*Psalms 141

₁Lord, I pray and ask You

to come to me soon.

Please listen to what I ask You and help me.

₂Let my prayer be

like an incense-offering to You.

I put out my hands to You.

Let it be like the evening-offering to You.

₃Lord, please put a guard before my mouth,

and help me to be careful about what I say.

₄Please stop me

when I want to do something bad.

Help me not to do things that are wrong

or go with sinful people,

and don't let me enjoy

the things that they like.

₅People who live in the right way

and want to help me

can punish and rebuke me.

It is good for me,

like olive oil on my head,

and I will accept it.

But I will keep on praying

against sinful people and the things they do.

₆When the people throw

their bad leaders down from a rock,

they will know that

the things I said were true.

₇The bones of the leaders

will lie on the ground,

all around the graves,

like pieces of wood

after someone has ploughed a field.

₈Lord my God,

I look up to You for help.

I trust in You and ask You to protect me.

₉Please save me and

help me not to fall into their traps.

Don't let them catch me.

₁₀Let those sinful people fall

into their own traps,

but let me walk safely past them.