-bet) consonantal sequence.
22 Heb “[with] their mouth they speak with arrogance.”
23 Heb “our steps, now they surround me.” The Kethib (consonantal text) has “surround me,” while the Qere (marginal reading) has “surround us,” harmonizing the pronoun to the preceding “our steps.” The first person plural pronoun does not fit the context, where the psalmist speaks as an individual. In the preceding verses the psalmist uses a first person singular verbal or pronominal form twenty times. For this reason it is preferable to emend “our steps” to אִשְּׁרוּנִי (’ishéruni, “they attack me”) from the verbal root אָשֻׁר (’ashur, “march, stride, track”).
24 Heb “their eyes they set to bend down in the ground.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Keep me as the apple of your eye;

hide me in the shadow of your wings,

from the wicked who do me violence,

my deadly enemies who surround me.

They close their hearts to pity;

with their mouths they speak arrogantly.

They have now surrounded our steps;

they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Keep me as the apple of your eye;

hide me in the shadow of your wings

from the wicked who are out to destroy me,

from my mortal enemies who surround me.

They close up their callous hearts,

and their mouths speak with arrogance.

They have tracked me down, they now surround me,

with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Protect me as the pupil of your eye;

hide me in the shadow of your wings

from the wicked who treat me violently,

my deadly enemies who surround me.

They are uncaring;

their mouths speak arrogantly.

They advance against me; now they surround me.

They are determined

to throw me to the ground.

NLTNew Living Translation

Guard me as you would guard your own eyes.

Hide me in the shadow of your wings.

Protect me from wicked people who attack me,

from murderous enemies who surround me.

They are without pity.

Listen to their boasting!

They track me down and surround me,

watching for the chance to throw me to the ground.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Keep me as the apple of your eye.

Hide me in the shadow of your wings

from the presence of the wicked who destroy me,

those enemies against my life,

they that surround me.

They have shut off their calloused heart;

with their mouth they speak arrogantly.

Now they surround us at our every step.

They intend

to pin me to the ground.

KJV 1900King James Version

Keep me as the apple of the eye,

Hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

From the wicked that oppress me,

From my deadly enemies, who compass me about.

They are inclosed in their own fat:

With their mouth they speak proudly.

They have now compassed us in our steps:

They have set their eyes bowing down to the earth;

Public Domain