Psalms 140:1--144:15 
ContextFor the music director; a psalm of David.
140:1 O Lord, rescue me from wicked men! 2
Protect me from violent men, 3
140:2 who plan ways to harm me. 4
All day long they stir up conflict. 5
140:3 Their tongues wound like a serpent; 6
a viper’s 7 venom is behind 8 their lips. (Selah)
140:4 O Lord, shelter me from the power 9 of the wicked!
Protect me from violent men,
who plan to knock me over. 10
140:5 Proud men hide a snare for me;
evil men 11 spread a net by the path;
they set traps for me. (Selah)
140:6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
O Lord, pay attention to my plea for mercy!
140:7 O sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, 12
you shield 13 my head in the day of battle.
140:8 O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way! 14
Do not allow their 15 plan to succeed when they attack! 16 (Selah)
140:9 As for the heads of those who surround me –
may the harm done by 17 their lips overwhelm them!
140:10 May he rain down 18 fiery coals upon them!
May he throw them into the fire!
From bottomless pits they will not escape. 19
140:11 A slanderer 20 will not endure on 21 the earth;
calamity will hunt down a violent man and strike him down. 22
140:12 I know 23 that the Lord defends the cause of the oppressed
and vindicates the poor. 24
140:13 Certainly the godly will give thanks to your name;
the morally upright will live in your presence.
A psalm of David.
141:1 O Lord, I cry out to you. Come quickly to me!
Pay attention to me when I cry out to you!
141:2 May you accept my prayer like incense,
my uplifted hands like the evening offering! 26
141:3 O Lord, place a guard on my mouth!
Protect the opening 27 of my lips! 28
141:4 Do not let me have evil desires, 29
or participate in sinful activities
with men who behave wickedly. 30
I will not eat their delicacies. 31
141:5 May the godly strike me in love and correct me!
May my head not refuse 32 choice oil! 33
Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds. 34
141:6 They will be thrown down the side of a cliff by their judges. 35
They 36 will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.
141:7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil, 37
so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
141:8 Surely I am looking to you, 38 O sovereign Lord.
In you I take shelter.
Do not expose me to danger! 39
141:9 Protect me from the snare they have laid for me,
and the traps the evildoers have set. 40
141:10 Let the wicked fall 41 into their 42 own nets,
while I escape. 43
A well-written song 45 by David, when he was in the cave; 46 a prayer.
142:1 To the Lord I cry out; 47
to the Lord I plead for mercy. 48
142:2 I pour out my lament before him;
I tell him about 49 my troubles.
142:3 Even when my strength leaves me, 50
you watch my footsteps. 51
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
142:4 Look to the right and see!
No one cares about me. 52
I have nowhere to run; 53
no one is concerned about my life. 54
142:5 I cry out to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my security 55 in the land of the living.”
142:6 Listen to my cry for help,
for I am in serious trouble! 56
Rescue me from those who chase me,
for they are stronger than I am.
that I may give thanks to your name.
Because of me the godly will assemble, 58
for you will vindicate me. 59
A psalm of David.
143:1 O Lord, hear my prayer!
Pay attention to my plea for help!
Because of your faithfulness and justice, answer me!
143:2 Do not sit in judgment on 61 your servant,
for no one alive is innocent before you. 62
143:3 Certainly 63 my enemies 64 chase me.
They smash me into the ground. 65
They force me to live 66 in dark regions, 67
like those who have been dead for ages.
143:4 My strength leaves me; 68
I am absolutely shocked. 69
143:5 I recall the old days; 70
I meditate on all you have done;
I reflect on your accomplishments. 71
143:6 I spread my hands out to you in prayer; 72
my soul thirsts for you in a parched 73 land. 74
143:7 Answer me quickly, Lord!
My strength is fading. 75
Do not reject me, 76
or I will join 77 those descending into the grave. 78
143:8 May I hear about your loyal love in the morning, 79
for I trust in you.
Show me the way I should go, 80
because I long for you. 81
143:9 Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord!
I run to you for protection. 82
143:10 Teach me to do what pleases you, 83
for you are my God.
May your kind presence 84
lead me 85 into a level land. 86
143:11 O Lord, for the sake of your reputation, 87 revive me! 88
Because of your justice, rescue me from trouble! 89
143:12 As a demonstration of your loyal love, 90 destroy my enemies!
