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Contend, LORD, with those who ^(C1)contend with me; Fight against those who ^(C2)fight against me.

Take hold of ^(F1)(C1)buckler and shield And rise up as ^(C2)my help.

Draw also the spear and ^(F1)the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me; Say to my soul, "I am ^(C1)your salvation."

Let those be ^(C1)ashamed and dishonored who seek my ^(F1)life; Let those be ^(C2)turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.

Let them be ^(C1)like chaff before the wind, With the angel of the LORD driving them on.

Let their way be dark and ^(C1)slippery, With the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

For ^(C1)they ^(C2)hid their net for me without cause; Without cause they dug a pit for my soul.

Let ^(C1)destruction come upon him when he is unaware, And ^(C2)let the net which he hid catch him; Let him fall into that very ^(C3)destruction.

So my soul shall ^(C1)rejoice in the LORD; It shall ^(C2)rejoice in His salvation.

All my ^(C1)bones will say, "LORD, ^(C2)who is like You, Who rescues the afflicted from one ^(C3)who is too strong for him, And ^(C4)the afflicted and the poor from one who robs him?"

^(C1)Malicious witnesses rise up; They ask me things that I do not know.

They ^(C1)repay me evil for good, To the bereavement of my soul.

But as for me, ^(C1)when they were sick, my ^(C2)clothing was sackcloth; I ^(C3)humbled my soul with fasting, But my ^(C4)prayer kept returning to ^(F1)me.

I went about as though it were my friend or brother; I ^(C1)bowed down ^(F1)in mourning, like one who mourns for a mother.

But ^(C1)at my ^(F1)stumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together; The ^(F2)(C2)afflicted people whom I did not know gathered together against me, They ^(F3)(C3)slandered me without ceasing.

Like godless jesters at a feast, They ^(C1)gnashed at me with their teeth.

Lord, ^(C1)how long will You look on? Rescue my soul ^(C2)from their ravages, My ^(C3)only life from the lions.

I will ^(C1)give You thanks in the great congregation; I will ^(C2)praise You among a mighty people.

^(C1)Do not let those who are wrongfully ^(C2)my enemies rejoice over me; Nor let those ^(C3)who hate me for no reason ^(F1)(C4)wink maliciously.

For they do not speak peace, But they devise ^(C1)deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.

They ^(C1)opened their mouth wide against me; They said, "^(C2)Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it!"

^(C1)You have seen it, LORD, ^(C2)do not keep silent; Lord, ^(C3)do not be far from me.

^(C1)Stir Yourself, and awake to my right And to my cause, my God and my Lord.

^(C1)Judge me, LORD my God, according to Your righteousness, And ^(C2)do not let them rejoice over me.

Do not let them say in their heart, "^(C1)Aha, our desire!" Do not let them say, "We have ^(C2)swallowed him up!"

May ^(C1)those be ashamed and altogether humiliated who rejoice at my distress; May those who ^(C2)exalt themselves over me be ^(C3)clothed with shame and dishonor.

May those ^(C1)shout for joy and rejoice, who take delight in ^(C2)my vindication; And ^(C3)may they say continually, "The LORD be exalted, Who ^(C4)delights in the prosperity of His servant."

And ^(C1)my tongue shall proclaim Your righteousness And Your praise all day long.

^(F1)Wrongdoing speaks to the ungodly within ^(F2)his heart; There is ^(C1)no fear of God before his eyes.

For it ^(C1)flatters him in his own eyes Concerning the discovery of his wrongful deed and the hatred of it.

The ^(C1)words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ^(C2)ceased to ^(F1)be wise and to do good.

He ^(C1)plans wickedness on his bed; He sets himself on a ^(C2)path that is not good; He ^(C3)does not reject evil.

Your ^(C1)mercy, LORD, ^(F1)extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Your ^(C1)righteousness is like the ^(F1)mountains of God; Your ^(C2)judgments are like the great deep. LORD, You ^(F2)(C3)protect mankind and animals.

How ^(C1)precious is Your mercy, God! And the sons of mankind ^(C2)take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

They ^(C1)drink their fill of the ^(F1)abundance of Your house; And You allow them to drink from the ^(C2)river of Your delights.

For the ^(C1)fountain of life is with You; In Your light we see light.

