Psalm 55

O God, give ear, and do attend
to me when I do pray,
And from my supplications
turn not thy self away.
Take heed attentively to me,
and patiently me hear,
I mourn in my complaint, and make
a noise through grief and fear.

For the noise of my foes, because
the wicked me oppresse,
They pour out injuries on me,
in wrath and spitefulnesse.
With grievous pains my heart is sore
disquieted in mee,
Nothing but terrours of pale death
before mine eyes I see.

Trembling and fearfulnesse of heart
take hold and seise on me,
Terrour doth me so overwhelm,
I no way out can see.
I said in heart, O that I had
the swift wings of a dove,
Then would I fly from wrongs, and to
a place of rest remove.

Then would I hasten far away,
to fly I would not cease,
Until in safety I might stay
in some great wildernesse.
To free my self from injuries,
I would escape in haste,
Lest tempests should me overtake,
or the fierce stormy blast.

Destroy, O Lord, and soon confound
their tongues, and them divide,
For in their Cities, cursed strife,
and violence abide.
And on their walls both day and night
they go about it round,
And in the midst doth mischief dwell,
and sorrows still abound.

Within it, in the midst thereof,
is wickednesse espi'd,
Deceit and guile do not depart,
but in his streets abide.
It was no foe that me reproach'd,
For that I could have born,
No enemy that lift up himself
against me thus in scorn,

For then I would have hid my self:
Thou didst me this despight,
My guide, mine equal, my near friend,
in whom I did delight.
We oftentimes in counsel did
sweetly together talk,
And us'd into the house of God
in company to walk.

The Second Part.

Let death upon them seise, and let
them quick go down to hell,
For wickednesse amongst them is,
and reigneth where they dwell.
But as for me, upon my God
I will not cease to call,
And out of all adversities
he me deliver shall.

Evening, and morning, and at noon,
I unto him will pray,
And cry aloud, and he my voice
shall hear, and what I say.
Against me when the battel was,
he did my soul set free,
He me preserved still in peace,
for many were with mee.

God me shall hear, and them afflict,
the God that is of old,
Because they have no changes, God
they fear not, but wax hold.
On such as live in peace with him,
he fears not to lay hands,
And of his cov'nant made with them,
breaks wickedly the bands.

While he in heart doth harbour war,
like butter are his words,
While soft as oil his speeches be,
yet are they sharp drawn swords.
Thy burthen cast upon the Lord,
thee sure sustain shall he,
The righteous he shall not permit
remov'd at all to be.

But for these men thou shalt, O Lord,
bring them down every one
Into the everlasting pit
of just destruction.
These bloudy and deceitful men
shall not live half their days,
But I on thee alone, my God,
will put my trust always.