Lead Me in Your Righteousness

To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

Give ear to my words, O Lord;
    consider my (A)groaning.
Give attention to the sound of my cry,
    my (B)King and my God,
    for (C)to you do I pray.
O Lord, in (D)the morning you hear my voice;
    in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you[a] and (E)watch.

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
    evil may not dwell with you.
The (F)boastful shall not (G)stand before your eyes;
    you (H)hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speak (I)lies;
    the Lord abhors (J)the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

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.
(N)Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
    because of my enemies;
    (O)make your way straight before me.

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

  1. Psalm 5:3 Or I direct my prayer to you

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”