Psalms 5:1-3

Psalm 5 ¹ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by wind instruments; ²  a psalm of David.

5:1 Listen to what I say, ³  Lord!

Carefully consider my complaint! ⁴ 

5:2 Pay attention to my cry for help,

my king and my God,

for I am praying to you!

5:3 Lord, in the morning ⁵  you will hear ⁶  me; ⁷ 

in the morning I will present my case to you ⁸  and then wait expectantly for an answer. ⁹ 

Psalms 17:1

Psalm 17 ¹⁰ 

A prayer of David.

17:1 Lord, consider my just cause! ¹¹ 

Pay attention to my cry for help!

Listen to the prayer

I sincerely offer! ¹² 

Psalms 28:2

28:2 Hear my plea for mercy when I cry out to you for help,

when I lift my hands ¹³  toward your holy temple! ¹⁴ 

Psalms 55:1-2

Psalm 55 ¹⁵ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song ¹⁶  by David.

55:1 Listen, O God, to my prayer!

Do not ignore ¹⁷  my appeal for mercy!

55:2 Pay attention to me and answer me!

I am so upset ¹⁸  and distressed, ¹⁹  I am beside myself, ²⁰ 

Psalms 130:2

130:2 O Lord, listen to me! ²¹ 

Pay attention to ²²  my plea for mercy!

Philippians 4:6

4:6 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God.

[5:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 5. Appealing to God’s justice and commitment to the godly, the psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from evildoers.

[5:1]  ² tn The meaning of the Hebrew word נְחִילוֹת (nÿkhilot), which occurs only here, is uncertain. Many relate the form to חָלִיל (khalil, “flute”).

[5:1]  ³ tn Heb “my words.”

[5:1]  ⁴ tn Or “sighing.” The word occurs only here and in Ps 39:3.

[5:3]  ⁵ sn In the morning is here viewed as the time of prayer (Pss 59:16; 88:13) and/or of deliverance (Ps 30:5).

[5:3]  ⁶ tn The imperfect is here understood in a specific future sense; the psalmist is expressing his confidence that God will be willing to hear his request. Another option is to understand the imperfect as expressing the psalmist’s wish or request. In this case one could translate, “Lord, in the morning hear me.”

[5:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “my voice.”

[5:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “I will arrange for you.” Some understand a sacrifice or offering as the implied object (cf. NEB “I set out my morning sacrifice”). The present translation assumes that the implied object is the psalmist’s case/request. See Isa 44:7.

[5:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “and I will watch.”

[17:1]  ¹⁰ sn Psalm 17. The psalmist asks God to intervene on his behalf because his life is threatened by dangerous enemies. He appeals to divine justice, for he is certain of his own innocence. Because he is innocent, he expects to encounter God and receive an assuring word.

[17:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “hear, Lord, what is just.”

[17:1]  ¹² tn Heb “Listen to my prayer, [made] without lips of deceit.”

[28:2]  ¹³ sn I lift my hands. Lifting one’s hands toward God was a gesture of prayer.

[28:2]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew term דְּבִיר (dÿvir, “temple”) actually refers to the most holy place within the sanctuary.

[55:1]  ¹⁵ sn Psalm 55. The suffering and oppressed author laments that one of his friends has betrayed him, but he is confident that God will vindicate him by punishing his deceitful enemies.

[55:1]  ¹⁶ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 52.

[55:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “hide yourself from.”

[55:2]  ¹⁸ tn Or “restless” (see Gen 27:40). The Hiphil is intransitive-exhibitive, indicating the outward display of an inner attitude.

[55:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “in my complaint.”

[55:2]  ²⁰ tn The verb is a Hiphil cohortative from הוּם (hum), which means “to confuse someone” in the Qal and “to go wild” in the Niphal. An Arabic cognate means “to be out of one’s senses, to wander about.” With the vav (ו) conjunctive prefixed to it, the cohortative probably indicates the result or effect of the preceding main verb. Some prefer to emend the form to וְאֵהוֹמָה (vÿ’ehomah), a Niphal of הוּם (hum), or to וְאֶהַמֶה (vÿ’ehameh), a Qal imperfect from הָמָה (hamah, “to moan”). Many also prefer to take this verb with what follows (see v. 3).

[130:2]  ²¹ tn Heb “my voice.”

[130:2]  ²² tn Heb “may your ears be attentive to the voice of.”