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Psalm 5

The Refuge of the Righteous

For the choir director: with the flutes. A Davidic psalm.

Listen to my words, Lord;
consider my sighing.(A)
Pay attention to the sound of my cry,(B)
my King and my God,(C)
for I pray to You.

At daybreak,(D) Lord, You hear my voice;
at daybreak I plead my case to You(E) and watch expectantly.

For You are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil cannot dwell with You.(F)
The boastful cannot stand in Your presence;(G)
You hate all evildoers.(H)
You destroy those who tell lies;(I)
the Lord abhors a man of bloodshed and treachery.(J)

But I enter Your house
by the abundance of Your faithful love;(K)
I bow down toward Your holy temple
in reverential awe of You.(L)
Lord, lead me in Your righteousness(M)
because of my adversaries;[a]
make Your way straight before me.(N)

For there is nothing reliable in what they say;[b](O)
destruction is within them;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongues.(P)
10 Punish them, God;
let them fall by their own schemes.(Q)
Drive them out(R) because of their many crimes,
for they rebel against You.(S)

11 But let all who take refuge in You rejoice;(T)
let them shout for joy forever.
May You shelter them,(U)
and may those who love Your name boast about You.(V)
12 For You, Lord, bless the righteous one;
You surround him with favor like a shield.(W)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 5:8 Or of those who lie in wait for me
  2. Psalm 5:9 Lit in his mouth

(A psalm by David for the music leader. Use flutes.)

A Prayer for Help

Listen, Lord, as I pray!
    Pay attention when I groan.[a]
You are my King and my God.
Answer my cry for help
    because I pray to you.
Each morning you listen
    to my prayer,
as I bring my requests[b] to you
    and wait for your reply.

You are not the kind of God
who is pleased with evil.
    Sinners can't stay with you.
No one who boasts can stand
in your presence, Lord,
    and you hate evil people.
You destroy every liar,
and you despise violence
    and deceit.

Because of your great mercy,
    I come to your house, Lord,
and I am filled with wonder
as I bow down to worship
    at your holy temple.
You do what is right,
    and I ask you to guide me.
Make your teaching clear
    because of my enemies.

(A) Nothing they say is true!
    They just want to destroy.
Their words are deceitful
    like a hidden pit,
and their tongues are good
    only for telling lies.
10 Punish them, God,
and let their own plans
    bring their downfall.
Get rid of them!
They keep committing crimes
    and turning against you.

11 Let all who run to you
for protection
    always sing joyful songs.
Provide shelter for those
who truly love you
    and let them rejoice.
12 Our Lord, you bless those
    who live right,
and you shield them
    with your kindness.

Footnotes

  1. 5.1 when I groan: Or “to my thoughts” or “to my words.”
  2. 5.3 requests: Or “sacrifices.”

The Refuge of the Righteous

For the choir director: with the flutes. A psalm of David.

Listen to my words, Lord;
consider my sighing.(A)
Pay attention to the sound of my cry,(B)
my King and my God,(C)
for I pray to you.

In the morning,(D) Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you(E) and watch expectantly.

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil cannot dwell with you.(F)
The boastful cannot stand in your sight;(G)
you hate all evildoers.(H)
You destroy those who tell lies;(I)
the Lord abhors violent and treacherous people.(J)

But I enter your house
by the abundance of your faithful love;(K)
I bow down towards your holy temple
in reverential awe of you.(L)
Lord, lead me in your righteousness(M)
because of my adversaries;
make your way straight before me.(N)

For there is nothing reliable in what they say;(O)
destruction is within them;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongues.(P)
10 Punish them, God;
let them fall by their own schemes.(Q)
Drive them out(R) because of their many crimes,
for they rebel against you.(S)

11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;(T)
let them shout for joy for ever.
May you shelter them,(U)
and may those who love your name boast about you.(V)
12 For you, Lord, bless the righteous one;
you surround him with favour like a shield.(W)

Psalm 5[a]

For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.

Listen(A) to my words, Lord,
    consider my lament.(B)
Hear my cry for help,(C)
    my King and my God,(D)
    for to you I pray.

In the morning,(E) Lord, you hear my voice;
    in the morning I lay my requests before you
    and wait expectantly.(F)
For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
    with you, evil people(G) are not welcome.
The arrogant(H) cannot stand(I)
    in your presence.
You hate(J) all who do wrong;
    you destroy those who tell lies.(K)
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
    you, Lord, detest.
But I, by your great love,
    can come into your house;
in reverence(L) I bow down(M)
    toward your holy temple.(N)

Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness(O)
    because of my enemies—
    make your way straight(P) before me.
Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
    their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;(Q)
    with their tongues they tell lies.(R)
10 Declare them guilty, O God!
    Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,(S)
    for they have rebelled(T) against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
    let them ever sing for joy.(U)
Spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name(V) may rejoice in you.(W)

12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;(X)
    you surround them(Y) with your favor as with a shield.(Z)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1-12 is numbered 5:2-13.

Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.

Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.

The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.

But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.

Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.

For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.

10 Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.

11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

12 For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.