Psalm
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Psalm 140

Prayer for Protection against the Wicked.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

1Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men;
Preserve me from violent men
2 Who devise evil things in their hearts;
They continually stir up wars.
3 They sharpen their tongues as a serpent;
Poison of a viper is under their lips. [a]Selah.

4 Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
Preserve me from violent men
Who have [b]purposed to [c]trip up my feet.
5 The proud have hidden a trap for me, and cords;
They have spread a net by the [d]wayside;
They have set snares for me. Selah.

6 I said to the Lord, “You are my God;
Give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my supplications.
7 “O [e]God the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You have covered my head in the day of [f]battle.
8 “Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
Do not promote his evil device, that they not be exalted. Selah.

9 “As for the head of those who surround me,
May the mischief of their lips cover them.
10 “May burning coals fall upon them;
May they be cast into the fire,
Into [g]deep pits from which they cannot rise.
11 “May a [h]slanderer not be established in the earth;
May evil hunt the violent man [i]speedily.”

12 I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted
And justice for the poor.
13 Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name;
The upright will dwell in Your presence.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 140:3 Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude
  2. Psalm 140:4 Or devised
  3. Psalm 140:4 Lit push violently
  4. Psalm 140:5 Lit track
  5. Psalm 140:7 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  6. Psalm 140:7 Lit weapons
  7. Psalm 140:10 Lit watery
  8. Psalm 140:11 Lit man of tongue
  9. Psalm 140:11 Lit thrust upon thrust
Psalm 140