Psalm 140-142
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 140
Prayer for Rescue
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 Rescue me, Lord, from evil men.
Keep me safe from violent men(A)
2 who plan evil in their hearts.
They stir up wars all day long.(B)
3 They make their tongues
as sharp as a snake’s bite;
viper’s venom is under their lips.(C)Selah
4 Protect me, Lord,
from the power of the wicked.(D)
Keep me safe from violent men
who plan to make me stumble.[a](E)
5 The proud hide a trap with ropes for me;
they spread a net along the path
and set snares for me.(F)Selah
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
Listen, Lord, to my cry for help.(G)
7 Lord, my Lord, my strong Savior,
you shield my head on the day of battle.(H)
8 Lord, do not grant the desires of the wicked;
do not let them achieve their goals.
Otherwise, they will become proud.(I)Selah
9 When those who surround me rise up,[b]
may the trouble their lips cause overwhelm them.(J)
10 Let hot coals fall on them.
Let them be thrown into the fire,
into the abyss, never again to rise.(K)
11 Do not let a slanderer stay in the land.
Let evil relentlessly[c] hunt down a violent man.(L)
12 I[d] know that the Lord upholds
the just cause of the poor,
justice for the needy.(M)
13 Surely the righteous will praise your name;
the upright will live in your presence.(N)
Psalm 141
Protection from Sin and Sinners
A psalm of David.
1 Lord, I call on you; hurry to help me.
Listen to my voice when I call on you.(O)
2 May my prayer be set before you as incense,(P)
the raising of my hands as the evening offering.(Q)
3 Lord, set up a guard for my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips.(R)
4 Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing
or perform wicked acts with evildoers.
Do not let me feast on their delicacies.(S)
5 Let the righteous one strike me—
it is an act of faithful love;
let him rebuke me—
it is oil for my head;
let me[e] not refuse it.(T)
Even now my prayer is against
the evil acts of the wicked.[f](U)
6 When their rulers[g] will be thrown off
the sides of a cliff,
the people[h] will listen to my words,
for they are pleasing.(V)
7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil,
turning up rocks,
so our[i] bones have been scattered
at the mouth of Sheol.(W)
8 But my eyes look to you, Lord, my Lord.
I seek refuge in you; do not let me die.[j](X)
9 Protect me from the trap they have set for me,
and from the snares of evildoers.(Y)
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by safely.(Z)
Psalm 142
A Cry of Distress
A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave.(AA) A prayer.
1 I cry aloud to the Lord;(AB)
I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy.(AC)
2 I pour out my complaint before him;
I reveal my trouble to him.(AD)
3 Although my spirit is weak within me,
you know my way.(AE)
Along this path I travel
they have hidden a trap for me.(AF)
4 Look to the right and see:[k]
no one stands up for me;
there is no refuge for me;
no one cares about me.(AG)
5 I cry to you, Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my portion in the land of the living.”(AH)
6 Listen to my cry,
for I am very weak.(AI)
Rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.(AJ)
7 Free me from prison
so that I can praise your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because you deal generously with me.(AK)
Footnotes
- 140:4 Lit to trip up my steps
- 140:9 Lit Head of those who surround me
- 140:11 Hb obscure
- 140:12 Alt Hb tradition reads You
- 141:5 Lit my head
- 141:5 Lit of them
- 141:6 Or judges
- 141:6 Lit cliff, and they
- 141:7 DSS reads my; some LXX mss, Syr read their
- 141:8 Or not pour out my life
- 142:4 DSS, LXX, Syr, Vg, Tg read I look to the right and I see
1 Corinthians 14:1-20
Christian Standard Bible
Prophecy: A Superior Gift
14 Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy. 2 For the person who speaks in a tongue[a](A) is not speaking to people but to God, since no one understands him; he speaks mysteries in the Spirit.[b] 3 On the other hand, the person who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening,[c] encouragement, and consolation. 4 The person who speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 I wish all of you spoke in tongues,[d] but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.
6 So now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation(B) or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 7 Even lifeless instruments that produce sounds—whether flute or harp(C)—if they don’t make a distinction in the notes, how will what is played on the flute or harp be recognized? 8 In fact, if the bugle makes an unclear sound, who will prepare for battle?(D) 9 In the same way, unless you use your tongue for intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are doubtless many different kinds of languages in the world, none is without meaning. 11 Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner[e] to the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me. 12 So also you—since you are zealous(E) for spiritual gifts,[f](F) seek to excel in building up the church.
13 Therefore the person who speaks in a tongue should pray that he can interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit(G) prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.(H) 15 What then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing praise with the spirit, and I will also sing praise with my understanding. 16 Otherwise, if you praise with the spirit,[g] how will the outsider[h] say “Amen”(I) at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you may very well be giving thanks, but the other person is not being built up. 18 I thank(J) God that I speak in tongues more than all of you; 19 yet in the church I would rather speak five words(K) with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
20 Brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your thinking, but be infants in regard to evil and adult in your thinking.(L)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 14:2 Or another language, also in vv. 4,13,14,19,26,27
- 14:2 Or in spirit, or in his spirit
- 14:3 Lit building up
- 14:5 Or other languages, also in vv. 6,18,21,22,23,39
- 14:11 Gk barbaros, or barbarian
- 14:12 Lit zealous of spirits
- 14:16 Or praise by the Spirit
- 14:16 Lit the one filling the place of the uninformed
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Bible Gateway Recommends
