Psalms 109
1 To the chief Musician. Of David. A Psalm. O God of my praise, be not silent:
For the leader. Of David, a psalm. O God whom I praise, keep not silence;
2 For the mouth of the wicked [man] and the mouth of deceit are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue,
for their wicked mouths they have opened against me, they speak to me with tongues that are false,
3 And with words of hatred have they encompassed me; and they fight against me without a cause.
they beset me with words of hatred, and fight without cause against me.
4 For my love they are mine adversaries; but I [give myself unto] prayer.
My love they requite with hostility, while for them I lift up my prayer.
5 And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
Evil for good they reward me, and hatred for my love.
6 Set a wicked [man] over him, and let [the] adversary stand at his right hand;
‘Set over him one who is godless,’ they say, ‘an opponent at his right hand.
7 When he shall be judged, let him go out guilty, and let his prayer become sin;
From his trial let him come forth guilty, may his prayer be counted as sin.
8 Let his days be few, let another take his office;
Grant that his days may be few, that his office be seized by another.
9 Let his sons be fatherless, and his wife a widow;
Grant that his children be fatherless, and that his wife be a widow.
10 Let his sons be vagabonds and beg, and let them seek [their bread] far from their desolate places;
Up and down may his children go begging, expelled from their desolate home.
11 Let the usurer cast the net over all that he hath, and let strangers despoil his labour;
May all that he owns be seized by the creditor may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil.
12 Let there be none to extend kindness unto him, neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children;
‘May none extend to him kindness, or pity his fatherless children.
13 Let his posterity be cut off; in the generation following let their name be blotted out:
His descendants be doomed to destruction! Blotted out be his name in one generation!
14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with Jehovah, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out;
May his father’s guilt be remembered, and his mother’s sin not blotted out:
15 Let them be before Jehovah continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth:
on record always before the Lord, and his memory root from the earth;
16 Because he remembered not to shew kindness, but persecuted the afflicted and needy man, and the broken in heart, to slay him.
for he gave no thought to show kindness, but pursued the poor and the needy, drove the downhearted to death.
17 And he loved cursing; so let it come unto him. And he delighted not in blessing; and let it be far from him.
‘May the curses he loved light upon him, may the blessings he loathed be afar.
18 And he clothed himself with cursing like his vestment; so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones;
Like a garment he clothed him with curses; may they pierce to his inwards like water, and cling to his bones like oil.
19 Let it be unto him as a garment with which he covereth himself, and for a girdle wherewith he is constantly girded.
Let them be like the robe he wraps round him, like the belt he wears every day.’
20 Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from Jehovah, and of them that speak evil against my soul.
Be this the reward of my adversaries, of those who speak evil against me.
21 But do thou for me, Jehovah, Lord, for thy name's sake; because thy loving-kindness is good, deliver me:
But you, Lord my God, be true to your name, deal kindly with me; in your gracious kindness save me.
22 For I am afflicted and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I am gone like a shadow when it lengtheneth; I am tossed about like the locust;
I am gone like a lengthening shadow, I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are failing through fasting, and my flesh hath lost its fatness;
My knees totter from fasting, my flesh is shrivelled and spare.
25 And I am become a reproach unto them; [when] they look upon me they shake their heads.
They heap insults upon me: when they see me, they shake their head.
26 Help me, Jehovah my God; save me according to thy loving-kindness:
Help me, O Lord my God, and save me in your kindness.
27 That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, Jehovah, hast done it.
Teach them that this is your hand, and your own doing, O Lord.
28 Let them curse, but bless thou; when they rise up, let them be ashamed, and let thy servant rejoice.
Let them curse, if only you bless. Put my assailants to shame, and make your servant glad.
29 Let mine adversaries be clothed with confusion, and let them cover themselves with their shame as with a mantle.
My opponents be clothed with dishonour, and wrapped in a robe of shame.
30 I will greatly celebrate Jehovah with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.
I give thanks to you, Lord, with loud voice, I give praise in the midst of the throng;
31 For he standeth at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those that judge his soul.
for he stands by the poor, at his right hand, to save them from those who condemn them.
