Psalms 109

1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, be not silent.

For the end, a Psalm of David. For the end, a Psalm of David. O God, pass not over my praise in silence;

2 For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues.

for the mouth of the sinner and the mouth of the crafty [man] have been opened against me: they have spoken against me with a crafty tongue.

3 They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause.

And they have compassed me with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.

4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.

Instead of loving me, they falsely accused me: but I continued to pray.

5 They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

And they rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

6 Set over him a wicked man; let an accuser stand at his right hand.

Set thou a sinner against him; and let the devil stand at his right hand.

7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayer be regarded as sin.

When he is judged, let him go forth condemned: and let his prayer become sin.

8 May his days be few; may another take his position.

Let his days be few: and let another take his office of overseer.

9 May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.

Let his children be orphans, and his wife a widow.

10 May his children wander as beggars, seeking sustenance far from their ruined homes.

Let his children wander without a dwelling-place, and beg: let them be cast out of their habitations.

11 May the creditor seize all he owns, and strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.

Let [his] creditor exact all that belongs to him: and let strangers spoil his labours.

12 May there be no one to extend kindness to him, and no one to favor his fatherless children.

Let him have no helper; neither let there be any one to have compassion on his fatherless children.

13 May his descendants be cut off; may their name be blotted out from the next generation.

Let his children be [given up] to utter destruction: in one generation let his name be blotted out.

14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and the sin of his mother never be blotted out.

Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

15 May their sins always remain before the LORD, that He may cut off their memory from the earth.

Let them be before the Lord continually; and let their memorial be blotted out from the earth.

16 For he never thought to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and brokenhearted, even to their death.

Because he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the needy and poor man, and [that] to slay him that was pricked in the heart.

17 The cursing that he loved, may it fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it be far from him.

He loved cursing also, and it shall come upon him; and he took not pleasure in blessing, so it shall be removed far from him.

18 The cursing that he wore like a coat, may it soak into his body like water, and into his bones like oil.

Yea, he put on cursing as a garment, and it is come as water into his bowels, and as oil into his bones.

19 May it be like a robe wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him.

Let it be to him as a garment which he puts on, and as a girdle with which he girds himself continually.

20 May this be the LORD’s reward to my accusers, to those who speak evil against me.

This is the dealing of the Lord with those who falsely accuse me, and of them that speak evil against my soul.

21 But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for the sake of Your name; deliver me by the goodness of Your loving devotion.

But thou, O Lord, Lord, deal [mercifully] with me, for thy name's sake: for thy mercy is good.

22 For I am poor and needy; my heart is wounded within me.

Deliver me, for I am poor and needy; and my heart is troubled within me.

23 I am fading away like a lengthening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust.

I am removed as a shadow in its going down: I am tossed up and down like locusts.

24 My knees are weak from fasting, and my body grows lean and gaunt.

My knees are weakened through fasting, and my flesh is changed by reason of [the want of] oil.

25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.

I became also a reproach to them: [when] they saw me they shook their heads.

26 Help me, O LORD my God; save me according to Your loving devotion.

Help me, O Lord my God; and save me according to thy mercy.

27 Let them know that this is Your hand, that You, O LORD, have done it.

And let them know that this is thy hand; and [that] thou, Lord, hast wrought it.

28 Though they curse, You will bless. When they rise up, they will be put to shame, but Your servant will rejoice.

Let them curse, but thou shalt bless: let them that rise up against me be ashamed, but let thy servant rejoice.

29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace; may they wear their shame like a robe.

Let those that falsely accuse me be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their shame as with a mantle.

30 With my mouth I will thank the LORD profusely; I will praise Him in the presence of many.

I will give thanks to the Lord abundantly with my mouth; and in the midst of many I will praise him.

31 For He stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from the condemners of his soul.

For he stood on the right hand of the poor, to save [me] from them that persecute my soul.