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¹ The `title of the oon and twentithe salm. To ouercome, for `the morewtid hynd; the salm of Dauid. God, my God, biholde thou on me, whi hast thou forsake me? the wordis of my trespassis ben fer fro myn helthe.² Mi God, Y schal crye bi dai, and thou schalt not here; and bi nyyt, and not to vnwisdom to me.³ Forsothe thou, the preisyng of Israel, dwellist in holynesse;⁴ oure fadris hopiden in thee, thei hopiden, and thou delyueridist hem.⁵ Thei crieden to thee, and thei weren maad saaf; thei hopiden in thee, and thei weren not schent.⁶ But Y am a worm, and not man; the schenschip of men, and the outcastyng of the puple.⁷ Alle men seynge me scorneden me; thei spaken with lippis, and stiriden the heed.⁸ He hopide in the Lord, delyuere he hym; make he hym saaf, for he wole hym.⁹ For thou it art that drowist me out of the wombe, thou art myn hope fro the tetis of my modir;¹⁰ in to thee Y am cast forth fro the wombe. Fro the wombe of my modir thou art my God; departe thou not fro me.

¹¹ For tribulacioun is next; for noon is that helpith.¹² Many calues cumpassiden me; fatte bolis bisegiden me.¹³ Thei openyden her mouth on me; as doith a lioun rauyschynge and rorynge.¹⁴ I am sched out as watir; and alle my boonys ben scaterid. Myn herte is maad, as wex fletynge abrood; in the myddis of my wombe.¹⁵ Mi vertu driede as a tiyl stoon, and my tunge cleuede to my chekis; and thou hast brouyt forth me in to the dust of deth.¹⁶ For many doggis cumpassiden me; the counsel of wickid men bisegide me. Thei delueden myn hondis and my feet;¹⁷ thei noumbriden alle my boonys. Sotheli thei lokiden, and bihelden me;¹⁸ thei departiden my clothis to hem silf, and thei senten lot on my cloth.¹⁹ But thou, Lord, delaie not thin help fro me; biholde thou to my defence.²⁰ God, delyuere thou my lijf fro swerd; and delyuere thou myn oon aloone fro the hond of the dogge.²¹ Make thou me saaf fro the mouth of a lioun; and my mekenesse fro the hornes of vnycornes.

²² I schal telle thi name to my britheren; Y schal preise thee in the myddis of the chirche.²³ Ye that dreden the Lord, herie hym; alle the seed of Jacob, glorifie ye hym.²⁴ Al the seed of Israel drede hym; for he forsook not, nethir dispiside the preier of a pore man. Nethir he turnede awei his face fro me; and whanne Y criede to hym, he herde me.²⁵ Mi preisyng is at thee in a greet chirche; Y schal yelde my vowis in the siyt of men dredynge hym.²⁶ Pore men schulen ete, and schulen be fillid, and thei schulen herie the Lord, that seken hym; the hertis of hem schulen lyue in to the world of world.²⁷ Alle the endis of erthe schulen bithenke; and schulen be conuertid to the Lord. And alle the meynees of hethene men; schulen worschipe in his siyt.²⁸ For the rewme is the Lordis; and he schal be Lord of hethene men.²⁹ Alle the fatte men of erthe eeten and worschipiden; alle men, that goen doun in to erthe, schulen falle doun in his siyt.³⁰ And my soule schal lyue to hym; and my seed schal serue him.³¹ A generacioun to comyng schal be teld to the Lord; and heuenes schulen telle his riytfulnesse to the puple that schal be borun, whom the Lord made.