In you, Jehovah, have I sought refuge;
Let me at no time fall into disgrace,
But let your sense of right deliver me.
Turn your ear to me, rescue me with dispatch.
Be an enclave, a fortress to guard me.
(For you are my enclave and my fortress.)
Therefore, in your name, lead and protect me;
Free me from the trap my foes have set for me,
For in you alone I find my protection,
And into your hands do I entrust my life.
Thus save me, Jehovah, my faithful god!
Those who worship false idols, I detest:
I put my confidence in Jehovah.
I am glad for your loyal love,
And rejoice in your devotion,
For you have witnessed my misery
And know the troubles of my soul.
You would not allow me to fall
Into the hands of my enemy,
But set me in a place of safety.
Pity me, O Jehovah,
For I am in dire distress.
My eyes grow weak with weeping,
My body and soul languish
And waste away with grief.
Sorrow consumes my soul,
My years are wasted in sobs,
My troubles exhaust me
And my life is draining away.
Because of all my enemies,
My neighbors hold me in contempt.
Even my friends will avoid me,
For when they see me on the street
They run the other way in fear.
Forgotten am I, like one dead,
Like a broken piece of pottery.
I have heard the threats made by many --
I am surrounded by terror --
For they hold counsel against me
And are plotting to take my life.
But I trust in you, Jehovah
And have declared, “You are my god!”
Indeed my future is in your hands.
Deliver me from my enemies
And from those who persecute me.
Let your face smile upon your servant.
Let your mercy be my redemption.
Let me not be shamed, O Jehovah,
For I pray to you for succor.
Let the wicked people be shamed;
Let them be silenced by the grave.
Still their lying, deceitful tongues
That speak with arrogance and contempt
In castigating the righteous.
How abundant is your bounty,
Stored up for those who revere you,
Bestowed upon those who trust you,
For the people of the world to see.
You shelter them with your presence,
Hiding them in a secret refuge,
Protecting them from the plots of men,
Far from slanderous accusations.
Praise Jehovah, for he has shown me
The miracle of his constant love.
When the city was under siege
I cried out to him in alarm,
“I’m defeated before your eyes!”
You heard the voice of my pleading
When I cried out in supplication.
Love Jehovah and his followers,
For Jehovah sustains the faithful --
But he punishes severely
The evil deeds of the arrogant.
Be strong in spirit and brave of heart,
All who put their hope in Jehovah.
