Psalm 141
Protection from Sin and Sinners
A psalm of David.
1 Lord, I call on you; hurry to help me.
Listen to my voice when I call on you.(A)
2 May my prayer be set before you as incense,(B)
the raising of my hands as the evening offering.(C)
3 Lord, set up a guard for my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips.(D)
4 Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing
or perform wicked acts with evildoers.
Do not let me feast on their delicacies.(E)
5 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)
6 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)
7 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)
8 But my eyes look to you, Lord, my Lord.
I seek refuge in you; do not let me die.[f](J)
9 Protect me from 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
- 141:5 Lit my head
- 141:5 Lit of them
- 141:6 Or judges
- 141:6 Lit cliff, and they
- 141:7 DSS reads my; some LXX mss, Syr read their
- 141:8 Or not pour out my life
Cross references
- 141:1 : Ps 22:19; 38:22; 70:5
- 141:2 : Ex 30:8
- 141:2 : Lk 1:10; Rv 5:8; 8:3–4
- 141:3 : Ps 34:13; 39:1; Pr 13:3; Mc 7:5
- 141:4 : Ps 119:36; Pr 23:6; Is 32:6
- 141:5 : Ec 7:5; Gl 6:1
- 141:5 : Ps 109:4
- 141:6 : 2Ch 25:12
- 141:7 : Ps 53:5; 88:3–5
- 141:8 : Ps 7:1; 57:1; 144:2
- 141:9 : Ps 38:12; 140:5
- 141:10 : Ps 7:15; 35:8; 57:6