PSALM 5

Prayer for Protection from the Wicked.

For the choir director; for †flute accompaniment. A Psalm of David.

1 aGive ear to my words, O Lord,

Consider my 1bgroaning.

2 Heed athe sound of my cry for help, bmy King and my God,

For to You I pray.

3 In the morning, O Lord, 1You will hear my voice;

In the amorning I will order my 2prayer to You and eagerly bwatch.

4 For You are not a God awho takes pleasure in wickedness;

bNo evil 1dwells with You.

5 The aboastful shall not bstand before Your eyes;

You chate all who do iniquity.

6 You adestroy those who speak falsehood;

The Lord abhors bthe man of bloodshed and deceit.

7 But as for me, aby Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,

1At Your holy temple I will bbow in creverence for You.

8 O Lord, alead me bin Your righteousness cbecause of 1my foes;

Make Your way 2straight before me.

9 There is anothing 1reliable in 2what they say;

Their binward part is destruction itself.

Their cthroat is an open grave;

They 3flatter with their tongue.

10 Hold them guilty, O God;

aBy their own devices let them fall!

In the multitude of their transgressions bthrust them out,

For they are crebellious against You.

11 But let all who atake refuge in You bbe glad,

Let them ever sing for joy;

And 1may You cshelter them,

That those who dlove Your name may exult in You.

12 For it is You who ablesses the righteous man, O Lord,

You bsurround him with favor as with a shield.

PSALM 6

Prayer for Mercy in Time of Trouble.

For the choir director; with stringed instruments, †upon an eight-string lyre. A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, ado not rebuke me in Your anger,

Nor chasten me in Your wrath.

2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am apining away;

bHeal me, O Lord, for cmy bones are dismayed.

3 And my asoul is greatly dismayed;

But You, O Lord—bhow long?

4 Return, O Lord, arescue my 1soul;

Save me because of Your lovingkindness.

5 For athere is no 1mention of You in death;

In 2Sheol who will give You thanks?

6 I am aweary with my sighing;

Every night I make my bed swim,

I dissolve my couch with bmy tears.

7 My aeye has wasted away with grief;

It has become old because of all my adversaries.

8 aDepart from me, all you who do iniquity,

For the Lord bhas heard the voice of my weeping.

9 The Lord ahas heard my supplication,

The Lord breceives my prayer.

10 All my enemies will abe ashamed and greatly dismayed;

They shall 1turn back, they will bsuddenly be ashamed.

PSALM 7

The Lord Implored to Defend the Psalmist against the Wicked.

A †Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord •concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

1 O Lord my God, ain You I have taken refuge;

Save me from all those who pursue me, and bdeliver me,

2 Or he will tear 1my soul alike a lion,

2Dragging me away, while there is none to deliver.

3 O Lord my God, if I have done this,

If there is ainjustice in my hands,

4 If I have arewarded evil to 1my friend,

Or have bplundered 2him who without cause was my adversary,

5 Let the enemy pursue 1my soul and overtake 2it;

And let him trample my life down to the ground

And lay my glory in the dust.

3Selah.

6 aArise, O Lord, in Your anger;

bLift up Yourself against cthe rage of my adversaries,

And darouse Yourself 1for me; You have appointed judgment.

7 Let the assembly of the apeoples encompass You,

And over 1them return on high.

8 The Lord ajudges the peoples;

1bVindicate me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.

9 O let athe evil of the wicked come to an end, but bestablish the righteous;

For the righteous God ctries the hearts and 1minds.

10 My ashield is 1with God,

Who bsaves the upright in heart.

11 God is a arighteous judge,

And a God who has bindignation every day.

12 If 1a man adoes not repent, He will bsharpen His sword;

He has cbent His bow and 2made it ready.

13 He has also prepared 1for Himself deadly weapons;

He makes His aarrows fiery shafts.

14 Behold, he travails with wickedness,

And he aconceives mischief and brings forth falsehood.

15 He has dug a pit and hollowed it out,

And has afallen into the hole which he made.

16 His amischief will return upon his own head,

And his bviolence will descend upon 1his own pate.

17 I will give thanks to the Lord aaccording to His righteousness

And will bsing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.