By David.

• ¹Contend, Yahweh, with those who contend with me.
• Fight against those who fight against me.

• ²Take hold of shield and buckler,
• and stand up for my help.

• ³Brandish the spear and block those who pursue me.
• Tell my soul, “I am your salvation.”

• ⁴Let those who seek after my soul be disappointed and brought to dishonor.
• Let those who plot my ruin be turned back and confounded.

• ⁵Let them be as chaff before the wind,
• Yahweh’s angel driving them on.

• ⁶Let their way be dark and slippery,
• Yahweh’s angel pursuing them.

• ⁷For without cause they have hidden their net in a pit for me.
• Without cause they have dug a pit for my soul.

• ⁸Let destruction come on him unawares.
• Let his net that he has hidden catch himself.
• Let him fall into that destruction.

• ⁹My soul shall be joyful in Yahweh.
• It shall rejoice in his salvation.

• ¹⁰All my bones shall say, “Yahweh, who is like you,
• who delivers the poor from him who is too strong for him;
• yes, the poor and the needy from him who robs him?”

• ¹¹Unrighteous witnesses rise up.
• They ask me about things that I don’t know about.

• ¹²They reward me evil for good,
• to the bereaving of my soul.

• ¹³But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth.
• I afflicted my soul with fasting.
• My prayer returned into my own bosom.

• ¹⁴I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother.
• I bowed down mourning, as one who mourns his mother.

• ¹⁵But in my adversity, they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together.
• The attackers gathered themselves together against me, and I didn’t know it.
• They tore at me, and didn’t cease.

• ¹⁶Like the profane mockers in feasts,
• they gnashed their teeth at me.

• ¹⁷Lord, how long will you look on?
• Rescue my soul from their destruction,
• my precious life from the lions.

• ¹⁸I will give you thanks in the great assembly.
• I will praise you among many people.

• ¹⁹Don’t let those who are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me;
• neither let those who hate me without a cause wink their eyes.

• ²⁰For they don’t speak peace,
• but they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.

• ²¹Yes, they opened their mouth wide against me.
• They said, “Aha! Aha! Our eye has seen it!”

• ²²You have seen it, Yahweh. Don’t keep silent.
• Lord, don’t be far from me.

• ²³Wake up! Rise up to defend me, my God!
• My Lord, contend for me!

• ²⁴Vindicate me, Yahweh my God, according to your righteousness.
• Don’t let them gloat over me.

• ²⁵Don’t let them say in their heart, “Aha! That’s the way we want it!”
• Don’t let them say, “We have swallowed him up!”

• ²⁶Let them be disappointed and confounded together who rejoice at my calamity.
• Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me.

• ²⁷Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause.
• Yes, let them say continually, “Yahweh be magnified,
• who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant!”

• ²⁸My tongue shall talk about your righteousness and about your praise all day long.