Hear my prayer, O God, and hide not thyself from my petition.
Take heed unto me, and hear me, how I mourn in my prayer, and am vexed.
The enemy crieth so, and the ungodly
cometh on so fast;
for they are minded to do me some mischief,
so maliciously are they set against me.
My heart is disquieted within me, and the fear of death is fallen upon me.
Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and an horrible dread hath overwhelmed me.
And I said, O that I had wings like a dove! for then would I flee away, and be at rest.
Lo, then would I get me away far off, and remain in the wilderness.
I would make haste to escape, because of the stormy wind and tempest.
Destroy their tongues, O Lord, and divide them;
for I
have spied unrighteousness and strife in the city.
Day and
night they go about within the walls thereof;
mischief also
and sorrow are in the midst of it.
Wickedness is therein;
deceit
and guile go not out of her streets.
For it is not an open enemy that hath done me this dishonour;
for then I could have borne it.
Neither was it mine adversary
that did magnify himself against me;
for then peradventure
I would have hid myself from him.
But it was even thou, my companion, my guide, and mine own familiar friend.
We took sweet counsel together, and walked in the house of God as friends.
Let death come hastily upon them, and let them go down
quick into hell;
for wickedness is in their dwellings, and
among them.
As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me.
In the evening, and morning, and at noonday will I pray, and
that instantly;
and he shall hear my voice.
It is he that hath
delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against
me;
for there were many with me.
Yea, even God, that endureth
for ever, shall hear me, and bring them down;
for they
will not turn, nor fear God.
He laid his hands upon such as be at peace with him, and he broke his covenant.
The words of
his mouth were softer than butter, having war in his heart;
his words were smoother than oil, and yet be they very
swords.
O cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall nourish thee, and shall not suffer the righteous to fall for ever.
And as for them, thou, O God, shalt bring them into the pit of destruction.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live
out half their days;
nevertheless, my trust shall be in thee, O
Lord.