The Holy Bible – Knox Translation
The Book of Psalms
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Psalm 30
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1
(To the choir-master. A psalm. Of David.)
2
To thee, O Lord, I look for refuge, never let me be ashamed of my trust; in thy faithful care, deliver me.
3
Grant me audience, and make haste to rescue me; my hill-fastness, my stronghold of defence, to save me from peril.
4
Thou dost strengthen and defend me; thou, for thy own honour, dost guide and escort me;
5
by thee protected, I shall escape from the snare that lies hidden in my path.
6
Into thy hands I commend my spirit; thou, God ever faithful, wilt claim me for thyself.
7
Let fools provoke thee by the worship of false gods; for me, no refuge but the Lord.
8
I will triumph and exult in thy mercy; it was thou didst pity my weakness, and save me when I was hard bestead;
9
before the enemy’s toils could close around me, the open plain lay at my feet.
10
And now, Lord, have compassion on my distress; vexation has dimmed my eyes, frets me away, soul and body.
11
My life is all grief, my years are but sighs; for very misery,✻ my strength ebbs away, my frame is wasted.
12
Openly my foes deride me; even to my neighbours I am a thing of utter scorn; my friends are adread, and the passer-by shuns my contact;
13
I am lost to memory, like a dead man, discarded like a broken pitcher.
14
On every side their busy whispering comes to my ears; peril all around, so powerful the conspiracy that threatens my life.
15
And still, Lord, my trust in thee is not shaken; still I cry, Thou art my God,
16
my fate is in thy hand; save me from the enemy’s power, save me from my pursuers!
17
Smile on thy servant once more, and deliver me in thy mercy;
18
Lord, do not let me plead in vain. Disappoint the wicked of their hopes, hurl them down thwarted into the abyss;
19
let silence fall on those treacherous lips, that spoke maliciously of the innocent in the days of their pride and scorn!
20
What treasures of loving-kindness, Lord, dost thou store up for the men who fear thee, rewarding their confidence for all the world to see!
21
Thy presence is a sanctuary, to hide them away from the world’s malice; thy tabernacle a refuge from its noisy debate.
22
Blessed be the Lord; so wondrous is his mercy, so strong the wall of his protection.
23
I thought, bewildered, that thy watchful care had lost sight of me; but I cried out to thee, and thou thereupon didst listen to my plea.
24
Love the Lord well, you who worship him; the Lord keeps faith with his servants, and repays the actions of the proud above measure.
25
Take heart, keep high your courage, all you that wait patiently for the Lord.