Annihilate 91 all who threaten my life, 92
for I am your servant.
By David.
144:1 The Lord, my protector, 94 deserves praise 95 –
the one who trains my hands for battle, 96
and my fingers for war,
144:2 who loves me 97 and is my stronghold,
my refuge 98 and my deliverer,
my shield and the one in whom I take shelter,
who makes nations submit to me. 99
144:3 O Lord, of what importance is the human race, 100 that you should notice them?
Of what importance is mankind, 101 that you should be concerned about them? 102
144:4 People 103 are like a vapor,
their days like a shadow that disappears. 104
144:5 O Lord, make the sky sink 105 and come down! 106
Touch the mountains and make them smolder! 107
144:6 Hurl lightning bolts and scatter them!
Shoot your arrows and rout them! 108
144:7 Reach down 109 from above!
Grab me and rescue me from the surging water, 110
from the power of foreigners, 111
144:8 who speak lies,
and make false promises. 112
144:9 O God, I will sing a new song to you!
Accompanied by a ten-stringed instrument, I will sing praises to you,
144:10 the one who delivers 113 kings,
and rescued David his servant from a deadly 114 sword.
144:11 Grab me and rescue me from the power of foreigners, 115
who speak lies,
and make false promises. 116
144:12 Then 117 our sons will be like plants,
that quickly grow to full size. 118
Our daughters will be like corner pillars, 119
carved like those in a palace. 120
144:13 Our storehouses 121 will be full,
providing all kinds of food. 122
Our sheep will multiply by the thousands
and fill 123 our pastures. 124
144:14 Our cattle will be weighted down with produce. 125
No one will break through our walls,
no one will be taken captive,
and there will be no terrified cries in our city squares. 126
144:15 How blessed are the people who experience these things! 127
How blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!
1 sn Psalm 140. The psalmist asks God to deliver him from his deadly enemies, calls judgment down upon them, and affirms his confidence in God’s justice.
2 tn Heb “from a wicked man.” The Hebrew uses the singular in a representative or collective sense (note the plural verbs in v. 2).
3 tn Heb “a man of violent acts.” The Hebrew uses the singular in a representative or collective sense (note the plural verbs in v. 2).
4 tn Heb “they devise wicked [plans] in [their] mind.”
5 tc Heb “they attack [for] war.” Some revocalize the verb (which is a Qal imperfect from גּוּר, gur, “to attack”) as יְגָרוּ (yÿgaru), a Piel imperfect from גָרָה (garah, “stir up strife”). This is followed in the present translation.
6 tn Heb “they sharpen their tongue like a serpent.” Ps 64:3 reads, “they sharpen their tongues like sword.” Perhaps Ps 140:3 uses a mixed metaphor, the point being that “they sharpen their tongues [like a sword],” as it were, so that when they speak, their words wound like a serpent’s bite. Another option is that the language refers to the pointed or forked nature of a serpent’s tongue, which is viewed metaphorically as “sharpened.”
7 tn The Hebrew term is used only here in the OT.
8 tn Heb “under.”
9 tn Heb “hands.”
10 tn Heb “to push down my steps.”
11 tn Heb “and ropes,” but many prefer to revocalize the noun as a participle (חֹבְלִים, khovÿlim) from the verb חָבַל (khaval, “act corruptly”).
12 tn Heb “the strength of my deliverance.”
13 tn Heb “cover.”
14 tn Heb “do not grant the desires of the wicked.”
15 tn Heb “his.” The singular is used in a representative sense (see v. 1).
16 tn Heb “his plot do not promote, they rise up.” The translation understands the final verb as being an unmarked temporal clause. Another option is to revocalize the verb as a Hiphil and take the verb with the next verse, “those who surround me lift up [their] head,” which could refer to their proud attitude as they anticipate victory (see Ps 27:6).
17 tn Heb “harm of their lips.” The genitive here indicates the source or agent of the harm.
18 tn The verb form in the Kethib (consonantal Hebrew text) appears to be a Hiphil imperfect from the root מוּט (mut, “to sway”), but the Hiphil occurs only here and in Ps 55:3, where it is preferable to read יַמְטִירוּ (yamtiru, “they rain down”). In Ps 140:10 the form יַמְטֵר (yamter, “let him rain down”) should probably be read.
