For you gave approval to my right and my cause; you were seated in your high place judging in righteousness.

And those who have knowledge of your name will put their faith in you; because you, Lord, have ever given your help to those who were waiting for you.

The Lord was looking down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who had wisdom, searching after God.

Then were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the upright.

The cords of death were round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear.

The cords of hell were round me: the nets of death came on me.

Then trouble and shock came on the earth; and the bases of the mountains were moved and shaking, because he was angry.

There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: flames were lighted by it.

The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.

He sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.

Then the deep beds of the waters were seen, and the bases of the world were uncovered, because of your words of wrath, O Lord, because of the breath from your mouth.

He made me free from my strong hater, and from those who were against me, because they were stronger than I.

For all his decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me.

They were crying out, but there was no one to come to their help: even to the Lord, but he gave them no answer.

Then they were crushed as small as dust before the wind; they were drained out like the waste of the streets.

For their thoughts were bitter against you: they had an evil design in their minds, which they were not able to put into effect.

Our fathers had faith in you: they had faith and you were their saviour.

They sent up their cry to you and were made free: they put their faith in you and were not put to shame.

When evil-doers, even my haters, came on me to put an end to me, they were broken and put to shame.

False statements against me have come to my ears; fear was on every side: they were talking together against me, designing to take away my life.

When I kept my mouth shut, my bones were wasted, because of my crying all through the day.

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the army of heaven by the breath of his mouth.

But as for me, when they were ill I put on the clothing of sorrow: I went without food and was sad, and my prayer came back again to my heart.

Their mouths were open wide against me, and they said, Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it.

Let my soul be overflowing with grief when these things come back to my mind, how I went in company to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with the song of those who were keeping the feast.

But it is you who have been our saviour from those who were against us, and have put to shame those who had hate for us.

The nations were angry, the kingdoms were moved; at the sound of his voice the earth became like wax.

God was looking down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who had wisdom, searching after God.

They were in great fear, where there was no cause for fear: for the bones of those who make war on you have been broken by God; you have put them to shame, because God has no desire for them.

He has taken my soul away from the attack which was made against me, and given it peace; for great numbers were against me.

He has put out his hand against those who were at peace with him; he has not kept his agreement.

The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, but they were sharp swords.

You let us be put in prison; chains were put on our legs.

The earth was shaking and the heavens were streaming, because God was present; even Sinai itself was moved before God, the God of Israel.

Those whose resting-place was there, even the poor, were comforted by your good things, O God.

My bitter weeping, and my going without food, were turned to my shame.

When my thoughts were turned to see the reason of this, it was a weariness in my eyes;

The sea was parted in two by your strength; the heads of the great sea-beasts were broken.

The heads of the great snake were crushed by you; you gave them as food to the fishes of the sea.

By you all the limits of the earth were fixed; you have made summer and winter.

There were the arrows of the bow broken, there he put an end to body-cover, sword, and fight. (Selah.)

The waters saw you, O God; the waters saw you, they were in fear: even the deep was troubled.

You were guiding your people like a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Which have come to our hearing and our knowledge, as they were given to us by our fathers.

The children of Ephraim, armed with bows, were turned back on the day of the fight.

They were not ruled by God's word, and they would not go in the way of his law;

The sea was cut in two so that they might go through; the waters were massed together on this side and on that.

The rocks of the waste land were broken by his power, and he gave them drink as out of the deep waters.

And he gave orders to the clouds on high, and the doors of heaven were open;

So they had food and were full; for he gave them their desire;

But they were not turned from their desires; and while the food was still in their mouths,

So their days were wasted like a breath, and their years in trouble.

But their lips were false to him, and their tongues were untrue to him;

And their hearts were not right with him, and they did not keep their agreement with him.

So he kept in mind that they were only flesh; a breath which is quickly gone, and will not come again.

So that their rivers were turned to blood, and they were not able to get drink from their streams.

He sent ice for the destruction of their vines; their trees were damaged by the bitter cold.

He took them on safely so that they had no fear; but their haters were covered by the sea.

But they were bitter against the Most High God, testing him, and not keeping his laws;

Their hearts were turned back and untrue like their fathers; they were turned to one side like a twisted bow.

Their young men were burned in the fire; and their virgins were not praised in the bride-song.

Their priests were put to death by the sword, and their widows made no weeping for them.

His haters were turned back by his blows and shamed for ever.

From looking after the sheep which were giving milk, he took him to give food to Jacob his people, and to Israel his heritage.

The mountains were covered with its shade, and the great trees with its branches.

He gave it to Joseph as a witness, when he went out over the land of Egypt; then the words of a strange tongue were sounding in my ears.

I took the weight from his back; his hands were made free from the baskets.

Lord, you were good to your land: changing the fate of Jacob.

You were no longer angry: you were turned from the heat of your wrath.

Has he by whom your ears were planted no hearing? or is he blind by whom your eyes were formed?

Zion gave ear and was glad; and the daughters of Judah were full of joy, because of your decisions, O Lord.

Covering it with the sea as with a robe: the waters were high over the mountains;

When they were still small in number, and strange in the land;

And he took away all food from the land, so that the people were without bread.

His feet were fixed in chains; his neck was put in iron bands;

And his people were greatly increased, and became stronger than those who were against them.

Their hearts were turned to hate against his people, so that they made secret designs against them.

At his word their waters were turned to blood, and he sent death on all their fish.

He gave their vines and their fig-trees to destruction, and the trees of their land were broken down.

And he took them safely out of the hands of their haters, and kept them from the attacks of those who were against them.

They were full of envy against Moses among the tents, and against Aaron, the holy one of the Lord.

And a fire was lighted among their tents; the sinners were burned up by the flames.

They were disgusted with the good land; they had no belief in his word;

And they were joined to Baal-peor, and took part in the offerings to the dead.

But they were joined to the nations, learning their works.

And they gave worship to images; which were a danger to them:

And he gave them into the hands of the nations; and they were ruled by their haters.

By them they were crushed, and made low under their hands.

Again and again he made them free; but their hearts were turned against his purpose, and they were overcome by their sins.

They were wandering in the waste places; they saw no way to a resting-place.

Those who were in the dark, in the black night, in chains of sorrow and iron;

So that he made their hearts weighted down with grief; they were falling, and had no helper.

He took them out of the dark and the black night, and all their chains were broken.

The mountains were jumping like goats, and the little hills like lambs.

What was wrong with you, O sea, that you went in flight? O Jordan, that you were turned back?

You mountains, why were you jumping like goats, and you little hills like lambs?

The nets of death were round me, and the pains of the underworld had me in their grip; I was full of trouble and sorrow.

If only my ways were ordered so that I might keep your rules!

I gave thought to my steps, and my feet were turned into the way of your unchanging word.

I saw with hate those who were untrue to you; for they did not keep your saying.