Psalm 5
English Standard Version
Lead Me in Your Righteousness
To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.
5 Give ear to my words, O Lord;
consider my (A)groaning.
2 Give attention to the sound of my cry,
my (B)King and my God,
for (C)to you do I pray.
3 O Lord, in (D)the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you[a] and (E)watch.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil may not dwell with you.
5 The (F)boastful shall not (G)stand before your eyes;
you (H)hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak (I)lies;
the Lord abhors (J)the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house.
I will (K)bow down (L)toward your (M)holy temple
in the fear of you.
8 (N)Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
(O)make your way straight before me.
9 For there is no truth in their mouth;
their inmost self is (P)destruction;
(Q)their throat is (R)an open grave;
they (S)flatter with their tongue.
10 (T)Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them (U)fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who (V)take refuge in you (W)rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may (X)exult in you.
12 For you (Y)bless the righteous, O Lord;
you (Z)cover him with favor as with (AA)a shield.
Footnotes
- Psalm 5:3 Or I direct my prayer to you
Psalm 5
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 5
The Refuge of the Righteous
For the choir director: with the flutes. A psalm of David.
1 Listen to my words, Lord;
consider my sighing.(A)
2 Pay attention to the sound of my cry,(B)
my King and my God,(C)
for I pray to you.
3 In the morning,(D) Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you(E) and watch expectantly.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil cannot dwell with you.(F)
5 The boastful cannot stand in your sight;(G)
you hate all evildoers.(H)
6 You destroy those who tell lies;(I)
the Lord abhors violent and treacherous people.(J)
7 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)
8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness(M)
because of my adversaries;
make your way straight before me.(N)
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
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
