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Psalm 141
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

Psalm 141

Prayer for Preservation from Evil

A Psalm of David.

1 I call upon you, O Lord; come quickly to me;
    give ear to my voice when I call to you.(A)
2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you
    and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.(B)

3 Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;
    keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not turn my heart to any evil,
    to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with those who work iniquity;
    do not let me eat of their delicacies.(C)

5 Let the righteous strike me;
    let the faithful correct me.
Never let the oil of the wicked anoint my head,[a]
    for my prayer is continually[b] against their wicked deeds.(D)
6 When they are given over to those who shall condemn them,
    then they shall learn that my words were pleasant.
7 Like a rock that one breaks apart and shatters on the land,
    so shall their bones be strewn at the mouth of Sheol.[c](E)

8 But my eyes are turned toward you, O God, my Lord;
    in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless.(F)
9 Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me
    and from the snares of evildoers.(G)
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
    while I alone escape.(H)

Footnotes

  1. 141.5 Gk: Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. 141.5 Cn: Heb for continually and my prayer
  3. 141.7 Meaning of Heb of 141.5–7 is uncertain
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Psalm 141
Lexham English Bible

Prayer for God’s Help in Maintaining Integrity

A psalm of David.[a]

141 I call on you, O Yahweh; hasten to me.
Listen to my voice when I call to you.
2 Let my prayer be set before you as incense,
the lifting up of my palms as the evening offering.
3 Set a guard, O Yahweh, over my mouth;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
to practice wicked deeds
with men who do iniquity;
and do not let me eat of their delicacies.
5 Let a righteous one strike me in kindness,
and let him chasten me.
It is oil for my head;[b] let not my head refuse.
For still my prayer is against their evil deeds.
6 When their judges are thrown down the sides of a cliff,[c]
then they will understand that my words were pleasant.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
8 But[d] my eyes are toward you, O Yahweh, my Lord;
I have taken refuge in you. Do not lay bare my soul.[e]
9 Protect me from the grasp[f] of the trap they have laid for me,
and from the snares of evildoers.
10 Let the wicked fall into their[g] nets,
while I escape altogether.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 141:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm
  2. Psalm 141:5 Or “It is choice oil”
  3. Psalm 141:6 Or “are dropped into the hands of the Rock,” that is, Yahweh. The interpretation of vv. 6–7 is uncertain.
  4. Psalm 141:8 Or “Because”
  5. Psalm 141:8 Or “Do not raze my life”
  6. Psalm 141:9 Literally “hand”
  7. Psalm 141:10 Hebrew “his”
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New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Lexham English Bible (LEB)

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