19 tn Heb “into bottomless pits, they will not arise.” The translation assumes that the preposition -בְּ (bet) has the nuance “from” here. Another option is to connect the line with what precedes, take the final clause as an asyndetic relative clause, and translate, “into bottomless pits [from which] they cannot arise.” The Hebrew noun מַהֲמֹרָה (mahamorah, “bottomless pit”) occurs only here in the OT.
20 tn Heb “a man of a tongue.”
21 tn Heb “be established in.”
22 tn Heb “for blows.” The Hebrew noun מַדְחֵפֹה (madkhefoh, “blow”) occurs only here in the OT.
23 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
24 tn Heb “and the just cause of the poor.”
25 sn Psalm 141. The psalmist asks God to protect him from sin and from sinful men.
26 tn Heb “may my prayer be established [like] incense before you, the uplifting of my hands [like] an evening offering.”
27 tn Heb “door.” The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT.
28 sn My mouth…my lips. The psalmist asks God to protect him from speaking inappropriately or sinfully.
29 tn Heb “do not turn my heart toward an evil thing.”
30 tn Heb “to act sinfully in practices in wickedness with men, doers of evil.”
31 sn Their delicacies. This probably refers to the enjoyment that a sinful lifestyle appears to offer.
32 tn The form יָנִי (yaniy) appears to be derived from the verbal root נוּא (nu’). Another option is to emend the form to יְנָא (yÿna’), a Piel from נָאָה (na’ah), and translate “may choice oil not adorn my head” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 271). In this case, choice oil, like delicacies in v. 4, symbolize the pleasures of sin.
33 sn May my head not refuse choice oil. The psalmist compares the constructive criticism of the godly (see the previous line) to having refreshing olive oil poured over one’s head.
34 tc Heb “for still, and my prayer [is] against their evil deeds.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult; the sequence -כִּי־עוֹד וּ (kiy-’od u-, “for still and”) occurs only here. The translation assumes an emendation to כִּי עֵד תְפלָּתִי (“indeed a witness [is] my prayer”). The psalmist’s lament about the evil actions of sinful men (see v. 4) testifies against the wicked in the divine court.
35 tn Heb “they are thrown down by the hands of a cliff, their judges.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult and the meaning uncertain. The perfect verbal form is understood as rhetorical; the psalmist describes the anticipated downfall of the wicked as if it had already occurred. “Their judges” could be taken as the subject of the verb, but this makes little, if any, sense. The translation assumes the judges are the agents and that the wicked, mentioned earlier in the psalm, are the subjects of the verb.
36 tn It is unclear how this statement relates to the preceding sentence. Perhaps the judges are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the verb “will listen,” and “my words” are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the phrase “are pleasant.” The psalmist may be affirming here his confidence that he will be vindicated when he presents his case before the judges, while the wicked will be punished.
37 tn Heb “like splitting and breaking open in the earth.” The meaning of the statement and the point of the comparison are not entirely clear. Perhaps the psalmist is suggesting that he and other godly individuals are as good as dead; their bones are scattered about like dirt that is dug up and tossed aside.
38 tn Heb “my eyes [are] toward you.”
39 tn Heb “do not lay bare my life.” Only here is the Piel form of the verb collocated with the term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”). In Isa 53:12 the Lord’s servant “lays bare (the Hiphil form of the verb is used) his life to death.”
40 tn Heb “and the traps of the doers of evil.”
41 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer. Another option is to translate, “the wicked will fall.”
42 tn Heb “his.”
43 tn Heb “at the same [that] I, until I pass by.” Another option is to take יַחַד (yakhad) with the preceding line, “let the wicked fall together into their own nets.”
44 sn Psalm 142. The psalmist laments his persecuted state and asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies.
45 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
46 sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm while in “the cave.” This probably refers to either the incident recorded in 1 Sam 22:1 or to the one recorded in 1 Sam 24:3. See the superscription of Ps 57.
47 tn Heb “[with] my voice to the
48 tn Heb “[with] my voice to the
49 tn Heb “my trouble before him I declare.”
50 tn Heb “my spirit grows faint.”
