Lord, battle against those arrayed against me! Stand up to them!
Guide my shield and sword, and rise to my help!
Draw your arms against those who chase me! Remind my soul “I am your salvation!”
Dishonour those who are after my career! Turn them back; thwart their evil plans!
Make them like chaff in the wind, with jet turbines blasting them away!
Make their way slippery and wet, with great eagles chasing them!
For without reason they lay traps for me; without reason they dug pits for my life.
Let destruction rain down on him while he’s looking elsewhere! Let his own plans spring back on him; his own pits hold him tight.
Then my soul will rejoice again in Jesus; praising him for salvation.
All my bones will say “who is like Jesus? Delivering the poor from the strong, the poor & needy from the robber.”
False witnesses rise up! They accuse me of falsehood and I can’t answer them!
They repay my help with evil; my soul is bereft.
But when they struggled I helped them. I harmed my own KPIs to help them out. I prayed for them.
I grieved for them as for a brother; as one who laments his mother I mourned. (well, maybe not that much.)
But when I make errors they rejoice and highlight it; they conspire against me – tearing at my reputation.
Like hecklers at a kindergarten performance they gnash at me with their teeth.
How long, Jesus, will you just watch? Rescue me from their destruction, my life from the lions!
I will thank you in the great congregation; in public I will sing your praise!
Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not sneaky politicians succeed who hate me without cause.
For they don’t speak peace but lie against the peaceable.
They twist events and highlight non-issues; they say: “Look, see him fail!”
You can see, Jesus. Don’t be silent! Jesus, stay close to me!
Rise up and vindicate me, for your sake!
Vindicate me my Jesus, because you are righteous; don’t let them spit on me!
Don’t let them think “we’ve won!” nor say “he is defeated!”
Put them to shame and disappoint them completely who rejoice at my calamity! Cover them with shame and dishonour.
Let the ones who delight in my goodness shout for joy and be glad and say forever “Jesus is great! He protects his servants!”
Then I’ll sing of your righteousness and praise you all day long.
