¹Plead, Lord, with those that plead; and fight

with those that fight with me.

²Of shield and buckler take thou hold,

stand up mine help to be.

³Draw also out the spear, and do

against them stop the way

That me pursue: unto my soul,

I’m thy salvation, say.

⁴Let them confounded be and sham’d

that for my soul have sought:

Who plot my hurt turn’d back be they,

and to confusion brought.

⁵Let them be like unto the chaff

that flies before the wind;

And let the angel of the Lord

pursue them hard behind.

⁶With darkness cover thou their way,

and let it slipp’ry prove;

And let the angel of the Lord

pursue them from above.

⁷For without cause have they for me

their net hid in a pit,

They also have without a cause

for my soul digged it.

⁸Let ruin seize him unawares;

his net he hid withal

Himself let catch; and in the same

destruction let him fall.

⁹My soul in God shall joy; and glad

in his salvation be:

¹⁰And all my bones shall say, O Lord,

who is like unto thee,

Which dost the poor set free from him

that is for him too strong;

The poor and needy from the man

that spoils and does him wrong?

¹¹False witnesses rose; to my charge

things I not knew they laid.

¹²They, to the spoiling of my soul,

me ill for good repaid.

¹³But as for me, when they were sick,

in sackcloth sad I mourn’d:

My humbled soul did fast, my pray’r

into my bosom turn’d.

¹⁴Myself I did behave as he

had been my friend or brother;

I heavily bow’d down, as one

that mourneth for his mother.

¹⁵But in my trouble they rejoic’d,

gath’ring themselves together;

Yea, abjects vile together did

themselves against me gather:

I knew it not; they did me tear,

and quiet would not be.

¹⁶With mocking hypocrites, at feasts

they gnash’d their teeth at me.

¹⁷How long, Lord, look’st thou on? from those

destructions they intend

Rescue my soul, from lions young

my darling do defend.

¹⁸I will give thanks to thee, O Lord,

within th’ assembly great;

And where much people gather’d are

thy praises forth will set.

¹⁹Let not my wrongful enemies

proudly rejoice o’er me;

Nor who me hate without a cause,

let them wink with the eye.

²⁰For peace they do not speak at all;

but crafty plots prepare

Against all those within the land

that meek and quiet are.

²¹With mouths set wide, they ‘gainst me said,

Ha, ha! our eye doth see.

²²Lord, thou hast seen, hold not thy peace;

Lord, be not far from me.

²³Stir up thyself; wake, that thou may’st

judgment to me afford,

Ev’n to my cause, O thou that art

my only God and Lord.

²⁴O Lord my God, do thou me judge

after thy righteousness;

And let them not their joy ‘gainst me

triumphantly express:

²⁵Nor let them say within their hearts,

Ah, we would have it thus;

Nor suffer them to say, that he

is swallow’d up by us.

²⁶Sham’d and confounded be they all

that at my hurt are glad;

Let those against me that do boast

with shame and scorn be clad.

²⁷Let them that love my righteous cause

be glad, shout, and not cease

To say, The Lord be magnify’d,

who loves his servant’s peace.

²⁸Thy righteousness shall also be

declared by my tongue;

The praises that belong to thee

speak shall it all day long.