God the defense of the righteous. (A Prayer of David.)

¹⁾Give me right words, O Lord; speak and thy servant shall hear thee; attend unto my cry, and give ear unto my prayer. I come not unto thee out of feigned lips.

²⁾Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal.

³⁾Thou hast proved my heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me; thou shalt find nothing evil in me, for I am purposed my mouth shall not transgress concerning the works of men.

⁴⁾By the word of thy lips I have kept out of the paths of the destroyer.

⁵⁾Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.

⁶⁾I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear, O God, my speech, and incline thine ear unto me.

⁷⁾Show thy marvelous loving-kindness, O thou that savest them which put their trust in thee, by thy right hand from those that rise up.

⁸⁾Keep me as the apple of the eye. Hide me under the shadow of thy wings from the wicked that oppress me.

⁹⁾My deadly enemies compass me about;

¹⁰⁾They are enclosed in their own fat; with their mouth they speak proudly.

¹¹⁾They have now compassed us in our steps; they have set their eyes, bowing down to the earth;

¹²⁾Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

¹³⁾Arise, O Lord, disappoint him, cast him down.

¹⁴⁾Deliver my soul from the wicked by thy sword; from men by thy strong hand. Yea, O Lord, from men of the world; for their portion is in their life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy good things; they are full of children, and they die and leave the rest of their inheritance to their babes.

¹⁵⁾As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.