Psalms 34

¹To David himself. Judge o Lord them that hurt me: overthrow them that impugn me.

²Take armour and shield: and rise up to help me.

³Bring forth the sword, and shut up against them, that persecute me: say to my soul: I am thy salvation.

⁴Let them be confounded & ashamed, that seek my soul. Let them be turned backward, and be confounded that think evil against me.

⁵Be they made as dust before the face of wind; and the Angel of our Lord straitening them.

⁶Let their way be made darkness and slipperness: and the Angel of our Lord pursuing them.

⁷Because they have hid the destruction of their snare for me without cause: in vain have they upbraided my soul.

⁸Let the snare which he knoweth not, come on him; and the net, which he hath hid, catch him: and let him fall into the very same snare.

⁹But my soul shall rejoice in our Lord: and shall be delighted upon his salvation.

¹⁰All my bones shall say: Lord, who is like to thee? Delivering the needy from the hand of them that are stronger than he: the needy and poor from them that spoil him.

¹¹Unjust witnesses rising up, asked me things that I knew not.

¹²They repayed me evil things for good, sterility to my soul.

¹³But I when they were troublesome to me, did put on cloth of hair. I humbled my soul in fasting: and my prayer shall be turned into my bosom.

¹⁴As a neighbour, as our brother, so did I please: as mourning and sorrowful so was I humbled.

¹⁵And they rejoiced against me, and came together: scourges were gathered together upon me, and I was ignorant.

¹⁶They were dissipated, and not compunct, they tempted me, they scorned me with scorning: they gnashed upon me with their teeth.

¹⁷Lord when wilt thou regard? Restore thou my soul from their malignity, mine only one from the lions.

¹⁸I will confess to thee in the great Church, in a grave people I will praise thee.

¹⁹Let them not rejoice over me that are my adversaries unjustly: that hate me without cause, and twinkle with the eyes.

²⁰Because they spake indeed peaceably to me: and in the anger of the earth speaking they meant guiles.

²¹And they opened their mouth awide upon me: they said, Well, well, our eyes have seen.

²²Thou hast seen, o Lord, keep not silence: Lord depart not from me.

²³Arise and attend to my judgment: my God, and my Lord unto my cause.

²⁴Judge me according to thy justice, o Lord my God, and let them not rejoice over me.

²⁵Let them not say in their hearts: Well, well, to our soul: neither let them say, We have devoured him.

²⁶Let them blush and be ashamed together, that rejoice at my evils. Let them be clothed with confusion and shame, that speak great things upon me.

²⁷Let them rejoice and be glad, that will my justice: and let them say always: Our Lord be magnified, that will the peace of his servant.

²⁸And my tongue shall meditate thy justice, thy praise all the day.