Psalm 4-6
New King James Version
The Safety of the Faithful
To the [a]Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
4 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
[b]Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
2 How long, O you sons of men,
Will you turn my glory to shame?
How long will you love worthlessness
And seek falsehood? Selah
3 But know that (A)the Lord has [c]set apart for Himself him who is godly;
The Lord will hear when I call to Him.
4 (B)Be[d] angry, and do not sin.
(C)Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah
5 Offer (D)the sacrifices of righteousness,
And (E)put your trust in the Lord.
6 There are many who say,
“Who will show us any good?”
(F)Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.
7 You have put (G)gladness in my heart,
More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
8 (H)I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
(I)For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
A Prayer for Guidance
To the Chief Musician. With [e]flutes. A Psalm of David.
5 Give (J)ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my [f]meditation.
2 Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to You I will pray.
3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
(K)In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.
4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
Nor shall evil [g]dwell with You.
5 The (L)boastful shall not (M)stand in Your sight;
You hate all workers of iniquity.
6 You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors the (N)bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
7 But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy;
In fear of You I will worship toward [h]Your holy temple.
8 (O)Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;
Make Your way straight before my face.
9 For there is no [i]faithfulness in their mouth;
Their inward part is destruction;
(P)Their throat is an open tomb;
They flatter with their tongue.
10 Pronounce them guilty, O God!
Let them fall by their own counsels;
Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions,
For they have rebelled against You.
11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You [j]defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
12 For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
A Prayer of Faith in Time of Distress
To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. (Q)On [k]an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David.
6 O Lord, (R)do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
2 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak;
O Lord, (S)heal me, for my bones are troubled.
3 My soul also is greatly (T)troubled;
But You, O Lord—how long?
4 Return, O Lord, deliver me!
Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake!
5 (U)For in death there is no remembrance of You;
In the grave who will give You thanks?
6 I am weary with my groaning;
[l]All night I make my bed swim;
I drench my couch with my tears.
7 (V)My eye wastes away because of grief;
It grows old because of all my enemies.
8 (W)Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity;
For the Lord has (X)heard the voice of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my supplication;
The Lord will receive my prayer.
10 Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled;
Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.
Footnotes
- Psalm 4:1 Choir Director
- Psalm 4:1 Be gracious to me
- Psalm 4:3 Many Heb. mss., LXX, Tg., Vg. made wonderful
- Psalm 4:4 Lit. Tremble or Be agitated
- Psalm 5:1 Heb. nehiloth
- Psalm 5:1 Lit. groaning
- Psalm 5:4 Lit. sojourn
- Psalm 5:7 Lit. the temple of Your holiness
- Psalm 5:9 uprightness
- Psalm 5:11 protect, lit. cover
- Psalm 6:1 Heb. sheminith
- Psalm 6:6 Or Every night
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.