Psalm 140:3
Context
3They sharpen their tongues as a serpent;
         Poison of a viper is under their lips.
Selah.

4Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
         Preserve me from violent men
         Who have purposed to trip up my feet.

5The proud have hidden a trap for me, and cords;
         They have spread a net by the wayside;
         They have set snares for me.

Selah.

6I said to the LORD, “You are my God;
         Give ear, O LORD, to the voice of my supplications.

7“O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
         You have covered my head in the day of battle.

8“Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;
         Do not promote his evil device, that they not be exalted.

Selah.

9“As for the head of those who surround me,
         May the mischief of their lips cover them.

10“May burning coals fall upon them;
         May they be cast into the fire,
         Into deep pits from which they cannot rise.

11“May a slanderer not be established in the earth;
         May evil hunt the violent man speedily.”

12I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted
         And justice for the poor.

13Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name;
         The upright will dwell in Your presence.



NASB ©1995

Parallel Verses
American Standard Version
They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent; Adders poison is under their lips. Selah

Douay-Rheims Bible
They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent: the venom of saps is under their lips.

Darby Bible Translation
They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah.

English Revised Version
They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah

Webster's Bible Translation
They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adder's poison is under their lips. Selah.

World English Bible
They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent. Viper's poison is under their lips. Selah.

Young's Literal Translation
They sharpened their tongue as a serpent, Poison of an adder is under their lips. Selah.
Library
Question Lxxxiii of Prayer
I. Is Prayer an Act of the Appetitive Powers? Cardinal Cajetan, On Prayer based on Friendship II. Is it Fitting to Pray? Cardinal Cajetan, On Prayer as a True Cause S. Augustine, On the Sermon on the Mount, II. iii. 14 " On the Gift of Perseverance, vii. 15 III. Is Prayer an Act of the Virtue of Religion? Cardinal Cajetan, On the Humility of Prayer S. Augustine, On Psalm cii. 10 " Of the Gift of Perseverance, xvi. 39 IV. Ought We to Pray to God Alone? S. Augustine, Sermon, cxxvii. 2 V.
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

Letter xxvi. (Circa A. D. 1127) to the Same
To the Same He excuses the brevity of his letter on the ground that Lent is a time of silence; and also that on account of his profession and his ignorance he does not dare to assume the function of teaching. 1. You will, perhaps, be angry, or, to speak more gently, will wonder that in place of a longer letter which you had hoped for from me you receive this brief note. But remember what says the wise man, that there is a time for all things under the heaven; both a time to speak and a time to keep
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Epistle xviii. To John, Bishop.
To John, Bishop. Gregory to John, Bishop of Constantinople [1586] . At the time when your Fraternity was advanced to Sacerdotal dignity, you remember what peace and concord of the churches you found. But, with what daring or with what swelling of pride I know not, you have attempted to seize upon a new name, whereby the hearts of all your brethren might have come to take offence. I wonder exceedingly at this, since I remember how thou wouldest fain have fled from the episcopal office rather than
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

How the Silent and the Talkative are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 15.) Differently to be admonished are the over-silent, and those who spend time in much speaking. For it ought to be insinuated to the over-silent that while they shun some vices unadvisedly, they are, without its being perceived, implicated in worse. For often from bridling the tongue overmuch they suffer from more grievous loquacity in the heart; so that thoughts seethe the more in the mind from being straitened by the violent guard of indiscreet silence. And for the most part they
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

A Discourse of Mercifulness
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7 These verses, like the stairs of Solomon's temple, cause our ascent to the holy of holies. We are now mounting up a step higher. Blessed are the merciful . . '. There was never more need to preach of mercifulness than in these unmerciful times wherein we live. It is reported in the life of Chrysostom that he preached much on this subject of mercifulness, and for his much pressing Christians to mercy, he was called of many, the alms-preacher,
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Covenanting a Privilege of Believers.
Whatever attainment is made by any as distinguished from the wicked, or whatever gracious benefit is enjoyed, is a spiritual privilege. Adoption into the family of God is of this character. "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power (margin, or, the right; or, privilege) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."[617] And every co-ordinate benefit is essentially so likewise. The evidence besides, that Covenanting
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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