Be a breastplate to me, and give me your help.

Let them be overcome and put to shame who make attempts to take my soul let those who would do me damage be turned back and made foolish.

Let their way be dark and full of danger let them be troubled by the angel of the Lord.

Let destruction come on them without their knowledge let them be taken themselves in their secret nets, falling into the same destruction.

All my bones will say, Lord, who is like you? The saviour of the poor man from the hands of the strong, of him who is poor and in need from him who takes his goods.

They gave me back evil for good, troubling my soul.

My behaviour was as if it had been my friend or my brother: I was bent low in grief like one whose mother is dead.

Like men of deceit they put me to shame the voice of their wrath was loud against me.

I will give you praise in the great meeting I will give you honour among a strong people.

For they do not say words of peace in their deceit they are designing evil things against the quiet ones in the land.

You have seen this, O Lord be not unmoved: O Lord, be not far from me.

Be my judge, O Lord my God, in your righteousness do not let them be glad over me.

Let all those who take pleasure in my troubles be shamed and come to nothing: let those who are lifted up against me be covered with shame and have no honour.

And my tongue will be talking of your righteousness and of your praise all the day.

For he takes comfort in the thought that his sin will not be uncovered and hated.

He gives thought to evil on his bed he takes a way which is not good he is not a hater of evil.

Your righteousness is like the mountains of God your judging is like the great deep O Lord, you give life to man and beast.

The delights of your house will be showered on them you will give them drink from the river of your pleasures.

O let there be no end to your loving mercy to those who have knowledge of you, or of your righteousness to the upright in heart.

There the workers of evil have come down: they have been made low, and will not be lifted up.

For they will quickly be cut down like grass, and become dry like the green plants.

So will your delight be in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires.

And he will make your righteousness be seen like the light, and your cause like the shining of the sun.

Put an end to your wrath and be no longer bitter do not give way to angry feeling which is a cause of sin.

For in a short time the evil-doer will be gone: you will go searching for his place, and it will not be there.

The sinner has evil designs against the upright, lifting up the voice of wrath against him.

The evil-doers have taken out their swords, their bows are bent for crushing the poor, and to put to death those who are upright in their ways.

The little which the good man has is better than the wealth of evil-doers.

The days of the upright are numbered by the Lord, and their heritage will be for ever.

But the wrongdoers will come to destruction, and the haters of the Lord will be like the fat of lambs, they will be burned up they will go up in smoke, and never again be seen.

Those who have his blessing will have the earth for their heritage but those who are cursed by him will be cut off.

Even if he has a fall he will not be without help: for the hand of the Lord is supporting him.

All the day he is ready to have mercy and to give his children are a blessing.

For the Lord is a lover of righteousness, and takes care of his saints they will be kept safe for ever but the seed of the evil-doers will be cut off.

The mouth of the good man says words of wisdom the talk of his tongue is of righteousness.

The sinners are watching the upright man, desiring to put him to death.

Be waiting for the Lord, and keep his way and you will be lifted up, and have the land for your heritage: when the evil-doers are cut off, you will see it.

But he came to an end, and there was no sign of him I made a search for him and he was not there.

But as for the sinners, they will be cut off together the end of the wrongdoers is destruction.

And the Lord will be their help, and keep them safe: he will take them out of the hands of the evil-doers, and be their saviour, because they had faith in him.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Who gives us comfort in all our troubles, so that we may be able to give comfort to others who are in trouble, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

But if we are troubled, it is for your comfort and salvation or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which takes effect through your quiet undergoing of the same troubles which we undergo:

For it is our desire that you may not be without knowledge of our trouble which came on us in Asia, that the weight of it was very great, more than our power, so that it seemed that we had no hope even of life:

Who gave us salvation from so great a death: on whom we have put our hope that he will still go on to give us salvation

For our glory is in this, in the knowledge which we have that our way of life in the world, and most of all in relation to you, has been holy and true in the eyes of God not in the wisdom of the flesh, but in the grace of God.

Even as you have been ready, in part, to say that we are your glory, in the same way that you are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.

And by way of Corinth to go into Macedonia, and from there to come back again to you, so that you might send me on my way to Judaea.

As God is true, our word to you is not Yes and No.

For he is the Yes to all the undertakings of God: and by him all the words of God are made certain and put into effect, to the glory of God through us.

And it is he who has put his stamp on us, even the Spirit, as the sign in our hearts of the coming glory.

Not that we have authority over your faith, but we are helpers of your joy: for it is faith which is your support.

For if I give you sorrow, who then will make me glad, but he who is made sad by me?

For out of much trouble and pain of heart and much weeping I sent my letter to you not to give you sorrow, but so that you might see how great is the love which I have to you.