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.
A Psalm. Of David. Lord, I have made my cry to you; come to me quickly; give ear to my voice, when it goes up to you.
2 May my prayer be like incense before you; may my lifted hands be like the evening sacrifice.
Let my prayer be ordered before you like a sweet smell; and let the lifting up of my hands be like the evening offering.
3 Yahweh, place a guard over my mouth; guard the door of my lips.
O Lord, keep a watch over my mouth; keep 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.
Keep my heart from desiring any evil thing, or from taking part in the sins of the evil-doers with men who do wrong: and let me have no part in their good things.
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 upright give me punishment; and let the god-fearing man put me in the right way; but I will not let the oil of sinners come on my head: when they do evil I will give myself to prayer.
6 Their leaders will be thrown down from the top of cliffs; they will hear that my own words are pleasant.
When destruction comes to their judges by the side of the rock, they will give ear to my words, for they are sweet.
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)
Our bones are broken up at the mouth of the underworld, as the earth is broken by the plough. (Sheol h7585)
8 Surely my eyes are on you, Yahweh, Lord; in you I take refuge; do not leave my soul defenseless.
But my eyes are turned to you, O Lord God: my hope is in you; let not my soul be given up to death.
9 Protect me from the snares that they have laid for me, from the traps of evildoers.
Keep me from the net which they have put down for me, and from the designs of the workers of evil.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets while I escape.
Let the sinners be taken in the nets which they themselves have put down, while I go free.
