Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
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.
15 And I will give you (A)shepherds according to My heart, who will (B)feed you with knowledge and understanding.
16 “Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and (C)increased in the land in those days,” says the Lord, “that they will say no more, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ (D)It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore.
17 “At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, (E)to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem. No more shall they (F)follow[a] the dictates of their evil hearts.
18 “In those days (G)the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of (H)the north to (I)the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be (A)partakers with them.
Walk in Light
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are (B)light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for (C)the fruit of the [a]Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 (D)finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have (E)no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather [b]expose them. 12 (F)For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But (G)all things that are [c]exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says:
(H)“Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”
Walk in Wisdom
15 (I)See then that you walk [d]circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 (J)redeeming the time, (K)because the days are evil.
17 (L)Therefore do not be unwise, but (M)understand (N)what the will of the Lord is. 18 And (O)do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another (P)in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making (Q)melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 (R)giving thanks always for all things to God the Father (S)in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.