| 1 O Lord, attack those who attack me; fight against those who fight against me. | |
| 2 Come to my aid with armour and shield; | |
| 3 stand with your spear and war ax, halt my pursuers. Say to my soul, “I am your deliverer.” | |
| 4 Let them be shamed and dishonored, those who seek my life. Let them be routed and destroyed, those who plot my ruin. | |
| 5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, when the Lord’s angel drives them away. | |
| 6 Let their escape path be dark and precipitous, with the Lord’s angel always at their heels. | |
| 7 They set their net against me for no cause, they dug a pit for me without reason. | |
| 8 Let ruin come upon them unexpectedly, let them be entangled in their own snare; let them fall into the trap of their own making. | |
| 9 Then will my soul rejoice in the Lord and exult in his salvation. | |
| 10 My whole being will exclaim, “O Lord, who is like you? You deliver the oppressed from those too strong for them, you rescue the poor and the needy from their oppressors.” | |
| 11 False witnesses take the stand, accusing me of crimes of which I am innocent. | |
| 12 For my kindness they return evil, bringing my life to despair. | |
| 13 When they were sick, I wore sackcloth and fasted; I prayed hard with head bowed, | |
| 14 as if I were bereft of a friend or brother; I shed tears in grief, as one mourning the death of his mother. | |
| 15 But when I stumbled they gathered in glee and, began to strike me; like strangers they disowned me and accused me falsely. | |
| 16 Like an ungodly circle of mockers, they gnashed their teeth and made me the butt of all their ridicule. | |
| 17 How long, O Lord, will you look on? Deliver my life, my only one, from these lions. | |
| 18 Then I will thank you in the great assembly; I will praise you in the mighty throng. | |
| 19 Do not let them gloat over me – those who, unprovoked, have become my foes. Do not let them wink maliciously – those who hate me without cause. | |
| 20 Sowing discontent with their tongue and mind, they devise false accusations against the peace-loving people of the land. | |
| 21 They open wide their mouths against me: “Aha, aha!” they say, “We have seen it with our own eyes!” | |
| 22 But you, O Lord, who have seen, do not keep silent. Do not stand far from me. | |
| 23 Stir yourself up, stand up for my rights and my cause, my God and my Lord! | |
| 24 Declare me innocent, O Lord, my God, according to your justice. Let them not gloat over me. | |
| 25 Never give them reason to say, “We have trampled him down!” | |
| 26 Let them be utterly disgraced and confounded, who exult over my calamity. Let them be ashamed and dishonored, who rejoice at my distress. | |
| 27 But let them be glad and rejoice, who are in sympathy with my cause. And may they ever say, “Great is the Lord, who has justified his servant.” | |
| 28 Then will my tongue proclaim your righteousness, and sing your praises all day long. | |
