Psalm 140-142

New King James Version

Prayer for Deliverance from Evil Men

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

140 Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
Preserve me from violent men,
²Who plan evil things in their hearts;
^(A)They continually gather together for war.
³They sharpen their tongues like a serpent;
The ^(B)poison of asps is under their lips. Selah

⁴^(C)Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
Preserve me from violent men,
Who have purposed to make my steps stumble.
⁵The proud have hidden a ^(D)snare for me, and cords;
They have spread a net by the wayside;
They have set traps for me. Selah

⁶I said to the Lord: “You are my God;
Hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord.
⁷O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You have ^[a]covered my head in the day of battle.
⁸Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
Do not further his wicked scheme,
^(E)Lest they be exalted. Selah

⁹“As for the head of those who surround me,
Let the evil of their lips cover them;
¹⁰^(F)Let burning coals fall upon them;
Let them be cast into the fire,
Into deep pits, that they rise not up again.
¹¹Let not a slanderer be established in the earth;
Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him.”

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

Prayer for Safekeeping from Wickedness

A Psalm of David.

141 Lord, I cry out to You;
Make haste to me!
Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You.
²Let my prayer be set before You ^(H)as incense,
^(I)The lifting up of my hands as ^(J)the evening sacrifice.

³Set a guard, O Lord, over my ^(K)mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips.
⁴Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice wicked works
With men who work iniquity;
^(L)And do not let me eat of their delicacies.

⁵^(M)Let the righteous strike me;
It shall be a kindness.
And let him rebuke me;
It shall be as excellent oil;
Let my head not refuse it.

For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.
⁶Their judges are overthrown by the sides of the ^[b]cliff,
And they hear my words, for they are sweet.
⁷Our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave,
As when one plows and breaks up the earth.

⁸But ^(N)my eyes are upon You, O God the Lord;
In You I take refuge;
^[c]Do not leave my soul destitute.
⁹Keep me from ^(O)the snares they have laid for me,
And from the traps of the workers of iniquity.
¹⁰^(P)Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
While I escape safely.

A Plea for Relief from Persecutors

A ^(Q)Contemplation^[d] of David. A Prayer ^(R)when he was in the cave.

142 I cry out to the Lord with my voice;
With my voice to the Lord I make my supplication.
²I pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare before Him my trouble.

³When my spirit ^[e]was ^(S)overwhelmed within me,
Then You knew my path.
In the way in which I walk
They have secretly ^(T)set a snare for me.
⁴Look on my right hand and see,
For there is no one who acknowledges me;
Refuge has failed me;
No one cares for my soul.

⁵I cried out to You, O Lord:
I said, “You are my refuge,
My portion in the land of the living.
⁶^[f]Attend to my cry,
For I am brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are stronger than I.
⁷Bring my soul out of prison,
That I may ^(U)praise Your name;
The righteous shall surround me,
For You shall deal bountifully with me.”