¹To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man;

²Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war.

³They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah.

⁴Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings.

⁵The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set gins for me. Selah.

⁶I said unto the LORD, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD.

⁷O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.

⁸Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked: further not his wicked device; lest they exalt themselves. Selah.

⁹As for the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.

¹⁰Let burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits, that they rise not up again.

¹¹Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.

¹²I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor.

¹³Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.

¹A Psalm of David. LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.

²Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

³Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

⁴Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.

⁵Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.

⁶When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.

⁷Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.

⁸But mine eyes are unto thee, O GOD the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.

⁹Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.

¹⁰Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.

¹Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

²Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

³And this will we do, if God permit.

⁴For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

⁵And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

⁶If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

⁷For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:

⁸But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

⁹But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

¹⁰For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

¹¹And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:

¹²That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

¹³For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,

¹⁴Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

¹⁵And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

¹⁶For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.

¹⁷Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

¹⁸That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

¹⁹Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

²⁰Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.