Psalm chapter 140
English Standard Version
1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men, 2who plan evil things in their heart and stir up wars continually. 3They make their tongue sharp as a serpent 's, and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah 4Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men, who have planned to trip up my feet. 5The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they have spread a net; beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah 6 I say to the Lord, You are my God; give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord! 7O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle. 8 Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; do not further their evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah 9As for the head of those who surround me, let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them! 10Let burning coals fall upon them! Let them be cast into fire, into miry pits, no more to rise! 11Let not the slanderer be established in the land; let evil hunt down the violent man speedily! 12I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and will execute justice for the needy. 13Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall dwell in your presence.
New International Version
1For the director of music. A psalm of David. Rescue me, Lord, from evildoers; protect me from the violent, 2who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day.
3They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s; the poison of vipers is on their lips. 4Keep me safe, Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent, who devise ways to trip my feet.
5The arrogant have hidden a snare for me; they have spread out the cords of their net and have set traps for me along my path. 6I say to the Lord, "You are my God." Hear, Lord, my cry for mercy. 7Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle.
New American Standard Bible
1Rescue me, Lord, from evil people; Protect me from violent men 2Who devise evil things in their hearts; They continually stir up wars. 3They sharpen their tongues like a snake; The venom of a viper is under their lips. Selah 4Keep me, Lord, from the hands of the wicked; Protect me from violent men Who intend to trip up my feet. 5The proud have hidden a trap for me, and snares; They have spread a net at the wayside; They have set snares for me. Selah 6I said to the Lord, 'You are my God; Listen, Lord, to the sound of my pleadings. 7 God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head on the day of battle. 8Do not grant, Lord, the desires of the wicked; Do not bring about his evil planning, so that they are not exalted. Selah 9'As for the head of those who surround me, May the harm of their lips cover them. 10May burning coals fall upon them; May they be cast into the fire, Into bottomless pits from which they cannot rise. 11May a slanderer not endure on the earth; May evil hunt a violent person violently.' 12I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, And justice for the poor. 13Certainly the righteous will give thanks to Your name; The upright will dwell in Your presence.
Christian Standard Bible
1For the choir director. A psalm of David. Rescue me, Lord, from evil men. Keep me safe from violent men 2who plan evil in their hearts. They stir up wars all day long.
3They make their tongues as sharp as a snake’s bite; viper’s venom is under their lips. Selah 4Protect me, Lord, from the power of the wicked. Keep me safe from violent men who plan to make me stumble.
5The proud hide a trap with ropes for me; they spread a net along the path and set snares for me. Selah 6I say to the Lord, "You are my God." Listen, Lord, to my cry for help. 7 Lord, my Lord, my strong Savior, you shield my head on the day of battle.
8 Lord, do not grant the desires of the wicked; do not let them achieve their goals. Otherwise, they will become proud. Selah 9When those who surround me rise up, may the trouble their lips cause overwhelm them. 10Let hot coals fall on them. Let them be thrown into the fire, into the abyss, never again to rise.
New Living Translation
1O Lord, rescue me from evil people. Protect me from those who are violent, 2those who plot evil in their hearts and stir up trouble all day long.
6I said to the Lord, 'You are my God!' Listen, O Lord, to my cries for mercy! 7O Sovereign Lord, the strong one who rescued me, you protected me on the day of battle.
King James Version
New King James Version
1{To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.} Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; Preserve me from violent men, 2Who plan evil things in their hearts; They continually gather together for war.
6I said to the Lord: “You are my God; Hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord. 7O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle.
9“ As for the head of those who surround me, Let the evil of their lips cover them; 10 Let burning coals fall upon them; Let them be cast into the fire, Into deep pits, that they rise not up again. 11Let not a slanderer be established in the earth; Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him.” 12I know that the Lord will maintain The cause of the afflicted, And justice for the poor. 13Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; The upright shall dwell in Your presence.
What does Psalm chapter 140 mean?
This is the last of the "imprecatory" psalms (Psalms 5; 10; 17; 35; 58; 59; 69; 70; 79; 83; 109; 129; 137) which call on the Lord to directly punish enemies. David may have written this in response to King Saul's murderous jealousy (1 Samuel 19:1–2). It may also refer to the rebellion of Absalom, David's own son (2 Samuel 15:13–14). The general content is similar to Psalm 7, also written by David in reference to hostile enemies.First comes David's prayer for rescue. The enemy is depicted as aggressive and wicked. Their violence comes through slander and lies which create conflict. These men also conspire, setting traps and preparing to catch David off-guard. These may be literal or political traps; in either case the aggressors are evil (Psalm 140:1–5).
Next is another statement of the same request. This time, David focuses on his prior experiences with the Lord. Since God has protected David in the past (1 Samuel 17:34–37; 19:10; 2 Samuel 8:14), David has confidence that rescue will come this time, as well. He is entirely loyal to God and doesn't want to see evil people succeed through their schemes (Psalm 140:6–8).
Other Old Testament passages speak about an evil person's own sins coming back to harm them (Psalm 7:14–16; Proverbs 6:32; 26:27; 28:10). Here, David asks that his enemies experience defeat and even death. The reference to the "head" might imply that David is thinking of a specific person who is leading these attacks. Once again, he echoes his concern that evil does not gain a foothold through success. However, these are framed as requests, not vows. David makes no plans to seek revenge (Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30); he expresses a desire that God would judge these enemies harshly (Psalm 140:9–11).
Again, David reinforces his faith in God. Based on prior experience, David knows that the Lord is good. He can be trusted in any circumstance. Those who properly honor Him—the "righteous" and "upright"—can expect to be with Him (Psalm 140:12–13).
