Psalm 141:4-6
New Catholic Bible
4 Do not permit my heart to be drawn to evil,
or to the pursuit of wicked deeds
in the company of those who do evil;
let me not share in their corruption.
5 [a]If a righteous man strikes me, I regard it as kindness;
if he rebukes me, it is oil on my head.[b]
But never let the oil of the wicked anoint my head,
for my prayer is always opposed to their evil deeds.
6 [c]When their leaders are flung down in stony places,
they will learn that my prayers were heard.
Footnotes
- Psalm 141:5 The psalmist delineates the fate of evil rulers at God’s hands, and hopes that the shock may bring their followers to their senses.
- Psalm 141:5 Oil was poured on the head in a gesture of welcome and hospitality (see Lk 7:46).
- Psalm 141:6 The text of these verses is obscure and their meaning uncertain. As it stands here, the meaning of verse 7 may be: “As a farmer breaks up the soil and brings up the rocks, so the bones of the wicked will be scattered without a decent burial” (see Ps 79:2-3).
Psalm 141:4-6
New International Version
4 Do not let my heart(A) be drawn to what is evil
so that I take part in wicked deeds(B)
along with those who are evildoers;
do not let me eat their delicacies.(C)
5 Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness;
let him rebuke me(D)—that is oil on my head.(E)
My head will not refuse it,
for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.
6 Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs,(F)
and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.
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