Psalm 5 Translations
Back to Psalm 5
Close-but-Clear[1]
1 For the director, on the flutes, a psalm by David.
2 Listen to my words, YHWH.
Understand my murmuring.
3 Pay attention to the sound of my cry for help,
my king and my God,
for I am praying to you.
4 YHWH, in the morning you hear my voice.
In the morning I arrange [my case] for you and wait.
5 For you are not a god pleased with wickedness.
Evil will not sojourn with you.
6 Boasters will not stand before your eyes.
You hate all workers of evil.
7 You will destroy speakers of falsehood.
YHWH abhors a person of bloodshed and treachery.
8 But I, in the greatness of your loyalty, will go to your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple in fear of you.
9 YHWH, lead me in your righteousness
because of my enemies.
Make your way straight before me.
10 For there is nothing true in his mouth.
Their inner parts are disaster.
Their throat is an open tomb.
They make their tongues deceitful.
11 Make them bear their guilt, God.
Let them fall on account of their designs.
Drive them out because of the greatness of their crimes,
for they have rebelled against you.
12 And let all those who take refuge in you rejoice.
Let them shout forever, and may you shelter them,
and let those who love you exult in you.
13 For you bless the righteous one.
YHWH, like a large shield, you surround him with favour.
Synthesis[2]
- 1 For the director, with flutes, a psalm by David.
- 2 Listen to my words, YHWH!
- Understand what I struggle to articulate!
- 3 Pay attention to my desperate cry for help,
- my king and my God,
- because it’s you to whom I pray!
- 4 YHWH, in the morning you give me a hearing.
- The morning is when I prepare cases for you and wait with anticipation.
- 5 For you are not the kind of god who likes wickedness.
- Evil cannot come and stay with you.
- 6 Proud and boastful people cannot appear before you.
- You hate everyone who does evil.
- 7 You put an end to liars.
- YHWH detests the person who sheds blood and deceives others.
- 8 I, on the other hand, will be able to go to your house because you are so loyal.
- I will bow down toward your holy temple because I revere you.
- 9 YHWH, guide me because you are righteous!
- I need guidance because of my enemies.
- Give me a safe journey!
- 10 For nothing that comes out of my enemy’s mouth can be trusted.
- Deep down, they harbor destructive intentions.
- They use words to kill and destroy.
- Their smooth talk is deceptive.
- 11 Hold them guilty, God!
- May their plots be the cause of their downfall!
- Banish them for all their crimes,
- because they have rebelled against you.
- 12 Then let all who take refuge in you rejoice!
- Let their joyful shouts go on forever as you give them shelter,
- And let those who love you rejoice in you.
- 13 All because your blessing is on the righteous one.
- YHWH, you surround him with favour like a shield.
Notes
- ↑ The close-but-clear translation exists to provide a window into the Hebrew text (syntax as well as word and phrase level semantics) for non-Hebrew readers of the Psalms: Layer by Layer materials. It is intended as a supplement to these materials rather than a stand-alone translation.
- ↑ Whereas the close-but-clear translation aims for accuracy and clarity in representing the syntax and word-phrase level semantics of the Hebrew text, the synthesis translation takes into account the higher levels of analysis (discourse and poetics) and aims to present the text in more natural English.