Prayer for Protection from the Wicked.

For the music director; for [a]flute accompaniment. A Psalm of David.

(A)Listen to my words, Lord,
Consider my (B)sighing.
Listen to (C)the sound of my cry for help, (D)my King and my God,
For to You I pray.
In the morning, Lord, [b]You will hear my voice;
In the (E)morning I will present my [c]prayer to You and be on the (F)watch.

For You are not a God (G)who takes pleasure in wickedness;
(H)No evil can dwell with You.
The (I)boastful will not (J)stand before Your eyes;
You (K)hate all who do injustice.
You (L)destroy those who speak lies;
The Lord loathes (M)the person of bloodshed and deceit.
But as for me, (N)by Your abundant graciousness I will enter Your house,
[d]At Your holy temple I will (O)bow in (P)reverence for You.

Lord, (Q)lead me (R)in Your righteousness (S)because of my enemies;
Make Your way [e]straight before me.
For there is (T)nothing [f]trustworthy in [g]their mouth;
Their (U)inward part is destruction itself.
Their (V)throat is an open grave;
They [h]flatter with their tongue.
10 Make them pay, God;
(W)Have them fall by their own schemes!
(X)Scatter them in the multitude of their wrongdoings,
For they are (Y)rebellious against You.

11 But (Z)rejoice, all who (AA)take refuge in You,
Sing for joy forever!
And [i]may You (AB)shelter them,
That those who (AC)love Your name may rejoice in You.
12 For You (AD)bless the righteous person, Lord,
You (AE)surround him with favor as with a shield.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 5 Title Heb Nehiloth
  2. Psalm 5:3 Or May You hear
  3. Psalm 5:3 Or sacrifice
  4. Psalm 5:7 Or Toward
  5. Psalm 5:8 Or smooth
  6. Psalm 5:9 Or true
  7. Psalm 5:9 So ancient versions; MT his
  8. Psalm 5:9 Or make their tongue smooth
  9. Psalm 5:11 Or You shelter

A Prayer for Guidance and Protection

For the music director; with the flutes. A psalm of David.[a]

Hear my words, O Yahweh.
Give heed to my sighing.[b]
Listen to the sound of my pleading,[c] my king and my God,
for to you I pray.
O Yahweh, in the morning you will hear my voice.
In the morning I will set forth[d] my case to you and I will watch.[e]
For you are not a God who desires[f] wickedness.
Evil cannot dwell with you.
The boastful do not stand before[g] your eyes.
You hate all evildoers.
You destroy speakers of lies.[h]
A man of bloodshed[i] and deceit Yahweh abhors.
But as for me,[j] through the abundance of your steadfast love[k]
I will enter your house.[l]
I will bow down[m] toward your holy temple[n] in awe of you.
O Yahweh, lead me in your righteousness because of my enemies;
make straight before me your way.
For there is not anything reliable in his mouth;
their inner part is destruction.[o]
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongue they speak deceit.[p]
10 Treat them as guilty, O God;
let them fall because of their plans.
Because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take shelter in you rejoice.
Let them ever[q] sing for joy,
because[r] you spread protection over them;
And let those[s] who love your name exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous.
O Yahweh, like a[t] shield you surround him with good favor.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 5:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
  2. Psalm 5:1 Or “murmuring”
  3. Psalm 5:2 Or “cry for help”
  4. Psalm 5:3 Or “present”
  5. Psalm 5:3 Or “look expectantly”
  6. Psalm 5:4 Or “takes delight in”
  7. Psalm 5:5 Or “in front of”
  8. Psalm 5:6 Hebrew “lie”
  9. Psalm 5:6 Literally “a man of bloods”
  10. Psalm 5:7 Literally “And I”
  11. Psalm 5:7 Or “covenant love”
  12. Psalm 5:7 Or “temple”
  13. Psalm 5:7 Or “I will worship”
  14. Psalm 5:7 Literally “the temple of your holiness”
  15. Psalm 5:9 Hebrew “destructions”
  16. Psalm 5:9 Or “flattery; smooth words”
  17. Psalm 5:11 Or “perpetually”
  18. Psalm 5:11 Literally “and”
  19. Psalm 5:11 Or “So that those”
  20. Psalm 5:12 Hebrew “the”