the God of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my fortress and my sanctuary; my Savior, You save me from violence.
As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your fathers and serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing spirit, for the Lord searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will abandon you forever.
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For in You my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of Your wings will I take refuge, until these calamities pass by.
For You have been a defense to the poor, a defense to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless ones is as a storm against the wall.
I have not spoken in secret in a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, “Seek Me in a waste place”; I, the Lord, speak righteousness; I declare things that are right.
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
For these things I suffer, but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him until that Day.
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true —His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.