For the music director; a psalm of David.
140:1 O Lord, rescue me from wicked men!
Protect me from violent men,
140:2 who plan ways to harm me.
All day long they stir up conflict.
140:3 Their tongues wound like a serpent;
a viper’s venom is behind their lips. (Selah)
140:4 O Lord, shelter me from the power of the wicked!
Protect me from violent men,
who plan to knock me over.
140:5 Proud men hide a snare for me;
evil men 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,
you shield my head in the day of battle.
140:8 O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way!
Do not allow their plan to succeed when they attack! (Selah)
140:9 As for the heads of those who surround me –
may the harm done by their lips overwhelm them!
140:10 May he rain down fiery coals upon them!
May he throw them into the fire!
From bottomless pits they will not escape.
140:11 A slanderer will not endure on the earth;
calamity will hunt down a violent man and strike him down.
140:12 I know that the Lord defends the cause of the oppressed
and vindicates the poor.
140:13 Certainly the godly will give thanks to your name;
the morally upright will live in your presence.