Read the Bible

^1 (a)Give ear to my prayer, O God;
And ^(b)do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
² Give ^(c)heed to me and answer me;
I am restless in my ^(d)complaint and ^[b](e)am surely distracted,
³ Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the ^(f)pressure of the wicked;
For they ^(g)bring down ^[c]trouble upon me
And in anger they ^(h)bear a grudge against me.

⁴ My ⁽ⁱ⁾heart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of ^(j)death have fallen upon me.
⁵ Fear and ^(k)trembling come upon me,
And ^[d](l)horror has overwhelmed me.
⁶ I said, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and ^[e](m)be at rest.
⁷ "Behold, I would wander far away,
I would ⁽ⁿ⁾lodge in the wilderness. ^[f]Selah.
⁸ "I would hasten to my place of refuge
From the ^(o)stormy wind and tempest."

^9 [g]Confuse, O Lord, ^(p)divide their tongues,
For I have seen ^(q)violence and strife in the city.
¹⁰ Day and night they go around her upon her walls,
And iniquity and mischief are in her midst.
^11 (r)Destruction is in her midst;
^(s)Oppression and deceit do not depart from her ^[h]streets.

¹² For it is ^(t)not an enemy who reproaches me,
Then I could bear it;
Nor is it one who hates me who ^(u)has exalted himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.
¹³ But it is you, a man ^[i]my equal,
My ^(v)companion and my ^[j](w)familiar friend;
¹⁴ We who had sweet ^[k]fellowship together
^(x)Walked in the house of God in the throng.
¹⁵ Let ^[l]death come ^(y)deceitfully upon them;
Let them ^(z)go down alive to ^[m]Sheol,
For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.

¹⁶ As for me, I shall ^(aa)call upon God,
And the Lord will save me.
^17 (ab)Evening and ^(ac)morning and at ^(ad)noon, I will complain and murmur,
And He will hear my voice.
¹⁸ He will ^(ae)redeem my soul in peace ^[n]from the battle which is against me,
For they are ^(af)many who strive with me.
¹⁹ God will ^(ag)hear and ^[o]answer them—
Even the one ^(ah)who ^[p]sits enthroned from of old— Selah.
With whom there ^[q]is no change,
And who ^(ai)do not fear God.
²⁰ He has put forth his hands against ^(aj)those who were at peace with him;
He has ^[r](ak)violated his covenant.
²¹ His ^[s]speech was ^(al)smoother than butter,
But his heart was war;
His words were ^(am)softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn ^(an)swords.

^22 (ao)Cast ^[t]your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
^(ap)He will never allow the righteous to ^[u](aq)be shaken.
²³ But You, O God, will bring them down to the ^[v](ar)pit of destruction;
^(as)Men of bloodshed and deceit will ^(at)not live out half their days.
But I will ^(au)trust in You.