Psalms 109
1 To the chief Musician. Of David. A Psalm. O God of my praise, be not silent:
God, you are the one whom I praise, [So please] answer [my prayer],
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,
because wicked people slander me and tell [MTY] lies about me.
3 And with words of hatred have they encompassed me; and they fight against me without a cause.
They are constantly saying that they hate me, and they say evil things about me for no reason.
4 For my love they are mine adversaries; but I [give myself unto] prayer.
I show them that I want to be their friends and I pray for them, but [instead of being kind to me], they say that I have done evil things.
5 And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
In return for my doing good things for them and loving them, they do evil things to me and hate me.
6 Set a wicked [man] over him, and let [the] adversary stand at his right hand;
They said, “Appoint a wicked [judge] who will judge him, and bring in one of his enemies who will stand up and accuse him.
7 When he shall be judged, let him go out guilty, and let his prayer become sin;
And cause that when the trial [ends], [the judge will] declare that he is guilty, and that [even] his prayer will be considered to be a sin.
8 Let his days be few, let another take his office;
[Then], cause that he will soon die and that someone else will have his job/work (OR, possessions).
9 Let his sons be fatherless, and his wife a widow;
Cause that his children will not have a father any more and that his wife will become a widow.
10 Let his sons be vagabonds and beg, and let them seek [their bread] far from their desolate places;
Cause that his children will be forced to leave the ruined homes that they have been living in and wander around begging for food.
11 Let the usurer cast the net over all that he hath, and let strangers despoil his labour;
Cause that all the people to whom he owed money will seize all his property; Cause that strangers will take away everything that he worked to acquire.
12 Let there be none to extend kindness unto him, neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children;
Cause that [while he is still living] no one will be kind to him, and [after he dies], cause that no one will pity his children.
13 Let his posterity be cut off; in the generation following let their name be blotted out:
Cause that all his descendants will die and that his grandchildren will not remember who he [MTY] was.
14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with Jehovah, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out;
Yahweh, remember [and do not forgive] his ancestors for the evil things that they did, and do not [even] forgive the sins that his mother committed;
15 Let them be before Jehovah continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth:
think about his sins continually, and cause that his name will be completely forgotten.
16 Because he remembered not to shew kindness, but persecuted the afflicted and needy man, and the broken in heart, to slay him.
He never was kind to anyone; he (persecuted/cause problems for) poor and needy [people] and even killed helpless [people].
17 And he loved cursing; so let it come unto him. And he delighted not in blessing; and let it be far from him.
He liked to curse [people]. [So] cause those terrible things that he requested to happen to others to happen to him! He did not want to bless [others], [so] cause that no one will bless him!
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;
He cursed other people [as often/easily] as he put on his clothes [SIM]; cause that the terrible things that he wanted to happen to others will [happen to him and] enter his body like water [that he drinks] [SIM], like [olive] oil soaks into a person’s bones [when it is rubbed on his skin] [SIM].
19 Let it be unto him as a garment with which he covereth himself, and for a girdle wherewith he is constantly girded.
Cause that those terrible things will cling to him like his clothes and be around him like the belt that he wears every day.”
20 Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from Jehovah, and of them that speak evil against my soul.
Yahweh, I want you to punish all my enemies that way, those who say evil things about me.
21 But do thou for me, Jehovah, Lord, for thy name's sake; because thy loving-kindness is good, deliver me:
But Yahweh, my God, do good things for me in order that I may honor you; rescue me [from my enemies] because your faithfully loving me is good.
22 For I am afflicted and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
[I ask you to do this] because I am poor and needy and my inner being is (full of pain/very troubled/discouraged).
23 I am gone like a shadow when it lengtheneth; I am tossed about like the locust;
[I think that] my time [to remain alive] is short, like an evening shadow [that will soon disappear] [SIM]. I will be blown away like a locust/grasshopper is blown [by the wind].
24 My knees are failing through fasting, and my flesh hath lost its fatness;
My knees are weak because I have (fasted/abstained from eating food) very often, and my body has become very thin.
25 And I am become a reproach unto them; [when] they look upon me they shake their heads.
The people who accuse me make fun of me; when they see me, they [insult me by] shaking their heads [at me as though I were an evil man].
26 Help me, Jehovah my God; save me according to thy loving-kindness:
Yahweh, my God, help me! Because you faithfully love [me], rescue me!
27 That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, Jehovah, hast done it.
[When you save me], cause my enemies to know that you are the one who has done it!
28 Let them curse, but bless thou; when they rise up, let them be ashamed, and let thy servant rejoice.
They may curse me, but I ask that you bless me. Cause those who (persecute/cause problems for) me [to be defeated and as a result] to be disgraced/ashamed, and cause me to be glad/happy!
29 Let mine adversaries be clothed with confusion, and let them cover themselves with their shame as with a mantle.
Cause those who accuse me to be completely disgraced; cause [other people to see] that they are disgraced, as [easily as they see] the clothes that they wear [SIM]!
30 I will greatly celebrate Jehovah with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.
But I will thank Yahweh very greatly; I will praise him [when I am] among the crowd [of people who are worshiping him].
31 For he standeth at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those that judge his soul.
[I will do that] because he defends [MTY] needy [people like me], and saves us from those who have decided/declared that we must be executed.
