Psalms 109
1 Unto the end. A Psalm of David.
“For the leader of the music. A psalm of David.” O God of my praise! be not silent!
2 O God, do not be silent toward my praise, for the mouth of the sinner and the mouth of the deceitful one have been opened against me.
For the mouths of the wicked and the deceitful are opened against me; They speak against me with a lying tongue.
3 They have spoken against me with deceitful tongues, and they have surrounded me with hateful words, and they fought against me over nothing.
They assault me on every side with words of hatred; They fight against me without a cause.
4 Instead of choosing to act on my behalf, they detracted me. But I gave myself to prayer.
For my love they are my adversaries: But I give myself unto prayer.
5 And they set evil against me, instead of good, and hatred, in return for my love.
They repay me evil for good, And hatred for love.
6 Establish the sinner over him, and let the devil stand at his right hand.
Set thou a wicked man over him, And let an adversary stand at his right hand!
7 When he is judged, may he go forth in condemnation, and may his prayer be counted as sin.
When he is judged, may he be condemned, And may his prayer be a crime!
8 May his days be few, and let another take his episcopate.
May his days be few, And another take his office!
9 May his sons be orphans, and his wife a widow.
May his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow!
10 May his sons be carried by those who walk unsteadily, and may they go begging. And may they be cast out of their dwelling places.
May his children be vagabonds and beggars, And from their ruined dwellings seek their bread!
11 May the money lenders scrutinize all his belongings, and let foreigners plunder his labors.
May a creditor seize on all that he hath, And a stranger plunder his substance!
12 May there be no one to assist him, nor anyone to be compassionate to his orphaned children.
May there be none to show him compassion, And none to pity his fatherless children!
13 May his posterity be in utter ruin. In one generation, may his name be wiped away.
May his posterity be cut off; In the next generation may his name be blotted out!
14 May the iniquity of his fathers return in memory before the sight of the Lord, and do not let the sin of his mother be wiped away.
May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered by the LORD, And may the sin of his mother never be blotted out!
15 May these be opposite the Lord always, but let their memory perish from the earth.
May they be before the LORD continually; And may he cut off their memory from the earth!
16 For certain things are not remembered about them, in order to be merciful.
Because he remembered not to show pity, But persecuted the afflicted and the poor man, And sought the death of the broken-hearted.
17 And so the destitute man was pursued, with the beggar and the remorseful in heart, so as to be put to death.
As he loved cursing, let it come upon him; As he delighted not in blessing, let it be far from him!
18 And he loved a curse, and it came to him. And he was unwilling to have a blessing, and it went far from him. And he clothed himself with curses like a garment, and it entered his inner self like water, and it entered his bones like oil.
May he be clothed with cursing as with a garment; May it enter like water into his bowels, And like oil into his bones!
19 May it be to him like a garment that covers him, and like a belt that always cinches him.
May it be to him like the robe that covereth him, Like the girdle with which he is constantly girded!
20 This is the work of those who detract me with the Lord and who speak evils against my soul.
May this be the wages of mine adversaries from the LORD, And of them that speak evil against me!
21 But as for you, Lord, O Lord: act on my behalf for your name’s sake. For your mercy is sweet.
But do thou, O LORD, my God! take part with me, For thine own name's sake! Because great is thy mercy, O deliver me!
22 Free me, for I am destitute and poor, and my heart has been disquieted within me.
For I am afflicted and needy, And my heart is wounded within me.
23 I have been taken away like a shadow when it declines, and I have been shaken off like locusts.
I am going like a shadow; I am driven away as the locust.
24 My knees have been weakened by fasting, and my flesh has been replaced by oil.
My knees totter from fasting, And my flesh faileth of fatness.
25 And I have become a disgrace to them. They saw me, and they shook their heads.
I am a reproach to my enemies; They gaze at me; they shake their heads.
26 Help me, O Lord, my God. Save me according to your mercy.
Help me, O LORD, my God! O save me, according to thy mercy!
27 And let them know that this is your hand, and that you, O Lord, have done this.
That they may know that this is thy hand; That thou, O Lord! hast done it!
28 They will curse, and you will bless. May those who rise up against me be confounded. But your servant will rejoice.
Let them curse, but do thou bless! When they arise, let them be put to shame; But let thy servant rejoice!
29 May those who detract me be clothed with shame, and may they be covered with their confusion, as if with a double cloak.
May my enemies be clothed with ignominy; May they be covered with their shame, as with a mantle!
30 I will confess exceedingly to the Lord with my mouth. And I will praise him in the midst of the multitude.
I will earnestly praise the LORD with my lips; In the midst of the multitude I will praise him.
31 For he stands at the right hand of the poor, in order to save my soul from persecutors.
For he standeth at the right hand of the poor, To save him from those who would condemn him.
