Psalm 31

Wycliffe Bible

31 To victory, the psalm of David. Lord, I have hoped in thee, be I not shamed [into] without end; deliver thou me in thy rightfulness. (To victory, the song of David. Lord, I have put my trust in thee, let me never be shamed; save thou me in thy righteousness.)

² Bow down thine ear to me; haste thou to deliver me. Be thou to me into God a defender, and into an house of refuge; that thou make me safe. (Bow down thy ear to me; hasten thou to rescue me. God, be my defender, and a house of refuge; so that thou keep me safe/so that thou save me.)

³ For thou art my strength and my refuge; and for (the sake of) thy name, thou shalt lead me forth, and shalt nourish me.

⁴ Thou shalt lead me out of the snare, which they hid to me (which they have hid for me); for thou art my defender.

⁵ I betake my spirit into thine hands; Lord God of truth, thou hast again-bought me. (I commit, or I entrust, my spirit into thy hands; Lord God of truth, thou hast redeemed me.)

⁶ Thou hatest them that keep vanities superfluously. Forsooth I hoped in the Lord; (Thou hatest them who worship false gods, or useless idols. But I put my trust in the Lord;)

⁷ I shall have fully joy, and shall be glad in thy mercy. For thou beheldest my meekness; thou savedest my life from needs. (I shall have full out joy, or rejoice, and shall be glad for thy love. For thou hast beheld my troubles; thou hast saved my life from dis-eases, or distress.)

⁸ And thou closedest not me (al)together within the hands of the enemy; thou hast set my feet in a large place. (And thou enclosedest me not in the hands of the enemy; thou hast set me free in a large place.)

⁹ Lord, have thou mercy on me, for I am troubled; mine eye is troubled in ire, my soul and my womb also. (Lord, have thou mercy on me, for I am in trouble; my eyes be tired from so much grief, and my soul, and my womb, also be tired.)

¹⁰ For why my life failed in sorrow; and my years in wailings. My virtue is made feeble in poverty; and my bones be troubled. (For my life is failing, because of sorrows; and my years, because of wailings. My strength is made feeble, or weak, by poverty; and my bones be diseased.)

¹¹ Over all mine enemies I am made (a) shame, [and] greatly to my neighbours; and dread to my known. They that saw me withoutforth, fled from me; (I am shamed before all my enemies, and especially my neighbours; and I am thought of as someone to be feared by my acquaintances. Those who saw me withoutforth, fled from me;)

¹² I am given to forgetting, as a dead man from the heart. I am made as a (for)lorn vessel; (I am forgotten, like a dead man out of mind. I am made like a forlorn vessel;)

¹³ for I heard despising of many men dwelling in compass. In that thing while they came together against me; they counselled to take my life. (for I have heard the despising of many men who live all around me. And when they came together against me; they plotted to take away my life.)

¹⁴ But, Lord, I hoped in thee (But, Lord, I put my trust in thee); I said, Thou art my God;

¹⁵ my times be in thine hands. Deliver thou me from the hands of mine enemies; and from them that pursue me. (my life is in thy hands. Rescue thou me from the power of my enemies; and from those who persecute me.)

¹⁶ Make thou clear thy face on thy servant; Lord, make thou me safe in thy mercy; (Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; Lord, save thou me in thy love;)

¹⁷ be I not shamed, for I inwardly called thee. Unpious men be ashamed, and be they led forth into hell; (let me not be shamed, for I have called upon thee. Let the unpious, or the unrighteous, be ashamed, and let them go down to Sheol, or the land of the dead;)

¹⁸ guileful lips be made dumb. That speak wickedness against a just man; in pride, and in mis-using/in pride, and in abusing. (and let deceitful lips be made dumb. Yea, those who speak wickedness against the righteous; in pride, and in mis-using/in pride, and in abusing.)

¹⁹ Lord, the multitude of thy sweetness is full great; which thou hast hid to men dreading thee. Thou hast made a perfect thing to them that hope in thee; in the sight of the sons of men. (Lord, the multitude of thy goodness is very great; which thou hast kept safe for those who fear thee/for those who revere thee. Thou hast made a perfect thing for those who put their trust in thee; before the sons of men.)

²⁰ Thou shalt hide them in the private of thy face; from [the] troubling of men (Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence; from all the troubles caused by people). Thou shalt defend them in thy tabernacle; from [the] against-saying of tongues.

²¹ Blessed be the Lord; for he hath made wonderful his mercy to me in a strengthened city. (Blessed be the Lord; for he hath shown his wonderful love to me, like a city that is strengthened, or fortified.)

²² Forsooth I said in the out-passing of my soul; I am cast out from the face of thine eyes. Therefore thou heardest the voice of my prayer; while I cried to thee. (For I said in the going forth of my soul, I am cast out from before thine eyes. But thou heardest the words of my prayer; when I cried to thee for help.)

²³ All ye holy men of the Lord, love him; for the Lord shall seek truth, and he shall yield plenteously to them that do pride. (All ye holy people of the Lord, love him; for the Lord preserveth the faithful, but he shall strongly punish the proud.)

²⁴ All ye that hope in the Lord, do ye manly; and your heart be comforted. (All ye who hope in the Lord, be ye encouraged; and let your hearts be strengthened.)