51 tn Heb “you know my path.”
52 tn Heb “there is no one who recognizes me.”
53 tn Heb “ a place of refuge perishes from me.”
54 tn Heb “there is no one who seeks for the sake of my life.”
55 tn Heb “my portion.” The psalmist compares the
56 tn Heb “for I am very low.”
57 tn Heb “bring out my life.”
58 tn Or “gather around.”
59 tn The Hebrew idiom גָּמַל עַל (gamal ’al) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense.
60 sn Psalm 143. As in the previous psalm, the psalmist laments his persecuted state and asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies.
61 tn Heb “do not enter into judgment with.”
62 tn Heb “for no one living is innocent before you.”
63 tn Or “for.”
64 tn Heb “an enemy.” The singular is used in a representative sense to describe a typical member of the larger group of enemies (note the plural “enemies” in vv. 9, 12).
65 tn Heb “he crushes on the ground my life.”
66 tn Or “sit.”
67 sn Dark regions refers to Sheol, which the psalmist views as a dark place located deep in the ground (see Ps 88:6).
68 tn Heb “my spirit grows faint.”
69 tn Heb “in my midst my heart is shocked.” For a similar use of the Hitpolel of שָׁמֵם (shamem), see Isa 59:16; 63:5.
70 tn Or “ancient times”; Heb “days from before.”
71 tn Heb “the work of your hands.”
72 tn The words “in prayer” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the psalmist is referring to a posture of prayer.
73 tn Heb “faint” or “weary.” See Ps 63:1.
74 tc Heb “my soul like a faint land for you.” A verb (perhaps “thirsts”) is implied (see Ps 63:1). The translation assumes an emendation of the preposition -כְּ (kÿ, “like”) to -בְּ (bÿ, “in,” see Ps 63:1; cf. NEB “athirst for thee in a thirsty land”). If the MT is retained, one might translate, “my soul thirsts for you, as a parched land does for water/rain” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
75 tn Heb “my spirit is failing.”
76 tn Heb “do not hide your face from me.” The idiom “hide the face” (1) can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or (2) can carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
77 tn Heb “I will be equal with.”
78 tn Heb “the pit.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit; cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. See Ps 28:1.
79 tn Heb “cause me to hear in the morning your loyal love.” Here “loyal love” probably stands metonymically for an oracle of assurance promising God’s intervention as an expression of his loyal love.
sn The morning is sometimes viewed as the time of divine intervention (see Pss 30:5; 59:16; 90:14).
80 sn The way probably refers here to God’s moral and ethical standards and requirements (see v. 10).
81 tn Heb “for to you I lift up my life.” The Hebrew expression נָאָשׂ נֶפֶשׁ (na’as nefesh, “to lift up [one’s] life”) means “to desire; to long for” (see Deut 24:15; Prov 19:18; Jer 22:27; 44:14; Hos 4:8, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 16).
82 tn Heb “to you I cover,” which makes no sense. The translation assumes an emendation to נַסְתִּי (nastiy, “I flee,” a Qal perfect, first singular form from נוּס, nos). Confusion of kaf (כ) and nun (נ) is attested elsewhere (see P. K. McCarter, Textual Criticism [GBS], 48). The collocation of נוּס (“flee”) with אֶל (’el, “to”) is well-attested.
83 tn Or “your will.” See Ps 40:8.
84 tn Heb “your good spirit.” God’s “spirit” may refer here to his presence (see the note on the word “presence” in Ps 139:7) or to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).
85 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. Taking the statement as a prayer fits well with the petitionary tone of vv. 7-10a.
86 sn A level land (where one can walk free of obstacles) here symbolizes divine blessing and protection. See Pss 26:12 and 27:11 for similar imagery.
87 tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
88 tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 11-12a are understood as expressing the psalmist’s desire. Note the petitionary tone of vv. 7-10a.
89 tn Heb “by your justice bring out my life from trouble.”
90 tn Heb “in [or “by”] your faithfulness.”
91 tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive carries on the mood of the preceding imperfect.
92 tn Heb “all the enemies of my life.”
93 sn Psalm 144. The psalmist expresses his confidence in God, asks for a mighty display of divine intervention in an upcoming battle, and anticipates God’s rich blessings on the nation in the aftermath of military victory.
