Psalms 109

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

Hold not your peace, O God of my praise;

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

For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

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

They compassed me about also 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.

For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself to prayer.

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

And they have 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 you a wicked man over him: and let Satan 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 shall be judged, let him be 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.

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

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

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

Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.

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

Let the extortionist catch all that he has; and let the strangers spoil his labor.

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

Let there be none to extend mercy to him: neither let there be any to favor his fatherless children.

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

Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their 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 with 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, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

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

Because that he remembered not to show mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in 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.

As he loved cursing, so let it come to him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be 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.

As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like 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 the garment which covers him, and for a girdle with which he is girded continually.

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

Let this be the reward of my adversaries from the LORD, 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 do you for me, O GOD the Lord, for your name’s sake: because your mercy is good, deliver you me.

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

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

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

I am gone like the shadow when it declines: I am tossed up and down as the locust.

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

My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh fails of fatness.

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 looked on 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: O save me according to your mercy:

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

That they may know that this is your hand; that you, LORD, have done 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 bless you: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let your servant rejoice.

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

Let my adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, 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 greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yes, I will praise him among the multitude.

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

For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.