Psalm chapter 5
English Standard Version
1Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. 2Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. 3O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. 4For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. 5The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. 6You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. 7But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. 8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. 9For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. 10 Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you. 11But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. 12For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.
New International Version
2Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. 3In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. 4For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome. 5The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong; 6you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, Lord, detest.
7But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple. 8Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies— make your way straight before me. 9Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies. 10Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.
New American Standard Bible
1 Listen to my words, Lord, Consider my sighing. 2Listen to the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, For to You I pray. 3In the morning, Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will present my prayer to You and be on the watch. 4For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil can dwell with You. 5The boastful will not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do injustice. 6You destroy those who speak lies; The Lord loathes the person of bloodshed and deceit. 7But as for me, by Your abundant graciousness I will enter Your house, At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You. 8Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before me. 9For there is nothing trustworthy in their mouth; Their inward part is destruction itself. Their throat is an open grave; They flatter with their tongue. 10Make them pay, God; Have them fall by their own schemes! Scatter them in the multitude of their wrongdoings, For they are rebellious against You. 11But rejoice, all who take refuge in You, Sing for joy forever! And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may rejoice in You. 12For You bless the righteous person, Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield.
Christian Standard Bible
3In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you and watch expectantly. 4For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil cannot dwell with you. 5The boastful cannot stand in your sight; you hate all evildoers.
6You destroy those who tell lies; the Lord abhors violent and treacherous people. 7But I enter your house by the abundance of your faithful love; I bow down toward your holy temple in reverential awe of you.
8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness because of my adversaries; make your way straight before me. 9For there is nothing reliable in what they say; destruction is within them; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongues.
10Punish them, God; let them fall by their own schemes. Drive them out because of their many crimes, for they rebel against you. 11But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them shout for joy forever. May you shelter them, and may those who love your name boast about you. 12For you, Lord, bless the righteous one; you surround him with favor like a shield.
New Living Translation
1O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. 2Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you. 3Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.
4O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness; you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked. 5Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence, for you hate all who do evil. 6You will destroy those who tell lies. The Lord detests murderers and deceivers.
7Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe. 8Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow.
9My enemies cannot speak a truthful word. Their deepest desire is to destroy others. Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with flattery. 10O God, declare them guilty. Let them be caught in their own traps. Drive them away because of their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.
King James Version
New King James Version
1{To the Chief Musician. With flutes. A Psalm of David.} Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my meditation. 2Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray. 3My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up. 4For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You. 5The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. 6You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. 7But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple. 8 Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face. 9For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; Their inward part is destruction; Their throat is an open tomb; They flatter with their tongue. 10Pronounce them guilty, O God! Let them fall by their own counsels; Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions, For they have rebelled against You. 11But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. 12For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
What does Psalm chapter 5 mean?
As with Psalms 3 and 4, Psalm 5 is connected to David's conflict with his rebellious son, Absalom (2 Samuel 15:1–6). After winning a large following, Absalom attempted a murderous coup against his father (2 Samuel 15:13–14). David's writing in these several psalms includes his thoughts and feelings during this dangerous time (Psalm 3:1). The request for God to bring judgment makes this one of the so-called "imprecatory psalms."David begins with a prayer for God's attention, including a declaration that he seeks to honor the Lord. Psalm 7:1–2 contains similar language as David seeks the favor of God in a difficult time (Psalm 5:1–3).
Next, David describes the wickedness of those who oppose him. Part of David's confidence came from knowing that he honored God, and his enemies did not. He trusts that God will ultimately vindicate him in the face of wicked opponents (Psalm 5:4–6).
Closing out this song, David expresses confidence in God's impending judgment on the wicked. Once again, he declares his sincere obedience to God. This passage directly calls on God to bring consequences on those who are evil. This is known as "imprecation," and is why this is considered one of the "imprecatory" psalms (Psalm 5:7–12).
