Psalm 5

A Morning Prayer for Protection

For the director of music. For flutes. A psalm of David.

5Lord, listen to my words.

Understand my sadness.

²Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,

because I pray to you.

³Lord, every morning you hear my voice.

Every morning, I tell you what I need,

and I wait for your answer.

⁴You are not a God who is pleased with the wicked;

you do not live with those who do evil.

⁵Those people who make fun of you cannot stand before you.

You hate all those who do evil.

⁶You destroy liars;

the Lord hates those who kill and trick others.

⁷Because of your great love,

I can come into your Temple.

Because I fear and respect you,

I can worship in your holy Temple.

⁸Lord, since I have many enemies,

show me the right thing to do.

Show me clearly how you want me to live.

⁹My enemies’ mouths do not tell the truth;

in their hearts they want to destroy others.

Their throats are like open graves;

they use their tongues for telling lies.

¹⁰God, declare them guilty!

Let them fall into their own traps.

Send them away because their sins are many;

they have turned against you.

¹¹But let everyone who trusts you be happy;

let them sing glad songs forever.

Protect those who love you

and who are happy because of you.

¹²Lord, you bless those who do what is right;

you protect them like a soldier’s shield.