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
2Who devise evil things in their hearts;
They continually stir up wars.
3They sharpen their tongues as a serpent;
Poison of a viper is under their lips. [a]Selah.

4Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
Preserve me from violent men
Who have [b]purposed to [c]trip up my feet.
5The 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.

6I 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.”

12I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted
And justice for the poor.
13Surely 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