Deliver Me from Evil

Deliver me from evil, Preserve me, Lord, from wrong

Published in 10 hymnals

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Representative Text

1 Deliver me from evil,
preserve me, LORD, from wrong;
against the foes that gather
be Thou my Helper strong.
From those who plot to hurt me
and spread their treach'rous snare
preserve me, LORD, and keep me
safeguarded in Thy care.

2 O LORD, I have confessed Thee
to be my God alone;
O hear my supplication
and be Thy mercy shown;
O God the LORD, my Savior,
my Shield amid the strife,
let not the wicked triumph
who plot against my life.

3 Let evil smite the evil
and cause their overthrow;
the needy and afflicted
the LORD will help, I know;
Thy saints, redeemed from evil,
their thanks to Thee shall give;
the righteous and the upright
shall in Thy presence live.

Source: Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #140

Text Information

First Line: Deliver me from evil, Preserve me, Lord, from wrong
Title: Deliver Me from Evil
Meter: 7.6.7.6 D
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

A prayer for deliverance from the plots and slander of unscrupulous enemies.

Scripture References:
st. l = vv. 1-5
st. 2 = vv. 6-8
st. 3 = vv. 9-13

This prayer for deliverance recalls Psalms 58 and 64. As in those psalms, the enemies' chief weapon is the tongue, which cannot be countered with sword and shield. Only God can protect from the deadly mischief the tongue can cause. The psalmist prays for protection from those who plot against him (st. 1), asking God to foil their plans (st. 2). But the God to whom the psalmist prays is no mere bodyguard on call. He is the heavenly Ruler and Judge, who "secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy" (v. 12) and punishes wrongdoers. The psalmist asks God to sentence the plotters with the same measures they would have inflicted upon him; he declares that such justice will bring God praise among the righteous (st. 3). The versification of Psalm 140 is a 1985 revision by Bert Witvoet (PHH 4) of the text in the 1912 Psalter.

Liturgical Use:
Useful in the Christian's battle against sin and evil in public life as well as in private.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook

Tune

PASSION CHORALE (Hassler)

The tune HERZLICH TUT MICH VERLANGEN has been associated with Gerhardt's text ["O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden"] since they were first published together in 1656. The tune's first association with a sacred text was its attachment in 1913 [sic: should read 1613] to Christoph Knoll's funeral text "Herzl…

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PETITION (Haydn)


MUNICH (Mendelssohn)

MUNICH has a colorful history. Traces of it run as far back as 1593 in the Dresden, Germany, Gesangbuch in conjunction with the text 'Wir Christenleut." A version from a Meiningen Gesangbuch (1693) is still used in Lutheranism for "O Gott, du frommer Gott." Felix Mendelssohn's adaptation of that tun…

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The Cyber Hymnal #1214
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Instances

Instances (1 - 6 of 6)

Christian Worship #140B

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Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #140

Psalms for All Seasons #140A

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Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #140

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The Cyber Hymnal #1214

Include 4 pre-1979 instances
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