141  A song by David.

1 Yahweh, I called out to you. Come quickly to me.

≈ Listen to my voice when I call to you.

2 May my prayer rise to your face like incense.[ref]

≈ May my lifted hands be like the evening sacrifice.

3 Yahweh, place a guard over my mouth.

≈ Guard the door which is my lips.

4 Don’t let my heart bend toward any evil thing

≈ or participate in sinful activities

with men who behave wickedly.

May I not eat any of their delicacies.

5 Let a righteous person hit me—it would be a kindness.

≈ Let them correct me—it will be soothing like lotion on my head.

Help me not to be defiant,

because my prayer is always against those who do wicked things.

6 When their rulers are thrown down from the cliffs,

the people will listen to my words because they’re pleasant.

7 Like when someone ploughs and breaks up the ground,

so our bones have been scattered at the entrance to the grave.

8 My eyes are on you, Yahweh, my master.

You’re my place of protection—don’t abandon my life.

9 Keep me from the trap that they’ve laid for me—

from the nets of those who do evil.

10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets

while I escape.