Be Thou My Helper in the Strife

Be Thou my help­er in the strife

O Lord

my strong de­fend­er be;

Thy migh­ty shield pro­tect my life

Thy spear con­front the ene­my.

Amid the con­flict

O my Lord

Thy pre­cious pro­mise let me hear

The faith­ful re­as­sur­ing word:

I am Thy Sav­ior

do not fear.

Ashamed

con­found­ed let them be

Who seek my ru­in and dis­grace;

O let Thine an­gel fight for me

And drive my foes be­fore his face.

Without a cause my life they sought

Without a cause their plots they laid;

Themselves with­in their snares be caught

And be my craf­ty foes dis­mayed.

My soul is joy­ful in the Lord

In His sal­va­tion I re­joice;

To Him my heart will praise ac­cord

And bless His name with thank­ful voice.

For who

O Lord

is like to Thee

Defender of the poor and meek?

The needy Thy sal­va­tion see

When migh­ty foes their ru­in seek.

Unrighteous wit­ness­es have stood

And told of crimes be­yond be­lief;

Returning ev­il for my good

They ov­er­whelm my soul with grief.

When in af­flict­ion they were sad

I wept and made their grief my own;

But in my trou­ble they are glad

And strive that I may be o’er­thrown.

O Lord

how long wilt Thou de­lay?

My soul for Thy sal­va­tion waits;

My thank­ful­ness will I dis­play

Amid the crowds that throng Thy gates.

Let not my ene­mies re­joice

And wrong­ful­ly ex­ult o’er me;

They speak not peace

but lift their voice

To trou­ble those that peace­ful be.

My foes with joy my woes sur­vey

But Thou

O Lord

hast seen it all;

O be no long­er far away

Nor si­lent when on Thee I call.

O haste to my de­li­ver­ance now

O Lord

my right­eous cause main­tain;

My Lord and God alone art Thou;

Awake

and make Thy jus­tice plain.

O Lord

my God

I look to Thee

Be Thou my righ­teous judge

I pray;

Let not my foes ex­ult o’er me

And laugh with joy at my dis­may.

With shame and trou­ble those re­quite

Who would my right­eous cause de­stroy;

But those who in the good de­light

Let them be glad and shout for joy.

Yea

let the Lord be mag­nified

Because Thy serv­ants Thou dost bless;

And I

from morn till ev­en­tide

Will dai­ly praise Thy right­eous­ness.

My soul is joy­ful in the Lord

In His sal­va­tion I re­joice;

To Him my heart will praise ac­cord

And bless His name with thank­ful voice.