5. May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away;
6. may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7. Since they hid their net for me without cause and without cause dug a pit for me,
8. may ruin overtake them by surprise— may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.
9. Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation.
10. My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.”
11. Ruthless witnesses come forward; they question me on things I know nothing about.
12. They repay me evil for good and leave me like one bereaved.
13. Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
14. I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother.
15. But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; assailants gathered against me without my knowledge. They slandered me without ceasing.
16. Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked; they gnashed their teeth at me.
17. How long, Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my precious life from these lions.