Psalms 141
1 A psalm of David. Yahweh, I am crying out to you; come quickly to me. Listen to me when I call to you.
“For the leader of the music. A psalm of David.” I cry to thee, O LORD! make haste unto me! Give ear to my voice, when I cry unto thee!
2 May my prayer be like incense before you; may my lifted hands be like the evening sacrifice.
Let my prayer come before thee as incense, And the lifting-up of my hands, as the evening sacrifice!
3 Yahweh, place a guard over my mouth; guard the door of my lips.
Set a watch, O LORD! before my mouth; Guard the door of my lips!
4 Do not let my heart desire any evil thing or participate in sinful activities with men who behave wickedly. May I not eat any of their delicacies.
Let not my heart incline to any evil thing; Let me not practise wickedness with the doers of iniquity, And let me not eat of their delicacies!
5 Let a righteous man hit me; it will be a kindness to me. Let him correct me; it will be like oil on my head; may my head not refuse to accept it. But my prayer is always against their wicked deeds.
Let the righteous smite me, —it shall be a kindness; Let him reprove me, and it shall be oil for my head; Let him do it again, and my head shall not refuse it; But now I pray against their wickedness!
6 Their leaders will be thrown down from the top of cliffs; they will hear that my own words are pleasant.
When their judges are hurled over the side of the rock, They shall hear how pleasant are my words.
7 They will have to say, “As when one plows and breaks up the ground, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.” (Sheol h7585)
So are our bones scattered at the mouth of the underworld, As when one furroweth and ploweth up the land. (Sheol h7585)
8 Surely my eyes are on you, Yahweh, Lord; in you I take refuge; do not leave my soul defenseless.
But to thee do my eyes look, O Lord Jehovah! In thee is my trust; Let not my life be poured out!
9 Protect me from the snares that they have laid for me, from the traps of evildoers.
Preserve me from the snares which they have laid for me, And from the nets of evil-doers!
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets while I escape.
Let the wicked fall together into their own traps, Whilst I make my escape!
