¹To the chief Musician upon Jonathelemrechokim, Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath. Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.

²Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.

³What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

⁴In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

⁵Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil.

⁶They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.

⁷Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God.

⁸Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

⁹When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.

¹⁰In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word.

¹¹In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.

¹²Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.

¹³For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

¹To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

²I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.

³He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.

⁴My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

⁵Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.

⁶They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.

⁷My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

⁸Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.

⁹I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.

¹⁰For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.

¹¹Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.

¹To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David. Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?

²Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.

³The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

⁴Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;

⁵Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.

⁶Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.

⁷Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.

⁸As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.

⁹Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath.

¹⁰The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

¹¹So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

¹To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him. Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.

²Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.

³For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD.

⁴They run and prepare themselves without my fault: awake to help me, and behold.

⁵Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah.

⁶They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.

⁷Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear?

⁸But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.

⁹Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.

¹⁰The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.

¹¹Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield.

¹²For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.

¹³Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.

¹⁴And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.

¹⁵Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied.

¹⁶But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

¹⁷Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.

¹To the chief Musician upon Shushaneduth, Michtam of David, to teach; when he strove with Aramnaharaim and with Aramzobah, when Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the valley of salt twelve thousand. O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again.

²Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh.

³Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.

⁴Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.

⁵That thy beloved may be delivered; save with thy right hand, and hear me.

⁶God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.

⁷Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver;

⁸Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe: Philistia, triumph thou because of me.

⁹Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?

¹⁰Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? and thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies?

¹¹Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.

¹²Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

¹Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.

²A good man obtaineth favour of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn.

³A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.

⁴A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

⁵The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit.

⁶The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.

⁷The wicked are overthrown, and are not: but the house of the righteous shall stand.

⁸A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised.

⁹He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.

¹⁰A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

¹¹He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.

¹²The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.

¹³The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.

¹⁴A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him.

¹⁵The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

¹⁶A fool's wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.

¹⁷He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit.

¹⁸There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.

¹⁹The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

²⁰Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy.

²¹There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief.

²²Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.

²³A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.

²⁴The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.

²⁵Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.

²⁶The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.

²⁷The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.

²⁸In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death.