Bible Reading Plan

Prayer for Defense against Enemies.

¹ Save me, God, by ^(C1)Your name,
And ^(F1)vindicate me by ^(C2)Your power.

^2 (C1)Hear my prayer, God;
^(C2)Listen to the words of my mouth.

³ For strangers have ^(C1)risen against me
And ^(C2)violent men have ^(C3)sought my ^(F1)life;
They have ^(C4)not set God before them. Selah

⁴ Behold, ^(C1)God is my helper;
The Lord is ^(F1)the ^(C2)sustainer of my soul.

^5 (F1)He will ^(C1)pay back the evil to my enemies;
^(F2)(C2)Destroy them ^(C3)in Your ^(F3)faithfulness.

^6 (F1)(C1)Willingly I will sacrifice to You;
I will ^(C2)praise Your name, LORD, for it is good.

⁷ For ^(F1)He has ^(C1)saved me from all ^(F2)trouble,
And my eye has ^(C2)looked with satisfaction upon my enemies.

Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.

^1 (C1)Listen to my prayer, God;
And ^(C2)do not hide Yourself from my pleading.

² Give Your ^(C1)attention to me and answer me;
I am restless in my ^(C2)complaint and ^(F1)(C3)severely distracted,

³ Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the ^(C1)pressure of the wicked;
For they ^(C2)bring down ^(F1)trouble upon me
And in anger they ^(C3)hold a grudge against me.

⁴ My ^(C1)heart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of ^(C2)death have fallen upon me.

⁵ Fear and ^(C1)trembling come upon me,
And ^(F1)(C2)horror has ^(F2)overwhelmed me.

⁶ I said, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and ^(F1)(C1)be at rest.

⁷ "Behold, I would flee far away,
I would ^(C1)spend my nights in the wilderness. Selah

⁸ "I would hurry to my place of refuge
From the ^(C1)stormy wind and heavy gale."

⁹ Confuse them, Lord, ^(C1)divide their tongues,
For I have seen ^(C2)violence and strife in the city.

¹⁰ Day and night they go around her upon her walls,
And evil and harm are in her midst.

^11 (C1)Destruction is in her midst;
^(C2)Oppression and deceit do not depart from her ^(F1)streets.

¹² For it is ^(C1)not an enemy who taunts me,
Then I could endure it;
Nor is it one who hates me who ^(C2)has exalted himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.

¹³ But it is you, a man ^(F1)my equal,
My ^(C1)companion and my ^(C2)confidant;

¹⁴ We who had sweet ^(F1)fellowship together,
^(C1)Walked in the house of God among the commotion.

¹⁵ May ^(F1)death come ^(C1)deceitfully upon them;
May they ^(C2)go down alive to ^(F2)Sheol,
For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.

¹⁶ As for me, I shall ^(C1)call upon God,
And the LORD will save me.

^17 (C1)Evening and ^(C2)morning and at ^(C3)noon, I will complain and moan,
And He will hear my voice.

¹⁸ He will ^(C1)redeem my soul in peace ^(F1)from the battle which is against me,
For they are ^(C2)many who are aggressive toward me.

¹⁹ God will ^(C1)hear and humiliate them—
Even the One ^(C2)who ^(F1)sits enthroned from ancient times— Selah
With whom there ^(F2)is no change,
And who ^(C3)do not fear God.

²⁰ He has put forth his hands against ^(C1)those who were at peace with him;
He has ^(F1)(C2)violated his covenant.

²¹ His ^(F1)speech was ^(C1)smoother than butter,
But his heart was war;
His words were ^(C1)softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn ^(C2)swords.

^22 (C1)Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you;
^(C2)He will never allow the righteous to ^(F1)(C3)be shaken.

²³ But You, God, will bring them down to the ^(C1)pit of destruction;
^(C2)Men of bloodshed and deceit will ^(C3)not live out half their days.
But I will ^(C4)trust in You.

Pleading for Help and Grateful Trust in God.

¹ Be gracious to me, God, for a man has ^(F1)(C1)trampled upon me;
^(F2)Fighting all day long he ^(C2)oppresses me.

² My enemies have ^(C1)trampled upon me all day long,
For ^(F1)they are many who ^(C2)fight proudly against me.

