Psalms 35:4-17

⁴Let them be overcome and put to shame who make attempts to take my soul; let those who would do me damage be turned back and made foolish.

⁵Let them be like dust from the grain before the wind; let the angel of the Lord send them in flight.

⁶Let their way be dark and full of danger; let them be troubled by the angel of the Lord.

⁷For without cause they have put a net ready for me secretly, in which to take my soul.

⁸Let destruction come on them without their knowledge; let them be taken themselves in their secret nets, falling into the same destruction.

⁹And my soul will have joy in the Lord; it will be glad in his salvation.

¹⁰All my bones will say, Lord, who is like you? The saviour of the poor man from the hands of the strong, of him who is poor and in need from him who takes his goods.

¹¹False witnesses got up: they put questions to me about crimes of which I had no knowledge.

¹²They gave me back evil for good, troubling my soul.

¹³But as for me, when they were ill I put on the clothing of sorrow: I went without food and was sad, and my prayer came back again to my heart.

¹⁴My behaviour was as if it had been my friend or my brother: I was bent low in grief like one whose mother is dead.

¹⁵But they took pleasure in my trouble, and came together, yes, low persons came together against me without my knowledge; they never came to an end of wounding me.

¹⁶Like men of deceit they put me to shame; the voice of their wrath was loud against me.

¹⁷Lord, how long will you be looking on? take my soul from their destruction, my life from the lions.