Psalm 140
New Living Translation
Psalm 140
For the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 O Lord, rescue me from evil people.
Protect me from those who are violent,
2 those who plot evil in their hearts
and stir up trouble all day long.
3 Their tongues sting like a snake;
the venom of a viper drips from their lips. Interlude
4 O Lord, keep me out of the hands of the wicked.
Protect me from those who are violent,
for they are plotting against me.
5 The proud have set a trap to catch me;
they have stretched out a net;
they have placed traps all along the way. Interlude
6 I said to the Lord, “You are my God!”
Listen, O Lord, to my cries for mercy!
7 O Sovereign Lord, the strong one who rescued me,
you protected me on the day of battle.
8 Lord, do not let evil people have their way.
Do not let their evil schemes succeed,
or they will become proud. Interlude
9 Let my enemies be destroyed
by the very evil they have planned for me.
10 Let burning coals fall down on their heads.
Let them be thrown into the fire
or into watery pits from which they can’t escape.
11 Don’t let liars prosper here in our land.
Cause great disasters to fall on the violent.
12 But I know the Lord will help those they persecute;
he will give justice to the poor.
13 Surely righteous people are praising your name;
the godly will live in your presence.
Psalm 140
The Voice
Psalm 140
For the worship leader. A song of David.
1 Save me, O Eternal One, from the evil men who seek my life.
Shield me from this band of violent men.
2 Their hearts devise evil! They conspire against me;
they are constantly causing a storm of war.
3 These snakes have sharpened their tongues;
viper venom hides beneath their lips.[a]
[pause][b]
4 Keep me from the grip of these cruel men, O Eternal One.
Shield me from this band of violent men
whose only intention is to trip me up and undermine all I do.
5 Those arrogant people are trying to catch me;
they’ve laid their trap, hiding a net along my path;
their traps are set, and I am the prey.
[pause]
6 “Eternal One,” I said, “You are my one and only God.
Hear me, O Eternal, hear my humble cry for rescue.
7 O Lord, Eternal One, power of my deliverance,
You are my helmet in the day of battle.
8 So do not fulfill the desires of these evildoers, Eternal One;
do not advance their evil schemes, lest they brag about their successes.
[pause]
9 “As for the gang leader of those who surround me,
let their mischievous words cover them; smother them in trouble.
10 Let hot coals fall from heaven upon them
and cast them into the roaring fires.
May they sink into the muddy marsh from which there is no return.
11 Let no liar find a home anywhere in the land;
let evil hunt down the violent man and do him in quickly.”
12 I am certain the Eternal supports the cause of the distressed;
the poor will receive the justice they deserve.
13 Indeed, the just-living will glorify Your name,
and honorable people will be at home in Your presence.
Footnotes
- 140:3 Romans 3:13
- 140:3 Literally, selah, likely a musical direction from a Hebrew root meaning “to lift up”
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.