Psalm 140:6–11

I say to the Lord, You are my God;

give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord!

O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation,

you have covered my head in the day of battle.

Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;

do not further their evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah

As for the head of those who surround me,

let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!

Let burning coals fall upon them!

Let them be cast into fire,

into miry pits, no more to rise!

Let not the slanderer be established in the land;

let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!

I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”

Hear, Lord, my cry for mercy.

Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer,

you shield my head in the day of battle.

Do not grant the wicked their desires, Lord;

do not let their plans succeed.

Those who surround me proudly rear their heads;

may the mischief of their lips engulf them.

May burning coals fall on them;

may they be thrown into the fire,

into miry pits, never to rise.

May slanderers not be established in the land;

may disaster hunt down the violent.

I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”

Listen, Lord, to my cry for help.

Lord, my Lord, my strong Savior,

you shield my head on the day of battle.

Lord, do not grant the desires of the wicked;

do not let them achieve their goals.

Otherwise, they will become proud.

Selah

When those who surround me rise up,

may the trouble their lips cause overwhelm them.

Let hot coals fall on them.

Let them be thrown into the fire,

into the abyss, never again to rise.

Do not let a slanderer stay in the land.

Let evil relentlessly hunt down a violent man.

I said to the Lord, “You are my God!”

Listen, O Lord, to my cries for mercy!

O Sovereign Lord, the strong one who rescued me,

you protected me on the day of battle.

Lord, do not let evil people have their way.

Do not let their evil schemes succeed,

or they will become proud.

Interlude

Let my enemies be destroyed

by the very evil they have planned for me.

Let burning coals fall down on their heads.

Let them be thrown into the fire

or into watery pits from which they can’t escape.

Don’t let liars prosper here in our land.

Cause great disasters to fall on the violent.

I said unto the Lord, Thou art my God:

Hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord.

O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation,

Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.

Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked:

Further not his wicked device;

Lest they exalt themselves. Selah.

As for the head of those that compass me about,

Let the mischief of their own lips cover them.

Let burning coals fall upon them:

Let them be cast into the fire;

Into deep pits, that they rise not up again.

Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth:

Evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.