Prolong Your mercy to ^(C1)those who know You, And Your ^(C2)righteousness to the upright of heart.

May the foot of pride not come upon me, And may the hand of the wicked not drive me away.

Those who do injustice have fallen there; They have been thrust down and ^(C1)cannot rise.

^(C1)Do not get upset because of evildoers, Do not be ^(C2)envious of wrongdoers.

For they will ^(C1)wither quickly like the grass, And ^(C2)decay like the green plants.

^(C1)Trust in the LORD and do good; ^(C2)Live in the land and ^(F1)(C3)cultivate faithfulness.

^(C1)Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will ^(C2)give you the desires of your heart.

^(C1)Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

He will bring out ^(C1)your righteousness as the light, And your judgment ^(C2)as the noonday.

^(F1)Rest in the LORD and ^(C1)wait ^(F2)patiently for Him; ^(C2)Do not get upset because of one who is ^(C3)successful in his way, Because of the person who carries out wicked schemes.

Cease from anger and ^(C1)abandon wrath; Do not get upset; it leads only to evildoing.

For ^(C1)evildoers will be eliminated, But those who wait for the LORD, they will ^(C2)inherit the land.

Yet ^(C1)a little while and the wicked person will be no more; And you will look carefully for ^(C2)his place and he will not be there.

But ^(C1)the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in ^(C2)abundant prosperity.

The wicked ^(C1)plots against the righteous, And ^(C2)gnashes at him with his teeth.

The Lord ^(C1)laughs at him, For He sees that ^(C2)his day is coming.

The wicked have drawn the sword and ^(C1)bent their bow To take down the ^(C2)afflicted and the needy, To ^(C3)kill off those who are upright in conduct.

Their sword will enter their own heart, And their ^(C1)bows will be broken.

^(C1)Better is the little of the righteous Than the abundance of many wicked.

For the ^(C1)arms of the wicked will be broken, But the LORD ^(C2)sustains the righteous.

The LORD ^(C1)knows the days of the ^(F1)blameless, And their ^(C2)inheritance will be forever.

They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, And ^(C1)in the days of famine they will have plenty.

But the ^(C1)wicked will perish; And the enemies of the LORD will be like the ^(F1)glory of the pastures, They vanish—^(C2)like smoke they vanish away.

The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous ^(C1)is gracious and gives.

For ^(C1)those blessed by Him will ^(C2)inherit the land, But those ^(C3)cursed by Him will be eliminated.

^(C1)The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He ^(C2)delights in his way.

When ^(C1)he falls, he will not be hurled down, Because ^(C2)the LORD is the One ^(F1)who holds his hand.

I have been young and now I am old, Yet ^(C1)I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or ^(C2)his ^(F1)descendants begging for bread.

All day long ^(C1)he is gracious and lends, And ^(C2)his ^(F1)descendants are a blessing.

^(C1)Turn from evil and do good, So that you will dwell ^(C2)forever.

For the LORD ^(C1)loves ^(F1)justice And ^(C2)does not abandon His godly ones; They are ^(C3)protected forever, But the ^(F2)(C4)descendants of the wicked will be eliminated.

The righteous will ^(C1)inherit the land And ^(C2)dwell in it forever.

The mouth of the righteous ^(C1)utters wisdom, And his tongue ^(C2)speaks justice.

The ^(C1)Law of his God is in his heart; His ^(C2)steps do not slip.

The ^(C1)wicked spies upon the righteous And ^(C2)seeks to kill him.

The LORD will ^(C1)not leave him in his hand Or ^(C2)let him be condemned when he is judged.

^(C1)Wait for the LORD and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the ^(C2)wicked are eliminated, you will see it.

I have ^(C1)seen a wicked, violent person Spreading himself like a ^(C2)luxuriant ^(F1)tree in its native soil.

Then he passed away, and behold, he ^(C1)was no more; I searched for him, but he could not be found.

Observe the ^(F1)(C1)blameless person, and look at the ^(C2)upright; For the person of peace will have ^(C3)a future.

But wrongdoers will altogether be ^(C1)destroyed; The future of the wicked will be ^(C2)eliminated.

But the ^(C1)salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength ^(C2)in time of trouble.

^(C1)The LORD helps them and rescues them; He ^(C2)rescues them from the wicked and saves them, Because they ^(C3)take refuge in Him.