English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
1 O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
1
God, come close. Come quickly! Open your ears - it's my voice you're hearing!
2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!
2
Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising; my raised hands are my evening prayers.
3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!
3
Post a guard at my mouth, God, set a watch at the door of my lips.
4 Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies!
4
Don't let me so much as dream of evil or thoughtlessly fall into bad company. And these people who only do wrong - don't let them lure me with their sweet talk!
5 Let a righteous man strike me--it is a kindness; let him rebuke me--it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
5
May the Just One set me straight, may the Kind One correct me, Don't let sin anoint my head. I'm praying hard against their evil ways!
6 When their judges are thrown over the cliff, then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
6
Oh, let their leaders be pushed off a high rock cliff; make them face the music.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the earth, so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
7
Like a rock pulverized by a maul, let their bones be scattered at the gates of hell.
8 But my eyes are toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!
8
But God, dear Lord, I only have eyes for you. Since I've run for dear life to you, take good care of me.
9 Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me and from the snares of evildoers!
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Protect me from their evil scheming, from all their demonic subterfuge.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.
10
Let the wicked fall flat on their faces, while I walk off without a scratch. A David prayer - when he was in the cave.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.