5
Give Ear to My Words
For the choirmaster, to be accompanied by flutes. A Psalm of David.
1Give ear to my words, O Lord;
consider my groaning.
2Attend to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to You I pray.
3In the morning, O Lord, You hear my voice;
at daybreak I lay my plea before You
and wait in expectation.
4For You are not a God who delights in wickedness;
no evil can dwell with You.
5The boastful cannot stand in Your presence;
You hate all workers of iniquity.
6You destroy those who tell lies;
the Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
7But I will enter Your house
by the abundance of Your loving devotion;#5:7 Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion; the range of meaning includes love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and mercy, as well as loyalty to a covenant.
in reverence I will bow down
toward Your holy temple.
8Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make straight Your way before me.
9For not a word they speak can be trusted;
destruction lies within them.
Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.#5:9 Or flattery; cited in Romans 3:13
10Declare them guilty, O God;
let them fall by their own devices.
Drive them out for their many transgressions,
for they have rebelled against You.
11But let all who take refuge in You rejoice;
let them ever shout for joy.
May You shelter them,
that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.
12For surely You, O Lord, bless the righteous;
You surround them with the shield of Your favor.