Print Page Options

Psalm 15[a]

The Righteous Israelite

(A)A psalm of David.

I

Lord, who may abide in your tent?[b]
    Who may dwell on your holy mountain?

II

Whoever walks without blame,(B)
    doing what is right,
    speaking truth from the heart;
Who does not slander with his tongue,
    does no harm to a friend,
    never defames a neighbor;
Who disdains the wicked,
    but honors those who fear the Lord;
    Who keeps an oath despite the cost,
    lends no money at interest,[c]
    accepts no bribe against the innocent.(C)

III

Whoever acts like this
    shall never be shaken.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 15 The Psalm records a liturgical scrutiny at the entrance to the Temple court (cf. Ps 24:3–6; Is 33:14b–16). The Israelite wishing to be admitted had to ask the Temple official what conduct was appropriate to God’s precincts. Note the emphasis on virtues relating to one’s neighbor.
  2. 15:1 Your tent: the Temple could be referred to as “tent” (Ps 61:5; Is 33:20), a reference to the tent of the wilderness period and the tent of David (2 Sm 6:17; 7:2), predecessors of the Temple. Holy mountain: a venerable designation of the divine abode (Ps 2:6; 3:5; 43:3; 48:2, etc.).
  3. 15:5 Lends no money at interest: lending money in the Old Testament was often seen as assistance to the poor in their distress, not as an investment; making money off the poor by charging interest was thus forbidden (Ex 22:24; Lv 25:36–37; Dt 23:20).

Psalm 15

Who Shall Abide in God’s Sanctuary?

A Psalm of David.

O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
    Who may dwell on your holy hill?

Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,
    and speak the truth from their heart;
who do not slander with their tongue,
    and do no evil to their friends,
    nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;
in whose eyes the wicked are despised,
    but who honor those who fear the Lord;
who stand by their oath even to their hurt;
who do not lend money at interest,
    and do not take a bribe against the innocent.

Those who do these things shall never be moved.

What God Requires[a]

15 Lord, who may enter your Temple?
    Who may worship on Zion, your sacred hill?[b]

Those who obey God in everything
    and always do what is right,
whose words are true and sincere,
    and who do not slander others.
They do no wrong to their friends
    nor spread rumors about their neighbors.
They despise those whom God rejects,
    but honor those who obey the Lord.
They always do what they promise,
    no matter how much it may cost.
They make loans without charging interest
    and cannot be bribed to testify against the innocent.

Whoever does these things will always be secure.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 15:1 HEBREW TITLE: A psalm by David.
  2. Psalm 15:1 See 2.6.

Description of a Citizen of Zion.

A Psalm of David.

15 Lord, who may reside (A)in Your tent?
Who may settle on Your (B)holy hill?
One who (C)walks with integrity, practices righteousness,
And (D)speaks truth in his heart.
He (E)does not slander [a]with his tongue,
Nor (F)do evil to his neighbor,
Nor (G)bring shame on his friend;
A despicable person is despised in his eyes,
But he (H)honors those who fear the Lord;
He (I)takes an oath to his own detriment, and does not change;
He (J)does not [b]lend his money [c]at interest,
Nor (K)does he take a bribe against the innocent.
(L)One who does these things will never be shaken.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 15:3 Lit according to
  2. Psalm 15:5 Lit give
  3. Psalm 15:5 I.e., to a fellow Israelite

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.

Lord, who may dwell(A) in your sacred tent?(B)
    Who may live on your holy mountain?(C)

The one whose walk is blameless,(D)
    who does what is righteous,
    who speaks the truth(E) from their heart;
whose tongue utters no slander,(F)
    who does no wrong to a neighbor,
    and casts no slur on others;
who despises a vile person
    but honors(G) those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath(H) even when it hurts,
    and does not change their mind;
who lends money to the poor without interest;(I)
    who does not accept a bribe(J) against the innocent.

Whoever does these things
    will never be shaken.(K)