תהלים ה׳ | Psalms 5, a mizmor of David translated by Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi

Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (translation) — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 00:57:57 +0000

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ אֶֽל־הַנְּחִיל֗וֹת מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃	Conductor, this is to be accompanied with Neḥilot^[1] exact meaning uncertain A song of David.
אֲמָרַ֖י הַאֲזִ֥ינָה ׀ יְהֹוָ֗ה בִּ֣ינָה הֲגִיגִֽי׃ הַקְשִׁ֤יבָה ׀ לְק֬וֹל שַׁוְעִ֗י מַלְכִּ֥י וֵאלֹהָ֑י כִּֽי־אֵ֝לֶ֗יךָ אֶתְפַּלָּֽל׃	YaH! Please hear what I tell You! Lend an ear to me; perceive my reflection. Attend to my pleading voice, my King and God, because it is to You that I am praying!
יְֽהֹוָ֗ה בֹּ֭קֶר תִּשְׁמַ֣ע קוֹלִ֑י בֹּ֥קֶר אֶעֱרׇךְ־לְ֝ךָ֗ וַאֲצַפֶּֽה׃ כִּ֤י ׀ לֹ֤א אֵֽל־חָפֵ֘ץ רֶ֥שַׁע ׀ אָ֑תָּה לֹ֖א יְגֻרְךָ֣ רָֽע׃	It is dawn; YaH, hear my voice. Morning has come as I place my prayer before You, trusting that You will answer. I trust because You are not a god who fancies malice; evil does not abide with You.
לֹֽא־יִתְיַצְּב֣וּ ה֭וֹלְלִים לְנֶ֣גֶד עֵינֶ֑יךָ שָׂ֝נֵ֗אתָ כׇּל־פֹּ֥עֲלֵי אָֽוֶן׃ תְּאַבֵּד֮ דֹּבְרֵ֢י כָ֫זָ֥ב אִישׁ־דָּמִ֥ים וּמִרְמָ֗ה יְתָ֘עֵ֥ב ׀ יְהֹוָֽה׃	You don’t allow cruelty in Your Presence; You abhor the fomenting of violence. You bring about the ruin of crooks; You, YaH, detest a bloodthirsty person who is a deceiver.
וַאֲנִ֗י בְּרֹ֣ב חַ֭סְדְּךָ אָב֣וֹא בֵיתֶ֑ךָ אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֥ה אֶל־הֵיכַל־קׇ֝דְשְׁךָ֗ בְּיִרְאָתֶֽךָ׃	In the abundance of Your Kindness, I enter Your Home; In awe, I bow deeply as I face Your Sacred Dwelling.
יְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ נְחֵ֬נִי בְצִדְקָתֶ֗ךָ לְמַ֥עַן שׁוֹרְרָ֑י (הושר) [הַיְשַׁ֖ר] לְפָנַ֣י דַּרְכֶּֽךָ׃ כִּ֤י אֵ֪ין בְּפִ֡יהוּ נְכוֹנָה֮ קִרְבָּ֢ם הַ֫וּ֥וֹת קֶֽבֶר־פָּת֥וּחַ גְּרֹנָ֑ם לְ֝שׁוֹנָ֗ם יַחֲלִיקֽוּן׃ הַ֥אֲשִׁימֵ֨ם ׀ אֱֽלֹהִ֗ים יִפְּלוּ֮ מִֽמֹּעֲצ֢וֹתֵ֫יהֶ֥ם בְּרֹ֣ב פִּ֭שְׁעֵיהֶם הַדִּיחֵ֑מוֹ כִּי־מָ֥רוּ בָֽךְ׃	Please, YaH, entrain me in righteousness; make straight Your path before me, despite my detractors. They have nothing good to say; their morals are confused. Their throats are like an open pit; woe to the one who falls into it. God! Let them feel their guilt; Let them be caught in their own trap. Be rid of them, because they revolt against You.
וְיִשְׂמְח֨וּ כׇל־ח֪וֹסֵי בָ֡ךְ לְעוֹלָ֣ם יְ֭רַנֵּנוּ וְתָסֵ֣ךְ עָלֵ֑ימוֹ וְֽיַעְלְצ֥וּ בְ֝ךָ֗ אֹהֲבֵ֥י שְׁמֶֽךָ׃ כִּֽי־אַתָּה֮ תְּבָרֵ֢ךְ צַ֫דִּ֥יק יְהֹוָ֑ה כַּ֝צִּנָּ֗ה רָצ֥וֹן תַּעְטְרֶֽנּוּ׃	Let all those who find refuge in You rejoice and sing forever. Those who love Your Name keep celebrating, because You bless the tsadiqim crowning them with dignity and shielding them.

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi’s translation of Psalms 5 was first published in Psalms in a Translation for Praying (Alliance for Jewish Renewal, Philadelphia: 2014), pp. 5-6. Reb Zalman was, in 2009, an early advocate of the Open Siddur Project and generously shared his liturgical and prayer work with the project following his vision of a common “Database Davvenen.” I have set his translation opposite the Masoretic Hebrew text of the psalm according to the phrasing he provided. –Aharon Varady

Notes

Notes
1	exact meaning uncertain

tagged: neḥilot • the Open Siddur Project ✍ פְּרוֺיֶקְט הַסִּדּוּר הַפָּתוּחַ

תהלים ה׳ | Psalms 5, a mizmor of David translated by Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi