Psalm 140
English Standard Version
Deliver Me, O Lord, from Evil Men
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
140 (A)Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
preserve me from (B)violent men,
2 who plan evil things in their heart
and (C)stir up wars continually.
3 They make (D)their tongue sharp as (E)a serpent's,
and (F)under their lips is the (G)venom of asps. Selah
4 Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
preserve me from (H)violent men,
who have planned to trip up my feet.
5 The arrogant have (I)hidden a trap for me,
and with cords they have spread (J)a net;[a]
beside the way they have set (K)snares for me. Selah
6 (L)I say to the Lord, You are my God;
give ear to (M)the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord!
7 O Lord, my Lord, (N)the strength of my salvation,
you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8 (O)Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
do not further their[b] evil plot, or (P)they will be exalted! Selah
9 As for the head of those who surround me,
let (Q)the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
10 Let (R)burning coals fall upon them!
Let them be cast into fire,
into miry pits, no more to rise!
11 Let not the slanderer be established in the land;
let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!
12 I know that the Lord will (S)maintain the cause of the afflicted,
and (T)will execute justice for the needy.
13 Surely (U)the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
(V)the upright shall dwell in your presence.
Footnotes
- Psalm 140:5 Or they have spread cords as a net
- Psalm 140:8 Hebrew his
Psalm 140
King James Version
140 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.
Psalm 140
The Message
140 1-5 God, get me out of here, away from this evil;
protect me from these vicious people.
All they do is think up new ways to be bad;
they spend their days plotting war games.
They practice the sharp rhetoric of hate and hurt,
speak venomous words that maim and kill.
God, keep me out of the clutch of these wicked ones,
protect me from these vicious people;
All boast and swagger, they plot ways to trip me up,
determined to bring me down.
These crooks invent traps to catch me
and do their best to incriminate me.
6-8 I prayed, “God, you’re my God!
Listen, God! Mercy!
God, my Lord, Strong Savior,
protect me when the fighting breaks out!
Don’t let the wicked have their way, God,
don’t give them an inch!”
9-11 These troublemakers all around me—
let them drown in their own verbal poison.
Let God pile hellfire on them,
let him bury them alive in crevasses!
These loudmouths—
don’t let them be taken seriously;
These savages—
let the Devil hunt them down!
12-13 I know that you, God, are on the side of victims,
that you care for the rights of the poor.
And I know that the righteous personally thank you,
that good people are secure in your presence.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson