Minister: Lift up your hearts!
Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord!
Hear my voice, oh my God,
Hear my prayer to You now.
Preserve me from fear,
From fear of my enemy.
Hide me away from the secret counsels of the wicked,
From the plotting and insurrection
Of those who love to work iniquity.
In the armory of slander,
They whet their tongues like sharpening a sword.
And when they emerge,
They pull their bows of bitterness back,
Fingers quivering at the right ear.
They love the ambush,
Shooting from the secret place,
Shooting at Your perfect ones.
They let fly, with malice and joy,
Suddenly they shoot,
And they have no fear.
They counsel and encourage one another,
They urge one another in evil.
They commune together in how to lay snares,
Who, they say, can see us here?
They hunt for iniquity, loving accusation,
Accusing the brethren day and night,
They complete diligent searches for all manner of dirt.
Their inward thoughts, with every one of them,
The inner heart,
Is deep and black.
Malicious creatures live in the depths.
But You, oh God, our great Savior God,
Will shoot at them with Your divine arrow,
And suddenly they fall, wounded.
Suddenly they fall, mortally hit.
Their own tongue will come back at them,
And all who see them will flee away.
All men will fear, and will declare the work of God,
They will declare His work afterwards,
As we are doing by faith beforehand.
All men shall consider God’s ways and deeds.
All men will come to see and know.
The righteous shall be glad in God,
The righteous shall joy and trust in Him,
And all the upright in heart
Shall glory in Him.
And so, gracious Father, we worship You now through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end, amen.