Lord protect me

against my enemies

A psalm of David.

Lord, stand up against those who stand up against me.
Fight against those who fight against me.

2 Pick up your large shields and your small shields.
Rise up and help me.

3 Get your spear and javelin ready to fight
against those who are chasing me.
Say to me, “I will save you.”

4 Let those who are trying to kill me
be brought down in dishonor.
Let those who plan to destroy me
be turned back in terror.

5 Let them be like straw blowing in the wind,
while the angel of the Lord drives them away.

6 Let their path be dark and slippery,
while the angel of the Lord chases them.

7 They set a trap for me without any reason.
Without any reason they dug a pit to catch me.

8 So let them be destroyed without warning.
Let the trap they set for me catch them.
Let them fall into the pit and be destroyed.

9 Then I will be full of joy because of what the Lord has done.
I will be glad because he has saved me.

10 My whole being will cry out,
“Who is like you, Lord?
You save poor people from those who are too strong for them.
You save poor and needy people from those who rob them.”

11 Mean people come forward to give witness against me.
They ask me things I don’t know anything about.

12 They pay me back with evil, even though I was good to them.
They leave me without hope.

13 But when they were sick, I put on black clothes.
I made myself low by going without food.
My prayers for them weren’t always answered.

14 So I went around crying
as if I were crying over my friend or relative.
I bowed my head in sadness
as if I were sobbing over my mother.

15 But when I tripped and fell, they were all very happy.
Attackers gathered against me when I didn’t even know it.
They kept on telling lies about me.

16 They were like ungodly people. They made fun of me.
They ground their teeth at me in hate.

17 Lord, how much longer will you just look on?
Save me from their deadly attacks.
Save the only life I have.
Save me from those lions.

18 I will give you thanks in the whole community.
Among all of your people I will praise you.

19 Don’t let those who are my enemies without any reason
laugh at me and make fun of me.
Don’t let those who hate me without any reason
wink at me with an evil purpose.

20 They don’t speak words of peace.
They make up false charges
against those who live quietly in the land.

21 They open their mouths wide at me. They make fun of me.
They say, “With our own eyes we have seen what you did.”

22 Lord, you have seen this. Don’t be silent.
Lord, don’t be far away from me.

23 Wake up! Rise up to help me!
My God and Lord, stand up for me.

24 Lord my God, when you hand down your sentence, let it be in my favor.
You always do what is right.
Don’t let my enemies have the joy of seeing me fall.

25 Don’t let them think, “That’s exactly what we wanted!”
Don’t let them say, “We have swallowed him up.”

26 Let all those who laugh at me because I’m in trouble
be ashamed and bewildered.
Let all who think they are better than I am
put on shame and dishonor as if they were clothes.

27 Let those who are happy when my name is cleared
shout with joy and gladness.
Let them always say, “May the Lord be honored.
He is pleased when everything goes well with the one who serves him.”

28 You always do what is right. My tongue will speak about it
and praise you all day long.