Psalms 109
1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, be not silent.
“To the chief musician, by David, a psalm.” O God of my praise, do not keep silence.
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 deceit are opened against me: they have spoken with me with the tongue of falsehood.
3 They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause.
Also with words of hatred have they encompassed me, and they fight against me without a cause.
4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.
In recompense for my love are they my accusers, while I have nothing but prayer.
5 They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
And they impose evil on me in recompense for good, and hatred in lieu of my love.
6 Set over him a wicked man; let an accuser stand at his right hand.
Appoint thou a wicked man over him: and let an accuser 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 to be judged, let him go forth guilty, 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 moving about, and beg, and let them seek [their bread] out of their ruined places.
11 May the creditor seize all he owns, and strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
Let the creditor lay snares after all that he hath, and let strangers plunder his labor.
12 May there be no one to extend kindness to him, and no one to favor his fatherless children.
Let him have none that extendeth kindness, and let there be none that is gracious to 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: in another generation 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 by the Lord, and let the sin of his mother not 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 from the earth their memory.
16 For he never thought to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and brokenhearted, even to their death.
For the reason that he remembered not to show kindness; but persecuted the poor and needy man, and the grieved in heart to put him to death.
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 over him: and 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.
And he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, and it cometh like water within him, 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 unto him as a garment in which he wrappeth himself, and for a girdle let him be continually girded with it.
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 accusers from the Lord, and of those 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 Eternal Lord, deal with me for the sake of thy name: because thy kindness is good, deliver thou me.
22 For I am poor and needy; my heart is wounded within me.
For poor and needy am I, and my heart is deeply wounded within me.
23 I am fading away like a lengthening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust.
Like the shadow when it declineth do I hasten away: I am driven suddenly off like the locusts.
24 My knees are weak from fasting, and my body grows lean and gaunt.
My knees stumble through fasting, and my flesh faileth of fatness.
25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.
And I am become a reproach unto them: when they see me, they shake their head.
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 thy kindness:
27 Let them know that this is Your hand, that You, O LORD, have done it.
That they may know that this is thy hand: that thou, Lord, hast truly 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 then curse, but do thou bless: when they arise, let them be made ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace; may they wear their shame like a robe.
Let my accusers be clothed with confusion, and let them wrap themselves, as with a mantle, in their own shame.
30 With my mouth I will thank the LORD profusely; I will praise Him in the presence of many.
I will thank the Lord greatly with my mouth, and in the midst of many will I 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 ever standeth at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those that judge his soul.