^3 (F1)When I am ^(C1)afraid,
^(F2)I will ^(C2)put my trust in You.

^4 (C1)In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
^(C2)What can mere ^(F1)mortals do to me?

⁵ All day long they ^(C1)distort my words;
All their ^(F1)(C2)thoughts are against me for evil.

⁶ They ^(F1)(C1)attack, they lurk,
They ^(C2)watch my ^(F2)steps,
As they have ^(C3)waited to take my ^(F3)life.

⁷ Because of their wickedness, will there be an ^(C1)escape for them?
In anger ^(C2)make the peoples fall down, God!

⁸ You ^(C1)have taken account of my ^(F1)miseries;
Put my ^(C2)tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in ^(C3)Your book?

⁹ Then my enemies will ^(C1)turn back ^(C2)on the day when I call;
This I know, ^(F1)that ^(C3)God is for me.

¹⁰ In God, whose word I praise,
In the LORD, whose word I praise,

¹¹ In God I have put my ^(F1)trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can mankind do to me?

¹² Your ^(C1)vows are binding upon me, God;
I will render thanksgiving offerings to You.

¹³ For You have ^(C1)saved my soul from death,
^(F1)Indeed ^(C2)my feet from stumbling,
So that I may ^(C3)walk before God
In the ^(C4)light of the ^(F2)living.

Prayer for Rescue from Persecutors.

¹ Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,
For my soul ^(C1)takes refuge in You;
And in the ^(C2)shadow of Your wings I will take refuge
Until destruction ^(C3)passes by.

² I will cry to God Most High,
To God who ^(C1)accomplishes all things for me.

³ He will ^(C1)send from heaven and save me;
He rebukes the one who ^(F1)(C2)tramples upon me. Selah
God will send His ^(F2)(C3)favor and His truth.

⁴ My soul is among ^(C1)lions;
I must lie among those who devour,
Among sons of mankind whose ^(C2)teeth are spears and arrows,
And their ^(C3)tongue is a sharp sword.

^5 (C1)Be exalted above the heavens, God;
May Your glory be above all the earth.

⁶ They have prepared a ^(C1)net for my steps;
My soul is ^(C2)bowed down;
They ^(C3)dug a pit before me;
They themselves have ^(C4)fallen into the midst of it. Selah

^7 (C1)My ^(C2)heart is steadfast, God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!

⁸ Awake, ^(C1)my glory!
Awake, ^(C2)harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.

^9 (C1)I will praise You, Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the ^(F1)nations.

¹⁰ For Your ^(C1)goodness is great to the heavens
And Your ^(F1)truth to the clouds.

^11 (C1)Be exalted above the heavens, God;
May Your glory be above all the earth.

Prayer for the Punishment of the Wicked.

¹ Do you indeed ^(F1)speak righteousness, you ^(F2)gods?
Do you ^(C1)judge ^(F3)fairly, you sons of mankind?

² No, in heart you ^(C1)practice injustice;
On earth you ^(C2)clear a way for the violence of your hands.

³ The wicked have turned away ^(C1)from the womb;
These who speak lies ^(C2)go astray from ^(F1)birth.

⁴ They have venom like the ^(C1)venom of a serpent;
Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear,

⁵ So that it ^(C1)does not hear the voice of ^(F1)(C2)charmers,
Or a skillful caster of spells.

⁶ God, ^(C1)shatter their teeth in their mouth;
Break out the fangs of the young lions, LORD.

⁷ May they ^(C1)flow away like water that runs off;
When he ^(F1)(C2)aims his arrows, may they be as ^(F2)headless shafts.

⁸ May they be like a snail which goes along in slime,
Like the ^(C1)miscarriage of a woman that never sees the sun.

⁹ Before your ^(C1)pots can feel the fire of thorns
He will ^(C2)sweep them away with a whirlwind, the ^(F1)green and the burning alike.

¹⁰ The ^(C1)righteous will rejoice when he ^(C2)sees vengeance;
He will ^(C3)wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

¹¹ And people will say, "There certainly is ^(F1)(C1)a reward for the righteous;
There certainly is a God who ^(C2)judges on the earth!"