¹Please, Lord, come close and come quickly to help me!

Listen to my prayer as I call out to you.

²Let my prayer be as the evening sacrifice

that burns like fragrant incense, rising as my offering to you

as I lift up my hands in surrendered worship!

³God, give me grace to guard my lips[#141:3 The Septuagint reads “Set a fortress door before my lips.”]

from speaking what is wrong.

⁴Guide me away from temptation and doing evil.

Save me from sinful habits and from keeping company

with those who are experts in evil.

Help me not to share in their sin in any way!

⁵When one of your godly ones corrects me

or one of your faithful ones rebukes me,

I will accept it like an honor I cannot refuse.

It will be as healing medicine that I swallow

without an offended heart.

Even if they are mistaken, I will continue to pray.

⁶When the leaders and judges are condemned,

falling upon the rocks of justice,

then they’ll know my words to them were true!

⁷Like an earthquake splits open the earth,

so the world of hell will open its mouth

to swallow their scattered bones.

⁸But you are my Lord and my God; I only have eyes for you!

I hide myself in you, so don’t leave me defenseless.

⁹Protect me! Keep me from the traps of wickedness they set for me.

¹⁰Let them all stumble into their own traps

while I escape without a scratch!