Psalm 5
New American Standard Bible
Prayer for Protection from the Wicked.
For the music director; for [a]flute accompaniment. A Psalm of David.
5 (A)Listen to my words, Lord,
Consider my (B)sighing.
2 Listen to (C)the sound of my cry for help, (D)my King and my God,
For to You I pray.
3 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.
4 For You are not a God (G)who takes pleasure in wickedness;
(H)No evil can dwell with You.
5 The (I)boastful will not (J)stand before Your eyes;
You (K)hate all who do injustice.
6 You (L)destroy those who speak lies;
The Lord loathes (M)the person of bloodshed and deceit.
7 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.
8 Lord, (Q)lead me (R)in Your righteousness (S)because of my enemies;
Make Your way [e]straight before me.
9 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
- Psalm 5 Title Heb Nehiloth
- Psalm 5:3 Or May You hear
- Psalm 5:3 Or sacrifice
- Psalm 5:7 Or Toward
- Psalm 5:8 Or smooth
- Psalm 5:9 Or true
- Psalm 5:9 So ancient versions; MT his
- Psalm 5:9 Or make their tongue smooth
- Psalm 5:11 Or You shelter
Psalm 5
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 5
Trust in God for Deliverance from Enemies
To the leader: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.
1 Listen to my words, O Lord;
attend to my sighing.(A)
2 Listen to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.(B)
3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you and watch.(C)
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil will not sojourn with you.(D)
5 The boastful will not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.(E)
6 You destroy those who speak lies;
the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.(F)
7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house;
I will bow down toward your holy temple
in awe of you.(G)
8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.(H)
9 For there is no truth in their mouths;
their hearts are destruction;
their throats are open graves;
they flatter with their tongues.(I)
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of their many transgressions, cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.(J)
Psalm 5
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
5 Unto the end, for her that obtaineth the inheritance. A psalm of David.
2 Give ear, O Lord, to my words, understand my cry.
3 Hearken to the voice of my prayer, O my King and my God.
4 For to thee will I pray: O Lord, in the morning thou shalt hear my voice.
5 In the morning I will stand before thee, and will see: because thou art not a God that willest iniquity.
6 Neither shall the wicked dwell near thee: nor shall the unjust abide before thy eyes.
7 Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity: Thou wilt destroy all that speak a lie. The bloody and the deceitful man the Lord will abhor.
8 But as for me in the multitude of thy mercy, I will come into thy house; I will worship towards thy holy temple, in thy fear.
9 Conduct me, O Lord, in thy justice: because of my enemies, direct my way in thy sight.
10 For there is no truth in their mouth; their heart is vain.
11 Their throat is an open sepulchre: they dealt deceitfully with their tongues: judge them, O God. Let them fall from their devices: according to the multitude of their wickedness cast them out: for they have provoked thee, O Lord.
12 But let all them be glad that hope in thee: they shall rejoice for ever, and thou shalt dwell in them. And all they that love thy name shall glory in thee:
13 For thou wilt bless the just. O Lord, thou hast crowned us, as with a shield of thy good will.
Psalm 5
The Message
5 1-3 Listen, God! Please, pay attention!
Can you make sense of these ramblings,
my groans and cries?
King-God, I need your help.
Every morning
you’ll hear me at it again.
Every morning
I lay out the pieces of my life
on your altar
and watch for fire to descend.
4-6 You don’t socialize with Wicked,
or invite Evil over as your houseguest.
Hot-Air-Boaster collapses in front of you;
you shake your head over Mischief-Maker.
God destroys Lie-Speaker;
Blood-Thirsty and Truth-Bender disgust you.
7-8 And here I am, your invited guest—
it’s incredible!
I enter your house; here I am,
prostrate in your inner sanctum,
Waiting for directions
to get me safely through enemy lines.
9-10 Every word they speak is a land mine;
their lungs breathe out poison gas.
Their throats are gaping graves,
their tongues slick as mudslides.
Pile on the guilt, God!
Let their so-called wisdom wreck them.
Kick them out! They’ve had their chance.
11-12 But you’ll welcome us with open arms
when we run for cover to you.
Let the party last all night!
Stand guard over our celebration.
You are famous, God, for welcoming God-seekers,
for decking us out in delight.
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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