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Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.

^1 (C1)Listen to my prayer, O God,
And ^(C2)do not hide Yourself from my plea.

^2 (C1)Listen to me and answer me;
I am restless and distraught in my ^(C2)complaint and ^(C3)distracted

³ Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the ^(C1)pressure of the wicked;
For they bring down ^(C2)trouble on me,
And in anger they ^(C3)persecute me.

⁴ My ^(C1)heart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of ^(C2)death have fallen upon me.

⁵ Fear and ^(C1)trembling have come upon me;
^(C2)Horror has overwhelmed me.

⁶ And I say, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and ^(C1)be at rest.

⁷ "I would wander far away,
I would ^(C1)lodge in the peace of the wilderness. Selah.

⁸ "I would hurry to my refuge my tranquil shelter far away
From the ^(C1)stormy wind and from the tempest."

^9 (F1)Confuse my enemies, O Lord, ^(C1)divide their tongues destroying their schemes,
For I have seen ^(C2)violence and strife in the city.

¹⁰ Day and night they go around her walls;
Wickedness and mischief are in her midst.

^11 (C1)Destruction is within her;
^(C2)Oppression and deceit do not depart from her streets and market places.

¹² For it is ^(C1)not an enemy who taunts me—
Then I could bear it;
Nor is it one who has hated me who ^(C2)insolently exalts himself against me—
Then I could hide from him.

¹³ But it is you, a man my equal and my counsel,
My ^(C1)companion and my ^(C2)familiar friend;

¹⁴ We who had sweet ^(F1)fellowship together,
Who ^(C1)walked to the house of God in company.

¹⁵ Let death come ^(C1)deceitfully upon them;
Let them ^(C2)go down alive to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead),
For evil of every kind is in their dwelling and in their hearts, in their midst.

¹⁶ As for me, I shall ^(C1)call upon God,
And the LORD will save me.

^17 (C1)Evening and ^(C2)morning and at ^(C3)noon I will complain and murmur,
And He will hear my voice.

¹⁸ He has ^(C1)redeemed my life in peace from the battle that was against me,
For there were ^(C2)many against me.

¹⁹ God will ^(C1)hear and humble them,
Even He ^(C2)who ^(F1)sits enthroned from old— Selah.
Because in them there has been no change of heart,
And they ^(C3)do not fear God at all.

²⁰ He my companion has put out his hands against ^(C1)those who were at peace with him;
He has ^(F1)(C2)broken his covenant of friendship and loyalty.

²¹ The words of his mouth were ^(C1)smoother than butter,
But his heart was hostile;
His words were ^(C1)softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn ^(C2)swords.

^22 (C1)Cast your burden on the LORD release it and He will sustain and uphold you;
^(C2)He will never allow the righteous to ^(C3)be shaken (slip, fall, fail). ^(VR1)

²³ But You, O God, will bring down the wicked to the ^(C1)pit of destruction;
^(C2)Men of blood and treachery will ^(C3)not live out half their days.
But I will boldly and unwaveringly ^(C4)trust in You.