Psalm 141

Protection from Sin and Sinners

A Davidic psalm.

Lord, I call on You; hurry to help me.
Listen to my voice when I call on You.(A)
May my prayer be set before You as incense,(B)
the raising of my hands as the evening offering.(C)

Lord, set up a guard for my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips.(D)
Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing
or perform wicked acts
with men who commit sin.
Do not let me feast on their delicacies.(E)
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[a] not refuse it.(F)
Even now my prayer is against
the evil acts of the wicked.[b](G)
When their rulers[c] will be thrown off
the sides of a cliff,
the people[d] will listen to my words,
for they are pleasing.(H)

As when one plows and breaks up the soil,
turning up rocks,
so our[e] bones have been scattered
at the mouth of Sheol.(I)

But my eyes look to You, Lord God.
I seek refuge in You; do not let me die.[f](J)
Protect me from[g] the trap they have set for me,
and from the snares of evildoers.(K)
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by safely.(L)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 141:5 Lit my head
  2. Psalm 141:5 Lit of them
  3. Psalm 141:6 Or judges
  4. Psalm 141:6 Lit cliff, and they
  5. Psalm 141:7 DSS reads my; some LXX mss, Syr read their
  6. Psalm 141:8 Or not pour out my life
  7. Psalm 141:9 Lit from the hands of

Psalm 141

A psalm of David.

141 I cry out to you, Lord: Come to me—quickly!
    Listen to my voice when I cry out to you!
Let my prayer stand before you like incense;
    let my uplifted hands be like the evening offering.

Set a guard over my mouth, Lord;
    keep close watch over the door that is my lips.
Don’t let my heart turn aside to evil things
        so that I don’t do wicked things with evildoers,
        so I don’t taste their delicacies.

Instead, let the righteous discipline me;
    let the faithful correct me!
Let my head never reject that kind of fine oil,
    because my prayers are always against the deeds of the wicked.[a]
Their leaders will fall from jagged cliffs,
    but my words will be heard because they are pleasing.[b]
Our bones[c] have been scattered at the mouth of the grave,[d]
    just like when the ground is broken up and plowed.[e]

But my eyes are on you, my Lord God.
    I take refuge in you; don’t let me die!
Protect me from the trap they’ve set for me;
    protect me from the snares of the evildoers.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets—all together!—
    but let me make it through safely.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 141:5 Heb uncertain
  2. Psalm 141:6 Heb uncertain
  3. Psalm 141:7 LXX manuscripts, Syr their bones; DSS (11QPsa) my bones
  4. Psalm 141:7 Heb Sheol
  5. Psalm 141:7 Heb uncertain