Psalm 140
לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד
BSB
Rescue Me from Evil Men
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men.
Protect me from men of violence,
2who devise evil in their hearts
and stir up war all day long.
3They sharpen their tongues like snakes;
the venom of vipers is on their lips.
Selah
4Guard me, O LORD,
from the hands of the wicked.
Keep me safe from men of violence
who scheme to make me stumble.
5The proud hide a snare for me;
the cords of their net are spread along the path,
and lures are set out for me.
Selah
6I say to the LORD, “You are my God.”
Hear, O LORD, my cry for help.
7O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You shield my head in the day of battle.
8Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;
do not promote their evil plans,
lest they be exalted.
Selah
9May the heads of those who surround me
be covered in the trouble their lips have caused.
10May burning coals fall on them;
may they be thrown into the fire,
into the miry pits, never to rise again.
11May no slanderer be established in the land;
may calamity hunt down the man of violence.
12I know that the LORD upholds justice for the poor
and defends the cause of the needy.
13Surely the righteous will praise Your name;
the upright will dwell in Your presence.
Introduction
Psalms 140
This and the four following psalms are much of a piece, and the scope of them the same with many that we met with in the beginning and middle of the book of Psalms, though with but few of late. They were penned by David (as it should seem) when he was persecuted by Saul; one of them is said to be his "prayer when he was in the cave," and it is probable that all the rest were penned about the same time. In this psalm, I. David complains of the malice of his enemies, and prays to God to preserve him from them (Psa 140:1-5). II. He encourages himself in God as his God (Psa 140:6, Psa 140:7). III. He prays for, and prophesies, the destruction of his persecutors (Psa 140:8-11). IV. He assures all God's afflicted people that their troubles would in due time end well (Psa 140:12, Psa 140:13), with which assurance we must comfort ourselves, and one another, in singing this psalm.
To the chief musician. A psalm of David.
Cross-references: Ps 140:1 · Ps 140:6 · Ps 140:7 · Ps 140:8 · Ps 140:12 · Ps 140:13