Psalms 140:6-8

140:6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”

O Lord, pay attention to my plea for mercy!

140:7 O sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, ¹ 

you shield ²  my head in the day of battle.

140:8 O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way! ³ 

Do not allow their ⁴  plan to succeed when they attack! ⁵  (Selah)

[140:7]  ¹ tn Heb “the strength of my deliverance.”

[140:7]  ² tn Heb “cover.”

[140:8]  ³ tn Heb “do not grant the desires of the wicked.”

[140:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “his.” The singular is used in a representative sense (see v. 1).

[140:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “his plot do not promote, they rise up.” The translation understands the final verb as being an unmarked temporal clause. Another option is to revocalize the verb as a Hiphil and take the verb with the next verse, “those who surround me lift up [their] head,” which could refer to their proud attitude as they anticipate victory (see Ps 27:6).