Psalms 17

¹The title of the seuenetenthe salm. To victorie, the word of the Lord to Dauid; which spak the wordis of this song, in the dai in which the Lord delyuerede hym fro the hond of alle hise enemyes, and fro the hond of Saul; and he seide:

²Lord, my strengthe, Y schal loue thee; the Lord is my stidfastnesse, and my refuyt, and mi deliuerere.

³Mi God is myn helpere; and Y schal hope in to hym. My defendere, and the horn of myn helthe; and myn vptakere.

⁴I schal preise, and ynwardli clepe the Lord; and Y schal be saaf fro myn enemyes.

⁵The sorewis of deth cumpassiden me; and the strondis of wickidnesse disturbliden me.

⁶The sorewis of helle cumpassiden me; the snaris of deeth `bifor ocupieden me.

⁷In my tribulacioun Y inwardli clepide the Lord; and Y criede to my God. And he herde my vois fro his hooli temple; and my cry in his siyt entride in to hise eeris.

⁸The erthe was mouede togidere, and tremblede togidere; the foundementis of hillis weren troblid togidere, and weren moued togidere; for he was wrooth to hem.

⁹Smoke stiede in the ire of hym, and fier brente out fro his face; coolis weren kyndlid of hym.

¹⁰He bowide doun heuenes, and cam doun; and derknesse was vndur hise feet.

¹¹And he stiede on cherubym, and flei; he fley ouer the pennes of wyndis.

¹²And he settide derknesses his hidyng place, his tabernacle `in his cumpas; derk water was in the cloudes of the lowere eir.

¹³Ful cleer cloudis passiden in his siyt; hail and the coolis of fier.

¹⁴And the Lord thundrid fro heuene; and the hiyeste yaf his vois, hail and the coolis of fier `camen doun.

¹⁵And he sente hise arowis, and distriede tho men; he multipliede leytis, and disturblide tho men.

¹⁶And the wellis of watris apperiden; and the foundementis of the erthe weren schewid. Lord, of thi blamyng; of the brething of the spirit of thin ire.

¹⁷He sente fro the hiyeste place, and took me; and he took me fro many watris.

¹⁸He delyuerede me fro my strongeste enemyes; and fro hem that hatiden me, fro thei weren coumfortid on me.

¹⁹Thei camen bifor me in the dai of my turment; and the Lord was maad my defendere.

²⁰And he ledde out me in to breede; he maad me saaf, for he wolde me.

²¹And the Lord schal yelde to me bi my riytfulnesse; and he schal yelde to me bi the clennesse of myn hondis.

²²For Y kepte the weies of the Lord; and Y dide not vnfeithfuli fro my God.

²³For alle hise domes ben in my siyt; and Y puttide not awei fro me hise riytfulnessis.

²⁴And Y schal be vnwemmed with hym; and Y schal kepe me fro my wickidnesse.

²⁵And the Lord schal yelde to me bi my riytfulnesse; and bi the clennesse of myn hondis in the siyt of hise iyen.

²⁶With the hooli, thou schalt be hooli; and with `a man innocent, thou schalt be innocent.

²⁷And with a chosun man, thou schalt be chosun; and with a weiward man, thou schalt be weiward.

²⁸For thou schalt make saaf a meke puple; and thou schalt make meke the iyen of proude men.

²⁹For thou, Lord, liytnest my lanterne; my God, liytne thou my derknessis.

³⁰For bi thee Y schal be delyuered fro temptacioun; and in my God Y schal `go ouer the wal.

³¹Mi God, his weie is vndefoulid, the speches of the Lord ben examyned bi fier; he is defendere of alle men hopynge in hym.

³²For whi, who is God out takun the Lord? ethir who is God outakun oure God?

³³God that hath gird me with vertu; and hath set my weie vnwemmed.

³⁴Which made perfit my feet as of hertis; and ordeynynge me on hiye thingis.

³⁵Which techith myn hondis to batel; and thou hast set myn armys as a brasun bouwe.

³⁶And thou hast youe to me the kyueryng of thin helthe; and thi riythond hath vptake me. And thi chastisyng amendide me in to the ende; and thilke chastisyng of thee schal teche me.

³⁷Thou alargidist my paaces vndur me; and my steppis ben not maad vnstidefast.

³⁸Y schal pursue myn enemyes, and Y schal take hem; and Y schal not turne til thei failen.

³⁹I schal al to-breke hem, and thei schulen not mowe stonde; thei schulen falle vndur my feet.

⁴⁰And thou hast gird me with vertu to batel; and thou hast `supplauntid, ether disseyued, vndur me men risynge ayens me.

⁴¹And thou hast youe myn enemyes abac to me; and thou hast distried `men hatynge me.

⁴²Thei crieden, and noon was that maad hem saaf; `thei crieden to the Lord, and he herde not hem.

⁴³And Y schal al to-breke hem, as dust bifor the face of wynd; Y schal do hem awei, as the cley of stretis.

⁴⁴Thou schalt delyuere me fro ayenseiyngis of the puple; thou schalt sette me in to the heed of folkis.

⁴⁵The puple, which Y knewe not, seruede me; in the herynge of eere it obeiede to me.

⁴⁶Alien sones lieden to me, alien sones wexiden elde; and crokiden fro thi pathis.

⁴⁷The Lord lyueth, and my God be blessid; and the God of myn helthe be enhaunsid.

⁴⁸God, that yauest veniaunces to me, and makist suget puplis vndur me; my delyuerere fro my wrathful enemyes.

⁴⁹And thou schalt enhaunse me fro hem, that risen ayens me; thou schalt delyuere me fro a wickid man.

⁵⁰Therfor, Lord, Y schal knouleche to thee among naciouns; and Y schal seie salm to thi name.

⁵¹Magnyfiynge the helthis of his kyng; and doynge merci to his crist Dauid, and to his seed til in to the world.

Psalms 17

¹Hear the right, O Lord, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.

²Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal.

³Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

⁴Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.

⁵Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.

⁶I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.

⁷Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.

⁸Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

⁹From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.

¹⁰They are inclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly.

¹¹They have now compassed us in our steps: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth;

¹²Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

¹³Arise, O Lord, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:

¹⁴From men which are thy hand, O Lord, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.

¹⁵As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.