Chapter 30

To thee, O Lord, I look for refuge, never let me be ashamed of my trust; in thy faithful care, deliver me.

Grant me audience, and make haste to rescue me; my hill-fastness, my stronghold of defence, to save me from peril.

Thou dost strengthen and defend me; thou, for thy own honour, dost guide and escort me;

by thee protected, I shall escape from the snare that lies hidden in my path.

Into thy hands I commend my spirit; thou, God ever faithful, wilt claim me for thyself.

Let fools provoke thee by the worship of false gods; for me, no refuge but the Lord.

I will triumph and exult in thy mercy; it was thou didst pity my weakness, and save me when I was hard bestead;

before the enemy’s toils could close around me, the open plain lay at my feet.

And now, Lord, have compassion on my distress; vexation has dimmed my eyes, frets me away, soul and body.

My life is all grief, my years are but sighs; for very misery,1 my strength ebbs away, my frame is wasted.

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;

I am lost to memory, like a dead man, discarded like a broken pitcher.

On every side their busy whispering comes to my ears; peril all around, so powerful the conspiracy that threatens my life.

And still, Lord, my trust in thee is not shaken; still I cry, Thou art my God,

my fate is in thy hand; save me from the enemy’s power, save me from my pursuers!

Smile on thy servant once more, and deliver me in thy mercy;

Lord, do not let me plead in vain. Disappoint the wicked of their hopes, hurl them down thwarted into the abyss;

let silence fall on those treacherous lips, that spoke maliciously of the innocent in the days of their pride and scorn!

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!

Thy presence is a sanctuary, to hide them away from the world’s malice; thy tabernacle a refuge from its noisy debate.

Blessed be the Lord; so wondrous is his mercy, so strong the wall of his protection.

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.

Love the Lord well, you who worship him; the Lord keeps faith with his servants, and repays the actions of the proud above measure.

Take heart, keep high your courage, all you that wait patiently for the Lord.