Psalm 140
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,
2 Who plan evil things in their hearts;
(A)They continually gather together for war.
3 They 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.
5 The 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
6 I said to the Lord: “You are my God;
Hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord.
7 O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You have [a]covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Do 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.
11 Let not a slanderer be established in the earth;
Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him.”
12 I know that the Lord will (G)maintain
The cause of the afflicted,
And justice for the poor.
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name;
The upright shall dwell in Your presence.
Footnotes
- Psalm 140:7 sheltered
Psalm 140
Authorized (King James) Version
Psalm 140
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
1 Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man:
preserve me from the violent man;
2 which imagine mischiefs in their heart;
continually are they gathered together for war.
3 They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent;
adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah.
4 Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
preserve me from the violent man;
who have purposed to overthrow my goings.
5 The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords;
they have spread a net by the wayside;
they have set gins for me. Selah.
6 I said unto the Lord, Thou art my God:
hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord.
7 O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked:
further not his wicked device; lest they exalt themselves. Selah.
9 As for the head of those that compass me about,
let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
10 Let burning coals fall upon them:
let them be cast into the fire;
into deep pits, that they rise not up again.
11 Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth:
evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.
12 I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
and the right of the poor.
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name:
the upright shall dwell in thy presence.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
KJV reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s patentee in the UK.