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Psalm 5

Trust in God for Deliverance from Enemies

To the leader: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

Listen to my words, O Lord;
    attend to my sighing.(A)
Listen to the sound of my cry,
    my King and my God,
    for to you I pray.(B)
O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
    in the morning I plead my case to you and watch.(C)

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
    evil will not sojourn with you.(D)
The boastful will not stand before your eyes;
    you hate all evildoers.(E)
You destroy those who speak lies;
    the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.(F)

But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
    will enter your house;
I will bow down toward your holy temple
    in awe of you.(G)
Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
    because of my enemies;
    make your way straight before me.(H)

For there is no truth in their mouths;
    their hearts are destruction;
their throats are open graves;
    they flatter with their tongues.(I)
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God;
    let them fall by their own counsels;
because of their many transgressions, cast them out,
    for they have rebelled against you.(J)

11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
    let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
    so that those who love your name may exult in you.(K)
12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
    you cover them with favor as with a shield.(L)

Psalm 6

Prayer for Recovery from Grave Illness

To the leader: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
    or discipline me in your wrath.(A)
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
    O Lord, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror.(B)
My soul also is struck with terror,
    while you, O Lord—how long?(C)

Turn, O Lord, save my life;
    deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love.
For in death there is no remembrance of you;
    in Sheol who can give you praise?(D)

I am weary with my moaning;
    every night I flood my bed with tears;
    I drench my couch with my weeping.
My eyes waste away because of grief;
    they grow weak because of all my foes.(E)

Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
    for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.(F)
The Lord has heard my supplication;
    the Lord accepts my prayer.(G)
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with terror;
    they shall turn back and in a moment be put to shame.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed such dreams that his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him.(A) So the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. When they came in and stood before the king,(B) he said to them, “I have had such a dream that my spirit is troubled by the desire to understand it.”(C) The Chaldeans said to the king (in Aramaic),[a] “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will reveal the interpretation.”(D) The king answered the Chaldeans, “This is a public decree: if you do not tell me both the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins.(E) But if you do tell me the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.”(F) They answered a second time, “Let the king first tell his servants the dream, then we can give its interpretation.”(G) The king answered, “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time because you see the decree from me is firm: if you do not tell me the dream, there is but one verdict for you. You have agreed to speak lying and misleading words to me until things take a turn. Therefore, tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can give me its interpretation.”(H) 10 The Chaldeans answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can reveal what the king demands! In fact, no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. 11 The thing that the king is asking is too difficult, and no one can reveal it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals.”(I)

12 Because of this the king flew into a violent rage and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. 13 The decree was issued, and the wise men were about to be executed, and they looked for Daniel and his companions, to execute them. 14 Then Daniel responded with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the king’s chief executioner, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon;(J) 15 he asked Arioch, the royal official, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel.(K) 16 So Daniel went in and requested that the king give him time and he would tell the king the interpretation.

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Footnotes

  1. 2.4 The text from this point through 7.28 is in Aramaic

12 While I was with them, I protected them in your name that[a] you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost,[b] so that the scripture might be fulfilled.(A) 13 But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves.[c] 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.(B) 15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.[d](C) 16 They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.(D) 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

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Footnotes

  1. 17.12 Other ancient authorities read protected in your name those whom
  2. 17.12 Gk except the son of destruction
  3. 17.13 Or among themselves
  4. 17.15 Or from evil

Psalm 10

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

[a]Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?
    Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor—
    let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.(A)

For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart;
    those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord.(B)
In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, “God will not seek it out”;
    all their thoughts are, “There is no God.”(C)

Their ways prosper at all times;
    your judgments are on high, out of their sight;
    as for their foes, they scoff at them.
They think in their heart, “We shall not be moved;
    throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.”(D)

Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
    under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.(E)
They sit in ambush in the villages;
    in hiding places they murder the innocent.

Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;(F)
    they lurk in secret like a lion in its den;
they lurk that they may seize the poor;
    they seize the poor and drag them off in their net.(G)

10 They stoop, they crouch,
    and the helpless fall by their might.
11 They think in their heart, “God has forgotten;
    he has hidden his face; he will never see it.”(H)

12 Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
    do not forget the oppressed.(I)
13 Why do the wicked renounce God
    and say in their hearts, “You will not call us to account”?

14 But you do see! Indeed, you note trouble and grief,
    that you may take it into your hands;
the helpless commit themselves to you;
    you have been the helper of the orphan.(J)

15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers;
    seek out their wickedness until you find none.(K)
16 The Lord is king forever and ever;
    the nations shall perish from his land.(L)

17 O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek;
    you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear(M)
18 to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed,
    so that those from earth may strike terror no more.[b](N)

Footnotes

  1. 10.1 Psalms 9–10 were originally one psalm, as in the Greek and Latin traditions. In Hebrew, Psalms 9–10 formed an acrostic.
  2. 10.18 Meaning of Heb uncertain

Psalm 11

Song of Trust in God

To the leader. Of David.

In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to me,
    “Flee like a bird to the mountains,[a](A)
for look, the wicked bend the bow,
    they have fitted their arrow to the string,
    to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart.(B)
If the foundations are destroyed,
    what can the righteous do?”(C)

The Lord is in his holy temple;
    the Lord’s throne is in heaven.
    His eyes behold; his gaze examines humankind.(D)
The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,
    and his soul hates the lover of violence.(E)
On the wicked he will rain coals of fire and sulfur;
    a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.(F)
For the Lord is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
    the upright shall behold his face.(G)

Footnotes

  1. 11.1 Gk Syr Jerome Tg: Heb flee to your mountain, O bird