However, the high places were not eliminated; the people were still not devoted to the God of their ancestors.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="bodytext">So the <sc>Lordsc> said to Satan, &#8220;All right,<n id="1" /> he is<n id="2" /> in your power;<n id="3" /> only preserve<n id="4" /> his life.&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">Even if he slays me, I will hope in him;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I will surely<n id="2" /> defend<n id="3" /> my ways to his face!p>

<p class="poetry">Only in two things spare me,<n id="1" /> O God,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and then I will not hide from your face:p>

<p class="poetry">&#8216;Surely such is the residence<n id="1" /> of an evil man;p> <p class="poetry">and this is the place of one who has not known God.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Would he contend<n id="1" /> with me with great power?p> <p class="poetry">No, he would only pay attention to me.<n id="2" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">&#8220;Surely one does not stretch out his handp> <p class="poetry">against a broken man<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">when he cries for help in his distress.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Surely your goodness and faithfulness<n id="1" /> will pursue<n id="2" /> me all my days,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and I will live in<n id="4" /> the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s house<n id="5" /> for the rest of my life.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">But<n id="1" /> God will rescue<n id="2" /> my life<n id="3" /> from the power<n id="4" /> of Sheol;p> <p class="poetry">certainly<n id="5" /> he will pull me to safety.<n id="6" /> (Selah)p>

<t /><p class="psasuper">For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.p> <p class="poetry">For God alone I patiently wait;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">he is the one who delivers me.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">He alone is my protector<n id="1" /> and deliverer.p> <p class="poetry">He is my refuge;<n id="2" /> I will not be upended.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">They<n id="1" /> spend all their time planning how to bring him<n id="2" /> down.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">They love to use deceit;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">they pronounce blessings with their mouths,p> <p class="poetry">but inwardly they utter curses.<n id="5" /> (Selah)p>

<p class="poetry">God settles those who have been deserted in their own homes;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">he frees prisoners and grants them prosperity.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">But sinful rebels live in the desert.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">Indeed God strikes the heads of his enemies,p> <p class="poetry">the hairy foreheads of those who persist in rebellion.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">Certainly the godly will give thanks to your name;p> <p class="poetry">the morally upright will live in your presence.p>

<p class="poetry">So Moab wails over its demise<n id="1" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">they all wail!p> <p class="poetry">Completely devastated, they moanp> <p class="poetry">about what has happened to the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">they will say about me,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Yes, the <sc>Lordsc> is a powerful deliverer.&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">All who are angry at him will cower before him.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">He said, &#8220;Certainly they will be my people,p> <p class="poetry">children who are not disloyal.&#8221;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">He became their deliverer.p>

<p class="poetry">And I cried out,<n id="1" /> &#8220;We are doomed!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Our wound is severe!p> <p class="poetry">We once thought, &#8216;This is only an illness.p> <p class="poetry">And we will be able to bear it!&#8217;<n id="3" />p>

But listen to what I say to you and to all these people.<n id="1" />