Classic Poem

Save me from such as me assail:
Let not my foes,
O God, against my life prevail;
Save me from those
Who make a trade of cursed wrong
And, bred in blood, for blood do long.

Of these one sort do seek by sleight
My overthrow;
The stronger part with open might
Against me go,
And yet thou, God, my witness be
From all offence my soul is free.

But what if I from fault am free?
Yet they are bent
To band and stand against poor me,
Poor innocent.
Rise, God, and see how these things go,
And rescue me from instant woe.

Rise, God of armies, mighty God
Of Israel,
Look on them all who spread abroad
On earth do dwell,
And let thy hand no longer spare
Such as of malice wicked are.

When golden sun in west doth set,
Returned again,
As hounds that howl their food to get,
They run amain
The city through from street to street,
kWith hungry maw some prey to meet.

Night elder grown, their fittest day,
They babbling prate,
How my lost life extinguish may
Their deadly hate.
They prate and babble void of fear,
For, tush, say they, who now can hear?

Even thou canst hear, and hearing scorn,
All that they say;
For them (if not by thee upborne)
What props do stay?
Then will I, as they wait for me,
On God my fortress, wait on thee.

Thou ever me with thy free grace
Prevented hast;
With thee my prayer shall take place
Ere from me passed;
And I shall see who me doth hate
Beyond my wish in woeful state.

For fear my people it forget
Slay not outright
But scatter them and so them set
In open sight,
That by thy might they may be known,
Disgraced, debased, and overthrown.

No witness of their wickedness
I need produce
But their own lips, fit to express
Each vile abuse:
In cursing proud, proud when they lie,
O let them dear such pride a-buy.

At length in rage consume them so
That nought remain;
Let them all being quite forego,
And make it plain
That God, who Jacob's rule upholds,
Rules all all-bearing earth enfolds.

Now thus they fare: when sun doth set,
Returned again,
As hounds that howl their food to get,
They run amain
The city through from street to street
With hungry maw some prey to meet.

Abroad they range, and hunt apace
Now that, now this,
As famine trails a hungry trace;
And though they miss,
Yet will they not to kennel hie,
But all the night at bay do lie.

But I will of thy goodness sing
And of thy might,
When early sun again doth bring
His cheerful light;
For thou, my refuge and my fort,
In all distress dost me support.

My strength doth of thy strength depend.
To thee I sing:
Thou art my fort, me to defend.
My God, my king,
To thee I owe, and thy free grace,
That free I rest in fearless place.