[1] I am depending on you, O Lord my God, to save me from my persecutors. [2] Don't let them pounce upon me as a lion would and maul me and drag me away with no one to rescue me. [3] It would be different, Lord, if I were doing evil things- [4] if I were paying back evil for good or unjustly attacking those I dislike. [5] Then it would be right for you to let my enemies destroy me, crush me to the ground, and trample my life in the dust. [6] But Lord! Arise in anger against the anger of my enemies. Awake! Demand justice for me, Lord! [7] Gather all peoples before you; sit high above them, judging their sins. But justify me publicly; establish my honor and truth before them all. [9] End all wickedness, O Lord, and bless all who truly worship God; for you, the righteous God, look deep within the hearts of men and examine all their motives and their thoughts. [10] God is my shield; he will defend me. He saves those whose hearts and lives are true and right. [11] God is a judge who is perfectly fair, and he is angry with the wicked every day. [12] Unless they repent, he will sharpen his sword and slay them. He has bent and strung his bow [13] and fitted it with deadly arrows made from shafts of fire. [14] The wicked man conceives an evil plot, labors with its dark details, and brings to birth his treachery and lies; [15] let him fall into his own trap. [16] May the violence he plans for others boomerang upon himself; let him die. [17] Oh, how grateful and thankful I am to the Lord because he is so good. I will sing praise to the name of the Lord who is above all lords.
