¹ Listen to my prayer, O God.
    Do not ignore my cry for help!
² Please listen and answer me,
    for I am overwhelmed by my troubles.
³ My enemies shout at me,
    making loud and wicked threats.
They bring trouble on me
    and angrily hunt me down.

⁴ My heart pounds in my chest.
    The terror of death assaults me.
⁵ Fear and trembling overwhelm me,
    and I can’t stop shaking.
⁶ Oh, that I had wings like a dove;
    then I would fly away and rest!
⁷ I would fly far away
    to the quiet of the wilderness. Interlude
⁸ How quickly I would escape—
    far from this wild storm of hatred.

⁹ Confuse them, Lord, and frustrate their plans,
    for I see violence and conflict in the city.
¹⁰ Its walls are patrolled day and night against invaders,
    but the real danger is wickedness within the city.
¹¹ Everything is falling apart;
    threats and cheating are rampant in the streets.

¹² It is not an enemy who taunts me—
    I could bear that.
It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me—
    I could have hidden from them.
¹³ Instead, it is you—my equal,
    my companion and close friend.
¹⁴ What good fellowship we once enjoyed
    as we walked together to the house of God.

¹⁵ Let death stalk my enemies;
    let the grave^[b] swallow them alive,
    for evil makes its home within them.

¹⁶ But I will call on God,
    and the Lord will rescue me.
¹⁷ Morning, noon, and night
    I cry out in my distress,
    and the Lord hears my voice.
¹⁸ He ransoms me and keeps me safe
    from the battle waged against me,
    though many still oppose me.
¹⁹ God, who has ruled forever,
    will hear me and humble them. Interlude
For my enemies refuse to change their ways;
    they do not fear God.

²⁰ As for my companion, he betrayed his friends;
    he broke his promises.
²¹ His words are as smooth as butter,
    but in his heart is war.
His words are as soothing as lotion,
    but underneath are daggers!

²² Give your burdens to the Lord,
    and he will take care of you.
    He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

²³ But you, O God, will send the wicked
    down to the pit of destruction.
Murderers and liars will die young,
    but I am trusting you to save me.

¹ Justice—do you rulers^[b] know the meaning of the word?
    Do you judge the people fairly?
² No! You plot injustice in your hearts.
    You spread violence throughout the land.
³ These wicked people are born sinners;
    even from birth they have lied and gone their own way.
⁴ They spit venom like deadly snakes;
    they are like cobras that refuse to listen,
⁵ ignoring the tunes of the snake charmers,
    no matter how skillfully they play.

⁶ Break off their fangs, O God!
    Smash the jaws of these lions, O Lord!
⁷ May they disappear like water into thirsty ground.
    Make their weapons useless in their hands.^[c]
8 May they be like snails that dissolve into slime,
    like a stillborn child who will never see the sun.
⁹ God will sweep them away, both young and old,
    faster than a pot heats over burning thorns.

¹⁰ The godly will rejoice when they see injustice avenged.
    They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.
¹¹ Then at last everyone will say,
    “There truly is a reward for those who live for God;
    surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth.”

¹ O God, listen to my cry!
    Hear my prayer!
² From the ends of the earth,
    I cry to you for help
    when my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to the towering rock of safety,
³     for you are my safe refuge,
    a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
⁴ Let me live forever in your sanctuary,
    safe beneath the shelter of your wings! Interlude

⁵ For you have heard my vows, O God.
    You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name.
⁶ Add many years to the life of the king!
    May his years span the generations!
⁷ May he reign under God’s protection forever.
    May your unfailing love and faithfulness watch over him.
⁸ Then I will sing praises to your name forever
    as I fulfill my vows each day.

¹ I wait quietly before God,
    for my victory comes from him.
² He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress where I will never be shaken.

³ So many enemies against one man—
    all of them trying to kill me.
To them I’m just a broken-down wall
    or a tottering fence.
⁴ They plan to topple me from my high position.
    They delight in telling lies about me.
They praise me to my face
    but curse me in their hearts. Interlude

⁵ Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
    for my hope is in him.
⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress where I will not be shaken.
⁷ My victory and honor come from God alone.
    He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
⁸ O my people, trust in him at all times.
    Pour out your heart to him,
    for God is our refuge. Interlude

⁹ Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind,
    and the powerful are not what they appear to be.
If you weigh them on the scales,
    together they are lighter than a breath of air.

¹⁰ Don’t make your living by extortion
    or put your hope in stealing.
And if your wealth increases,
    don’t make it the center of your life.

¹¹ God has spoken plainly,
    and I have heard it many times:
Power, O God, belongs to you;
¹²     unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.
Surely you repay all people
    according to what they have done.

¹ O God, listen to my complaint.
    Protect my life from my enemies’ threats.
² Hide me from the plots of this evil mob,
    from this gang of wrongdoers.
³ They sharpen their tongues like swords
    and aim their bitter words like arrows.
⁴ They shoot from ambush at the innocent,
    attacking suddenly and fearlessly.
⁵ They encourage each other to do evil
    and plan how to set their traps in secret.
    “Who will ever notice?” they ask.
⁶ As they plot their crimes, they say,
    “We have devised the perfect plan!”
    Yes, the human heart and mind are cunning.

⁷ But God himself will shoot them with his arrows,
    suddenly striking them down.
⁸ Their own tongues will ruin them,
    and all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
⁹ Then everyone will be afraid;
    they will proclaim the mighty acts of God
    and realize all the amazing things he does.
¹⁰ The godly will rejoice in the Lord
    and find shelter in him.
And those who do what is right
    will praise him.

¹ What mighty praise, O God,
    belongs to you in Zion.
We will fulfill our vows to you,
²     for you answer our prayers.
    All of us must come to you.
³ Though we are overwhelmed by our sins,
    you forgive them all.
⁴ What joy for those you choose to bring near,
    those who live in your holy courts.
What festivities await us
    inside your holy Temple.

⁵ You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds,
    O God our savior.
You are the hope of everyone on earth,
    even those who sail on distant seas.
⁶ You formed the mountains by your power
    and armed yourself with mighty strength.
⁷ You quieted the raging oceans
    with their pounding waves
    and silenced the shouting of the nations.
⁸ Those who live at the ends of the earth
    stand in awe of your wonders.
From where the sun rises to where it sets,
    you inspire shouts of joy.

⁹ You take care of the earth and water it,
    making it rich and fertile.
The river of God has plenty of water;
    it provides a bountiful harvest of grain,
    for you have ordered it so.
¹⁰ You drench the plowed ground with rain,
    melting the clods and leveling the ridges.
You soften the earth with showers
    and bless its abundant crops.
¹¹ You crown the year with a bountiful harvest;
    even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.
¹² The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture,
    and the hillsides blossom with joy.
¹³ The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep,
    and the valleys are carpeted with grain.
    They all shout and sing for joy!