94 tn Heb “my rocky summit.” The
95 tn Heb “blessed [be] the
96 sn The one who trains my hands for battle. The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enablement (see Ps 18:34). Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.
97 tn Heb “my loyal love,” which is probably an abbreviated form of “the God of my loyal love” (see Ps 59:10, 17).
98 tn Or “my elevated place.”
99 tn Heb “the one who subdues nations beneath me.”
100 tn Heb “What is mankind?” The singular noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race. See Ps 8:5.
101 tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.
102 tn Heb “take account of him.” The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.
103 tn Heb “man,” or “mankind.”
104 tn Heb “his days [are] like a shadow that passes away,” that is, like a late afternoon shadow made by the descending sun that will soon be swallowed up by complete darkness. See Ps 102:11.
105 tn The Hebrew verb נָטָה (natah) can carry the sense “to [cause to] bend; to [cause to] bow down.” For example, Gen 49:15 pictures Issachar as a donkey that “bends” its shoulder or back under a burden. Here the
106 tn Heb “so you might come down.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose after the preceding imperative. The same type of construction is utilized in v. 6.
107 tn Heb “so they might smolder.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose after the preceding imperative.
108 sn Arrows and lightning bolts are associated in other texts (see Pss 18:14; 77:17-18; Zech 9:14), as well as in ancient Near Eastern art (see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” [Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983], 187).
109 tn Heb “stretch out your hands.”
110 tn Heb “mighty waters.” The waters of the sea symbolize the psalmist’s powerful foreign enemies, as well as the realm of death they represent (see the next line and Ps 18:16-17).
111 tn Heb “from the hand of the sons of foreignness.”
112 tn Heb “who [with] their mouth speak falsehood, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.” The reference to the “right hand” is probably a metonymy for an oath. When making an oath, one would raise the hand as a solemn gesture. See Exod 6:8; Num 14:30; Deut 32:40. The figure thus represents the making of false oaths (false promises).
113 tn Heb “grants deliverance to.”
114 tn Heb “harmful.”
115 tn Heb “from the hand of the sons of foreignness.”
116 tn Heb “who [with] their mouth speak falsehood, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.” See v. 8 where the same expression occurs.
117 tn Some consider אֲשֶׁר (’asher) problematic, but here it probably indicates the anticipated consequence of the preceding request. (For other examples of אֲשֶׁר indicating purpose/result, see BDB 83 s.v. and HALOT 99 s.v.) If the psalmist – who appears to be a Davidic king preparing to fight a battle (see vv. 10-11) – is victorious, the whole nation will be spared invasion and defeat (see v. 14) and can flourish. Some prefer to emend the form to אַשְׁרֵי (“how blessed [are our sons]”). A suffixed noun sometimes follows אַשְׁרֵי (’ashrey; see 1 Kgs 10:8; Prov 20:7), but the presence of a comparative element (see “like plants”) after the suffixed noun makes the proposed reading too awkward syntactically.
118 tn Heb “grown up in their youth.” The translation assumes that “grown up” modifies “plants” (just as “carved” modifies “corner pillars” in the second half of the verse). Another option is to take “grown up” as a predicate in relation to “our sons,” in which case one might translate, “they will be strapping youths.”
119 tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here and in Zech 9:15, where it refers to the corners of an altar.
120 tn Heb “carved [in] the pattern of a palace.”
121 tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here.
122 tn Heb “from kind to kind.” Some prefer to emend the text to מָזוֹן עַל מָזוֹן (mazon ’al mazon, “food upon food”).
123 tn Heb “they are innumerable.”
124 tn Heb “in outside places.” Here the term refers to pastures and fields (see Job 5:10; Prov 8:26).
125 tn Heb “weighted down.” This probably refers (1) to the cattle having the produce from the harvest placed on their backs to be transported to the storehouses (see BDB 687 s.v. סָבַל). Other options are (2) to take this as reference to the cattle being pregnant (see HALOT 741 s.v. סבל pu) or (3) to their being well-fed or fattened (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 288).
126 tn Heb “there [will be] no breach, and there [will be] no going out, and there [will be] no crying out in our broad places.”
127 tn Heb “[O] the happiness of the people who [it is] such to them.”
