A Prayer for Preservation from Evil

1411 God, come close. Come quickly! Open your ears - it's my voice you're hearing! 2 Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising; my raised hands are my evening prayers. 3 Post a guard at my mouth, God, set a watch at the door of my lips. 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 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 Oh, let their leaders be pushed off a high rock cliff; make them face the music. 7 Like a rock pulverized by a maul, let their bones be scattered at the gates of hell. 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 Protect me from their evil scheming, from all their demonic subterfuge. 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.